The dormitory courtyard came into full view.
It was… ordinary.
Disarmingly so.
Flagstones arranged in a perfect hexagonal pattern, low lanterns humming with stable rune-light, and four grand dormitory spires marking the corners of the sector. Neatly trimmed hedges framed each walkway, and small mana fountains burbled politely in garden squares. The sky above shimmered faintly with the containment dome's protective magic, casting a warm dusk hue across the scene—synthetic, but soft.
And there—students.
They came in twos and threes, trickling in from carriages that lined the courtyard's outer ring. Polished wood, etched family crests, silken trim fluttering with each departing figure. Some laughed, still drunk on the lingering sweetness of the banquet wine. Others adjusted their robes, brushing off crumbs or glitter or the weight of whatever political maneuverings had chased them through the ballroom hours before.
