The capital didn't know how to stop celebrating.
Banners with Aether's name had appeared on streets that had spent the previous week displaying academy colors, the transition accomplished with the speed of a city that understood momentum and intended to stay inside it. Taverns that had been running arguments about the outcome were now running stories about the outcome, each telling growing slightly in the retelling, the finals acquiring details that hadn't been present in the actual event but felt like they should have been. The greatest battle of their generation had concluded, and the people who had witnessed it were in the business of turning what they'd seen into something they could carry.
In Skygate Academy's celebration hall, Valen brought his mug down on the table with the enthusiasm of someone who had decided that moderation was a problem for tomorrow.
"Hahaha! We actually won!"
Liora didn't look up from her cup. "Twenty-three times."
