The journey back to the academy took most of the day. William used the time to review the techniques journal his mother had given him, memorizing combat sequences and essence manipulation methods that were definitely not part of standard academy curriculum.
Some of these techniques were borderline illegal, designed for killing rather than sparring, for survival rather than fair combat. But survival was exactly what he needed.
The carriage rolled through increasingly familiar terrain as afternoon turned to evening. Finally, the academy's walls came into view with torches already lit along the fortifications.
They passed through the gates and William felt the ambient essence concentration increase, it was always stronger on academy grounds due to the cultivation of hundreds of students and the essence-reactive infrastructure.
