Valeria arrived at the Crystal Hall at 2:55—thirty-five minutes before her scheduled exam—and still, she wasn't the first.
The path leading to the entrance was already lined with students. Some stood in quiet clusters, whispering. Others sat with knees pulled to their chests, faces pale in the burnished light. No one looked relaxed. Even those pretending to be wore their composure too tightly, like borrowed clothes.
'So the rumors were true.'
She'd overheard it over meals, in the common halls, even passing through the corridor outside Marcus's dorm.
"You'd better be early for Crystal Hall—some students waited over an hour."
"They'll delay you if you're late, and if you miss your call, it counts as a fail."
Valeria hadn't waited to test that policy.
She adjusted the strap of her sword at her back, letting her gaze sweep the hall from where she stood at the outer arch.
The Crystal Hall was… unlike anything else in the Academy.
