The moment their hands touched the pillar, its light swallowed them. Their consciousness blinked for a moment and in the next instant, they were no longer in the forest.
Instead they stood inside the grand arena of the Academy. Yet, unlike the last time, it wasn't empty.
Thousands of spectators filled the stands.
Humans, beastkin, elves, dwarves their voices rising in layered waves of excitement. Magical screens hovered high above, projecting their arrival with a brilliant clarity.
A low roar swept through the stadium as the three appeared.
The trio stood inside a glass-walled skybox overlooking the central stage in the arena.
"Um… do we have to fight here now?"
Vian asked, tilting his head slightly, genuinely curious about it rather than being nervous.
"I guess," Adrian replied calmly, eyes scanning the space below. "Though I've never heard of it, happening like this before."
His tone suggested that he didn't particularly dislike the idea of it.
Calix remained silent.
