The battlefield quieted—but not peacefully.
Smoke lingered. Heat clung to the air.
Kael stood at the center, breathing steady, flame contained.
"They retreated too easily," Seris said.
Riven scoffed. "Or we pushed harder."
"No," Aelira replied. "They learned."
Kael felt it too.
Inside him, the flame pulsed—not satisfied, but… attentive.
"They were measuring," he said.
Lira stepped beside him. "Then next time won't be the same."
Kael nodded.
"…Good."