"I saw you," William began. "Or rather… heard you last night."
The boy—5'8, thin build, messy brown hair—turned toward him.
No surprise in his eyes. He had sensed William coming.
The blond added, "You must be one of the first students who got kicked out, right?"
The boy let out a long breath. "Here to mock me?"
William shook his head. "Mock you? No. You're already a joke on your own. I'm just curious why someone as strong as you didn't enter the second round."
William didn't fail to notice the destruction surrounding them—scorched walls, cracked floors, deep dents in reinforced stone. Even now, he could feel the boy's Aether subtly leaking out, coiled and restless.
The brown-haired boy glanced at him and replied, "You're selected for the second round. Go celebrate."
William chuckled. "Jealous?"
The boy pursed his lips and looked away.
William tried again. "Your mother is in the council, right? Domella?"
