One by one, students began emerging from meditation.
Eyes opening slowly, blinking against rain that hadn't stopped falling, pupils adjusting to the oppressive grey light of this incomplete dimension.
The first to wake were the Imperial heirs – their superior talent allowing faster Aura recovery despite the ambient density being wrong, making absorption difficult.
Cassius's grey eyes snapped open with sharp awareness, his instincts never fully dormant even during recovery.
Jonathan's golden features showed less exhaustion now, though the divine radiance that usually surrounded him remained absent, his reserves still too depleted for Imperial skills.
Ben stretched his shoulders, rolling his neck, testing his body's readiness for combat, his fingers twitching toward where his greatsword lay beside him.
