Across the duel venue, Adam watched Dorian cross his arms over his chest. The smirk playing on the teenager's face, his laid-back posture with his head slightly tilted to the right, not so subtly making his gaze appear to come from above, as if he were giving something inferior the pleasure of being gazed upon; they made it painfully clear to anyone watching that Dorian didn't see him as an adversary worth his time.
The other students mirrored Dorian's contempt. Victory was on their side. All that was left was to watch how their strongest duelist would humiliate the fool who dared challenge them.
The flutter of Astride's dark robes cut his observation short. She walked between him and Dorian, raising her palm overhead. "Whoever steps out of the venue, stays down for over three seconds, or gives up, loses. I won't allow lethal spells, curses, or any form of magically permanent debilitation. Understood?"
