The air in the Grand Hall didn't just get heavy; it became a physical substance, thick and suffocating.
As Agni released his aura, the ones below the platform had their eyes opened wide, thier vessels popping out as thier faces went pale.
The unimaginable pressure assaulted them almost instantly, stealing the opportunity of readying themselves.
The sound of bodies hitting the marble floor became a rhythmic thudding after a few seconds.
They felt like mountains collapsing over their heads, thier knees shook and wobbled as strength left them.
One by one, the hopeful recruits collapsed, their minds unable to process the sheer killing intent radiating from the platform.
Shina was the first of the Ironwood group to buckle. Her violet aura flared instinctively, a shimmering barrier of light around her, but Agni's pressure was like a falling mountain.
With a choked gasp, she dropped to one knee, her hands trembling as she pressed them against the floor to keep from face-planting. Her teeth were gritted so hard they threatened to shatter.
Austin felt the pressure differently. It wasn't just a weight; it was a cold, oily darkness that sought to extinguish the flickering flame in his chest.
His knees hit the marble with a bone-jarring crack. He felt his consciousness wavering, the edges of his vision fraying into gray.
"Get up..." his mind hissed. "If you fall now, you're just meat. You'll never find them. You'll never know the truth."
He forced his head up, his neck muscles straining like taught cables. Beside him, he could hear Shina's ragged, whistling breaths.
The pressure increased. It felt as though Agni was standing directly on his shoulders.
Austin's vision turned blood-red—the color of his own aura—as he poured every ounce of his will into remaining upright.
A minute passed. Then two. To those under the weight, it felt like an eternity spent at the bottom of a crushing ocean.
Just as Austin felt his heart might actually seize under the strain, the pressure vanished.
The sudden absence of weight was almost as violent as its arrival. Austin slumped forward, his lungs expanding in a desperate, heaving inhale. He sucked in the cool palace air as if it were life itself.
As the spots cleared from his eyes, he pushed himself up and looked around. The hall was a graveyard of unconscious bodies.
Nearly ninety of the recruits lay sprawled on the marble, fainted from the sheer psychic shock. Only a small, scattered handful remained conscious—some sitting, some on all-knees, but all still awake.
Shina was shaking, sweat dripping from her chin onto the floor, but she was looking at Austin with wide, disbelieving eyes. They were among the few.
On the platform, Agni hadn't moved an inch. His hands were still folded behind his back, his expression as cold and unreadable as a statue's. He looked at the few standing or sitting figures with a clinical, detached interest.
"Guess that ends it," Agni said, his stoic voice cutting through the sound of gasping breaths. "We have our winners."
He turned slightly toward Weston and Lord Brahma. "Nineteen. One short of the twenty-child quota, but high in quality."
He then turned back to the survivors, his gaze lingering for a fraction of a second on the boy with the lingering traces of red light in his eyes.
"The nineteen of you will follow the guards to the Veridian Wing. The rest... clear them out. Send them to the southern camps at dawn."
******
Grey reached the towering main gates of the city and skidded to a halt, his eyes widening. He had expected his core group of five, but the gathering waiting for him was significantly more... formidable.
Standing alongside Blaze, Aeron, Lenore, Elena, and Zenon were three unexpected figures.
First was a massive, mountain of a man with arms the size of tree trunks, wearing heavy, reinforced steel gauntlets. He stepped forward with a grounded, heavy stride.
"I am Solmon, disciple of Headmaster Hamdal," he said, his voice a deep bass. "I was asked to accompany you all on this journey—to assist you, and frankly, to learn from you, Grey."
Grey offered a small, respectful smile. "I see. Welcome, Solmon. I look forward to working with you."
His gaze then shifted to the other two: Harlon, still looking a bit battered from their duel, and Princess Erowen, who looked as though she was mentally cataloging every piece of luggage they had.
"You can guess why we're here," Harlon said, his tone no longer arrogant, but professional.
Grey nodded silently. He didn't need it spelled out. Prime Minister Legolas would never allow Elena to travel into the unknown without his best Shadow Guard and a Royal representative to keep eyes on the situation.
To facilitate this long-distance journey, Hamdal had spared no expense. Waiting by the gates was a massive, six-wheeled carriage built for durability and comfort.
The carriage was divided into two distinct, reinforced compartments, allowing the boys and girls to sleep separately during long hauls.
Instead of horses, the carriage was hitched to a powerful Earth Lizard—a low-slung, scaly beast with thick legs and a stubborn temperament, capable of pulling immense weight over the jagged terrain of the outskirts for days without tiring.
"Let's depart," Grey commanded, his voice taking on the natural weight of a leader.
"We'll carry on with the introductions along the way. We need to clear the immediate forest before nightfall."
The group loaded their luggage into the storage bins. The girls—Elena, Lenore, and Erowen—settled into their compartment, while the others found spots inside or on the roof.
Grey and Harlon took the driver's seat at the front, shoulder to shoulder.
With a sharp snap of the leather reigns, the Earth Lizard let out a low, vibrating grunt. Its powerful claws dug into the dirt, and the heavy carriage lurched forward.
As the shadow of the city walls fell behind them, the true weight of the mission settled over the group. They weren't just students anymore; they were a moving fortress protecting the light of the world from the encroaching eclipse.