A few moments ago...
The light from the simulation entry faded, leaving Class Fortis standing in the middle of a burning, wind-blown canyon filled with red stone ruins and rough salt flats. The heat hit them instantly like a wall. It radiated from the tall cliffs like an open oven.
Above, the midday desert sun beat down without mercy, baking the red dust under their boots. Deployment was pure chaos. Students stumbled over rocks and coughed through knee-deep dust under the blinding light.
"Ugh, damn it..." Riven grunted, his steel-red eyes narrowing against the bright light as he tightened his grip on his daggers. While the others panicked in the heat, a faint, cool mist of mana flickered around Riven's boots, holding his stance steady against the shifting sand.
A few paces to his right, Caster was face-down in the sand, his legs kicking uselessly as he tried to push himself up.
"R-Riven!" Caster muffled into the dry sand. "Help! I'm stuck!"
