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The vote took place in the academy’s great council chamber, high above the training yards, its stone walls lined with the crested banners of every noble house, every clan, every military order that had ever shaped the realm. The air was thick with tension and old dust, and the long oak table was crowded with faces - some eager, some wary, some openly hostile. Aria sat beside Headmaster Valerius at the head of the table, the full reform document spread open before her, its margins marked with red ink, crossed-out lines, and amended clauses.

For three days they had argued. For three days they had picked apart every sentence,...