Once everyone who clearly wished to leave had departed, the Ascender's calm smile returned.
"This is your final chance," he said, his eyes sweeping slowly across every remaining contestant. "Leave now, through that door, and walk away with your reward and your life. Or remain, and understand that from this moment forward, you are committed, whether you like it or not. There will be no changing your mind once I begin. No second withdrawals. So choose your future carefully, now."
Several seconds passed but nobody left.
The field had been winnowed down to those truly willing to risk everything, the strongest, the most ambitious, the most determined of the generation's rising stars. Satisfied, the Ascender gave a small nod and began to speak in earnest.
"Very well. Then let me introduce myself properly. My name is Godfrey, and I will be the commander in charge of this operation. We call it Operation Sinai."
