The Grand Arena was silent when the array activated. Dawn light spilled over eighty thousand seats, but the crowd barely registered. Their eyes were on the holographic map that bloomed above the arena floor, a maze of blue and gold light. Corridors twisted. Chambers pulsed. A brilliant golden point throbbed at the center. The Sanctuary. Scrying screens flickered to life around the perimeter. The map stabilized. The first dots began to move.
Dorian Hale's voice carried across the stands, quiet for once. "One hundred fighters. Scattered across the outer ring. The first twenty-five to reach the Sanctuary advance. The labyrinth is not empty. And they will need to move fast." His voice faded. The screens held. And eighty thousand people leaned forward to watch.
***
The world snapped into focus, and the first thing Dominic registered was heat.
