Then you felt it. The familiar warmth on your inner wrist, just above the pulse point. The daily reminder.

You glanced down.

That's new.

Your phone buzzed again. A text from your mom.

"Breakfast is ready. Don't forget your uniform. UA starts in an hour."

UA. The hero course. Your wrists had been talking about morning routines and training schedules for weeks. Matching the sunrise workouts of some mystery student. But the tone of this one—

Aggressive. Rough. Familiar in a way that made your stomach flip.

You grabbed your phone and checked the time. You had forty minutes before you needed to leave.