C18 CHAPTER 18: KAIRO OPENS UP BRIEFLY; TRUST BEGINS

The Sky Academy looked different at dusk.

The sharp metallic edges softened under the fading light, platforms glowing faintly as energy lines shifted into their evening cycle. Training zones emptied one by one, cadets dispersing toward dormitories or quiet corners where exhaustion finally caught up with them.

Lyria walked beside Kairo along one of the upper skybridges