Kai woke for his watch shift at midnight, quietly extracting himself from his bedroll without disturbing the tent's other occupants.
Derek snored softly in the corner, Roland slept with one hand resting on his sword hilt, and Thomas muttered something incomprehensible before rolling over.
Outside, the dungeon's ambient essence created a subtle pressure that never quite faded. The safe zone glowed with soft light from essence crystals embedded in the walls, casting everything in pale blue-green illumination.
Sarah, one of the third-year combat specialists, was finishing her watch near the chamber entrance. She looked up as Kai approached.
"Quiet night so far. There are no essence fluctuations, no movement from the passages." She stretched, rolling her shoulders. "Though I swear I keep hearing something in the distance. Probably just dungeon acoustics playing tricks."
