The morning after the banquet, the air felt different—heavier somehow, like the weight of what we'd seen and what we suspected had crystallized overnight. I rubbed my temples, trying to clear the fog that had settled over my thoughts since last night. Something about Alyssara's dance kept nagging at me, a phantom sense of familiarity I couldn't quite place.
We gathered in the palace's grand assembly hall, where two hundred students from Starcrest and Mythos Academies filled the tiered seats. The scale of our investigation force was impressive—a small army of talented young mages and warriors, backed by some of the most powerful figures in the world.
Li Zenith stood at the center of the room, his silver-threaded robes catching the early light that streamed through the high windows. Beside him, Professor Nero's darker silhouette created a striking contrast—light and shadow, both equally formidable in their own way.
