When the last robe settled onto the last pair of shoulders, the room quieted.
Arlen let the silence hold for a heartbeat before he spoke again.
"Good. All of you—listen." His gaze swept the rows of candidates.
"During your waiting here, more students were brought in. That's why our number has swelled. As of this moment, there are two hundred of you."
Arlen's tone didn't shift. "Understand this clearly. This academy has no slots. Out of these two hundred Awakeners, fifty may enter—or none, or all. If two hundred of you rise to the level demanded, two hundred will pass. If only ten of you prove worthy, then ten will pass. If none…" He let the sentence trail off, his eyes flat and steady.
The whispering stilled. Every candidate understood.
Arlen clasped his hands behind his back. "Of course if you can pass the exam objective, it's more or less a guaranteed entry so don't focus too much on performance even if it's just as important."
