Chapter 15: The Courtyard of Shadows

The morning bell had not yet rung when Ryu Jin and Ravi slipped out of the Windstep dormitory. The air was cold, carrying the bite of frost, and the corridors were empty save for the distant sound of an early practice drill. Ryu Jin moved with a new lightness in his steps, the green light humming in his chest like a coiled spring. The Pulse Forge and Iron Vessel stages had changed him—not just in...