For the first time since Northern had been admitted to the academy, he saw the general populace of both the combative and non-combative schools gathered together.
They moved in distinct groups, clearly ostracizing the few non-combative students who had dared to enter the festival contest. All marched toward the multipurpose hall set up just outside the school compound. Its location near the gate ensured everyone had to walk an equal distance to reach it.
As they neared their destination, a sense of familiarity stirred in Northern. The paths they took felt oddly recognizable, and the glass building ahead seemed like a forgotten echo of the past. When they stepped inside the grand hall, bathed in a warm golden glow that danced across polished walls and floors, the realization struck him like a sudden chill.
This was the same hall where they had all been gathered before being deceived and teleported into the dark continent.
