Chapter 2: The Draft
A man in a white suit walked onto the stage. He was neither young nor old. He had a presence that instantly calmed everyone. His eyes scanned the crowd, as if he could see every student, even me, all the way at the top.
"Welcome to Apex," he said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it filled the entire amphitheater. He didn’t even need a microphone.
"Look around you. You are the elite of your generation. The strongest, the most promising. But a promise is worthless without proof."
He paused, letting his words hang in the air.
"Your journey begins now. With the Draft. This is not a test. It is a declaration. You will come up on this stage, one by one, and show us what you can do. Your performance will determine your initial ranking. That ranking will define your classes, your resources, your future here."
A murmur of excitement swept through the crowd below. It was a competition. A competition that started on day one.
My heart skipped a beat. Get on stage? In front of everyone? Show them my useless dagger? I wanted to run. To disappear. To go back to my little apartment and pretend that this letter had never arrived.
But the image of my mother’s face came back to me. I couldn’t leave.
The man on stage smiled. It was not a kind smile.
"Let us begin."
The giant screen behind him lit up. A name appeared in fiery letters. It wasn’t mine.
The first name that appeared on the screen belonged to a girl with long black hair. She walked onto the stage with a grace and confidence I would never know.