Chapter 20: The Sentinel's Gaze

The corridor outside the main pit was a tunnel of concrete and shadow, the roar of the crowd muffled to a dull pulse. Leo leaned against the wall, the staff propped beside him, and let his legs shake. The System's energy bar hovered at 58 percent—a thin cushion, barely enough for another serious fight. The Rooted River fragment settled in his mind like a stone dropped into still water, its ripples...