Red smoke billowed from the top of the tower. The Commander was dead. Fallen in battle. It was time for the Conclave to begin. It was chaos in the officiates' tower. They were gathering their weapons and summoning their courage, the reality of the Conclave sinking in. For some, it was a welcome release. They relished the thought of taking a life and taking the commander's mantle. For others, they felt dread, anxiety, and fear, for they knew today would be the day they died. Lexa had already applied her warpaint, just as Anya had three years prior. Luna and Lexa were calm. They looked only to one another, the same question in both of their eyes. Which of them would be victorious? A hush swept over the room as Titus entered. He read off the names of who would be fighting whom in the first wave of matches. Lexa was paired with Selena, a young girl from Trishana Kru. Lexa only felt a small pang of guilt for what she was about to do to her. The arena where the Conclave was held was near the center of Polis. Crowds gathered in the stands, eager to watch who their new Heda rise. The Nightbloods were kept hidden until it was their turn to enter the arena and choose their weapon. Lexa waited patiently for her turn. She was in the second round. She felt an odd sense of relief that the Conclave, something she had been looking forward to with a strange mix of anticipation and dread for three years, was finally happening. She bore no attachment to the other officiates, and while she didn't relish the thought of killing any of them, she also saw it as an unfortunate necessity. She would do what needed to be done. She had made a promise. It was only the thought of facing Luna that gave her pause. She knew that they were both willing to kill the other, and that thought is what scared both of them. She heard her name called and knew she had to push all other thoughts from her mind. She could not be distracted on the battle field.

As Lexa entered the arena, she chose two swords as her weapons. Dual swords had always been her favorite, and where others struggled to wield two, she only become more deadly. She saw Selena enter the arena opposite her. She chose a bow and arrows. Coward, Lexa thought. A true warrior would not strike from a distance.

The horn blew and the fight began. Selena unleashed a flurry of arrows at Lexa. Lexa ran in an unpredictable pattern and avoided many of the arrows. The ones she wasn't able to dodge, she sliced in the air with her swords. Only one grazed her arm, but it didn't slow her down. It just fueled her drive to win. She quickly closed the space between herself and her opponent. She saw the whites of Selena's eyes, terror written on her face. She knew what was about it happen; it was inevitable. Lexa leapt at Selena, swords drawn. "Yu gonplei ste oden," Lexa said as she plunged her sword in Selena's heart. There was no hesitation in her action. The crowed cheered. Lexa had won her first round. As she walked out of the arena, she passed Luna going in. Luna was paired against Davos, a skilled fighter from Sankru. Lexa and Luna gave each other a small nod of recognition as they passed. Lexa went to wait with the other victors. It wasn't long before Luna, too, returned victorious.