Cael approached him slowly. "So…"
Elias glanced sideways.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Cael asked.
"No."
"You know he won't fight like last time. Kellen won't test the water again. He'll come at you full."
"I want him to."
"Why?"
Elias looked back at the cracked stone seat he'd left behind.
"You already saw why."
Elsewhere, Kellen Drein stood quietly behind the Wyrmere prep zone, his eyes fixed on the board.
He didn't smile.
Didn't blink.
But his aura stirred.
A slow pressure building like a tide behind a dam.
Not excitement.
Preparation.
Behind him, Dean Oryll finally spoke to his assistant without taking his eyes off the board.
"Notify the record keepers."
"Of what?"
"That the match between Elias Verdan and Kellen Drein…" He paused.
"…will not follow precedent."
The crowd waited.
Healers stood at the ready.
The barrier teams whispered among themselves about fortification reinforcement.
Not because they feared Elias or Kellen would lose control.
