The teleportation light already faded, revealing the grand marble trial hall. It was cold, vast, and echoing with silence at first. But as the eight survivors and the survivors from the other team appeared, a wave of noise surged forward.
Cheers erupted, and so did cries of relief. There were shouts of joy and probably a few people who didn't feel bothered. Some students sprinted to their teammates, friends, and relatives, tears falling freely as they hugged, clung, and wept. The agony of the trial was over, but the losses lingered like ghosts in their eyes.
One girl crumbled to her knees, clutching her brother's bloodied trial uniform, whispering his name. Another boy, trembling, held a charred necklace that had belonged to his best friend.
Laughter and sobbing filled the space like crashing waves. The broken and the lucky, the proud and the grieving, all tangled in a storm of emotions.
