The sun had just begun to peer above the horizon, brushing the skies over ElderGlow Academy with soft streaks of gold and pale lavender.
Dew still clung to the grass like scattered crystal dust, and a cool breeze danced through the high-walled courtyards of the academy grounds.
In a secluded stone-ringed training field near the eastern edge of the campus, four silhouettes moved with sharp discipline and controlled breath.
Damon, Anaya, Celeste, and Daveon—ElderGlow's Year Three representatives—were already deep into their warm-ups.
Even without the pressure of their own trials yet upon them, they knew better than to treat these mornings lightly. In just two days, they'd step onto the same arena floor where Year Ones and Twos had already fought tooth and nail.
And when they did, expectations wouldn't be high.
They'd be absolute.
