The night clung tightly to the spires of the Academy, a veil of mist drifting across its stone pathways. Kai moved like a whisper between shadows, the Umbral Mantle clinging to his form like liquid night. Every step was measured. Every breath held. His heart pounded.
He reached the north tower, the girl's dormitory, where the walls pulsed faintly with wards meant to detect male intruders. Kai's fingers twitched as he passed under the enchanted archway, the Mantle barely holding its illusion against the magical field. The pulse of the ward flickered once… then dimmed.
He was in.
One door at a time.
Quiet.
Controlled.
Some girls stirred in their sleep, others muttered dream-fragments as he slipped silently through the halls. Room after room, none of them hers.
Then, on the fourth floor, third door down.
He knew.
