The Great Nexus Hall had emptied of the banners and glitter, but the freshers were given no time to bask in the grandeur of orientation.
As soon as Principal Aelthar departed, another figure walked out from the side doors, a lean, sharp-eyed man in a long black teaching coat etched with runes at the cuffs.
His stride was brisk, his aura precise, like a blade honed over decades.
As soon as he entered the hall, the murmurs quieted.
"I am Professor Caldrin Veyr," he announced, his voice clipped but ringing clear across the chamber. "Combat Studies and General Discipline, first tier".
"You will see much of me in the next three years, that is if you're lucky enough to survive that long."
The words struck like hammer blows, leaving the freshers a little unsettled and uneasy and from the faint smirk curling his lips, Caldrin knew it.
"First," he continued, "you are no longer children of noble houses, or survivors of slums, or prodigies adored by family banners".
