The door sealed behind Ethan with a soft hiss, leaving only Eleanor and Astron in the training hall's quiet. The low ambient hum of mana regulators pulsed steadily in the background, a constant rhythm—unlike the silence that now stretched between them.
Eleanor didn't speak immediately.
She watched him for a moment—how he stood, not tense, not relaxed, simply still. The kind of stillness that came from someone always measuring, always processing.
Her voice broke the silence, calm and level.
"I watched your duel with Julia."
Astron didn't blink. His gaze remained steady. "I assumed."
"I wasn't the only one," she added, stepping forward slowly, hands clasped behind her back. "But I doubt anyone else saw what I did."
He didn't respond—just waited.
"I've seen plenty of students adapt to pressure. Many can copy patterns, borrow forms, even mimic techniques. But that isn't what you did."
Eleanor stopped a few paces in front of him, her eyes meeting his directly.
