The night was deep, the academy quiet. Most cadets were asleep, their windows dark, their dreams filled with the ordinary concerns of student life. But in a small training ground on the edge of the campus, lights blazed. The building was a dome, its interior spacious as a stadium, its walls reinforced to contain the chaos within.
Khione had asked for a match. Nero had accepted.
They changed in silence, each in their own corner of the locker room. She pulled on a black training suit, fitted and flexible, her white hair tied back in a tight ponytail. He chose grey, loose enough to move, dark enough to hide the sweat that would come. Her wand was small, pale blue, carved from the crystal of a glacier's heart. His sword was plain steel, a training blade, but it would serve its intended purpose.
They met in the center of the training ground. The floor was packed earth, scarred by countless battles. The air was cool, still, waiting. They faced each other, fifty feet apart.
