The desert did not stay silent for long.
It started with a stray fireball arcing across the sky, leaving a trail of smoke before exploding into a cluster of fortified students to the east.
That was the bell.
Within minutes, the basin turned into a chaotic meat grinder.
Explosions from spells of all kind kicked up plumes of sand. The clash of steel on steel rang out like a discordant symphony.
Some teams—the smarter ones—hunkered down behind earth walls and summoned barriers, waiting for the herd to thin itself out.
But the hungry ones? The ones desperate for points? They were on the move.
Just as Seraphina predicted, the eyes of the desperate fell on the small, lonely fortification on the dune. Four members. High ground.
It was bait.
Everyone watched to see who would take the first bite.
The answer came from the North.
