Class 2 Semifinal 1.
Mark of Aurelius against Ragnor of Virex.
The Aurelius sections gave Mark the home warmth they had been giving the Deadly Trio all day—the particular investment that had built across Mark's win against Gorr and Sarah's win against Nixare, the crowd watching the first member of the trio return to the floor for the semifinal stage. The Virex sections gave Ragnor their aggressive territorial response—the support base that had watched him build an iron landscape across his fight against Violin and were ready to see it again.
Mark walked out of the Aurelius tunnel.
His eyes were ordinary—dark irises, the silver not yet present, the quickness in his movement the only visible indicator of what he carried. He moved across the floor the way he had moved against Gorr—instinctive, fast, the speed a default rather than an effort.
Ragnor walked out of the Virex tunnel.
