As the crowd began to disperse from the dueling grounds, Alaric made his way back to his dorm. The adrenaline that had fueled him during the battles was now fading, replaced by a whirlwind of thoughts. His mind raced with the events of the day—the duel, his victory, and the realization of what it all meant. He had dominated the battle, leaving no room for doubt about his capabilities.
But with that triumph came the weight of consequences, rippling far beyond what he could see.
Back in the quiet solitude of his dorm, Alaric closed the door and leaned against it. His heart still beat a little faster than normal, not from exhaustion but from the sheer magnitude of what had transpired.
He knew his name would spread not only within the academy but beyond its walls, carried on the tongues of witnesses and written in the whispers of those eager for tales of rising stars.
