Ronan stood in the open field with roughly 220 other freshmen, morning mist clinging to the grass as the crowd clustered loosely around him. The atmosphere was cold, nervous energy rippling through the mass of freshman students waiting for the selection event to begin. Elara stood beside him, arms crossed rigidly, quiet for now but obviously tense.
Vice Headmaster Roman Sustrei stepped onto the platform – a brisk, no-nonsense man who clearly had no interest in ceremony. He skipped pleasantries and got straight to it.
"This is the selection event that will determine which freshmen earn a place among the Academy's representatives for the upcoming Radiant Crown Tournament."
The crowd shifted, bodies leaning forward.
"Only twenty-five spots are available."
Mutters rippled through the field. Twenty-five out of two hundred and twenty.
