The forest clearing trembled beneath their feet.
Ron's red-orange aura blazed like a living inferno, heat rippling the air around him, while across from him, Arin Blake's body crackled with yellow sparks that danced wildly along the shaft of his spear.
The two locked eyes—neither willing to be the first to blink.
All around them, chaos erupted. The barrier's relentless inward creep forced students into desperate skirmishes. Explosions of magic lit the air, blades rang, and the shouts of combatants mixed with the rumbling sound of the shifting walls. Yet here, in this pocket of tension, the world seemed narrowed to two warriors.
Ron tightened his grip on his weapon, the metal warm from his mana surging through it.
Arin tilted his head slightly, wearing that same infuriating grin.
"This is going to be fun," Arin said, sparks flaring brighter.
Ron smirked. "You won't be smiling for long."
And then—without warning—they moved.
