One by one, the classes were summoned.
At first, the crowd buzzed with excitement.
Parents leaned forward, noble families adjusted their seats, ready to see their investments bloom.
Hope hung in the air like perfume. Everyone waited for the young warriors to prove themselves.
The first class marched into the arena.
A dozen students, some tall and proud, others young and clearly nervous, all adorned in the standard issue uniforms of Silver Blade Academy.
Mana threads shimmered in their collars, swords glinted, staffs hummed faintly with enchantments. There was a ripple of clapping from their section of the audience.
Then the announcer gave the signal.
The crimson drape covering the cage didn't lift—but the runes surrounding it surged, glowing with a deep, sickly green light.
The air around it twisted again, this time violently. The temperature dropped, and a deep pulse echoed through the arena.
The class froze.
Every single student halted mid-step.
