As Sophia opened her mouth to question why Ethan had been chosen, the timer hit zero.
Her Ascension token began to glow faintly—then suddenly erupted in blinding light, flooding the entire office in a radiant flash. When the light receded, Sophia was gone.
In Ethan's room, the same phenomenon occurred. His token pulsed once, then exploded with light. In an instant, Ethan vanished, leaving behind only silence.
A few seconds later, Lisa knocked softly on the door.
"I heard a noise—" she began, stepping in, only to stop mid-sentence. The room was empty.
"...Where did he go now?" she muttered, frowning in confusion.
All across various cities, the same event unfolded—32 tokens, 32 flashes, and 32 chosen were instantly teleported.
Each beam of light crashed into a massive, floating arena, one after another. The contestants emerged in flashes, landing with precision and purpose.
And then—silence.
