Chapter 37: Echoes of Impact
The silence that followed the duel was heavier than any spell.
Arin Valis lay motionless near the heart of the ring, her limbs slack but breath steady, the last sparks of her lightning spell fading into the air like dying stars. Across from her, Lucien Ashford knelt on one knee, his chest rising and falling in sharp, uneven pulls. He wasn’t unconscious—yet—but the toll of what he’d just done clung to him like weight in his bones.
Then came movement.
A shimmer of green light appeared at the edge of the ring, slow and spiraling, like leaves carried on a gentle breeze. A soft, soothing scent followed—spring rain and lavender. It seemed to hush the residual tension in the arena before her figure even came into view.
Professor Saelira.
The Chief Healer of Virellia stepped lightly onto the dueling field, her emerald robes trailing behind her like flowing riverwater. Gold thread gleamed along her sleeves and collar, and a slow halo of radiant sigils circled her wrists, rotating in calm, deliberate motion.
Her expression was serene—unbothered by the lingering charge in the air or the deep cracks scarring the ring’s stone. Her presence alone seemed to quiet the magic around her.
She walked first to Arin.
Kneeling beside the girl, Saelira extended a hand just above her chest. The sigils at her wrist flared slightly, casting pale green light that spread across Arin’s body like dew forming on a leaf. The bruises vanished. The tremors stilled. Her shallow breaths deepened, easing into rhythm. Her body relaxed, as though tension had been gently combed from her bones.
Without a word, Saelira shifted her focus to Lucien.
He hadn’t moved since her arrival, but his eyes were open, unfocused, his lips parted just slightly. When Saelira’s shadow fell across him, he blinked once.