The courtyard faded behind him as Astron stepped into the quieter walkways of Arcadia's inner ring, the lanterns flickering above with their usual programmed serenity. The chill in the air hadn't deepened, but it felt colder now. Cleaner. Like something had finally snapped back into place after being held too tightly for too long.
He didn't head toward his dorm.
He turned left.
Past the exam towers. Past the sealed archives. Toward the reinforced stone structure buried just behind the eastern tower line—the private training hall.
Access glyphs scanned his passcode without delay. The gates parted silently.
And still… he said nothing.
Because his mind hadn't stopped spinning.
Eleanor's voice echoed back with unnatural clarity.
"Do you know Leonard?"
Her eyes hadn't been angry. Not truly. But they were focused—sharper than most battlefield commanders. And the moment she said that name, her gaze had narrowed with a weight Astron could no longer ignore.
She knew something.
