After sunset, the Southern District did not become peaceful. It only became quieter.
The ruined section of Veyrhold lay under a thickening dark, its repaired and half-repaired spaces lit by controlled flames, dim glowstones from academy supplies, and the softer light of students with enough Myst left to spare a steady lamp.
The south-west barracks held the largest number of students who were allowed indoors for the night. Its usable rooms had been cleared, braced, and marked, but no one mistook them for comfort. Old stone floors remained cold beneath bedrolls, the walls smelled of dust and damp wood, and every sound from outside made someone look toward the door before pretending they had not.
