Erik, along with every other child who had witnessed the exchange, stared at Aurelion in stunned silence.
After a moment, the shock on Erik's face curdled into a mix of pride and raw anger.
"You? You're challenging me?" he sputtered. "On your first day? Have you lost your mind?"
Aurelion first glanced over at his old friends then he turned his gaze back to Erik. "Why aren't you answering, Erik of the Ursine clan?"
Just then, the guard who had escorted him arrived at the scene.
Aurelion pointed a thumb at the guard.
"Look, our referee is ready. I've prepared everything for you," he said with a condescending smile.
The guard looked from Aurelion to Erik, then, instead of intervening, he simply crossed his arms and stared at Erik, waiting for an answer.
Aurelion's smirk widened as he, too, watched Erik.
Drawn by the commotion, a few other students began to approach, their interest piqued.
An older boy with silver hair stepped forward from the growing crowd.
