The world reformed in a blink. One moment, stone floors trembled beneath their feet as the academy quaked apart next, there was only light, then silence.
When their vision returned, the students found themselves in a vast field beneath a sky unlike their own. It stretched too wide, too bright, painted with strange constellations unfamiliar to Veyl. A forest of pale, skeletal trees swayed in the distance.
Confusion rippled through them. Teams gathered into clumps, whispering. Echo beasts stirred uneasily, hackles raised. The silence was thick, broken only by the rustle of grass.
Shigeo Motome stood off-center, hands in his pockets, shoulders slouched. His sharp eyes, half-lidded with indifference, studied the horizon. The faintest frown touched his lips.
Kaen's voice split the stillness.
"WHERE ARE WE REALLY!!" His fists burned faint sparks, fire crackling from his Shinrei instinctively.
