The rear doors of the ancestral hall opened onto a wide courtyard of packed silver soil circled by ancient roots.
Beyond the living perimeter, dozen of veterans gathered beneath flowering boughs to witness the formal trial of survival.
An armored champion entered through the eastern archway, carrying an unsharpened practice blade across his shoulder plates.
Although the broad practice blade lacked a razor edge, the density of its enchanted metal could easily split a pillar.
Hajin stood calmly at the edge of the marked circle, feeling the cool mountain breeze sweep across the packed earth.
"The family offered history, while the Court demands proof of survival before permitting transit beyond the capital," the champion said.
His voice echoed with steady resonance from behind his enameled visor as he settled into a disciplined combat stance.
"Then the Court should define the danger, the limit, and the condition where the trial concludes," he answered evenly.
