The arena reset.
Class 2 Semifinal 2.
Sarah of Aurelius against Naxra of Dravenfall.
The Aurelius sections gave Sarah the home warmth that had built across the day—the second member of the Deadly Trio returning to the floor, Mark having just advanced and the crowd's investment in the trio's mythology climbing with each successive appearance. The Dravenfall sections gave Naxra their heavy territorial response—the support base that had watched her dismantle Oidin's thread-cutting across an entire fight and were ready to see the armor work again.
Sarah walked out of the Aurelius tunnel.
The dark suit was visible against her Aurelius colors—nothing about it announcing anything, the same unremarkable surface that had carried invisible threads through her fight against Nixare. She moved with the deliberate consideration that had characterized that fight, her hands slightly raised, the posture of someone whose ability required thought before action.
