Kermit's POV
The Alpha trials had a reputation for breaking even the strongest candidates. They appeared deceptively simple on the surface, but that illusion was designed to make you complacent and careless.
I sat in the waiting hall with the remaining contestants, stripped of our phones and any means of contact with the outside world. Armed guards stationed themselves around the perimeter, their watchful eyes tracking our every movement like predators studying prey.
The process was methodical and unforgiving. One by one, they summoned each Alpha for their individual trial. Each candidate disappeared for roughly twenty minutes before the next was called. None of the participants returned to the hall afterward, which meant our group grew smaller with each passing hour.
