After lunch, Noah made his way across the academy grounds towards the beast pen annex.
The sun was still high, glinting off the white stone buildings, but the shadows of the pens themselves were darker, as if the air around them had absorbed a little of the abyss from which their occupants came from.
He adjusted the strap of his satchel on his shoulder and kept walking, his thoughts quiet, and his shadows muttering faintly at the edges of his mind.
This time, the students weren't heading to the usual classroom. Instead, signs posted along the hall directed them deeper into the annex, into a wing Noah hadn't seen before.
When he entered, he found a wide, sterile lab lined with stone counters and enchanted lanterns.
Rows of tall cabinets filled with labeled jars stood against the walls, some holding cloudy liquids with organs suspended inside.
The smell was a bit stinging, with sterilizing herbs mixed with something faintly metallic.
