From her place on the elder's platform, Alys Vyr, the Sword Queen, watched in heavy silence.
She had witnessed countless duels. She had seen blades carve paths of honor and ruin alike. But what she had just seen was not merely a strike—it was a signature.
One strike.
One calculated, still, devastating motion.
The silence before it. The exact angle. The timing.
It wasn't just powerful. It was familiar.
Years ago, she had faced someone who struck like that.
Someone who wasn't part of any known sect, whose name had never reached the scrolls of recognition.
A mysterious swordsman who vanished the night they clashed.
They had fought under the moonlight, steel against steel.
The match was never finished.
He disappeared before dawn.
No one ever saw him again.
No records. No whispers.
She never even learned his name.
But now…
Her eyes narrowed as the man called Ray Solen walked off the stage.
She didn't see the name.
She saw the blade.
Alys rose from her seat, the white of her cloak trailing behind like a ghost. Step by silent step, she descended toward the waiting chambers.
**
In the stone chamber below the arena, William stood alone, his blade resting quietly in its sheath. He moved with calm precision, brushing dust from the handle.
Then—
Footsteps.
He turned only slightly.
Alys Vyr entered, her presence like a quiet storm.
"You…" she said, voice low.
William didn't respond.
"Years ago, I fought someone who struck like that. A ghost, perhaps. I never learned who he was."
She stepped closer.
"I didn't see him die. But no trace was left. Until now."
He replied with the calm of a man long used to questions:
"Maybe it's just a similarity, Sword Queen."
Her gaze sharpened, searching his features.
"Or maybe the ghost decided to come back… under a borrowed name."
She turned to leave, but paused at the doorway, her tone unreadable.
"If it's you… I'll know soon enough."
And then she was gone.
**
Outside, Cain watched her pass without a word. When he returned to Jane, he simply said:
"She spoke to him."
Jane raised a brow. "Who?"
He pointed back.
"Alys. She went in. Came out looking like she saw a shadow."
Jane's expression darkened.
"She doesn't talk to strangers. Only ghosts."
**
Above, the crowd still whispered about the duel—how one motion ended it, how even the elders shifted in their seats for the first time.
Somewhere in the shadows, Roy stood silently, arms crossed.
He watched William… then smiled faintly.
"The pieces," he murmured,
"are finally moving."