A brief silence settled over the arena before the referee's voice called for the next representative from Gloria Academy.
Instantly, the three remaining students from Gloria looked at each other, and after a small moment, Selene was the one who stepped forward.
She walked onto the burned and cracked platform slowly.
There was none of the fierce energy the earlier fighters had shown.
Her light-blue hair was tied back neatly, and she still held her usual calm posture, but every part of her body showed clear hesitation.
The cyan light that normally gathered around her sword stayed weak and unsteady, as if she could not fully bring it out.
Selene stopped in front of Gray and only looked at him for a short second. Then her eyes moved away, searching the stands, then higher... specifically toward the VIP seats.
There sat the Northern Duchess, her mother, watching with the same sharp and slightly amused look she had worn the whole time.
