Days passed enjoyably for Thane and his group. The wounded got back to health. The healthy relaxed, and those who were stressed over everything started submitting themselves to fate.
And finally, the day of selection had arrived to determine their fate and future.
The Grand Hall of Aspirants, which had witnessed weeks of blood, sweat, tears, and shattered dreams, now stood adorned in banners of every academy in Bentram Kingdom.
Rows upon rows of seats stretched across the immense chamber. Thousands of candidates filled them, each bearing a different expression.
At the front, upon an elevated platform of polished white stone, sat the principals.
Ten grand chairs occupied the highest tier. The Top Ten Academies, the dream of every aspirant.
Behind them, arranged in descending order, sat hundreds of other principals and instructors from lesser academies spread throughout the kingdoms.
The guest candidates from foreign nations were notably absent.
