The convoy of armored buses rolled through the massive gates of Valor University's examination grounds and finally came to a halt in a vast open plaza surrounded by towering academy buildings.
Vogue felt the vehicle settle as its engines powered down with a deep, resonant hum. Around him, the other passengers began unfastening their restraint harnesses and gathering their belongings, the tension from the journey slowly giving way to nervous anticipation about what came next.
Through the treated windows, Vogue could see hundreds—no, thousands—of other candidates disembarking from the other buses in the convoy. The plaza was rapidly filling with young cultivators from all over the region, all of them here for the same purpose.
To prove themselves worthy of joining Valor University.
To claim their place among the elite.
