For a moment, Beacon Hall seemed to forget how to breathe.
Fourteen days.
The words hung over the second-years with a weight that took longer to settle than most announcements did. A full-year cooperation assessment had been expected by many of them, or at least suspected. The hints had been there in the academy's recent behavior, in the increased pressure around leadership, in the way instructors had begun emphasizing communication, shared decision-making, and battlefield adaptability. After Nalim, it made sense that the next practical exam would move beyond individual survival and force them to function together.
But fourteen days was different.
