Three days had passed since the last real conversation at the Nocturne mansion.
Since Velmora's quiet moment of comfort with Ethan, and Elowen's teasing remarks about missed invitations, things had returned to a calmer rhythm.
The mansion had gone quiet again, for the most part. Meals were less eventful. The sisters were busy with their own responsibilities.
And Ethan, while surrounded by love and chaos every day, had managed to steal a few moments of peace here and there.
But today wasn't one of those moments.
Today was different.
The first day of the simulations had finally arrived.
Ethan sat quietly in his seat near the end of the classroom with the window close by, tapping the edge of his tablet as he watched the virtual map displayed on the front wall.
It was a detailed projection of the training zone they'd be entering—dense forest, uneven cliffs, natural obstacles, and a few open clearings marked with faint red symbols for spawn points.
