SHATTERED REALM: FORGOTTEN ECHOES-Chapter 172: A familiar scent.

The arena was still echoing with the distant roar of the crowd as they prepared for the next duel, but Forsaken Peak, gathered at the training grounds, offered a stark contrast.

Here, the wind was still, maybe lazy. Maybe it was waiting for the tension that was yet to rise.

Aramith, Mozrael, and Sylvia stood beside Lynnor, facing the rest of Forsaken Peak.

The group was divided, with good reason.

"Are you sure about this?" Mozrael whispered to Aramith.

"Pretty much," he replied dryly, eyes already scanning the group. "Kesha will try to sniff me, or know who I am. Don't do anything when that happens," he added.

Mozrael was unsure of what Kesha would do exactly, but she didn't comment any further.

Sylvia, however, exhaled softly, looking intensely at the other students of Forsaken Peak.

Ever since her appearance here, she'd been painfully aware of one fact:

The students of Forsaken Peak are very weak. If this is the best they could send out to represent them, then they're hopeless.

She'd seen their so-called prodigies suffer so terribly, she felt sorry for them. Only a few of them could hold down the fort, and she was better than those.

This wasn't a Peak. At best, it was a slope. And maybe that was why it's Forsaken.

Lynnor clapped her hands, and they all focused on her. "Let's start the meeting. Forsaken Peak tutors, pay attention!"

The tutors, already uncomfortable with having Lynnor present, couldn't help but frown at how Lynnor wanted to be in charge.

"My student should represent us," one began, jerking his head towards one girl. "They have consistently outperformed anyone else this month—"

"Outperformed? Your student failed last week against the Aetherbound prodigy! She still has all her limbs because it was a group battle." Lynnor interrupted, her voice cutting like a blade. "Do you want me to remind you what my students did?"

Several tutors opened their mouths simultaneously, only to be shut down by her glare.

"Silence. All of you. Prove with facts, then I'll consider your words."

She swept a hand toward Sylvia. "Sylvia did more in a single duel than any of your students have all this time. And she's not even at her peak."

Eyes widened around the table. Murmurs rose, furious and indignant. Her words stung the other students, but they were in no place to speak.

"What about Therin?" Lynnor continued, ignoring the protests. "When your own champion failed spectacularly after challenging someone, he didn't falter. He stepped up and dismantled a top-tier opponent. That student you bragged about is still recovering from the humiliation."

A sharp gasp cut through the room.

"Insulting," a student muttered. "He wasn't even given a fair chance!"

Lynnor pointed a finger at the student, causing her to step back, surprised that she had been heard.

"Exactly," she said with a calm smile, leaning forward. "Which is why it reflects on you, not him. Your pride hurts more than your terrible performance out there."

The tutor in charge of that student was shaking with fury. "Don't push your luck, Lynnor. You're only here because the Rector favors you."

"Don't misinterpret. I'm here because of my abilities," she replied, proud and unyielding. "Now, if any of you think you're more powerful than me, step forward. Force me to submit."

A deadly silence fell.

Eyes darted around. Lynnor stood at the Dragon Gate, her presence emanating like a mountain. The strongest tutor among them was at the Dark Gate—two entire gates behind.

He opened his mouth, but Lynnor's aura slammed into him. The force pushed him back several feet, nearly knocking him off balance.

No one dared speak after that.

Several tutors flinched. They now wished more than ever that their students weren't there to witness such a humiliating scene.

"Do not interfere," Lynnor warned, her eyes sweeping the room. "Or you will regret it before the judges even ask."

The judges arrived then, stepping lightly onto the training grounds. Behind them came representatives of Glacial Dominion, and the formidable Kesha herself.

"Ah," Lynnor said, tilting her head slightly. "Perfect timing. You may watch, but you may not interfere. And I trust the judges will do their job."

The tutors froze, caught between outrage and obedience. Lynnor wouldn't pause to unleash her crazy size when triggered.

The leading Judge wasn't one to waste time, jumping straight to the point without hesitating.

"For the duel between Forsaken Peak and Kesha, we have two choices: A one-on-one or a two-on-one." He turned to Forsaken Peak. You can agree on what you want, or we—"

Lynnor's smirk widened. "Let's draw lots, then. Decide who will face Kesha."

The judge was unfazed, but it was clear no one was pleased with Lynnor cutting him off.

