Page 315 of Elemental Becoming

She hisses the words under her breath, low enough that only the three of us hear them. For once, Lyra shows a hint of discretion. Bless the gods.

Rowena turns to look at her, completely unflinching.

“If Amara backs down now, every person in this room will remember it. They won’t remember why. They won’t remember that Ardyn provoked her. They’ll remember that the Spiritborn walked away from a challenge.”

Lyra’s green eyes flash. “I don’t care.”

“I know,” Rowena says quietly. “But the rest of them will.”

I pull free of Lyra’s grip and straighten, turning to face them both.

“No,” I say, my voice sharp with finality. “I’m ending this. Here and now.”

This isn’t about proving anything to Ardyn anymore. It’s about drawing a line and making it clear that she doesn’t get to keep pushing until she finds a weakness. For the first time, I stop worrying about being polite.

If she wants to test me, then she can finally see exactly what she’s been asking for.

Ardyn’s smile widens, dark and dangerous, as though she has finally gotten exactly what she wanted.

“Okay, then,” she says, her voice smooth and calculated. Her gaze drifts toward the weapon racks lining the wall.

“Welcome to the dance, Spiritborn. Weapons?”

I raise an eyebrow, meeting her challenge head-on.

“Why, Ardyn? Do you think you need them?”

Her eyes flash with irritation, but she doesn’t back down.

“Okay, then,” she snaps, her tone sharpening. “No weapons. No magics. Just you and me.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Her gaze drops briefly to my right hand before returning to my face.

“And no protective enhancements.”

Rowena steps forward immediately, disbelief flashing across her face.

“Ardyn, this is insane.”

I don’t take my eyes off Ardyn.

“No, Rowena,” I cut in. “I agree.”

Rowena turns toward me, clearly prepared to argue, but whatever she sees in my expression stops her. Her jaw tightens, her protective instincts still bristling beneath the surface, butafter a long moment, she gives a reluctant nod.

Ardyn wastes no time. She shifts into a fighting stance, her movements precise and controlled, her eyes bright with anticipation.

“Let’s see what you’ve got then,” she says before gesturing toward the ring on my finger. “The ring comes off.”

I look down at the dark metal band and suppress a smile. Fair enough. One good punch with a ring like this could split skin open. Without hesitation, I pull it off and hand it to Rowena.

Ardyn rolls her shoulders back as she steps onto the mat, her leer sharp and knowing. Every movement is precise, controlled. Years of elite Fire Clan training made visible in the way she carries herself.

I step forward and settle into my stance.

The crowd shifts around us, warriors pressing closer to the edges of the mat as they wait for the first strike.