The communication connected three seconds later.
A virtual screen unfolded before Irelia, and Lin Yi's image appeared on it.
Irelia looked at Lin Yi on the screen without saying a word.
"Aili, I want to see you," Lin Yi said.
It wasn't a question.
It was a statement.
Irelia felt her heart skip another beat.
She was silent for two seconds, then nodded. "All right."
"Where are you?" Lin Yi asked.
"Commander Residential Area, Training Room E-47."
"Wait for me."
The call ended.
The screen vanished, and silence returned to the training room.
Irelia stood where she was, staring at the empty air. That brief conversation of barely a dozen seconds seemed to have drained her completely.
She took a deep breath, raised a hand to straighten her hair, and smoothed her collar.
Then she stopped.
What was she doing?
After five thousand years on the battlefield, she had long since grown used to being unkempt.
If her armor was damaged, she repaired it. If her clothes were dirty, she changed them. If her hair was messy, she tied it up without a second thought.
When had she ever cared about such trivial details?
And yet now...
Irelia lowered her hand and walked to the center of the training room.
She sat cross-legged and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself.
But Lin Yi's face from their call kept appearing in her mind.
His eyes had changed.
Not his appearance. At their level, looks were easy to maintain.
It was something deeper in his eyes.
Five thousand years ago, Lin Yi's gaze had been sharp and steadfast, full of confidence.
It was the distinctive light of a genius, someone who believed in his path and his future.
But now...
Something deeper seemed to lie beneath that gaze.
Irelia opened her