Ryu leaned back in his chair the second they sat. "Alright. Let's get to it."
Jin folded his arms, steady. "First things first—how'd your people do in the trials?"
"Got through the first two no problem," Ryu said. "Trial One nearly burned out a couple of the younger ones, but they pushed through. Trial Two? Trickier, but manageable."
Jin nodded. "And the third?"
Ryu's jaw ticked faintly. "We lost most of our duels. No one died, obviously, but… we didn't make it far. Only three of us reached the final five rounds. And none of us won."
"Huh." Jin exhaled, thinking. "That explains it."
Ryu narrowed his eyes. "Explains what?"
Jin met his gaze. "You weren't selected."
Ryu's brows raised.
Jin continued. "The third trial wasn't just a match-up. It was a filter. Twenty of us were chosen from all the surviving players. We were given fragments."
"Fragments?"
