CHAPTER 285: CHAPTER 285: BEFORE THE STORM

The waiting chamber was quiet, the low hum of mana-crystals in the walls the only sound. Noel sat on the bench, adjusting the grip of Revenant Fang, checking the wrappings on his hands for what felt like the tenth time.

The door opened. Selene stepped in, her wand of ice at her side, short blue hair neat as ever. She didn’t hurry, didn’t glance around—just walked in and stopped a few paces away, silent as the cavern itself.

Noel lifted his head. "So, you made it to the final."

Selene’s cyan eyes settled on him briefly. "Obviously."

He smirked, leaning back. "Guess it was always going to be you and me at the end."

She crossed her arms, her tone flat. "That was predictable."

For a moment, the silence stretched again. The distant echo of the arena outside—cheers, stomping, the roar of a restless crowd—drifted faintly through the stone walls.

Noel tapped Revenant Fang’s hilt lightly. "Funny. A week ago, I wouldn’t have bet on myself lasting this far."

Selene tilted her head, expression unreadable. "Yet here you are."

Her voice was cold, but there was no mockery in it. If anything, the bluntness felt closer to acknowledgment than dismissal. Noel caught it—the difference was small, but there.

He chuckled, rubbing his neck. "I’ll take that as a compliment, coming from you."

Selene didn’t answer, but she didn’t look away either. Her gaze lingered for a second longer before returning to the floor, arms tightening across her chest.

The crystal lights buzzed faintly above them. Neither spoke again, yet the atmosphere between them had shifted.

The silence stretched, but Noel broke it first. "Haven’t seen you this calm since... well, ever."

Selene’s gaze flicked toward him, steady as ice. "You don’t know me well enough to say that."

Noel gave a half-smile. "Maybe not. But I was there when you finally stood up to your mother. Hard to forget that."

Her arms loosened slightly at the mention. For a moment, her face remained its usual mask, but her voice dropped lower. "You pushed me to do that. I never thanked you properly."

Noel shrugged. "Didn’t need to. You did it yourself."

Selene looked away, staring at the mana-crystal lights above. "She came here. My mother."

Noel’s brow lifted. "Here? As in—"

Selene nodded once. "She heard the news about me. She came down from the Iskandar Peaks."

Noel leaned forward. "All the way across another continent?"

Another nod. Calm, clipped, without hesitation.

He exhaled, tilting his head. "And what are you going to do about it?"

Selene’s eyes narrowed slightly, her tone still cold but edged with steel. "Nothing. I don’t forgive her."

The answer came without pause, without doubt. Noel studied her for a moment, seeing no flicker of hesitation in her expression.

The muffled roar of the crowd outside pulsed again, shaking the walls faintly. Selene stood unmoving, her stance firm, the weight of her words hanging heavier than the noise beyond.

"I respect you."

Noel blinked, caught off guard. Selene rarely said anything that direct. She kept her eyes forward, tone steady, almost detached—as if stating a fact rather than giving praise.

"I always saw you," she continued. "From the first day of classes. Every morning, you were there training. It was always you and me in the yard before anyone else. You never spoke much. Sometimes you didn’t say a word at all."

Her gaze lowered briefly, thoughtful. "It felt like... you respected my training enough not to interrupt it. Like you didn’t want to get in the way."

Noel smirked faintly. "Or maybe I was just scared you’d freeze me if I bothered you."

Selene ignored the joke. "You did try, sometimes. To talk. To get closer. I noticed."

Noel tilted his head. "Didn’t think you cared."

For the first time, Selene’s expression shifted—barely, but enough. Her eyes softened, the ice thinning around her words. "I did. You didn’t force your presence on me. You gave me space. That was... different."

The admission hung in the air, heavier than any roar of the crowd outside.

Noel leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "That’s your way of saying you don’t mind me being around, huh?"

Selene’s lips pressed together, her face calm again. "Something like that."

Noel chuckled quietly. "I’ll take it."

The heavy door creaked open. A guard stepped inside, his voice firm. "Finalists. It’s time."

Noel rose first, sliding Revenant Fang into place at his side. Selene followed, her wand of ice in hand, her expression as unreadable as ever. Together they stepped into the long corridor that led to the arena floor. The hum of mana-crystals lining the walls cast pale light over their path, their footsteps echoing against the stone.

The roar of the audience grew louder with every step, a tidal wave of sound pressing closer. Yet in the narrow passage, it was only the two of them, side by side.

Selene’s voice broke the silence. "I expect a good fight, Noel."

He glanced at her. "Of course."

Her eyes, cold cyan in the crystal glow, lingered on him for a second longer than usual. "Don’t hold back. We have the protection devices. There’s no reason to restrain ourselves."

Noel’s lips curved into a small, sharp smile. "Good. Then that’s exactly what will happen."

The words carried no doubt.

At the far end of the tunnel, the gates began to rise. Light from the arena flooded in, joined by the deafening roar of thousands of voices chanting their names. The final match was about to begin.

Selene’s posture remained calm, unshaken, yet there was something different in her eyes—acknowledgment, quiet and sharp. Noel noticed it as he adjusted his grip, stepping forward into the blaze of the arena.

The two finalists walked out together, the air thick with tension and anticipation. For the crowd, it was the climax of the tournament, the final of both opponents from the same academy. For them, it was the moment they had both been waiting for since the first day.