Sitting alone in her office, Principal Leilah let out a soft, tired sigh.
Her gloved fingers traced along the edge of her teacup as the steam gently rose into the air, curling like mist around her face.
A small, almost reluctant smile curved her lips—one that carried both fatigue and quiet relief.
These past few months had been anything but kind.
Her days blurred into nights, and her nights into restless dawns filled with endless meetings, veiled threats, urgent letters, and political balancing acts that made even dungeon management feel like a vacation.
The pressures didn't simply trickle in—they crashed like waves, relentless and merciless.
Though many of the academy's deeper, internal problems had been dealt with quietly—kept out of public view and resolved without the academy's direct fingerprints—the underlying reality was far from comforting.
Everything still felt volatile, like a glass sculpture sitting on the edge of a trembling table.
A ticking time bomb.
