Avin stood there, watching different types of people flow toward the four huge gates to check their teams. The coliseum felt like a living beast — a rolling mass of cloth and armor and shouted names — and he was a small, confused rock in its belly. He had no idea which gate to go to. He didn't even know where to begin.
Something crashed into him and wrapped around his shoulders. The sudden contact made his heart leap, but he relaxed when he recognized the familiar weight and voice.
"What are you standing here for?" Sylas asked. He'd slung an arm over Avin like it was nothing; his black hair fell to his eyebrows, and a thin, light-blue ring circled his irises — a detail Avin had never noticed before because his head had been full of the next test he needed to pass.
Avin blinked. He felt someone missing — someone who was usually with Sylas. "Where is she?" he asked, still hunched a little as Sylas leaned his weight into him.