"Very well," he nodded.

The whole time, Aramith had his eyes on Kesha.

She was still her usual cold self, and though she looked forward, she wasn't seeing anyone.

They were all irrelevant.

The lots were drawn, and the silence was loud.

Tension thickened the air. Finally, the result was revealed: 1v1.

It was then that Kesha looked. She locked eyes with Aramith for a second before someone tapped on her shoulder and whispered something into her ear.

A murmur ran through the Forsaken Peak tutors, some disappointed, some outraged.

"Perfect," Lynnor said, stepping forward, her aura simmering. "We'll send the one who can end their unearned arrogance quickly."

"LYNNOR—" a tutor started.

"Quiet," she snapped.

The judge glanced at her. "Are you the one in charge?" He sounded rather disappointed.

Lynnor had made a name for herself as an unstable element throughout their stay in Yumaris.

The judge waited for an answer, but Lynnor just folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

The judge exhaled, then asked. "Which student will be representing you?"

Lynnor smirked. "The one who will destroy that Kesha."

This made Kesha look at her, but she couldn't recognize Lynnor.

If she did, she would—

Aramith stepped forward. Her sense of smell shouldn't be dulled, so she should be suspicious.

Kesha did the same, slowly, her gaze fixed on him. The air around her shifted, frost threading beneath her feet. Her nostrils flared once, then again.

Something about him was wrong, especially his eyes.

They were oddly familiar.

. "Who are you?" She asked, suddenly surprising everyone.

"Therin," Aramith replied.

But Kesha wasn't satisfied with the answer. She carefully stepped forward again, gliding smoothly as she left a trail of snow behind.

No one dared breathe as she closed the space between them.

Her form wavered slightly between wolf and human.

When she stopped before him, there was barely a breath between them. Aramith didn't flinch.

"Your eyes…" he murmured. "They haven't changed."

Lynnor's jaw tightened. What are you trying to do now?

Mozrael flinched, and Kesha frowned a little. "How do you know me?"

Aramith remained calm. "I once saw you at a public event, that's all," he said.

Kesha shook her head, then reached closer, her nose just inches away from his skin as she inhaled deeply.

For the slightest moment, her eyes softened… just a fraction. Then the frost returned.

"You carry a familiar scent," she muttered. "One I remember with pleasant memories. Why is it on you?"

Her expression suddenly turned dark. "You're hiding something," she said.

"Everyone has their secrets," Aramith replied.

Since he vanished from the Vermillion Kingdom, his scent had haunted the edges of her world—on strangers, in corridors, on the wind. But this… this was real. And it hung very strongly on this boy.

It was true that this boy had a similar form, his composure was different from the Aramith she remembered, and he was taller as well.

She'd stopped searching for him, but wouldn't pass up an opportunity to find him if the chance came at least, for Lia's sake.

Aramith had prepared himself for this. "Defeat me… and I'll answer the question you're too afraid to ask," he finally said.

So you know something...Kesha's gaze swept over him. "We shall see."

Aramith's eyes narrowed. He glanced at Sylvia and Mozrael.

They remained steady, loyal, and ready.

Mozrael fidgeted slightly, nerves coiling in her chest.

Sylvia's jaw tightened, determination gleaming.

Lynnor folded her arms, feeling a shift behind her.

One of the tutors wanted to comment.

You forgot who's in charge?

Her aura bled outward onto the rest of Forsaken Peak, silent and suffocating. Several students stiffened, breath catching as the air grew heavier around them.

Every tutor and student felt the quiet, dangerous hum of her power.

Breathing felt like drowning in thick honey, and she had no intention of dialing it down, even when a stident dropped on one knee, even when they were beaded with sweat.

She shamelessly kept going.

The judge and the rest of Glacial Dominion noticed this, but it didn't concern them.

The lots had been drawn, and the decision was final.

"Is there any special condition any of you need for this duel?" The judge asked finally.

"I have none," Kesha said.

"Me neither," Aramith responded.

"I'll be expecting much from you," Kesha said as she turned around to leave.

Her group followed her silently.

She did whatever she wanted, and no one could touch her.

After they'd all left and Forsaken Peak remained, Lynnor finally turned to the rest of their group.

"That wasn't so difficult, was it?" She joked.

No one said a word, and in that silence, Forsaken Peak knew one truth: Lynnor always got what she wanted.