The Headmaster's command simply confirmed Ariana's own decision. To show fear was to hand the Bureau a victory. The tournament would not just continue, it would become an act of defiance.
The arena was completely different. It felt like a fortress, not a place for celebration. The colorful banners were replaced by the Headmaster's guards, in shining black and gold armor, standing on every high point. The crowd that returned was smaller and quieter, their faces showing fear, dark curiosity, and strong national pride. They were here not just to see a fight, but to witness the Academy's answer to an attack on its own soil.
Jonah stood at the entrance to the arena floor, taking a deep breath. The psychic drain from his last battle with Draven had mostly faded, but a new kind of exhaustion had set in. He was a player in a game so large he could barely see the edges of the board.
