The chill that permeated the Scholomantic Academy wasn't always from the stone walls or the encroaching winter. Elias had come to realize there was a deeper, more insidious cold that settled in the hearts of some, a fear of change that hardened into resistance. The heated debates following his duel with Archmagister Croft had subsided into a tense stalemate. The Codex, while gaining traction amongst the students and a few open-minded faculty like Professor Moreau, faced a silent, unwavering opposition that felt…organized.