The next morning started quietly.
Lucas woke before the morning bell, which almost never happened unless something was bothering him. For a few seconds he lay still in the dim light of the dorm room, staring at the ceiling while his brain tried to decide whether the early wake-up meant something important or just bad sleep.
Eventually he gave up on figuring it out.
He swung his legs off the bed, stretched, and rubbed his face with both hands.
"Great," he muttered. "Too early."
Across the room his interface blinked with the day's schedule. Lucas glanced at it while pulling on his training shirt.
Mixed rotations again.
He sighed.
The academy clearly wasn't done with this experiment.
By the time he reached the dining hall, the place was already filling. Not as loud as the previous morning, but the tension hadn't faded either. Students talked while scanning their tablets or replaying fragments of yesterday's drills.
Lucas grabbed a tray and scanned the room.
