Instructor Victor gathered our Elite class with a sharp whistle, his commanding presence cutting through the lingering tension.
"Form up," he ordered tersely. "We're heading back to the main campus."
my team assembled with quiet discipline, their earlier energy dampened by the decisive defeat. Victor led them away from the gate area, creating distance from the celebrating victors.
Once they were out of immediate earshot, Victor stopped and turned to face his students. His expression was stern but not entirely disappointed.
"Listen carefully," he began. "Second place means you performed better than every other class except one. That's not failure, that's excellence against extraordinary circumstances."
"But we lost Seraphina early," one student protested. "If she had stayed—"
"If, if, if," Victor interrupted sharply. "Combat doesn't care about your excuses. You adapt to losses or you fail completely. You adapted and still secured second place."
