The Solas common room was loud in an off-putting way.

Not the usual noise, not arguments about rankings or training schedules or who'd taken whose spot at the strategy table. This was tighter than that.

Voices cutting over each other, nobody actually listening, everyone needing to say something because silence felt too much like admitting they were scared.

In the past few days, another student had been confirmed missing.

"Three students now," someone said. "Three."

"Two. Fell, and now ...