Alistair stepped off the meticulously raked gravel path and onto the manicured lawn, the scent of freshly cut grass and blooming wisteria thick in the air. Blackwood Academy was even more breathtaking up close. The sprawling stone building, its gothic architecture softened by climbing ivy, seemed to exhale centuries of history. Gargoyles leered from the roof, their granite faces etched with perpetual amusement, while stained-glass windows depicting scenes of ancient scholars bathed the interior in kaleidoscopic light.