Akhil stood frozen, his mind struggling to process what he'd just witnessed. His sister had become winter personified. His friend had become a force of nature capable of splitting stone.
'When did they get this strong?' The question burned in his mind. 'The hunts... the constant combat... the pressure of preparation... it changed them even more than I realized.'
Nyla's cold gaze swept across the arena, her glowing blue eyes seeming to take in every detail with icy precision. Then her attention fixed on Jeren's elevated platform.
But not quite on Jeren himself.
Her eyes lingered for a moment, focused on a point just behind the Titan of Tournaments. On empty air that wasn't quite empty. On space that should have held nothing but somehow felt occupied.
'She can sense it,' Akhil realized with a jolt. 'Maybe not see it like I can, but she knows something's there.'
