WHOOSH.
The world outside the window was a green and brown blur. Jonah sat in a plush seat, watching the untamed wilds of the Academy territories streak by. The high-speed mag-lev train hummed almost silently, a stark contrast to the rattling carts of his childhood. Everything about this journey felt like a different world.
Across from him, Vanessa fidgeted. She was trying to read a thick book on advanced mana theory, but her eyes kept darting around the luxurious train car. "I still don't understand why I'm here," she mumbled for the third time, snapping the book shut. "My official title is 'Runic Support Specialist.' What am I supposed to do? Run a diagnostic on the Cardinal's holy aura? Is that even allowed?"
Next to her, Seraph sat ramrod straight, a statue in her crisp military dress uniform. Her eyes weren't on the scenery or on a book. They were on everything.
