The banquet hall for the opening ceremony was massive, but even it could barely contain the crowd that had gathered. A large mass of Reapers cluttered the long benches, and even more ranged around the edges of the room, leaning against the wall while they ate from small plates. Waiters in white suits roamed through the crowd with trays of snacks and drink, standing out clearly against the dark-colored crowd.

There was only one space in the hall that looked empty, and that was the long table that was attended by six old men in silver-trimmed black robes. Their hair was all white or silver, and the wrinkles on their faces were evident even from this distance. They were seated three on either side of a large empty chair, which I assumed was for Mr. Jensen. The Grand Reaper, I corrected myself.

The noise level was almost unbearable. You’d think that a crowd of deadly warriors who killed evil spirits for a living would be more solemn, or even sinister. But they were loud as sports fans. They seemed to treat the Crucible like a giant spectacle and had gathered from around the world to celebrate. Friends shouted at each other from across the room, and more laughed uproariously or sang in coarse voices.

It wasn’t hard to spot the other Apprentices who were competing, I thought. All you had to do was look for the silent people who looked a bit sick. They’d appeared more than confident as they had entered the hall, swaggering around as if the competition was already over in their mind. But surrounded on all sides by people who’d gone through it and much more already, you couldn’t help but feel insignificant. Of course, that created doubt.

I tried my best to focus on the food in front of me, so that I wouldn’t have to join in the conversations around me. Master Mikel was seated at another table across the room, and I could feel his eyes looking at me every few minutes. We hadn’t communicated at all today apart from a nod of greeting when he’d come into the hall after me. I hoped that I looked calm and ready as if nothing of this was troubling me.

“Got your nerves under control, Silas?” A voice sounded from over my shoulder. “Big day for you.”

I looked up to see the blonde Reaper who’d advised me during my first real fight against a member of the Gray Clan. Did I know his name? I didn’t think I did. I tried to smile casually up at him, but the muscles of my jaw felt tight and didn’t want to work properly.

“Yeah,” I managed to say. “I’m fine.”

His eyes twinkled with suppressed laughter, letting me know that he saw through my pretense at once. He let it slide, however, and put a hand on my shoulder. Despite him being a total stranger, I couldn’t help but feel a little reassured.

“Worry not,” he said with a grin. “I’ve heard about your efforts during training. I’m sure you’ll perform admirably.”

I opened my mouth to reply but was interrupted by the noise level of the crowd around me dropping away entirely. Confused, I began to look around. Then I saw what had drawn their attention and their silence. Mr. Jensen had entered the hall and was standing in front of his large wooden seat. For the first time, I was able to see why he had his rank. In a gathering of Reapers, his aura swelled to an amazing degree, stretching nearly eight feet away from him. And I could tell that was just his natural resting aura, not forced or stressed.

“Reapers!” he said, his voice a thunderous boom in the silence. “Welcome to all of you, no matter where you come from. Welcome to the one thousand, one hundred and eleventh Crucible!”

A round of applause broke out at his words, but I didn’t join in. Was this Crucible tradition really that old? Also, what a weird coincidence that my first Crucible should be number one-one-one-one. I didn’t like the idea that this was such a momentous occasion in Reaper History. Why couldn’t I have joined last year, or next year?

“There are a lot more Reapers in attendance this year,” Grand Reaper Rictus said. I couldn’t think of him as Mr. Jensen now. “No doubt you are all here to witness the grand trials that have been promised for hundreds of years.”

Grand trials? I swallowed nervously, and stole a glance at the other apprentice I could see. Their faces were all sheet-white, and they too were staring up at Rictus in horror. I couldn’t blame them. We’d all likely been preparing all year for what we thought would be a normal Crucible, and now they were being told that it would probably be more intense.

“We begin this ceremony,” Rictus continued. “As we begin all Crucibles. Chosen Apprentices, stand and be recognized.”

I got to my feet, almost sure that my knees were shaking. Not that I could tell, because I couldn’t appear to feel them. The other Apprentices rose above the crowd as well, revealing thirty-two pale faces for all to see. Another round of applause, louder this time, rang around the room, honoring the apprentices that would be competing. It was a little encouraging but didn’t get rid of the fear we felt.

“When you are ready,” Rictus said, “Declare yourself.”

I had a brief moment of panic at the words until I remembered that Mikel had already taught me what to say here. Still, memorizing the lines was one thing. Actually saying them in front of hundreds of grim figures was another. Still, I might as well get it over, I thought. At least they’ll forget about me by the time the others spoke up.

“I am Silas Miridis, third-class Apprentice to Master Mikel Hunt.” My voice was uncomfortably loud in the expectant silence. “I come from Toledo, to test my soul and emerge victorious.”

I paused them. The last line was a declaration of your intent. It was symbolically both a call for support and a challenge. Well, taunting came naturally to me, so that shouldn’t be too hard.

“I am probably the newest Reaper in this room,” I said, looking around and meeting as many eyes as I could. “But after this week, you won’t ever forget me.”

Was that too much? Maybe. There were certainly a few raised eyebrows at my statement, but, as I sat down, more than a few let out barks of laughter. One Reaper across the room shouted “How bold! I can’t wait to see this one in action!” and more people laughed.

Fortunately, another Apprentice had spoken up after that, and attention began to slowly drift away from me. Boys and girls around my age spoke their names and made their declaration for the crowd to witness. The other Reapers didn’t interrupt or comment on most of them, but they occasionally made a loud joke or guffawed. As I had, each Apprentice sat down once they had spoken.

As there were thirty-two of us altogether, the introductions took about half an hour. I glanced over at Master Mikel as the third apprentice sat down, curious to see what he’d thought of my declaration. He caught my eye and nodded once, which I understood to be a good sign. Just over his shoulder, Selena leaned against the wall. She grinned at me and gave me the thumbs up when I looked at her. My stomach seemed to loosen a little.

I toyed with the food on my plates, only half-listening as the rest of the apprentice stated their name and made their declarations. I knew that after the ceremony, we would take part in our first game, so my pulse was racing a little. I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself. It helped a little, and my attention resumed as the Reapers around me applauded the last Apprentice.

At least, I thought he was the last one. But as the girl sat down and the Grand Reaper stood, a mutter ran around the crowd. Another head was still standing above the crowd. Rictus seemed to notice him and gestured for the boy to speak. Two things stood out to me about him at once. First was his bright silver hair, which contrasted sharply against his dark face. Second, once he was sure he had the attention of everyone in the room, he turned and glared directly at me. There was no mistaking it.

“I am Kanda Okoye, second-class apprentice to Master Jelani Okpara,” he said, never breaking eye contact with me. “I hail from Kenya, to test my soul and emerge victorious.”

There was a long pause as he continued to stare me down. Something in my mind told me not to back down from the silent challenge. Then he made his declaration. “I swear to defeat any who would make light of our ancient traditions.”

Well, crap, I thought to myself. I’d pissed someone off. It was obvious to everyone in the crowd who he was talking to. Many pairs of eyes switched between him and me as if memorizing our faces for future reference. Great. I wasn’t even an hour in, and I already had an enemy.