The plate exploded. Thousands of small pale-yellow fragments flew across the table and fell to the ground, creating a rain of shards that tinkled against the stone.
'Tin. Tintin. Clink.'
The sound of the fragments scattering across the surface was almost delicate after the explosion, a soft music that marked the end of the challenge.
Kyrian slowly lowered his saber, his eyes still fixed on the remains of the plate. The silence that followed was absolute.
For a few seconds, no one seemed to react, the shock of how quickly he had completed the test hanging in the air. Then a nearby participant turned his head, his eyes widening.
"Did he already do it?"
Another stopped his own test completely, his concentration broken by surprise.
"Impossible... How much time has passed?"
"Not even fifteen minutes! We haven't even begun to properly understand the technique!"
