The ground still trembled.
The faint vibrations beneath their feet were like a predator's growl echoing from the depths, a constant reminder that the battle wasn't over. The shadow of the first wave lingered in the eyes of the fifteen remaining trainees—ghosts of fear etched into their expressions.
Nicholas Davoss stood near the center of the arena, his sword resting against his thigh. His crimson eyes tracked every movement of the others: the trembling hands, the shallow breaths, the glazed stares directed toward the sealed gates.
They didn't need more time to rest.
They needed direction.
They don't know it yet, he thought, but we need every single one of them for what's coming.
Nicholas's hands clenched around his sword hilt. He knew what the future held—or, at least, what used to happen in every life he'd relived. In each of those timelines, the Lionhart family endured brutal battles in the years to come.