LIORA'S PERSPECTIVE, 3RD PERSON, SAME DAY BUT IN THE EVENING.
The halls of the Royal Department of Foreign Drugs were quieter than usual.
Late evening had already settled over the palace, leaving only a handful of lamps burning along the long stone corridors. Their dim glow reflected faintly against polished floors, casting stretched shadows that moved with every flicker of flame.
Liora adjusted the sleeves of her lab coat as she walked, the familiar scent of dried herbs, alcohol solutions, and ground minerals grounding her after a long day at the academy.
She should have gone to rest.
Instead, she turned toward the testing chambers.
Her boots echoed softly as she entered the laboratory. The room was lined with shelves filled with labelled vials, preserved specimens, and carefully sealed powders. At the far end, a row of containment cages sat beneath controlled ventilation arrays.
Liora moved straight toward one of them.
Inside, the rat stirred.
