Wind rushed past his ears as he fell. The crater walls blurred past in a smear of black stone and purple smoke. Abyssal bugs scattered from the walls as he dropped past, their chitin shells clicking in panic.
He fell fifty feet, then a hundred, then two hundred.
Holden landed on the bottom of the crater in a low crouch. His boots barely made a sound when he hit the ground. The Shadow-Weave boot absorbed all impact.
Then he looked up.
Bugs covered every part of the walls. They poured out of the broken gate below, all heading for the top. The sheer number was overwhelming; thousands of purple-veined bugs formed an endless tide that showed no signs of stopping.
No audience. No cameras. No teachers grading his performance. No teammates to protect.
Holden smiled.
He drew his Star-Forged Sword with a mental command.
The sword ignited. Red-gold fire blazed along the edge, so bright it cast shadows across the crater. Heat distorted the air around him.
