Dawn was dead. The wait was over. Seven hundred and twenty-nine aspirants crowded inside the grand combat arena under the glaring morning sun.
Their numbers filled the vast stone grounds like an army preparing for battle. Around them rose tier upon tier of spectators, and above them stood the banners of academies, noble houses, and foreign kingdoms, stirring gently in the wind.
The atmosphere was different, and more crowded than it had been during the fight of Edniot and Willa. The crowd was greater than on the previous day.
For news had traveled far and swiftly. The names from the examination had emerged: Thane, Donovan Young, Etno Kamsi, and many others.
Their names had become subjects of conversation throughout the capital.
Now people had come to witness them with their own eyes.
At the center of the arena stood a line of academy officials carrying polished wooden chests.
