The light of dawn leaked through the narrow windows and fell straight onto Arthur's eyes.
He woke with a sharp intake of breath and sat up in one smooth motion, his hand already halfway raised before he realized there was no threat. The room was quiet. Too quiet. Just the faint hum of the guild building waking up around him and the distant sounds of footsteps and voices drifting in from outside.
He exhaled slowly and rubbed his face.
"It's already dawn," he muttered.
His body ached as he stretched, muscles pulling tight and then loosening as the tension of the previous day bled away. Every bone reminded him of how hard he had pushed himself, and instead of irritation, it brought a small smile to his lips.
He let mana flow.
Not forcefully, not recklessly. Just enough to feel it respond.
