Location:Obsidian Academy → Nexus Pavilion
Date/Time:Early Cinderfall, 9939 AZI — Evening
Realm:Lower Realm / Pavilion Sub-space
The mountain path was empty at the ninth bell.
Jayde had timed it — three weeks of observation, logged in the same methodical notation she'd once used for guard rotations on rebel bases. The eastern corridor cleared between the eighth and tenth bells. Students retreated to their courtyards or the communal halls. Instructors held their evening meetings in the western wing. The only traffic was the occasional cook's assistant hauling wash water, and they took the lower route.
Eden walked beside her. Not speaking. Not needing to. Two soldiers moving through contested territory toward a safe house — the rhythm was sixty years old and required no discussion.
