Chapter 25 Aug 19, 2025 The clouds broke open above the arena, light pouring down like judgment. Mira sat on Liorith's back, hands steady, heart not so much. Phase Two had begun - the Duel of Wills - and it felt like the world was holding its breath. Beneath her, Liorith rumbled, wings tight as wire. They hovered just above the launch ring, silver scales gleaming. Across the sky, dragons rose and dipped in synchronized duos, their riders clinging close as magic danced between them. "Focus," Mira muttered, narrowing her eyes toward the gauntlet below. "We move together." Bastian's voice crackled over the wind. "Copy that. Just don't slow me down." She rolled her eyes, but the edge of her mouth twitched. He was trying to ease the tension. It almost worked. Then a shadow slipped into her periphery, familiar and foul. Tessan. Her dragon sliced through the air with dramatic flair. Tail coiled like a whip, its golden wings stretched like polished knives. And on its back sat Tessan, smug as ever. Tessan drifted too close. Mira stiffened. "Everyone knows why he picked you," Tessan called out, her voice slicing across the arena. "Softness has its uses." Mira blinked, once, twice. Liorith stiffened beneath her. Bastian's snarl was immediate, sharp and unrestrained. "Back off," he growled, the sound vibrating through the air. But Mira lifted a hand. Her fingers didn't shake. "Let her speak," she said evenly. "Let her show everyone what weakness sounds like." The arena hushed. Even the dragons slowed, their wings dipping slightly with the tension. Mira felt hundreds of eyes on her, watching, waiting. Tessan's smirk twitched. "So brave, now that you're his favorite. But we all know it won't last. Favor burns fast." "You'd know a lot about burning out," Mira shot back. "Since that's what you do best." The crowd flinched. Tessan's dragon gave a sharp, offended screech, spiraling tighter around them. "Cute," Tessan sneered. "Won't help you when I kill you, though." Bastian shifted beside her, knuckles white on the reins. "That's enough." But again, Mira stopped him. Her chin lifted, proud. "You want attention, Tessan? Take it. Want eyes on you? Fine." Tessan's eyes narrowed, fury flickering beneath the surface. "You think you've changed something," Tessan said. "But you're just a footnote. A temporary chapter in a story you weren't meant to be part of." Mira met her gaze, unblinking. "I know who I am. Do you?" Liorith bristled beneath her, catching the electric spike in Mira's pulse. Across the arena, cadets edged closer to the ring boundaries. "You're so desperate to prove you belong," Tessan spat. "But it wasn't skill that earned you your dragon. Just a twist of fate. A fluke." "Maybe," Mira replied calmly. "But here I am. And you can't stand it." "Don't flatter yourself," Tessan said, circling closer. "You think he loves you?" Her voice dropped, venomous. "He pities you." Mira didn't flinch. She just reached up, tightening the strap near Liorith's wing. "You want to find out what pity looks like in battle?" she asked softly. "I dare you." The arena shifted again, the mood tipping from tense to ready. A challenge had been thrown, just not yet named. Tessan drew her dragon back slightly, then twisted in the saddle. Her grin returned. "Fine. If words don't bite deep enough, let's try something better." She raised her hand in the air - a gesture sharp and formal. "I challenge you," Tessan said, voice clear, eyes locked on Mira. "One-on-one." Gasps rolled through the crowd. Even the dragons stilled. Bastian moved fast, shifting Vharok between them. "No." But Mira reached forward and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Yes." He looked at her, uncertain. She nodded once. "You don't need to prove anything to her," he said quietly. "I'm not proving it to her," Mira answered. "I'm proving it to everyone who thinks like her." Across the arena, the instructors hovered like stormclouds. One leaned down toward the others, whispering. Another tilted his head. Seconds passed like hours. Then, a signal. A nod. Another followed.