Chapter 5 The Public Test

• Two weeks passed like a blur, but the air inside the family estate was filled with tension.
• The morning of the Trial of Scales arrived under a grey, frost-covered sky. Every autumn, the young dragon masters of the region were required to enter the Imperial Arena in the town square. There, under the strict eyes of imperial inspectors from the Capital, our dragons would be tested for spirit pressure, speed, and combat ability.
• It was the day that decided everything. Those who passed were given capital resources, high titles, and access to royal academies. Those who failed were pushed to the bottom, sent to guard the borders or work as servants.