The room was too small for how many of them were crammed into it.
Stone walls. Dim light. One long table.
No professors. No staff. No adults.
Just them.
The first-years.
Luneth stood with her back to the wall, arms crossed, one foot pressed lightly against the baseboard like it could help her think faster.
She didn't speak.
Not yet.
Cassian sat in the corner, leg outstretched, wrapped in three layers of crystal-treated bandages. His shirt was torn, the color gone from his lips.
"…I should've done more," he said.
"No one could've," Nikolai mumbled, hunched on a stool like he was trying to disappear into the wood. "He told us to run."
"And we did," Rowan muttered. "Like cowards."
Valen said nothing. He hadn't since they got back.
Elara was pacing in slow, sharp circles.
Jack leaned against the table, one arm across his chest, jaw tight.
Vivienne was seated in the far corner, eyes shadowed. She hadn't spoken since they entered.
Luneth finally exhaled. "He's gone."
