The arena fractured into a hundred voices at once, some whispering in fear, others in awe, a few already diverting into their own scandals and confessions. The atmosphere quaked with both horror and reverence, the weight of Selene's defiance sparking things none of them thought they'd hear spoken aloud.
Thaleon sat rigid, his hand tightening further into the folds of his silver robe. His eyes had never left Selene since this whole thing started. Selene, you've really changed. Is this the same goddess I once admired from afar, the one serene, untouchable, beyond reach? No… this is someone else. Fiercer. Unstoppable. What happened to you?
Across the arena, Artemis's smirk deepened, her lips twitching. Hah. Look at her. Standing against the High Divinities themselves. And they call me the rebel? Me? I would never dare what she just did. My serene sister… who knew you had claws? Hahaha, oh Selene, you've outdone me this time.
