It was PREPARATION TIME. It felt like inevitability. The academy moved quickly once the council's decision was finalized, but they were not rushing. Every order was calculated, every assignment was deliberate, every movement aligned with a single objective that no one said aloud but everyone understood. They were going back. Not to explore. Not to survive. But to engage.
Aurelion stood at the edge of the staging ground where the second expedition was being organized. Knights moved in formation, mages checked their instruments, instructors issued quiet commands that carried more weight than usual. The entire area had an undercurrent of restraint, as if everyone present understood that this was not a standard mission, but none of them fully grasped what that meant.
