Two students trailed behind them like guilty ducklings, trying not to stare.
"It wasn't luck," one of them murmured. "I was right there in the stands. His foot hit, the tiles broke, and then he just… wasn't there anymore."
"I haven't seen anyone move like that! Not even the second years…" the other whispered back.
"Yeah. That's what I'm saying."
Esen dropped back and fell in beside them, walking backwards, delighted to be included. "I've watched the replay," he told them. "Frame by frame. He's there in one frame, there's a gold smear in the next, and by the third he's on the other side of the arena. I decided to call it dark wizardry."
"Can you do it?" one of them asked.
"Naah, but I can punch the air hard enough that stuff gets out of my way." Esen grinned. "It's a start."
Raizen heard every word and kept walking. They talked about the dash like a trick he could pull from his sleeve whenever he liked. His legs, still heavy days later, quietly disagreed.
