[mass release 1/5]
Up from the seat Kairos sat in, his eyes fixated on the platform where Kaela now stood alongside thirteen other students—the contenders of the Core Weapon Battle.
He couldn't help but feel a pit tighten in his stomach.
He knew Kaela's vulnerability to core weapons.
He knew it better than anyone.
So the question burned in his mind like wildfire: why had she chosen to fight in the contest despite that?
His gaze shifted, eyes darting left, then right, as he scanned the rows of students and spectators in search of Lina.
He needed to ask her—needed to understand why she had let Kaela do such a reckless thing.
But with the roaring crowd closing in from all directions, his efforts were fruitless.
Lina was nowhere to be found.
For now, all he could do was sit and watch, hoping with all he had that Kaela knew what she was doing.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Kaela stood tall—but noticeably empty-handed.
No core weapon rested in her grip.
