The streets of the town center were eerily quiet that night.
The air heavy with the faint scent of roasted nuts and burnt oil from the vendors who had long since closed their stalls.
I pulled my hood lower, making sure no one could see my face.
If anyone from the academy recognized me, everything I'd worked for would go up in smoke.
Silvercrest Hall might be ashes now, but the academy's watchful eyes were far from blind.
The shop wasn't hard to find.
Wilfred's Resource Emporium, tucked away in the quieter parts of town, its faded sign creaking in the wind.
A perfect place for someone like me, who needed to disappear but couldn't afford to leave the academy grounds entirely.
I knocked twice, quick and sharp, and waited.
A few moments later, the door cracked open, and Old Man Wilfred's weathered face appeared.
His eyes widened when he saw me.
"Noah? What the devil are you doing here at this hour?
