The crowd didn't know they were celebrating inside a lie.
Thousands of voices rose and fell with every collision of fire and shadow, every shockwave that cracked the arena floor further, every moment that looked like two extraordinary students pushing each other to their absolute limits. The elders watched with careful eyes. The academy banners moved in the heated air. The referee stood ready at the boundary line, hand raised, tracking the flow of the match with professional attention.
Everything appeared correct.
Everything was wrong.
Seraphina didn't move immediately.
