The days following the Spring Festival quickly blurred back into the monotonous, highly structured routine of Academy life.
The vibrant blue and gold banners were taken down, the sprawling vendor stalls were dismantled, and the heavy iron gates of the campus were locked once again to the outside world.
The chaotic energy of the festival was replaced by the familiar lectures of then Professors and the grueling physical conditioning in the combat halls.
But despite the return to the mundane, there was a massive, fundamental shift in our group's dynamic.
Emma was completely, undeniably back.
Sitting a few rows ahead of me in theory class, the dark, bruised-looking circles under her eyes were entirely gone. Her skin had regained its healthy, vibrant color, and she no longer hunched her shoulders like she was waiting for a physical blow.
She was back to taking frantic, overly detailed notes.
She was thriving.
