The observation chamber hummed with the low static of a hundred monitoring artifacts. Screens tracked students' positions, badges flashed like errant stars, and the giant public feed in the lecture hall showed the shrinking dome as a white ring crawling inward. Around Zane, the faculty cluster watched with a mix of professional curiosity and plain, childlike excitement.
Mira bounced on the balls of her feet. "Do you see how efficiently they move? Look at Lia's wind vectors — exquisite!"
Aldren simply laughed, the sound warm. "They're not just talented. They have that—" he tapped his temple with a gnarled finger, "—that angle of genius."
Varris folded his arms, expression carved in granite. "They fight like they've actually been to a battlefield. No hesitation."
