A Grade 8 Gate...?
The words hung in the heavy air like a weight, choking the life out of the Hall before the purple mist even touched us.
Around me, the silence was absolute and heavy. Students who had been laughing and showing off their family crests just seconds ago stood frozen. I could see the color draining from their faces, the slight trembling in their hands as they reached for their weapons.
A Grade 8 Gate wasn't a test. It wasn't a controlled exam in the Sealed Valley with teachers waiting to pull you out when things went wrong.
It was a disaster of the worst kind — the kind that wiped entire cities off the map, leaving nothing but ruins, ash, and graves. My jaw clenched as I stared through the windows at the mist pressing against the glass.
No... this is wrong.
