The luxury car pulled up to Ferry Terminal Seven, and I was struck by a wall of noise the moment the doors opened. The sleek, climate-controlled silence of our ride was instantly shattered by the cacophony of thousands of voices bouncing off concrete and steel.
"Holy shit," I muttered, stepping onto the curb and staring at the scene before me.
Ferry Terminal Seven wasn't a terminal—it was a holding pen. A massive, sprawling line of black-uniformed teenagers snaked around the pier, doubling back on itself multiple times like an enormous human accordion. The air hung heavy with salt spray and anxious sweat, punctuated by the occasional seagull cry overhead.
"This can't be right," Emi said, her blue hair whipping around her face in the ocean breeze. "Are all these people here for the exam?"
Natalia's face remained impassive, but I caught the slight tightening around her eyes. "Of course they are. NVA is the most prestigious Hunter academy in Valoria. Everyone wants in."
