Through several cheers and screams, Graham walked up the steps toward where Alex and the others were waiting for him. He didn't hold any sort of sadness in his expression, perhaps just a hint of disappointment, but nothing more. Instead, what he felt more than anything was a feeling of incredulity toward his opponent.
"I thought I had it," he said. "But she's just so much more talented."
"Yeah, we saw," the man in the golden robe said. "You still did well. I mean, we could see you were the stronger one of the two of you. You simply need to train some more."
"Yes," Graham said, sighing lightly.
"You have enough time to get stronger. If I remember correctly, you said you were still young, right?" one of the others asked. "How old are you again?"
Graham hesitated somewhat. "I—"
Before he could answer, the people around him grew silent, looking behind him. When he turned, he found Halfspear standing there.
