Jae's thoughts wandered in restless circles as the group pressed deeper into the tunnel. The broken artifact Tirel had found sat heavy in his memory, every detail refusing to fade.
The fractured stone, the clean cut of the royal seal stamped across its surface, it was too precise, too deliberate. Things like that did not happen by accident. His mind kept circling back to the same conclusion: someone had placed it there with intention. The only question was why.
He slowed his steps without realizing, torch raised but eyes unfocused, chasing theories instead of watching the stone walls. The last attack on the academy clawed at his thoughts, mixing with the present unease.
The air down here carried the same weight, thick with dust and the faint metallic tang of old earth. Around him, the shuffle of boots and muted chatter of classmates faded into background noise, barely noticed.
"Jae."
