"Semifinal Match Two: Elias Verdan versus Kellen Drein."
The crowd didn't scream.
They stood.
Thousands.
As one.
The arena trembled with silence.
Not tension.
Not panic.
Anticipation.
Kellen stepped forward first.
No emotion on his face.
His robe fluttered once.
That was all.
He reached the center of the platform and waited.
No stance.
No weapon.
Just calm.
Elias followed.
One footstep after the other.
No flourish.
No pause.
He stepped onto the platform.
And finally — Elias — looked at his opponent directly.
Their eyes met.
Not like rivals.
Not like enemies.
Like two reflections that had never known they came from the same mirror.
From the stands, Reiz sat forward.
Cael crossed his arms.
Renna, despite everything, found her fingers clenching again.
Miss Leana muttered, "Now we see if stillness… or momentum wins."
Damon chuckled darkly. "What if they both lose?"
The announcer raised a trembling hand toward the center.
