Sun stiffened. His lips curled into something caught between a sneer and disbelief. "You think yourself stronger than Principal Kine?"
Jae didn't answer. His silence was louder than words. His eyes burned toward the enemy.
The air thickened between them, two wills colliding in silence, heavy enough to bow those nearby. Then another voice cut clean through the weight.
"He's right."
Byun stepped forward, his own mana surging. "We don't have time to argue. Jae's power is different from ours. If he believes he can fight, then we should let him."
Elise followed, her mana flaring bright. Small spheres of light spun into orbit around her hands, each one pulsing like a star in miniature.
The glow they cast pushed back the encroaching darkness, burning away the haze. Her voice was steady, her eyes unyielding.
"If you want to protect the academy, then fight. But don't waste time blocking the one person who's ready to face that thing."
