The Apex's question, "Which side will you choose?", hung in the silent, timeless room. It was a simple question, but it felt as heavy as a planet. All the strange, powerful eyes (or things that passed for eyes) in the Conclave turned to Ryan. He was the new player, the Wildflower, and the headmaster was asking him to pick a team on his first day.
Ryan opened his mouth to answer, though he had no idea what he was going to say. His choices seemed to be: A) The giant, universe-eating Gardener, or B) The scrappy, probably-going-to-lose team of everyone else. It wasn't a great set of options.
But before he could speak, he was interrupted.
A harsh, grating voice, like rocks grinding together, echoed in their minds. It came from the seven-foot-tall warrior king in the spiky, shadow-leaking armor.
