Eleanor and the others went straight to sleep after returning to their dormitory. They were utterly exhausted… not physically, but spiritually. Death, near-death, and the gruesome clash with the Troll King had left their souls threadbare. Though the battlefield had been virtual, the pain, the loss, and the finality of death had felt real. Too real. Those who had fallen and awakened inside their capsules spoke of it as if they had been given a second life.
They slept until afternoon without stirring.
By noon, when the rest of the cadets streamed into the dining hall for lunch, the first thing that caught every eye was the towering digital display beside the gate: the leaderboard of the Initiation Ceremony.
Congratulations to the winners of the Initiation Ceremony:
Rank–1: Ignatius Aurelius Emberfall (10156618), 2620 Points
Rank–2: Elara Noelle Luminelle (10156597), 2590 Points
Rank–3: Eleanor Elizabeth Raynor (10156659), 2156 Points
