Cedric walked down the hallway of his townhouse, idly shaking the glass bottle containing Elena's Tears. He brought his left hand up to massage his stiff neck, rolling his shoulders and letting out a low, weary groan before tilting the bottle back to take a long sip of the liquid.
As he stepped out into the upper corridors, the sharp, echoing cracks of weapons sparring drew his attention, drifting up from the open-air, atrium-style training grounds below. Curious, he walked toward the edge of the walkway and leaned over the ornate stone railings to look down.
The sight that met his eyes instantly made him freeze in astonished bewilderment.
The training courtyard was absolute chaos. Deep gouges and heavy damage scarred the stone walls and ground, making the place look as if a monster had been let loose in here. Aside from that, floating eerily in the empty space between the floor and the high ceiling were dozens of wooden spears, suspended perfectly still in midair.
