William woke up to someone shaking his shoulder roughly.
"Get up," Kai said. "We're starting early."
William opened his eyes and saw his roommate already dressed and ready, looking more alert than William had ever seen him in months. The sun wasn't even fully up yet, the pale morning light was just starting to filter through the window.
"What time is it?" William muttered.
"Five-thirty. We have three weeks. That's not enough time to waste sleeping in." Kai tossed William's training clothes at him. "Get dressed. We're going to the private training rooms before anyone else gets there."
William's hands were still sore from last night but the healing treatment had worked well enough. He got dressed quickly, his mind still processing everything from the previous evening.
They left the dormitory and crossed campus in the early morning quiet. A few dedicated students were already heading to training or morning runs, but most of the academy was still asleep.
