Morning arrived with an eerie silence.
The usual chatter in the Crimson Sky Sect was replaced by whispers, glances, and tension thick enough to cut with a blade. Something was changing. And everyone could feel it.
Lohan sat beneath the old willow tree near the outer training grounds, sharpening a blade he didn't even plan to use. Not yet.
Raze plopped down beside him, munching on a fried bun.
> "You notice it too, right?" Raze muttered, mouth full. "Everyone's acting weird."
> "Yeah," Lohan replied. "They're afraid."
> "Of you?"
> "Of what's coming."
---
Training Grounds – Later That Day
Ardenna stood opposite Winter on the field, their eyes locked.
> "You challenged me," Ardenna said with a smirk.
> "I want to see how far you've come," Winter replied calmly. "Besides… I need to know if I can trust you."
The match began in a flash of fire and ice.
Flames clashed with crystalline frost. The ground cracked. Onlookers gasped.
Lohan watched from the side, arms crossed.
> "They're testing each other… just like I wanted."
But halfway through the duel, Ardenna hesitated. A strange flicker crossed her face.
Winter noticed.
> "You're holding back."
> "...No. It's nothing."
But it wasn't nothing. Because Lohan saw it too.
Ardenna had flinched—as if someone else was watching her.
---
That Night
Lohan knocked on Ardenna's door.
> "Who are you afraid of?" he asked the moment she opened it.
She tried to smile. Failed.
> "I'm not afraid."
> "Then tell me why you looked like you were about to burn yourself alive during a friendly duel."
Ardenna lowered her gaze.
> "He's watching. Even now."
> "Who?"
She looked up, eyes glowing faintly with fire.
> "Justine."
---