The final buzzer of First round of the solo phase echoed hollowly through the sprawling, silent stadium. The medical teams had long since evacuated the unconscious, half-frozen form of Claire down into the emergency tunnels. The massive digital screens wrapping the arena cycled through a final, comprehensive update before shutting down.
[Round one - SOLO BRACKET CONCLUDED]
Up in the Varisus spectating suite, the room was entirely empty, save for a single figure. Gideon, Evelyn and Rol, had all bolted toward the medical wing the exact second Claire collapsed. Hide remained behind, standing perfectly still near the panoramic window, his glowing blue eyes fixed on the final ranking ledger scrolling across the main monitor.
He didn't care about the bottom half of the list. His eyes scanned the upper echelons, analyzing the point distributions.
