The week passed quickly.
Rey spent the time familiarizing himself with Academy grounds, studying the defensive wards around his residence to ensure they wouldn't interfere with his concealment of the Emperor and Prince, and carefully planning his approach to the institutional environment he'd infiltrated.
By the time classes resumed, he'd refined his Eru persona to accommodate the new context—cautious survivor grateful for opportunity but still processing recent trauma, capable practitioner with potential for growth but not so exceptional as to invite excessive scrutiny.
The balance required precision. Too weak and he'd be dismissed as a waste of Academy resources. Too strong and he'd trigger exactly the investigation his deception was designed to avoid.
