Chapter 189: Light and Silence
For a second, everything paused.
Arthur’s fingers closed around the core, solid and real in his grip.
It was His.
He didn’t celebrate, didn’t even glance at it twice, because his instincts were already screaming.
Move.
"Out," he muttered under his breath.
As soon as the word left him, he stepped, and vanished.
The air cracked softly as he reappeared far from the circle, his boots scraping against the ground as he forced himself to stop.
But even as he moved.
Lyra had moved too.
Faster.
There was no warning, no build-up, just..
Light.
A sudden flash burst from the circle.
FWOOM..!
It swallowed everything.
White. Blinding. Sharp enough to sting the eyes.
Selene flinched instantly.
"What the..!"
Torren threw his arm over his face.
"Damn..!"
Even Ryn narrowed his eyes, though he didn’t fully look away.
The light didn’t last long, only a moment—
But it was enough.
Enough to steal sight.
Enough to hide everything that happened in that instant.
And when it faded... Silence.
The training hall slowly came back into view. Shapes returned. Breathing followed.
And then...
Everyone could see better, curious about what followed the blinding light.
Lyra stood in the center of the circle, exactly where she had been.
Calm.
Still.
As if she hadn’t moved at all.
But Arthur...
Arthur was far away now, well out of range, standing with the core still in his hand.
Safe.
His chest rose and fell sharply.
"...Tch."
He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, his heart still pounding hard in his chest.
Even now, his instincts hadn’t gone quiet.
That was close.
He didn’t see it or understand it.
But he felt it.
That moment when the light came, there had been something inside it. Something dangerous. Something that would have taken the core from him... or worse.
He shook his head slightly.
"...Yeah. Not underestimating her ever."
Behind him, Nox blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision.
"...Wait... what just happened?"
She looked around, then spotted him.
"...You still have it?"
Her voice jumped.
"You still have it?!"
Althea exhaled deeply, her shoulders dropping as the tension finally left her body.
"...We did it."
She didn’t even try to stand straight, just letting herself sink back a little as she caught her breath.
Nox dropped right after.
"Ahh... I’m done..."
She laughed weakly, staring up at the ceiling.
"...That was insane."
Both of them were completely exhausted.
But their eyes kept drifting back to Arthur.. to the core still in his hand.
Still there.
Still his.
Across the hall, Torren stared.
"...No way."
Selene shook her head slowly.
"I didn’t even see anything."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Did she attack?"
Torren frowned.
"If she did...?"
They both turned to Ryn.
He didn’t answer immediately.
His eyes stayed on Arthur, watching, reading.
Then he smirked.
"...He saw through it."
Selene frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Ryn shrugged lightly.
"Not saw it like we see things. He felt the danger."
His gaze shifted briefly back to Lyra.
"And he moved before it landed."
Torren exhaled.
"...That’s crazy."
Selene crossed her arms, her gaze sharpening.
"...No. That’s worse than crazy."
"...That’s unfair."
Back on the field, Arthur finally straightened. His breathing slowed a little, but he didn’t relax completely.
His grip on the core stayed firm.
Lyra’s eyes were on him.
Not angry or upset.
Just... focused.
Reading him.
Measuring.
Trying to understand what had just happened.
Then..
She exhaled, a small breath, and her expression settled back to normal.
"...Well."
Her voice cut cleanly through the silence.
"I guess that’s that."
Everyone turned to her.
She looked at Arthur’s team first.
"...You win."
Simple.
Clear.
But it carried weight.
Nox raised her arm weakly from the ground.
"...We won..."
Then let it drop again.
"...I’m not moving."
Althea smiled faintly.
"...Same."
Arthur just rolled his shoulder and started walking back, slow and steady now.
No rush.
The fight was over.
But as he got closer..
Lyra’s gaze never left him.
"...You," she said.
Arthur raised a brow.
"Me?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"...We’ll talk."
He grinned.
"Sounds serious."
She didn’t reply.
Instead, she turned to the rest.
"Good work."
Her tone shifted, back to commander.. firm, clear.
"You adapted faster than I expected. Your coordination improved, and you trusted each other more this time."
Her eyes moved to Nox.
"You stopped hesitating."
Nox scratched her head, still lying on the ground.
"...Didn’t have time to think."
Lyra nodded.
"Good. Keep that."
Then she looked at Althea.
"Your timing got better. There’s still room to improve, but you’re starting to see the flow."
Althea nodded.
"I will."
For a brief second, her gaze shifted to Arthur—
But she didn’t comment.
Not yet.
Instead, she turned to the other team.
"Ryn."
He straightened slightly.
"You read the field well as always, but you rely too much on control. When it breaks, you slow down."
Ryn nodded.
"I noticed."
"Fix it."
"Yes, ma’am."
She looked at Selene.
"You improved your movement, which is good. But your focus still breaks under pressure."
Selene sighed.
"...Yeah."
"And you know it."
"I do."
Then Torren.
"You’re strong, but you lose awareness when something unexpected happens."
Torren clicked his tongue lightly.
"...That core throw."
Lyra gave him a look.
"Exactly."
He nodded.
"Won’t happen again."
She let the silence sit for a moment before speaking again.
"That’s enough for today."
Relief spread almost instantly.
You could feel it.
Everyone loosened up, even if no one said it out loud.
They were done.
Lyra turned slightly.
"Dismissed."
That was it.
The tension broke completely.
Nox groaned as she pushed herself up.
"...I’m crawling back to my room."
Selene laughed.
"You won’t make it halfway."
Torren stretched his arms.
"...Worth it."
As Althea passed Arthur, she gave him a small look.
"...Good job."
Arthur shrugged.
"You too."
Ryn stopped beside him briefly.
"...That last move."
Arthur glanced at him.
"Yeah?"
Ryn smirked.
"...You’re ridiculous."
Arthur laughed.
"I’ll take that as a compliment."