The next morning, nobody rushed to their usual places.
Lucas noticed it before he even reached the training hall. The corridor outside was crowded the way it always was before first block, but the movement felt different. Students weren't drifting toward the same people by instinct anymore. They were slowing at intersections, looking around, making small decisions that hadn't used to require thought.
A week ago, most of them would have fallen into their old habits without even noticing. Same doors, same lanes, same faces. The academy had trained routine into them long before it started breaking routines apart.
Now the easy version of that looked suspicious.
Lucas stepped aside to let two B-tier students pass him near the hall entrance. One of them started toward a familiar group, hesitated, then peeled off and joined a different cluster without saying a word. His friend gave him a look but followed.
Lucas watched them go.
"Okay," he muttered. "That's new."
