For a long moment after the last beast vanished into the shadows, the arena was enveloped in silence. It was so quiet that even the faint sound of blood dripping from fallen corpses echoed softly against the curved stone walls.
Boren lay on his back, motionless, his chest rising and falling heavily as he stared blankly at the faint golden ceiling above him. His mind felt empty, as if everything inside him had been drained away along with his strength.
Beside him sat Lyana, her legs slightly bent as she leaned back on her hands. Her breathing was uneven but more controlled than Boren's; strands of her green hair clung to her cheeks and forehead, damp with sweat that slowly dried under the dim light.
While her expression appeared calm on the surface, it betrayed a deep fatigue, not just physical but mental as well. For a while, neither of them spoke; they simply remained there, allowing their bodies to settle after the intense battle they had just endured.
