"He's waiting for you to make a mistake," she added, readying her practice spear. "He won't underestimate you again."
The fourth bell rang, signaling the transition to theory classes. Soren and Seren completed their final exchange, bowing with formal precision before returning their practice weapons to the racks.
"Same time tomorrow?" Seren asked, wiping sweat from her brow with a cloth.
Soren nodded. "I look forward to it."
The initiates filed from the training yard toward the eastern wing, where classroom chambers were arranged in tiered rows like an amphitheater. Soren followed the flow, maintaining enough distance to observe without drawing attention.
The hallways narrowed as they entered the academic wing, stone walls lined with maps and tactical diagrams that glowed faintly in the shadowed corridors.
