After Kael's intense and haunting conversation with the strange figure, something inside him shifted. His mood had darkened, and now his mind wandered, caught in a whirlwind of thoughts—many of them unnecessary, yet impossible to silence.
He left his room slowly. The academic dormitory was eerily quiet, almost unsettling. Not a sound echoed through its narrow halls.
Descending the stairs at a deliberate pace, Kael felt the silence wrap around him like a cloak. But as he neared the front entrance, that silence was pierced. From the other side of the door, he began to hear shouts—no, cheers—and waves of joyful cries echoing outside.
The moment he stepped through the door, sunlight struck him sharply. And before him, a crowd had gathered, packed tightly in the courtyard. They were clapping, shouting, chanting Valdren's name with unrestrained emotion. Some people had even collapsed to their knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
