Malcris's next lesson began without Malcris.
That was the first warning.
The second was the absence of observers.
Training corridors beneath Astral Zenith usually smelled of stone dust, chalk wards, and students pretending fear was excitement. This one smelled like rain on old iron. No balcony. No assistant instructors. No watching nobles. No Veylan with her red folder. No safety array humming overhead.
Only a corridor, six lamps, and a door at the far end marked with a silver plate.
CONTROLLED ETHICS SIMULATION
LOW-RISK SOCIAL RESPONSE EXERCISE
Low-risk.
I had begun to hate words more than monsters.
Aiden read the plate twice. "This was added to our schedule?"
"Apparently," Seraphina said.
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
Liora tapped her practice blade against her shoulder. "Ethics simulation. That sounds like something rich people invent after doing something unethical."
Niko nodded. "My old school called them leadership reflections."
"What happened there?" Ren asked.
