The arena had not calmed down after William and Serena finished.
If anything, it got worse.
Students were louder now.
Talking over each other.
Arguing about who won.
Arguing about whether William cheated.
Arguing about whether Serena let him survive on purpose.
Kai had somehow started taking imaginary bets with people despite owning nothing of value.
William sat on the lower steps of the stands, holding an ice pack against his ribs.
"It's insulting," he said, "that combat training includes actual combat."
Rowan sat beside him eating something fried and suspicious.
"That's usually how it works."
"I reject tradition."
"You got hit a lot."
"Thank you for your support."
"You're welcome."
Across the arena, Serena was speaking with Vale.
Or being silently judged by Vale.
Hard to tell.
William looked away quickly when Serena glanced over.
He didn't know why he did that.
That annoyed him too.
Kai dropped onto the seat beside him dramatically.
"You were magnificent."
"I was assaulted."
"Same thing here."
Jonah followed behind more quietly and remained standing.
As usual.
William looked up at him.
"You going to sit?"
"No."
"Very helpful posture."
Kai pointed toward the arena floor.
"They're doing more matches."
William groaned.
"Good for them."
Vale's voice rang out across the room.
"Next pair. Jonah Adeniran. Tarek Sol."
Kai sat up straight.
"Oh."
William blinked.
"Wait. Jonah's fighting?"
Jonah simply walked past them toward the arena.
Hands in pockets.
Expression unreadable.
No warm-up.
No speech.
No visible concern.
William looked at Kai.
"Does he know?"
"Know what?"
"That combat usually involves movement."
Kai grinned.
"You're about to learn something."
Tarek Sol entered from the opposite side.
Broad shoulders.
Confident stride.
Stone gauntlets covering both forearms.
A second-year body trapped in a first-year uniform.
He rolled his neck and smirked at Jonah.
"This the quiet one?"
Jonah said nothing.
Tarek laughed.
"I like easy days."
William frowned.
"I already dislike him."
Kai nodded.
"Correct instinct."
Vale stepped between them.
"Standard rules. No lethal intent. Stop on command."
Tarek slammed his gauntlets together.
Dust burst outward.
Jonah blinked once.
That was all.
Vale stepped back.
"Begin."
Tarek charged immediately.
Heavy steps.
Direct line.
Power-first type.
William recognized the style instantly.
Hit hard.
Think later.
Tarek swung a massive right hook.
Jonah moved half a step.
Barely.
The punch missed cleanly.
Tarek over-rotated.
Jonah tapped two fingers against Tarek's shoulder.
Nothing happened.
Tarek turned and laughed.
"That it?"
Jonah still said nothing.
The crowd murmured.
Tarek attacked again.
Left jab.
Body blow.
Rising elbow.
Jonah slipped each strike by inches.
No wasted movement.
No flair.
No rush.
Like he had already seen everything before it happened.
William leaned forward.
"…Okay."
Kai smiled.
"Told you."
Tarek grew irritated fast.
Always dangerous.
He stomped the ground.
Stone cracked upward around his legs, climbing into heavier armor.
His gauntlets expanded.
Students shouted.
One girl near the railing said, "Second Circle reinforcement!"
William looked at Kai.
"Should I know what that means?"
"No."
"Helpful."
Tarek roared and slammed both fists down.
A wave of shattered stone raced across the arena floor toward Jonah.
This time Jonah moved properly.
One step sideways.
Then another.
Smooth.
Silent.
The stone wave split around him like water around a rock.
The crowd erupted.
Tarek froze.
William did too.
"…That was disrespectful."
Kai laughed so hard he coughed.
Tarek charged again, furious now.
He swung wide enough to break ribs by wind pressure alone.
Jonah ducked.
Palm to Tarek's elbow.
Crack.
Not bone.
The stone armor shattered.
Jonah pivoted.
Palm to chest.
A soft sound echoed.
Tarek flew backward three meters and skidded across the floor.
Silence.
Then chaos.
William stood up.
"Why does your cousin hit like secrets?"
