The training chamber dimmed as runes across the walls flared to life, sealing the space in a pale glow. Noel stood at the center, Revenant Fang held low in his grip, shadow mana pulsing faintly at his feet. Across from him, Selene raised her wand, her posture calm and poised, icy mist curling around her.

No words were exchanged.

Selene struck first. "Glacial Thrust!"

A sharp spear of ice tore through the air toward him.

Noel vanished instantly. "Shadow Step!" The icy projectile shattered against stone as he reappeared at her flank, Revenant Fang slashing down with fire coating the blade. "Ignition Surge!"

Selene spun, her wand intercepting the strike as frost burst outward, repelling the flames. Shards of ice cracked against the ground. Her eyes flicked toward him—cool, controlled—but a faint crease at the corner of her brow betrayed surprise.

'He's faster. Stronger. More precise than before…'

Noel didn't let her recover. He thrust his free hand forward. "Voltage Needle!"

A jagged streak of lightning shot toward her with lethal precision.

Selene swept her wand in a fluid arc. "Frost Veil!"

A curtain of icy particles rose instantly, scattering the bolt into a spray of sparks. The haze lingered as she stepped through, wand pointed squarely at him again.

But her pulse was uneven. She remembered the finals—the moment she lost for the first time in her life. To him.

Noel's stance remained steady, his aura heavier than ever. He wasn't just catching up anymore. He had surpassed her.

Selene's lips parted faintly, the smallest flicker of distraction. Noel's eyes narrowed.

"You look off," he said evenly. "Are you holding back already?"

Selene tightened her grip on her wand. "Focus on the fight."

But her voice lacked its usual edge.

Selene moved first this time, her wand flashing with cold light. "Cryo Grasp!"

Hands of jagged ice erupted from the floor, lunging for Noel's legs.

He answered without hesitation. "Shadow Step!" His body blurred into the nearest patch of darkness, vanishing before the frozen claws could lock onto him. He reappeared at her side, Revenant Fang cutting in a sharp arc.

Selene twisted, her wand sweeping down. "Frozen Lance!" A spear of ice formed instantly in her hand, catching his blade with a clash of frost against cursed steel. The shock sent sparks of fire and shards of ice scattering across the floor.

Noel didn't back away. He leaned into her guard, pressing his weight with Revenant Fang blazing. "Ignition Surge!" The sword flared, heat rippling out as he forced her back.

Selene's boots scraped against the stone. She drew in a quick breath and pushed her wand forward. "Gravition Hold!"

The air around Noel warped, the pressure doubling in a crushing wave. His movements slowed for a heartbeat, his body straining. Selene seized the chance, launching another strike. "Glacial Thrust!"

But Noel's eyes sharpened. "Stormpiercer!"

His body erupted in arcs of lightning, the chamber filling with a blinding crack as he shot forward. The ice spear shattered as he passed through, the surge of electricity propelling him behind her in an instant.

Selene spun around, stunned by the sheer speed. 'I couldn't even track him… he's—he's really faster than me.'

Her grip tightened on her wand, yet her thoughts wavered. The memory of the finals flared in her mind: Noel standing over her, victorious for the first time, and the look in his eyes—calm, respectful, not mocking her defeat like others would.

That respect had stung more than the loss itself.

Now, facing him again, she felt the same pressure… only heavier. Her heart pounded against her ribs, uneven, not from exertion but from something she didn't want to name.

Noel lowered his stance, studying her carefully. "You're distracted again."

Selene snapped her gaze at him, cold as ice, but her lips trembled before she steadied them. "Don't… read me like that."

Selene inhaled sharply, raising her wand once more. Frost laced the air around her, her voice cutting through the chamber. "Permafrost Halo!"

A ring of ice spread outward, shards forming a shimmering circle that slowed the very air. Noel felt the drag immediately, his steps heavier, his reactions dulled.

But his eyes never wavered. He pushed mana into his blade. "Fire Arc!"

Revenant Fang slashed through the frost, releasing a curved wave of fire that cleaved the halo. The ice shattered in a rush of heat, sparks raining across the chamber.

Selene stepped back, chest rising faster. Her spells chained well—but Noel wasn't faltering. He had closed the distance again, shadows pooling at his heels.

She thrust her wand forward. "Frigid Bloom!"

The ground erupted into icy petals, sharp as blades, blooming around her feet and racing toward him.

Noel met it head-on. "Flamethrower!"

Flames roared from his palm, engulfing the petals in a torrent of heat. Steam hissed violently as ice met fire, the floor hissing with droplets.

Through the mist, Noel moved again. "Shadow Step!" His figure blurred—then reappeared right in front of her, Revenant Fang already raised.

Selene gasped, bringing up her wand too late. The cursed blade stopped a breath from her throat, the air between them crackling with fire and shadow.

Her heart skipped.

Noel's eyes locked with hers, steady, sharp—but not cruel. "You're off again," he said quietly, lowering the blade just enough. "What's wrong with you today?"

Selene stood frozen, wand trembling in her hand. She should have been furious. She should have been focused. Yet all she could think of was the finals—how he had defeated her, yet looked at her without arrogance. How he had respected her.

'He's stronger now. He's beyond me. But… why does my chest feel like this every time he looks at me?'

Selene clenched her jaw, forcing words past her lips. "Don't… pity me."

Noel tilted his head, his expression unreadable. "It's not pity."

Her breath hitched, the frost around her wand flickering. For the first time in years, her composure was cracked—not by defeat, but by him.

Both stood still, the echoes of their last clash fading into the stone chamber. Noel's blade lowered to his side, fire still smoldering faintly at its edge. Selene's wand hovered in front of her chest, but her arm was shaking—not from fatigue, but from something she didn't recognize.

Her breath came uneven. She hated that. She had always been composed, precise, untouchable. That was what her training had drilled into her since childhood: be stronger, colder, sharper than everyone else. There had never been room for hesitation.

But standing here, with Noel's eyes on her—calm, steady, unyielding—she felt something slip.

'Why… do I lose focus every time he looks at me?'

Selene clenched her jaw, forcing her grip to tighten around the wand. Her gaze hardened, but the tiny flicker in her eyes betrayed her thoughts.

Noel exhaled, watching her closely. "You're distracted. Again."

The words hit harder than they should have. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out at first. Finally, she forced herself to answer, her tone colder than she felt. "Next time… I won't lose."

Noel studied her, silent for a moment, before nodding once. He didn't push further. He never did, because he knew her past.

And maybe that was what unsettled her the most. Others pressed, mocked, demanded. Noel didn't. He simply saw her—faults and all—and left it there.

Selene lowered her wand slowly, turning away so he wouldn't see the conflict twisting inside her. 'What is this? Respect? No… something else. But… I don't understand it.'

Her chest tightened as she steadied her breathing. Whatever it was, she wasn't ready to name it.

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