The recruits weren't talking anymore.
The air was heavy now, the weight of the final match pressing down on them. Every fight before this had been intense, but something about this one felt different. Maybe because it wasn't required. Maybe because everyone in the circle understood exactly what Haneul was trying to prove, and exactly what it would cost him if he couldn't.
Haneul rolled his shoulders, twirling his staff once. The wood spun smoothly in his grip, the weight of it grounding him. It wasn't his, not originally, it was Jin's, but he'd been using it long enough now that it felt less like borrowed equipment and more like something that had simply found its way to the right hands.
Byung-ho cracked his knuckles, rolling his neck side to side until it popped. He didn't bother with any real stance, just stood there loose and relaxed, like the outcome had already been decided in his head.
"Last chance to back out," Byung-ho said, not unkindly. "No shame in it."