Kai wiped tears from laughing.
"Because he's weird."
Jonah didn't pursue.
He simply stood there.
Hands lowered.
Waiting.
Tarek staggered up, breathing hard.
Now angry and embarrassed.
Worst combination.
"You think you're special?"
Jonah answered at last.
"No."
His voice was calm.
Flat.
Somehow colder than shouting.
Then he added:
"You're just loud."
The arena exploded.
Students screamed.
Kai nearly collapsed.
William clutched his chest.
"Oh, he talks trash too?"
"Rarely," Kai gasped. "That means he's annoyed."
Tarek roared and unleashed everything.
Stone pillars burst from the ground.
Dust clouds filled the ring.
Chunks of arena floor launched upward.
Raw power.
Messy.
Dangerous.
William lost sight of Jonah completely.
Students stood to watch.
Then the dust settled.
Jonah was standing behind Tarek.
Untouched.
One hand resting lightly on Tarek's shoulder.
Tarek slowly looked back in horror.
Jonah spoke quietly.
"You're done."
He pressed.
The stone armor across Tarek's body shattered all at once.
Gauntlets.
Greaves.
Shoulder plates.
Everything burst apart harmlessly into gravel.
Tarek dropped to one knee.
Vale raised a hand.
"Match over."
The room detonated with noise.
Jonah simply walked out of the ring.
No celebration.
No smile.
No glance back.
William stared.
"…I need family meetings. Clearly information is being hidden."
Kai puffed his chest proudly.
"We produce talent."
"You produce confusion."
Jonah returned to the stands and sat like nothing happened.
William slid beside him immediately.
"What are you?"
Jonah looked forward.
"Tired."
"Not what I meant."
"It's what I am."
William pointed at the arena.
"You dismantled a man."
"He was overcommitted."
"You broke his armor with a touch."
"It was poorly made."
Kai wheezed laughing again.
William shook his head.
"I hate all of you."
"That's fair," Jonah said.
Vale's voice rang out again.
"Next pair. William. Daren."
The crowd screamed instantly.
Daren stood across the arena looking deeply offended already.
Chest still wrapped from the target-sphere incident.
He pointed at William.
"This is revenge."
William rose slowly.
"No," he said, stepping down toward the ring. "This is scheduling."
Kai shouted after him.
"Break something expensive!"
Jonah added quietly:
"Preferably him."
William turned.
"You were supposed to be the calm one."
"I contain layers."
"Apparently."
Inside the ring, Daren cracked flames across both hands.
Orange fire curled around his fists.
Real fire this time.
Not training sparks.
The heat reached William from meters away.
Better.
Concrete power.
Visible danger.
Now this felt serious.
Daren grinned.
"You embarrassed me twice."
"You did most of the work yourself."
"Keep joking."
"It helps me process."
Vale raised her hand.
"Begin."
Daren launched forward with explosive speed.
Fire trailing behind him.
William barely slipped the first punch.
The air burst hot against his cheek.
Second strike.
Third.
A spinning elbow wrapped in flame.
William retreated fast.
Too fast.
Crowd roaring.
Daren pressed harder.
Aggressive.
Relentless.
Exactly what William needed to study.
He felt the pulse stir.
Tiny fractures forming before every swing.
Patterns.
Openings.
Mistakes.
Daren roared and slammed both fists down.
Fire surged across the floor in a fan-shaped wave.
William jumped sideways.
Rolled.
Came up coughing.
"…Okay," he muttered. "That one was rude."
Daren laughed.
"Scared?"
"Warm."
He stopped retreating.
Centered his breathing.
Watched Daren's shoulders.
Pulse.
Shift.
Daren stepped in with a right hook.
William moved first.
Cleanly.
The punch missed air.
William tapped Daren's wrist aside, turned his momentum, and drove an elbow into his ribs.
Daren staggered.
Shock across his face.
The crowd gasped.
William blinked.
"…Oh."
That had worked.
Daren snarled and ignited hotter flames.
William smiled slowly.
"Good," he said.
Now the fight had started.