{Elira}
~**^**~
Once the noise calmed, Professor Kael started reading the names, his voice crisp and formal again.
Each one echoed through the wide space like a slow drumbeat.
Five names… ten… fifteen—
"Elira Shaw."
My breath hitched. I heard my friends gasp and cheer softly beside me.
Cambria grabbed my hand. "You've got this. Don't hold back this time."
"Make it to the top ten, Elira," Juniper said with a grin.
I nodded, trying to keep my expression steady even as my heart refused to slow down.
"The final name—Adriel Kaen."
A tall boy near the aisle stood up, stretching his neck slightly. He looked older, third-year maybe, and the calm, unreadable expression on his face made my stomach tighten.
"Those whose names were not called," Professor Kael said, "please proceed to the training hall."
My friends gave me quick hugs and words of encouragement before leaving.
"Remember—ten minutes, not a second more," Tamryn said with mock severity.
