Kaelen.
Althea.
Eryndor.
Selara.
All four directors were present.
That alone tightened the entire place.
They were not here to decorate the stage. They were here because this was the practical final exam, and they wanted every student under their watch.
Kaelen stepped forward first.
He did not need to raise his voice. The hall listened the moment he began to speak.
"Good morning, first-year students."
His tone was cold, stripped of ceremony.
"If you pass the practical exam today, you will finally become second-year students. You will also have one less year of the Academy left ahead of you."
No one spoke.
"All of you already know the basis of today's exam," Kaelen continued. "You will be sent to one of the Academy's hunting grounds. Once there, you will hunt a monster and bring it back."
A brief pause.
"One monster. Not several low-level ones."
That alone killed more than a few hopeful thoughts in the crowd.
