Sophie staggered back toward the main arena, each step sending fresh waves of agony through her battered body. Her knee screamed with every movement, the joint swollen and discolored. Blood continued to seep from the gash on her forehead, forcing her to repeatedly wipe crimson from her right eye.
The scene that greeted her was organized chaos—Year 3 students forming defensive perimeters around younger classmates who were still shaking off the effects of the airborne sedative. Purge operatives pressed from multiple directions, but the Academy's elite student fighters held their positions with desperate efficiency.
