Word spread like wildfire. The courtyard was buzzing now, whispers of Eclipse Faction slipping from tongue to tongue. Some mocked it, some sneered, but others were already intrigued.
It was then that a girl stepped forward from the crowd. Her hair burned red like the edges of a flame, and her eyes glimmered with faint embers. She looked nervous, clutching the hem of her uniform, yet there was a determination in the way she stared at Kairo, Riven, and Igron.
"Wait—" she called out, voice unsteady but strong. "Let me join you."
The murmurs grew sharper. Gasps, chuckles, then silence as another figure pushed through the crowd.
Sukai.
He placed a firm hand on the girl's shoulder, his sharp eyes narrowing at Eclipse Faction. His voice was low, controlled, but carried enough edge to cut the courtyard air in half.
"You don't belong with them."
The girl looked up at him, fire flickering faintly in her palms, unstable, licking too high and too wild.
"Brother, I—"
Sukai's gaze hardened. He leaned close, so only she could hear, but loud enough that others could guess:
"…You can't even control your flames. Don't embarrass yourself."
Her eyes dimmed, and the fire sputtered out, leaving smoke curling from her fingers. Sukai turned, pulling her back firmly.
The Eclipse trio stood silently, watching. Riven's brow furrowed, his hand twitching on his sword. Igron only smirked faintly, as if cataloguing the drama.
Kairo, however, said nothing. His crimson eyes lingered on the girl's dimmed embers until Sukai's form swallowed her from sight.
And just like that, the chance at joining them burned away.