Page 406 of Axis of Fire

As though she wanted one of us to feel guilty.

Personally...

I couldn't see the point.

We weren't nearly close enough for me to feel responsible for her feelings.

"And I'm glad at least one person around here knows what discipline looks like," Joelle remarked.

According to Joelle, the Wardrobe Hall was located inside one of the academy's academic buildings.

It had its own separate entrance, which meant we still hadn't seen the classrooms where we'd soon be spending most of our time.

The moment we stepped inside, I stopped.

The room was enormous.

Everything—from the walls to the ceiling—was immaculate white.

Across the floor stood a series of circular platforms that immediately reminded me of the spheres we'd seen during one of the exhibitions on Ruel Island.

Only these were different.

Each one rose slightly above the floor, more like a pedestal than a platform.

Beside each platform stood a compact device roughly the size of a handheld laser scanner, covered in buttons and fitted with two glowing screens.

"Madame Zhivorzhinette?" Joelle called.

I instinctively glanced around, expecting someone to emerge from another room.

Instead...

A woman materialized out of thin air.

She looked...

Almost mechanical.

Instantly, I remembered the elevator in Magicslan and Airis's explanation that the Realm of Lightning supplied Istarus with advanced technology.

"Welcome to my kingdom," the woman said warmly.

Despite her perfectly fluid movements, there was something almost impossibly precise about the way she carried herself.

Her luminous green eyes swept across each of us before the corners of her lips curved into an elegant smile.

"I am Madame Zhivorzhinette—Istmond Academy's stylist and fashion designer."

I hadn't expected anything like this.

She looked effortlessly fashionable, combining deep navy leather with delicate ivory lace.

For some reason, I'd always imagined magical worlds as something ancient.

Exactly the way books and movies loved to portray them.

Istarus continued proving me wrong.