Once Jin and the Eastern contingent disappeared through the cafeteria archway, the suffocating weight in the air vanished. The hall remained dead quiet for a heartbeat before the surrounding tables collectively exhaled.

  ?Bang! Ethan’s fist hit the oak table hard enough to bounce his plate. His thick neck flushed a mottled, angry red.

  ?"That arrogant piece of..." Ethan growled, jabbing a thick finger toward the doors. "Makes Valentine look like a saint. Swear to God, if he runs his mouth like that again, I'm caving his teeth in."

  ?Vanessa pushed a piece of lettuce around with her fork. Her face was a mask of aristocratic calm.

  ?"Relax, Ethan," she said, her voice smooth and unbothered. "The curriculum requires physical evaluations. You will get your chance in the ring."

  ?The anger in Ethan's eyes snapped off. A wide, feral grin stretched across his face. He punched his right fist into his open left palm. Smack. "Perfect. When they lock us in the dirt together, I’m snapping him in half."

  ?A crisp crystal chime cut through his bragging. An amplified voice rolled from the ether-stones embedded in the high corners of the room.

  ?"Attention, Wave Two candidates. The License Examination will commence shortly. Report to the Grand Proving Grounds within fifteen minutes."

  ?Chairs scraped violently against the stone floor. The cafeteria erupted into motion as hundreds of students abandoned their meals and surged toward the exits.

  ?Marcus let out a long breath. He stared up at the massive projection screen above the dais, which was now broadcasting a static, high-angle view of the sandy arena. He turned to Ethan, who was already rolling his shoulders to loosen up.

  ?"Hey, Ethan," Marcus rubbed the back of his neck, his voice tired. "Do we actually have to go get crushed in the bleachers? The feed is right there. It’s clean, and we don't end up in someone else's crosshairs."

  ?He pointed across the table. "Besides. Look at him."

  ?Roy was still face-down on the wood. He was snoring softly, a thin line of drool pooling under his cheek, completely dead to the world. Jinny stood over him, radiating pure, exhausted defeat.

  ?"Are you kidding?" Ethan shoved Marcus's shoulder. "Watching a screen doesn't give you the impact! You need to smell the dirt and the blood. You need to feel the ether displace when a shield breaks! That's how you learn to brawl."

  ?He didn't wait for an argument. Ethan reached down, grabbed Roy by the collar and the belt, and hauled him up, tossing the sleeping boy over his broad shoulder like a sack of rusted scrap.

  ?"Heave! I'm carrying the dead weight. Let's move!"

  ?The violent jolt and the sudden shift in altitude finally knocked Roy’s brain into gear. He blinked at the upside-down floor, his hair sticking up in a chaotic mess.

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  ?He let out a massive, jaw-cracking yawn. "Huh... morning already?" Roy mumbled, blindly patting his own stomach. "I didn't even get to eat..."

  ?A vein popped in Ethan's neck.

  ?"You're fasting, you idiot!" Ethan roared at the boy draped over his back. "Who sleeps like a corpse when everyone else is having a heart attack?! If you're hungry, eat the arena dirt!"

  ?Jinny shook her head in profound disgust. Vanessa merely adjusted her glasses and walked toward the exit without a word. Marcus offered a dry, humorless smile and fell into step behind them.

  ?When they pushed through the heavy iron doors of the Proving Grounds, they weren't met with tense, exam-day discipline. An obnoxious shout echoed off the high dome.

  ?"Oi! I've been waiting for twenty minutes! Are we fighting or just standing around?!"

  ?Sun slammed the butt of his iron staff into the stone floor. Sparks scattered. He paced back and forth like a caged animal, his feral eyes scanning the empty arena with blatant impatience.

  ?"Seriously! This place is painfully slow. I could have stayed in bed!"

  ?A girl with electric-blue hair stood near him. Her modified combat uniform was immaculate, but her posture was entirely hostile. She kicked the low wall of the viewing stands. Leather smacked loudly against stone.

  ?The combined aggression of the two Eastern scions had successfully cleared a wide circle around them. None of the other regional recruits wanted to step into the blast zone.

  ?Jin stood exactly between the two. He dragged a hand down his face. His polite smile was completely gone, replaced by deep exhaustion.

  ?"Sun... Mei... lower your voices. You are drawing unwanted attention."

  ?"It's boring, Jin!" Mei snapped, crossing her arms defensively. "Go yell at a proctor for us!"

  ?Marcus’s group stopped at the top of the bleacher stairs, taking in the chaotic scene.

  ?"The blue one," Ethan cracked his knuckles. "Just as bad as carrot-top. Good. I can bury them both."

  ?"I pity their squad leader," Vanessa noted, her eyes tracking Jin. "Managing two rabid dogs is a statistical nightmare."

  ?Marcus watched Jin physically grab Sun and Mei by their collars, pulling them back into a tighter formation. Underneath that polite act, Marcus thought, the guy has to be a monster. You don't hold the leash on stray dogs unless you bite harder than they do.

  ?The complaints from Sun and the shouting from Mei died instantly.

  ?A suffocating gravity crashed down on the arena.

  ?It wasn't a physical wind. It was pure, invisible weight pressing directly against their bones. The air vibrated. Every single recruit in the Proving Grounds froze. Several weaker students buckled, their knees hitting the stone floor hard as they gasped desperately for breath.

  ?Ethan grunted, widening his stance to keep from dropping Roy. Sun and Mei ground their teeth, their aggression vanishing as they strained their own internal ether just to remain standing. Jin narrowed his eyes, a faint aura flaring around his skin to deflect the pressure.

  ?They forced their heads up.

  ?A man stood on the highest observation balcony. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes swept over the hundreds of students with the cold detachment of a butcher eyeing meat.

  ?Garo. The Chief Examiner.

  ?Once the silence in the arena was absolute, Garo dialed the pressure back. The crushing weight lifted. Dozens of students gasped, pulling frantic breaths into their lungs. Cold sweat beaded on foreheads across the room.

  ?Garo’s deep voice carried across the vast expanse without an amplification crystal.

  ?"The posturing ends now," he stated, the words clipping the air. "The License Examination begins."

  ?He let the silence stretch for a long, agonizing moment.

  ?"And remember." The temperature in his voice dropped to absolute zero. "The Council... is watching."

  ?Marcus’s blood turned to ice. Beside him, Vanessa went entirely rigid. Her fingers dug into the leather strap of her satchel until her knuckles turned white.

  ?To the rest of the arena, it was a standard motivational threat. Marcus exchanged a single, loaded look with Vanessa. The Council. They weren't just watching the fights. They were hunting.