Aeron would later describe the moment as "watching a grown man get hit by lightning in slow motion and pretend it was a mild inconvenience."He and Fin were in mid-conversation, passing through the second-floor walkway of the library.Fin stopped suddenly, like someone had yanked an invisible chain. A tightness braced across his shoulders, and his jaw clenched hard enough to crack teeth. "What—" Aeron glanced over the railing.Nova stood in the one slanted beam of sun pouring from the high window, as if the library itself had decided to spotlight her.He looked back at Fin, brows lifted. In the span of one second, the mage's expression changed from curiosity to holy shit.Fin's head snapped towards the lower floor, attention locking onto Nova. And then he moved down the stairs, eyes never leaving her.Aeron followed, the corners of his mouth twitching in mild, entertained disbelief."Nova? Aren't you supposed to be in the dining hall?" He paused, reconsidered, then added dryly, "No—ri
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