Winter winds swept across the floating islands of the Celestial Academy with the specific quality that high-altitude winds possessed — thin, cutting, the kind of wind that carried sound differently than ordinary wind did and made the floating structures ring quietly with the passage of air through their spatial frameworks.
Three days after Aether's return from the Flame Labyrinth, a transfer disciple arrived at the Flame Hall's roster.
A young woman. Twenty years old. Elite Tamer Rank 8 — the kind of ranking that indicated genuine capability without suggesting anything that would elevate her above the ordinary progression of talented students moving through the academy's systems. Her name was listed as Elara. The announcement of her arrival was routine enough that it passed through the academy's administrative channels without producing any particular notice or comment.
