FLOOR
The word appeared above the First Flame's Witness as the Rotunda opened around them.
Silver partitions sank one after another, taking the remains of the Table scenarios with them. False walls dissolved, dining arrangements vanished beneath polished stone, and the observation corridors folded inward until forty-eight students once again stood inside a single circular chamber.
Then the floor expanded.
Golden lines spread from the central brazier, tracing a broad space beneath the dome. Chairs and refreshment tables rose along the perimeter while attendants returned to their stations. Above, musicians adjusted strings and reeds. Tall mirrors emerged between several columns, catching the students from different angles until movement seemed to multiply around the Salon.
Everyone could see everyone.
Elara understood the point before the instructor finished turning toward them.
