Skygate Academy had returned to order, at least on the surface.
The corridors were once again filled with students moving between classes, their conversations lively but no longer chaotic. Training halls echoed with the familiar sounds of controlled combat—measured strikes, disciplined breathing, and the occasional burst of elemental energy. Instructors resumed their lectures as if nothing extraordinary had occurred, guiding students through theory and practice with the same structured precision as before.
To an outsider, everything appeared normal.
But beneath that carefully maintained calm, something fundamental had shifted.
The tournament had not simply ended—it had changed the academy itself. Every student who had witnessed the final battle carried with them a new understanding of power, and that understanding could not be undone. Conversations that once revolved around rankings and techniques had now evolved into something deeper, more uncertain.
