The private training hall reserved for Rank 1-20 Academy students was vast, its high arched ceiling supported by crystalline columns that hummed with contained mana.
The floor was reinforced with runes that absorbed impact and dispersed excess magical energy, a necessity when the top students in the world sparred against one another.
Rhys stood at the edge of one of the designated training circles, his form relaxed despite the weight of ambient mana that filled the space.
Around him, other elite students moved through their routines.
Some practiced individual techniques, others engaged in controlled sparring matches. The air itself felt charged, crackling with potential power.
He'd been training since dawn, working through fundamentals, pushing his body through progressions that should have exhausted him.
Sylph had been quiet this morning. Rhys had learned to appreciate these moments of silence.
The temperature shifted.
