Morning arrived sharper than the day before.
Not colder...sharper.
The air above the central platform carried a tension that felt almost metallic, as if the sky itself had drawn tight in anticipation of something about to break. The four formation towers at the corners of the pavilion stood tall and luminous, crystalline cores pulsing faintly with restrained power. Staff members moved with disciplined efficiency between the arrays, checking seals, recalibrating nodes, murmuring confirmation codes as they prepared the activation sequence for the Third Round: the Fractured Domain Trial.
Five thousand and five participants had entered the tournament grounds weeks ago.
Today, only half would leave the domain intact.
The unspoken weight of that number pressed heavily across the platform.
