The carriage moved in silence, its wheels gliding almost weightlessly over the mana-threaded stone of the Academy's inner path.
Valeria's gaze remained fixed beyond the crystalline glass window, unmoving—yet everything beyond it seemed to shift.
The Academy grounds unfolded before her like a living tapestry. Gardens bloomed with impossible flora, petals exhaling slow spirals of light. Silver-feathered birds wheeled overhead, their wings trailing brief traces of shimmer through the darkening sky. The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, and yet—there was no true darkness.
The stars had taken their place with unnatural clarity. Unmoving. Bright. Too bright.
And the moon—
It hung low and vast, its pale glow heavy enough to silver the tops of every roof and leaf, casting soft illumination over all it touched. But even that seemed… off.
Brighter than it should be. As if someone had pulled the moon closer.
No. Not just light.
Magic.
Valeria narrowed her eyes.
