Bright had the growing feeling that they had been isolated.
Not consciously—nobody had deliberately cut them off from the broader world. But it was a foregone conclusion that came about simply by attending the academy.
They'd been in Central for a long while now. Months. Nearly half a year since leaving Vester. Yet their center of presence was focused mainly on academy grounds. The training halls. The dormitories. The forge workshop where Bright spent most of his free time.
They hadn't even had the time or leisure to properly explore the most talked-about place in the Republic.
Central was a melting pot of different cultures. People from different walks of life and varying levels of strength came together to form a functioning society. Merchants. Military personnel. Noble house retainers. Commoners seeking opportunity. All coexisting in the Republic's administrative and cultural heart.
