The echoes of the final battle refused to fade, even as time continued to move forward with quiet indifference. The arena had already begun its slow return to normal, the fractured ground restored by layered formations, the protective barriers reinforced and stabilized, and the officials resuming their composed expressions as if nothing extraordinary had taken place. Yet despite all of that, something lingered in the air that could not be repaired so easily.
It was not merely the memory of the battle itself, but the weight of what it had revealed. Every student who had witnessed the clash between Aether and Liora carried that impression with them, whether they understood it or not. The concepts that had unfolded before their eyes had surpassed ordinary comprehension, and even now, as they whispered among themselves or silently processed what they had seen, there was a shared awareness that the world they believed they understood had shifted.
