"5!" everyone shouted.
The sound burst through the air all at once, thousands of voices blending together into something that felt almost physical. It wasn't just noise—it was pressure, excitement, anticipation packed so tightly that it pressed against my chest. The number echoed across the open space, bouncing off structures, stalls, and the towering metal frame that held the Bell of Hope high above us.
We were standing in front of the Bell of Hope. Of course, we weren't at the very front. Those places had been taken long before we arrived by people who had come hours earlier, determined not to miss a second of this moment. Still, we were part of the crowd, and that alone felt important. There were a lot of people, far more than I had ever seen gathered in one place, but the square was massive. It had been built for moments like this, wide and open, able to hold the entire pack without collapsing into chaos.
