Quiet Applause
The auditorium of Lionel Academy was filled to capacity.
Students packed the seats row by row, uniforms crisp, voices buzzing with anticipation. Teachers stood along the walls, while several pro heroes occupied the front rows—not as guards this time, but as witnesses.
For once, there were no sirens.
No emergency barriers.
No fear lingering in the air.
Just applause waiting to happen.
The Dawnforge Tournament had ended—abruptly and imperfectly—but its results still mattered. And today, the academy would acknowledge them.
Raze Arcwell sat among his classmates, posture relaxed but careful. His body was still healing, light support gear hidden beneath his uniform, but he was well enough to attend. That alone felt like a small victory.
Roger leaned back in his seat beside him and whispered,
"Man… feels weird being here without someone almost dying or getting kidnapped."
"Don't be sarcastic," Raze replied calmly.
On stage, Principal Ricardo Leonel stepped forward, his voice echoing through the hall.
"Students of Lionel Academy," he began, "the Dawnforge Tournament was interrupted—but what you demonstrated during it was real. Courage. Growth. Discipline. Resolve."
His gaze swept across the room.
"These results reflect not only victory—but character."
A holographic screen lit up behind him.
FINAL RANKINGS — FIRST YEAR HERO COURSE
1st Place — Astra Noire
2nd Place — Gray Howitzer
3rd Place — Rain Lancelot
4th Place — Roger Castellan
5th Place — Mira Goldhart
For a heartbeat, the hall was silent.
Then applause erupted.
Astra stood from her seat, clearly surprised for a split second before regaining her composure. She walked toward the stage amid cheers, her expression calm—but her eyes carried quiet weight.
Leonel placed the medal around her neck.
"Strongest First-Year," he announced. "A title earned."
Astra bowed slightly. She didn't smile—but confidence radiated from her.
Gray followed next. His applause was just as sincere. He accepted his medal with a humble nod, briefly glancing toward the crowd—toward Raze.
Rain received her recognition with a soft smile.
Roger waved exaggeratedly, earning laughter.
Mira nearly tripped on the steps, flustered but beaming.
Raze clapped with everyone else—steady, genuine.
When Astra stepped down, their eyes met.
She smiled—just a little.
◆ ◆ ◆
After the ceremony, the academy grounds buzzed with conversation.
Students gathered in small clusters, replaying moments from the tournament, laughing about close calls and narrow escapes. The tension that had shadowed the campus for weeks finally felt distant.
Astra was surrounded almost immediately.
"Congrats!"
"You were amazing!"
"That last match—!"
She accepted the praise politely, but her gaze kept drifting elsewhere.
Raze stood nearby with Gray and Rain.
"You should've been ranked," Roger muttered, arms crossed. "Everyone knows it."
Raze shook his head.
"Not my fight."
Gray spoke quietly,
"Still… what you did mattered."
Raze smiled faintly.
A moment later, Astra slipped free from the crowd and walked over.
"You made it," she said.
"Wouldn't miss it," Raze replied.
She studied him carefully.
"You're… better?"
"Recovering," he said. "Annoyingly slow."
She nodded, then hesitated.
"After school," she said quietly, "can I talk to you?"
Roger's head snapped toward them.
"Oho—"
"No," Astra said flatly, without even looking at him.
Roger shut up.
Raze met her gaze.
"…Yeah. Sure."
◆ ◆ ◆
The rest of the day passed gently.
Classes resumed at a relaxed pace. Teachers avoided heavy lectures. Students were restless but content, the sense of danger replaced—at least for now—by routine.
When the final bell rang, the halls slowly emptied.
Raze waited near the practice field, leaning against the railing. The sky was painted gold and violet, the academy bathed in late-afternoon calm.
Footsteps approached.
Astra stopped beside him, hands clasped behind her back.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then she exhaled.
"Back there," she said quietly, "when I was announced… everyone clapped."
Raze nodded.
"You earned it."
"That's not what I mean."
She turned to face him.
"I kept thinking about the match. About how close it was. About what I felt when you fell."
Her voice softened.
"I won," she said. "But it didn't feel like victory."
Raze listened in silence.
"I've always been strong," Astra continued. "Stronger than most. People expect me to win."
Her fists tightened slightly.
"But against you… I had to fight. Truly fight."
She met his eyes.
"That mattered to me."
Raze let out a slow breath.
"…I'm glad," he said. "Then it meant something."
Astra nodded.
"Whatever comes next," she said steadily, "I won't forget that fight. Or you."
The wind stirred gently between them.
They stood there—not as rivals,
not as heroes,
but simply as two people who had pushed each other to the edge.
The sun dipped lower.
And somewhere beyond the academy walls, the world continued to watch.
Quietly.
Waiting.