No one moved. The wind stirred the dead branches, brittle and sharp.
Vael's hand stayed close to the ring. The warmth inside it had turned restless.
Reylen shifted forward. "If you want a fight, you'll get one."
The stranger raised a hand. "Not with me. With what follows."
They struck the ground with their staff. The earth split.
From the fissure crawled shapes of ash and ember, limbs twisted, eyes burning faint red. They moved like beasts, but their forms were half-human.
Elira pulled her bow, light sparking between her fingers. Nyra's grin returned.
"Finally," she whispered.
The creatures hissed and surged forward.
Vael met the stranger's silver eyes one last time. "You're testing us."
The stranger nodded once. "Prove yourselves, or be forgotten."
The first creature lunged. Vael moved, shadows trailing his step, the ring pulsing steady against his skin.
The test had begun.