Night had deepened fully over the academy by the time silence settled around the teachers' dormitory, the world outside having long since quieted into stillness. Only the soft glow of scattered lights remained visible through distant windows, faint against the endless dark sky above, while the cool breeze carried the gentle rustling of trees through the empty grounds below.
On the balcony of her room—
Seraphina sat alone.
Moonlight spilled softly across her figure, silver light tracing along the edges of her loose white clothing while strands of her blue hair swayed restlessly in the wind. One of her hands rested lightly against the arm of the chair while the other supported her temple, her posture composed on the surface, yet far too still for someone truly at peace.
Her eyes remained fixed upon the distant academy grounds below.
But she was not truly seeing them.
Her thoughts were elsewhere.
Far too elsewhere.
