As the banquet began to wind down, Nero took the floor once more, his presence commanding enough to cut through the haze of satisfaction that hung over the room like the lingering scent of roasted meats and spiced desserts.
"You'll receive your beast assignments tomorrow morning," he announced, his voice as crisp as the air in the Southern continent's twilight. "That's when the real work begins."
There was an audible shuffle of anticipation from the gathered students. A few glanced at each other, silently calculating potential pair dynamics and wondering just how challenging these evaluations would be.
