The moment Luca and the others stepped through the colossal ironbound gates, the arena unfolded before them like a slumbering titan awakening, its ancient stone tiers rising in sweeping arcs that caught the torchlight and fractured it into warm golden ripples. The air hummed faintly, as though the very walls still remembered the roars of warriors long turned to dust.
Sylthara slowed to a halt, her usual composed demeanor slipping as her eyes widened, the light reflecting in them like a girl witnessing a legendary battleground come to life.
Selena's breath escaped her in a soft, involuntary exhale, the frost-like sheen of her irises shimmering with awe as she brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Aurelia's lips parted slightly, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the hilt of her slender spear as though the arena itself called to the fire in her blood.
