The crowd buzzed with anticipation — not just from excitement, but from the stories spreading through the ranks after the earlier matches.
Kael, Levi, and David returned to their usual seats as the platform reset from the last duel. The hexagonal arena gleamed with fresh kinetic wards, humming softly.
Just behind them, light footsteps approached.
"Hey," Cyrhelle said softly, her cat padding ahead of her. "Seat free?"
Levi slid over with a grin. "For the champion? Always."
Kael gave a simple nod, and David offered her a small fist bump. "You crushed it out there."
David leaned forward. "That was a smart win. You read Riven perfectly."
Cyrhelle offered a shy smile. "He hit hard, but... predictable beats loud."
Levi chuckled. "You mean 'draw faster than earthquakes'? You made him chase lines like a preschooler with a crayon."
Cyrhelle smiled faintly. Her cat curled between her feet, purring.
David pointed toward the board overhead. "Looks like Charlotte's up next."
Kael looked down toward the arena — already spotting her across the platform, speaking briefly to one of the instructors.
Cyrhelle followed his gaze. "She looks focused."
Levi elbowed Kael. "So, which one's giving you more butterflies today — the quiet artist or the storm in a braid?"
Kael didn't reply.
David gave a short laugh, then gestured to the arena. "Here we go."
Yven Solano stood on the far side of the platform, arms relaxed, head tilted like he was listening to music no one else could hear. A soft vibration rippled around him — barely visible, like air moving under water.
Charlotte walked forward with calm poise, hands relaxed at her sides. Her braid swayed behind her with each step, and her boots echoed lightly on the arena tiles.
"Next match," Instructor Kaedin called. "Charlotte Gravielle versus Yven Solano."
"Yven's a tough read," David muttered, leaning forward. "His Desyre's built on emotional energy, right?"
Cyrhelle nodded. "Echo pulses. Fear, desire, pride, rage. He stockpiles it and uses it like a cannon."
Levi raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like a drama bomb."
"Charlotte's Core is Heartglow, right?" David added. "She'll have to rely on connections."
"Good thing she has us," Levi said.
Kael said nothing, his gaze steady on the arena.
Kael broke the silence. "She might have a hard time."
Levi smirked. "So you're worried about her now?"
Kael didn't answer.
Combatants: Charlotte Gravielle vs. Yven Solano," Instructor Kaedin announced.
"Begin."
Yven moved first — no theatrics, just a sudden pulse of pressure, invisible but heavy, infused with irritation and pride. The energy slammed forward like a wave.
Charlotte braced herself.
She raised a quick barrier — translucent, curved, and painted in a familiar style.
Levi blinked. "Wait... that's Cyrhelle's wall."
Cyrhelle's eyes widened. "She copied it?"
Kael nodded. "Trust makes the copy real."
The shockwave broke across the barrier, harmless.
Charlotte released the wall and moved fast, summoning a gleaming bow of energy — a clean draw, no hesitation.
David's eyes widened. "That's Kael's bow."
Charlotte loosed an arrow infused with her own Desyre. The strike didn't land, but it forced Yven to move — and in doing so, it exposed his rhythm.
Yven snarled. He launched a rage pulse, then a guilt echo, forcing the emotional air to thicken. Most would crumble under that weight.
But Charlotte's eyes glowed gold.
She slammed her foot into the ground.
The tiles beneath her compressed and cracked, forming a gravity pocket.
The pressure launched her upward — and the crowd gasped.
Levi stood half up. "She's using my Gravity Pulse?"
Cyrhelle whispered, "She's using all of us…"
As Charlotte flew overhead, she spun mid-air and loosed another glowing arrow. This one struck the arena's edge and detonated a radiant pulse that countered Yven's next echo wave entirely.
The two clashed mid-field — Charlotte with her adapted shield, bow, and compressed pressure bursts, Yven with pulsing emotion and chaotic rebounding echoes.
Yven roared in frustration, preparing one final devastating release — a full wave of stored pain and anger.
But Charlotte stood firm, Desyre crackling in her hands, forming a shimmering shield again.
"You fight with echoes," she said quietly. "I fight with trust."
The final wave broke — not just on power, but on connection.
Yven staggered. His own emotions overwhelmed him.
Charlotte stepped forward, pulled a second bowstring and stopped. A golden aura shimmered around her.
She didn't fire.
Yven dropped to one knee.
"Match over!" Kaedin declared. "Victory: Charlotte Gravielle!"
Cheers erupted across the stands. Cyrhelle clapped softly. David grinned.
"She's not just good," Levi muttered. "She's learning in real time."
Then he turned to Kael.
"You doubted her earlier."
Kael said nothing, arms crossed.
Levi smirked. "It's okay. You're allowed to be impressed."
Kael gave the faintest smirk. "I am."
They all stood as the arena reset again — the final matches of the day just ahead.
Charlotte walked off the platform, face calm. Her eyes briefly met Kael's.
This wasn't about victory anymore.
It was about trust — and who she was becoming