{Regina}
~**^**~
The moment I stepped out into the corridor, the chill from the stone floors rose through my shoes and up my legs, grounding me in a strange, almost pleasant way.
The sound of my heels echoed lightly against the polished tiles, each step in rhythm with the quiet thrum of satisfaction curling in my chest as I crossed the courtyard toward the council building.
The kind of serenity that made people believe peace was possible. I almost smiled. I thrived in calm like this, because no one ever expected the storm beneath it.
Forty students are left in the elimination rounds, which means two possibilities are left.
All I had to do was shift the scale a little.
"You've already planted the seed," I told myself. "Now, water it."
The corners of my lips curled upward as I imagined the simple elegance of it all. A word here, a warning there — whispered concerns about "unfair methods," about how Elira Shaw was using pressure-point cheats to take down stronger opponents.
