Another week passed in a blur of final lectures and practical demonstrations.
Then, on the last day of the semester, all first-years were summoned to the assembly hall.
The space was massive, high vaulted ceilings supported by stone pillars, rows of benches filling the floor, a raised platform at the front where instructors could address the entire year level at once.
Students filed in by class section, filling the benches with the chaotic energy of people ready for break. Conversations overlapped, plans for the month off, relief that exams were finally over.
I noticed the usual clusters forming as people settled in. Most of the hall was human students, but scattered throughout were smaller groups, a trio of beastkin near the middle rows, their animal features distinct even from a distance, one with wolf-like ears that swiveled at every sound.
