[Day 3 of the Tournament – Semi-Finals]
[Location: The Star-Reach Spire – Headmistress's Office]
Far above the roaring crowds of the Colosseum, the air was silent.
The Star-Reach Spire was the highest point of the Academy, a needle of white stone piercing the clouds.
In the circular office at the summit, Headmistress Astra stood by the window, looking down at the tiny speck of the arena below.
She wasn't alone.
Three figures sat in the shadows of the room. Their features were blurred, not by darkness, but by the sheer density of their aura.
They were the Hidden Guardians, the Academy's true defense system.
"You felt it," one of the shadows rumbled. A voice like grinding tectonic plates.
"The Void and Abyss signature," Astra nodded, her face grim. "It spiked three times. Once near the Iron Mines. Once near the Elven Capital. And now... here."
"The Twilight Association and Obsidian Cult," a second shadow hissed, its voice like wind through dry leaves.
