Five golden flames floated, suspended in the void.
Inside the wooden hall, a month had passed since those flames had come to life.
Beneath their closed eyelids, their gazes remained resolute. Every night, they had tried again and again, never once managing to overcome the flames.
And tonight was their final chance.
Gramm, absent throughout the entire month while occupied with preparations for the next phases of Gungnir, had finally returned.
The deadline he had given them had come to an end.
Failure?
None of them wanted to imagine the price he would make them pay.
"Go ahead."
Sirius and Kritos were the first pair to step forward.
They exchanged a brief glance.
They no longer needed words.
Iris and Ronel followed. Over time, a rivalry had formed between them, but faced with the challenge before them, they seemed to silently agree to set it aside.
Gracia and Lucy advanced in unison. Their duo had always been the most harmonious.
