The silence of the great hall was deceptive. Beneath the glow of the rune-lanterns, every prodigy's aura stirred faintly, colliding like unseen storms. Pride, ambition, greed—each one burned with its own fire, and Elder Lin knew that before these trials ended, those fires would consume one another.
A deep tremor ran through the hall. The ten doors pulsed as one, their sigils flaring brighter, casting long shadows across the gathered youths. The runes along the floor began to shift, rearranging into a vast circular array, and the hum of power grew into a low thunder.
The trials were awakening.
Haiyun lifted his sword lazily, his grin widening. "Looks like the gates are impatient. Brat, if you've got a choice to make, now's the time. Wait too long and one of these other pups will steal the path out from under you."
