They found him where they expected—outside, at the edge of the training yard, standing in the dark like he hadn't moved since the announcement. The lights from the main building barely reached that far. He didn't turn when they approached.
"Took you long enough," Tongen said.
"We came as soon as we could," Mira said.
"I know." He turned then, looked at the three of them. "Sit."
There was a low bench along the yard's outer wall, the kind used during outdoor observation sessions. They sat. Tongen stayed standing.
For a moment nobody said anything. The academy behind them was quieter now—late enough that the corridors had emptied, early enough that the night hadn't fully settled.
Atlas broke first. "Are we going to be selected?"
"That depends on you," Tongen said. "But yes. Probably."
"All three of us?"
