"Where the Exam Truly Begins"
The sea was unnaturally calm.
That was the first thing most students noticed as the Academy vessel cut through the water like a silent blade, leaving behind a long silver arc in its wake. It wasn't the calm of peaceful nature—it was a stillness so absolute it felt staged, intentional, a manufactured quiet that carried the weight of expectation.
Arios sensed it long before the island even came into view.
He stood near the railing of the upper deck, the morning wind tugging at his uniform coat. The sun was beginning its slow climb upward, casting shimmering paths of gold across the water's mirror-like surface. Behind him, the chatter of other students drifted like broken fragments—eager, nervous, restless.
Lucy and Liza stood at his sides.
Not too close, not too far. A comfortable formation that had become their default.
Lucy leaned slightly forward, squinting at the horizon. "We should be able to see it soon."
