"Biron, did you hear?"
The boy blinked and looked up from his notebook, turning toward Weldon Harris, one of the few classmates he actually talked to.
"No… what happened?"
Weldon leaned in, voice hushed with urgency. "Up north. Near the Endless Plains. I heard a dragon appeared—and took over a city. A large silver one. No one's ever seen it before."
Biron's brows furrowed. "A dragon took over a city?"
Weldon nodded. "Yeah. Word is that King Marvok's rallying forces. He wants to deal with it. He's even trying to convince the academy to lend support. Promised gold, land, maybe even titles."
Weldon's family had deep military ties. His father trained royal knights. He always knew more than most students when it came to what the court was whispering.
While Mirelia—quietly reading nearby—could've gathered similar intel from her family, she hadn't said anything.
Biron tilted his head. "I don't know that place. Where exactly?"
