Chapter 85: Shadows Awaken
The towering spires of Astralis Academy loomed ahead, their peaks piercing the clouded sky like jagged shards of crystal. Valen walked at the head of his group, his strides steady despite the weight he carried. Behind him, the others were silent, each lost in their thoughts.
Their arrival didn't go unnoticed. The courtyard, bustling with students and faculty, quieted as heads turned. Whispers filled the air like static, faint and fleeting, yet loud enough to prickle at Valen's nerves.
"Valen's back," someone murmured, their voice tinged with curiosity.
"Wasn't he in the sealed sectors?"
"What could he have been doing there?"
Valen ignored the growing stares, his expression unreadable as he led his companions through the courtyard. Seraphine walked beside him, her usual calm tinged with unease. Aylara scanned the crowd with practiced precision, her hand never straying far from her dagger.
