A little over a month ago…
——
The moon cast a pale, ghostly light over the flat, desolate plain which was filled with cadets. They all looked battered and bloody, yet every single one of them had a triumphant expression on their face as if they had just cheated death itself.
Because at long last, they had done it. They had finally conquered the first ring.
Now, all that was left was for everyone to return home. They had been taught in the bastion that once all those with the red crystal came out of the bridge, this particular one, which was for bringing back cadets, would disappear. It worked similarly to how one couldn't find the bridge after entering the ring.
That aside, the only people who didn't have a look of relief were Cedric's unit. They were the closest to the bridge, waiting for him. At this point, they all began to have a dark expression because what was taking him so long?
