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"Yes."

I blink. "Why mention it?"

"Because Soren once tried to argue that the restriction only applied at night."

Soren looks offended. "The wording was unclear."

The central training grounds cover nearly the entire eastern side of the Academy.

We hear them before we see them. Steel striking steel. Commands shouted across open fields. Magic snapping through the air.

The corridor opens onto a wide balcony overlooking half a dozen arenas. Students spar beneath protective wards.

A wolf in partial transformation tackles a vampire hard enough to crack the earth.

Two fae stand across from one another manipulating ribbons of light.

Near the far wall, a Medusa student turns a practice shield to stone before shattering it with one strike. I grip the balcony railing. Now this feels familiar.

Caelen notices. "Training begins tomorrow."

"What classes?" I ask.

"Inheritance Studies, Foundations of magical history, Combat Foundations and Dominion." He lists.

"Dominion?"

Dax leans his arms against the railing beside me. "The best class here."

"The most dangerous," Maelis corrects.

"Same thing."

Caelen points toward a circular building beyond the arenas. "Dominion teaches control under interference. You're paired with another student whose goal is to destabilize your power without seriously injuring you." He explains.

"Without seriously injuring?" I repeat.

"Minor injuries build character," Dax says.

"Minor injuries build scar tissue," Lyss replies.

"That too."

I study the circular hall. "What does destabilizing someone's power involve?"

"Depends on the inheritance," Caelen says. "Interrupting concentration. Triggering instincts. Forcing someone to manifest under pressure."

"Making them angry," Rhyven adds.

He stands in the archway behind us, leaning against the stone.

Dax glances at him. "That's your approach."

"It works." Rhyven answers.

The dragon cliffs are visible from the southern terraces. They aren't open to first-years without supervision, which Dax claims is "deeply discriminatory."

Caelen points toward a series of platforms carved into the distant black mountain. "Bonded dragons choose where they rest. Students don't approach one without invitation." He explains.