About an hour later, the members of the Crimson Class gathered inside their classroom.
The air was strangely quiet.
No one joked.
No one complained.
No one even asked questions.
Then—without a sound—Rich walked in.
He didn't greet them.
Didn't announce anything.
Didn't even look at their faces.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold, the space around them folded.
—Shift.
In the blink of an eye, the classroom vanished.
---
They reappeared within the school compound, standing at the edge of the massive arena reserved for inter-class evaluations. The open sky stretched above them, the wind carrying faint echoes of past battles engraved into the stone.
Waiting for them was a tall figure clad in sovereignty colors.
Thane.
Instructor of the Sovereignty Class.
His sharp eyes swept across the Crimson students, clearly expecting something—nervousness, tension, excitement.
He got none.
"I'm sure the rules have already been conveyed to you," Thane said, his voice firm.
Silence answered him.
Not a single Crimson reacted.
They had long since grown used to Rich's way of doing things.
If there was chaos ahead, they would face it head-on—no preparation speeches needed.
Thane narrowed his eyes slightly before continuing.
"Females to my left," he ordered. "The rest of you—move to the right. You'll be taken to the waiting room."
The class complied, splitting smoothly into two groups.
All except one.
Lina remained standing where she was.
Thane's gaze shifted to her. "Aren't you taking part?"
"No," Lina replied calmly. "I'm just here to watch."
"I see," Thane said, stepping closer. "Then I suppose you'll be observing like an instructor—"
He stopped.
A presence cut him off.
Rich had appeared in front of him, his expression unchanged, his tone dangerously casual.
"Do anything else," Rich said, "and it will be your end."
The pressure behind his words was unmistakable.
Without waiting for a response, Rich turned and walked away—Lina following silently beside him.
"Thanks… for your help," Lina said quietly as they moved through the arena corridors.
"I'm not interested in your past," Rich replied, eyes forward.
"But if you don't overcome it—eventually, it will overcome you."
He didn't look back.
They reached the spectator stands overlooking the arena. Rich stopped.
"Take a seat," he said. "I'll be back… maybe."
And just like that, he was gone.
Lina walked along the far end of the seats and sat down alone, her hands resting lightly in her lap as she stared at the battlefield below.
The stone arena waited.
The wind stirred.
And so—
The test began.