As soon as the voice faded, the air shifted.
The birds stopped chirping.
Wind held its breath.
And then—
BOOM!
A flare of light exploded overhead.
A ripple passed through the sky like shattering glass, and the invisible barrier that had caged them in until now silently collapsed.
The trial had begun.
Kai didn't wait.
He darted forward, boots silent on the moss-covered ground, shadows clinging to him like an old friend.
Around him, others were already moving—some stumbling in hesitation, others sprinting blindly in one direction or another, fueled by panic or overconfidence. A few had already drawn weapons, snarling at whoever happened to be closest.
Idiots.
This wasn't a trial of brawn alone.
The headmaster's words rang in his head like a warning bell:
"Strong. Sharp. Cunning."
Kai veered off the main path. The trees swallowed him instantly.
