Two days had passed since their grand, chaotic debut in the amphitheater. Since Dante had declared war on the system itself.
The leaders of the six kingdoms, after their tense negotiations and angry debates, had agreed to the terms of the wager. The bet was set. The rules established.
And the six heroes were now honored prisoners in the heart of their world.
They were brought to the Silverleaf Crownlands.
It wasn't a kingdom. Not ruled by any one power. It was a vast neutral territory. A holy ground governed by the Silverleaf Academy itself. Separate from all the kingdoms. Independent.
The academy, they were told, had been founded by the very first generation of heroes. Warriors from another world just like them. A place dedicated to keeping the balance of power. Training the greatest warriors and mages in the world.
It was a place of legend. Of history.
And they were caged within it.
