The sun had long since passed its highest point when Amberine stepped beyond the orphanage gates, the laughter of the children still echoing faintly behind her. For several heartbeats, she simply stood there, letting the warm resonance of their giggles linger in her thoughts. It was a sound she'd never grow tired of—hopeful, bright, and unburdened by the weight of academic stress or arcane theory. A ragged breath escaped her, part contentment, part exhaustion. The day had been long and filled with more chaos than she cared to recount, but each child's smile had been a reminder that her time in this battered corner of the city meant something beyond credits and lecture halls.