The moment they crossed the boundary, the tension that had been sitting on Lucas's shoulders finally let go. The open ground felt almost strange after everything inside — no ambushes waiting between the trees, or any hidden movement in the undergrowth, just open space and the sound of wind across grass. He adjusted his grip on the completed sphere one last time and let out a long breath, his shoulders dropping with it.
"Finally," he muttered. "We actually made it through."
Sylvia didn't respond right away. Her eyes were already moving across the field, taking in the surroundings quietly. There were far fewer cadets gathered than she expected — small clusters scattered around instead of anything resembling a crowd. Some sat on the ground recovering, some stood holding completed spheres with the particular stillness of people who had just finished something difficult, and many were simply not there at all.
"There aren't many,"
