Seeing that the drill had clearly ended in his favor, Cody finally allowed himself to relax.
His shoulders loosened, and a small, almost shy smile tugged at the corner of his lips. It was brief, but it was real.
Around the arena, several of the remaining candidates nodded toward him in open approval. There was no cheering now, no noise. Just quiet acknowledgment from people who understood exactly what they had witnessed and Cody's effort all this time..
From above, Erend leaned back slightly, arms crossed. Adrien, Billy, Jessica, Thomas, and Conrad stood nearby, all watching Cody as he left the arena floor.
"That was solid," Billy said first, breaking the silence. "Not flashy. Just… effective."
Adrien nodded. "He understands his ability now. More importantly, he understands how others are using their Magic energy."
Jessica nodded. "His control has improved significantly. He's applying disruption with precision instead of raw output."
