The Matriarch’s Decree

As the sun dipped below the horizon, its golden rays bled into the sky like molten amber, casting a dreamlike glow over the Academy's towering spires. The highland air was crisp, laced with the distant scent of pine and the lingering warmth of the fading day. Unlike the bustling lowlands, where the air grew thick with the hum of restless cities, the Academy exuded a tranquil majesty, its halls steeped in ancient wisdom and the promise of ascension.

Judio stepped out of his last class, his bakya echoing against the polished stone as he navigated the lantern-lit corridors. Around him, students murmured in hushed excitement, their voices weaving a tapestry of anticipation—but his mind was elsewhere, caught in the gravity of Maestra Luningning's morning lecture.