Chapter 10
Ayani's Insight
Ayani's unique ability to sense magical energies allows her to perceive the creature's distress. She believes it's not inherently evil, but perhaps a victim of circumstance.
The air in the Great Hall, usually thrumming with the excited chatter of students and the gentle hum of magic, felt heavy. It was early March, the leaves outside a riot of fiery reds and golds, and a persistent chill clung to the stone walls. We were gathered for our usual breakfast, but the usual easy camaraderie was strained. The previous evening’s encounter with the creature – a fleeting, terrifying glimpse of something sleek and shadowed that had darted through the restricted arboretum – had left us all unsettled.
“It felt… wrong,” Ayani murmured, pushing a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear. Her eyes, usually so clear and focused, held a troubled depth. “Not just dangerous, but… distressed. Like it was in pain.”
Emiliano, ever the pragmatist when it came to anything less than a direct magical assault, snorted. “Distressed? Ayani, it was a beast! It nearly took Santiago’s enchanted quill for a snack!”
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