We passed the information we had to the authorities and at the same time we all went in high alert. There was so much to talk about and yet so little.

Later I had a lot to thought about.

We rescued one person, but was that worth it?

"Stop." Lucille appeared beside me. "I can hear you thinking from inside."

"We lost so much..... "

"We saved Cipher, don't we? We proved the League can bleed and they just can't do what they want." She looked at me. "Victoria made her choice. Seraphina made hers, even though she's heavily wounded. You should respect their choices."

"By doing what? Fighting in a tournament while they....."

"By winning. By showing the League they failed."

☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆

Two Hours Later We Meet again.

Everyone who could move gathered. Even Seraphina and the wounded conveyed again. We still have a pending problem to deal with after all.

"Semifinals are tomorrow," I said. "Our team is supposed to be, me, Lucille, Seraphina, Ravenna, Marcus."

I gestured to Seraphina. "But she can't fight now and Damian's out as well, we're down a fighter."

"Can we forfeit?" Marcus asked.

"No," Ravenna said immediately. "The League attacked us specifically before this match. They WANT us out of the tournament."

"But why?" Lucille asked. "What's so important about...."

"Because whoever wins this tournament gets international attention, we've talked about it. Certain people must be paying attention to what is happening here."

"The League doesn't want cycle-aware people with a platform," Kaeel said from the doorway.

She entered, wounds bandaged.

"If you win, you can spread awareness and wake some people up and that might terrifies them. But what I don't understand is why they're not fighting the Council directly."

"I'll join your tEveryoneeel said.

Everyone turned towards her.

"My team is out. But I'm cycle-aware. I know what's at stake." She looked at me. "Shadowgrove Academy might be eliminated, but I'm not."

"You'd fight for us?" Ravenna asked skeptically.

"I'd fight for the cause. Breaking the cycle matters more than academy pride."

"I don't trust her," Lucille said flatly.

"Neither do I," I agreed. "But we might need her."

"Can we win 4v5?" Marcus asked.

"No," Seraphina said from her wheelchair. "Your semifinal opponent is either Ironheart or Stormwatch. Both are powerhouses. Four against five? You will lose."

"With Kaeel, what are our odds?" Ravenna asked me.

I calculated. "Sixty percent. Maybe."

"Better than zero."

"Do it," Seraphina said. "I'll stay on the bench as official member, let Kaeel substitutes in my place. It's within tournament rules too."

"You're okay with this?"

"Hadeon," She wheeled closer. "Just do it okey."

I looked at Kaeel. Extended my hand.

"One tournament, let's go for a temporary alliance. You fight with us through finals."

"Agreed." She shook.

"Deal."

1. Hadeon Ravana - Shadow Mage/Tactician

2. Lucille Nightshade - Assassin

3. Kaeel Nightwhisper - Shadow Specialist [SUBSTITUTE]

4. Ravenna Blackthorn - Void Mage

5. Marcus Voidstep - Support Enchanter

"We've got 24 hours to learn to fight together," I said. "Let's not waste them."

☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆

Adrian's Hotel Room, At The Same Time.

Adrian sat alone, staring at his hands, they were trembling slightly. They were shaking.

Last night, during the rescue, he'd fought.

But a knock came from the door before he could even think deeper, Elena entered briskly.

"We need to talk."

"Not now....."

"Yes, now." She sat across from him. "Adrian, what happened last night?"

"We rescued Cipher that's all."

"You almost died from what I heard! And you..." She paused. "You fought like someone who'd never seen real combat before."

"That's not....."

"The training grounds at academy aren't real combat. That tournament wasn't real combat. Last night was real." Her eyes were hard. "And you weren't ready."

"I'm SSS-rank. I'm the strongest...."

"Rank doesn't matter when you freeze up. When you've relied on your backers' protection so long you don't know how to fight without a safety net."

"I didn't freeze....."

Heavy footsteps came from the door and it opened without knocking. Baron Celestius entered, flanked by two guards, his eyes was cold like ice.

"Father." Adrian stood quickly.

"Sit. Down."

The baron's voice allowed no argument and Adrian sat.

"I've received reports about last night's... incident." The baron's face was stone. "Terrorist attack, some League and students kidnapped."

"We rescued...."

"You nearly died from what I heard. It's said that there's one terrible woman that came at the end." The baron leaned forward. "You, the academy's pride, the kingdom's future, almost killed by terrorists. This is unacceptable."

"I can handle....."

"You clearly cannot. Therefore. You're withdrawing from the tournament, effective immediately."

"What? No!"

"This isn't a discussion. I've already informed the tournament organizers..... "

"I'm not withdrawing!" Adrian stood, face red. "I'm fighting in the semifinals!"

The baron's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I'm fighting." Adrian's hands clenched. "You've controlled my path since I awakened. Chosen my teachers and arranged my reputation. Everything is as you want!"

"For your own good...."

"For YOUR agenda!" The words exploded out. "I don't even know if I'm actually strong, or just protected! Last night showed me that I'm weak. Really weak. Because I've never had to fight for real."

"Adrian....."

"The tournament is real with little to no safety nets and no backers. Just me and my team." He met his father's eyes. "I need to know if I'm actually the hero everyone says I am. Or just... playing a role someone wrote for me I want to do something that's ME!"

The baron's face twitched before it was unreadable.

Then...

"You fight without my support. Without the family's resources and without my protection. I'll withdraw all the enchantments and artifacts..."

"Fine."

"If you lose, there will be consequences."

"I won't lose."

"You almost lost your life last night."

"And I learned from it." Adrian's voice was steady now. "I'm fighting. Whether you approve or not."

The baron stared at his son. Seeing, perhaps for the first time, actual defiance.

"Very well. But remember this conversation when you're lying broken on that arena floor."

He left, his departure like a brooding storm.

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