Arthur let her linger in the silence, the orb cradled between them like a promise waiting to be claid. He watched the way the artifact's glow reflected in her eyes, and for a few a few seconds, he said nothing, He wanted the offer to pull her, he want her to inspect for herself.
So more seconds passed, Arthur decided to speak and, in a voice quiet but certain, he said. "This would sharpen your fire magic beyond what your peers at the academy can defend against. And with your family's smithing expertise? You could forge weapons layered with fire-channeling cores—gear tailored to your exact strengths. You'd move to the top of the rankings before the sester's end.
You would be able to compete with those that have an S-rank talent."
He paused, asuring her silence. "But if your family's forge is unavailable, give three weeks. I'll commission the best crafter to bind the orb's energy into a weapon worthy of you. All I need is your agreent."
His gaze held steady on her face, searching for sothing beyond words.
A flicker of doubt or a twitch of interest. Body language rarely lied. If she hesitated, he could adjust the terms. Sweeten the deal. Find what she wasn't saying.
But Sarah's eyes stayed on the Fla Orb, sharp and distant. Her mind wasn't clouded with wonder at the orb's abilites. In fact, she was calculating, running the numbers of battle scenarios, power scaling, and resource trade-offs.
In her eyes, the orb was good, exceptionally so. It would amplify the destructive force of her flas, tighten her spell casting efficiency, widen her tactical options on the battlefield. With it, she could crush the competition at the academy.
And yet, as the silence stretched, sothing changed. Her expression tightened for a solit second before focusing. A colder, steel-edged clarity cut through the temptation of the item in her hands.
"No."
The word landed between them like a dropped blade.
Flat, and certainly unshakable.
Arthur blinked once, slowly, clearly caught off guard by the sheer finality of her tone. "You haven't heard my full proposal—"
"I don't need to." Her voice didn't rise. It didn't soften. It simply ended the conversation.
"That herb you want? It's not just about boosting comabt strength. It's permanent. A true evolution of what I am."
She nodded at the Fla Orb without touching it, as though dismissing a lesser prize. "Artifacts break. Weapons dull. Equipnt gets replaced when sothing better cos along. But what I build into my body, into my very being…that lasts."
Arthur fell quiet, watching her more closely now.
This wasn't reckless arrogance. It was the logic of soone planning far beyond the next battle.
She wasn't chasing power for the next sparring with Ash. She was building a foundation that would carry her beyond the academy, beyond rivals, beyond temporary gains.
He tried once more. "The orb gives you power now. You could use it to secure the future you're talking about—"
"And I can earn that power through other ans." Her tone was respectful but immovable.
"Training. Better weapons. My family's own epic weapons, we have plenty. Those are resources I can draw on. But permanent enhancent of my body's limits? No spell or weapon can replace that."
Finally, she t his gaze, steady and unflinching. "Your offer is generous, Arthur. I won't deny that. But my answer is no."
The training ground quieted again, distant clangs of steel on steel drifting over the walls.
The deal he was offering was dead.
Arthur's chest rose slightly as he took a breath before exhaling through his nose. He hadn't expected her to walk away from raw, imdiate power.
Sarah Draketower wasn't just another ambitious student clawing for advantage. She was sothing rarer—soone who saw past today's victory toward battles not yet fought.
---
Arthur stood in silence for a few monts, his gaze steady on Sarah.
She didn't flinch or avert her eyes.
Her expression was calm, resolute, unshaken by the allure of the powerful artefact he'd offered her monts ago. The ssage was clear: she didn't want power gifted or borrowed.
She wanted strength that was hers, born from her own body, not from sothing that could be taken away.
Then, Arthur smiled, softly at first, but it grew into sothing unmistakably genuine. There was no mockery in it, no sarcasm, just a flicker of rare admiration that he rarely showed anyone.
"Sarah... you know, you're truly an interesting person," he said, his tone carrying a touch of warmth.
Sarah's brows knitted faintly; his comnt felt unprompted.
"Why do you say that?"
Arthur let out a quiet breath and looked down at the orb in his hand for a mont, the glow of its compressed power reflecting off his eyes.
"Had I offered this orb to anyone else," he said, voice low but powerful. "They would've snatched it from my hands without a second thought. Even if it ant they lost themselves in the process. So would have betrayed their comrades, even their families, just for a taste of the strength sealed within. Why? Because they're desperate. Because they fear weakness more than they fear consequence. Because they've never known what it feels like to earn their own power."
He looked back at her, his eyes sharp, searching.
"But you..." he said, a note of fascination colouring his words. "You said no. You refused a shortcut most people would kill for. This orb could boost your combat ability ten, maybe twenty tis over what the herb would give you. Instant strength. Imdiate results. And yet, you turned it down."
Arthur tilted his head slightly, studying her like soone examining an anomaly.
"The herb you're choosing instead—it's good, sure. But its effects? They're incrental. Barely noticeable compared to what this orb offers."
He paused, then added, more softly, "But I don't think it is. You're not just chasing strength, you're building it. You don't want power that owns you. You want the kind that grows with you."
His smile returned—smaller, but deeper this ti.
"That's why...I'm sure you will accept my new proposal."
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