Shoutout to Bruh_Vista and Harjas_Sidhu for beta-reading and providing extensive feedback for this chapter!
____
The hall was silent, as Kevan fumbled with the sheet in his hands. He gazed around, his palms were sweaty, even more than usual because standing in front of a large crowd with a written note in hand was igniting his trauma. He looked towards his teammates and then his opponents, both of them had faces as pale as the clouds in the sky. They were also reliving the same shared trauma all over again. His eyes then met the Sect Leader's, and a series of juxtaposition emotions travelled down his spine. First, there was a fearful chill that rattled him, drawn from the experience of being reprimanded and punished. But then, the Leader's encouraging smile quenched that and showered him with confidence.
