The bell chimes woke Soren before dawn, though he'd already been awake for an hour.
Silver-gray light filtered through the narrow window as he fastened the last button on his uniform tunic, movements precise and economical.
The dormitory remained quiet around him, most initiates wouldn't stir until the second bell, clinging to those final precious moments of sleep.
He preferred these stolen minutes. The quiet. The space to breathe without being observed.
'Five days at Aetherion,' he thought, running a hand through his short black hair. 'Five days of playing student.'
The mirror caught his reflection as he turned, a stranger looking back at him with familiar eyes.
The Academy uniform fit well enough, its deep blue fabric marking him as a first-year Blade initiate.
Nothing like the dark, close-fitting garments he'd worn in the Veiled Hand's sanctuary, yet he wore it with the same careful attention to detail.
