The thought lingered with me as I made my way toward the knight department's training grounds on the other side of the building.
It was strange, almost unnecessary.
I didn't have to go out of my way to see Draven, especially when I had the option of sparring with better equipment in the private training rooms meant for elite students.
But something tugged me there—some morbid curiosity, maybe.
Draven Lockwood.
A commoner, yes, but one whose drive was almost unmatched in this academy.
For Draven, graduating from Ravenwood as the top-ranked knight was more than a goal.
It was his way out, his way up.
Becoming a royal knight of the empire, like his father before him—that was his singular purpose, the thing that consumed him.
And somehow, watching him train felt like peeling back the cover of a book to glimpse the first page.
I had my reasons, too.
