Inside the lounge of the main academic building—
The tremors didn't stop.
They came in intervals.
Each one carrying through the structure in a low, grinding vibration that traveled up through the floors and into the bones of everyone inside.
Glasses rattled on tables.
Chairs shifted slightly across polished flooring.
The large glass walls trembled in place, faint distortions rippling across their surface as the force passed through them.
Another hit.
Stronger.
Closer.
Several people flinched this time, shoulders rising, heads turning instinctively toward the direction of the impact—even though they couldn't see anything beyond the building's exterior.
A man near the center of the room stood abruptly, his chair scraping harshly against the ground.
"What is that!?" he demanded, voice breaking through the controlled quiet that had been maintained for far too long.
That was all it took.
The room threatened to fracture.
