Halt!

Not too long ago before Aziz took down Crow Von Flockson…

On the other side of the forest, Roof lay hidden in the brush, mud smeared across his face and hair to mask his golden locks. His breathing was steady, his body still, as he observed the chaos unfolding in the clearing.

Lord Raven had emerged from his fortified camp, leading his forces toward the treeline. The Raven himself rode a donkey. 

Behind him was a retinue of cavalry—also mounted on donkeys, which the Iron Hearts had cleverly monopolized early in the exam.

However, Raven had left them behind at the clearing's edge. He knew better than to send mounted soldiers into the dense forest where their mobility would be useless.

Roof's eyes narrowed as Raven, clad in a sleek iron breastplate and adorned with a cape of black feathers, addressed his men. His voice carried across the clearing like the sharp cry of the bird he was named for.