Chapter 795: Cursing At The Cold
Chapter 795: Cursing At The Cold
By the time Liam reached the second-year dormitory building, the cold had crawled under his coat enough times to make his mood worse than it had been when he left Isolde’s door.The building stood ahead of him with warm light spilling through its tall windows, the entrance lamps glowing against the darkening academy grounds. Compared to the rigid black stone of the academic wings, the dormitory building carried a more lived-in atmosphere.
Students passed in and out through the main doors, some still in uniform, others already changed into casual clothes for dinner, training, or whatever pointless gathering they felt required their presence. A few lingered near the entrance with scarves wrapped around their necks, complaining about the wind while making no effort to actually go inside. Their breath fogged faintly in front of them whenever they laughed.
Liam ignored them and pushed through the doors.
The difference in temperature met him at once. The inside of the dormitory was not truly warm, not enough to make him consider the air pleasant, but it was far more tolerable than the late-autumn cold outside.
The main lounge near the entrance held several heating stones set into the walls, their dull orange glow keeping the interior comfortable enough for students who did not possess fire magic and therefore had no choice but to suffer normally.
Liam had already been using his flames inwardly during the walk, drawing a careful thread of heat through his body to keep the worst of the chill from settling into his bones. It helped, but it did not make the cold any less offensive.
Inside, students moved through the lounge with the loose disorder that came after classes ended. Some sat across the low couches near the entrance, their bags dropped at their feet as they talked over the day’s lessons. Others leaned against tables with mugs of something warm in hand, reviewing notes while pretending not to listen to nearby conversations.
A group of second-years crossed toward the stairwell in casual clothes, likely heading back out despite the weather, which Liam considered proof that stupidity remained alive and well. Another pair came down the stairs laughing, one of them still pulling on a jacket as if he had only just realized the outside world had become miserable.
Several students looked at Liam as he entered.
Some glances were quick and cautious. Others lingered a little longer before looking away. A few students gave the slight nods that had become common over the past two months, acknowledgments that were not quite friendly but no longer hostile either.