Leo von Velden sat alone in the dimly lit confines of his quarters.
The weight of recent events pressing down on him like an unrelenting storm.
The flicker of candlelight cast long, wavering shadows on the stone walls.
Yet they offered little solace to the turmoil in his mind.
His gaze was fixed on the floor.
Though his thoughts drifted far beyond the cold, confining room he occupied.
Princess Elara.
His sister.
He clenched his fists, his breathing uneven as the memory of the cemetery's possession resurfaced.
It had happened in the heart of the academy—a sacred place of learning turned to chaos.
At first, he had been sure Professor Caelan was behind it all.
Caelan, the sharp-eyed instructor who had once served as a royal tutor at the Imperial Palace.
He and Elara had a troubled history.
Their encounters marked by tension and mistrust.
