WHOOOOOM!
A tidal wave of light erupted at the center of the arena.
Golden runes spiraled outward in radiant arcs—sacred, seamless, and impossibly complex. Each symbol glowed with divine intensity, pulsing like the heartbeat of the stratum itself. The stone floor beneath cracked slightly as the magic crescendoed, and at its heart—
Alex Knight descended.
He emerged mid-air, cloak flickering, silhouette framed by a halo of spiraling glyphs. His body dropped like judgment cast from the heavens, boots colliding with the arena stone in a *CRACK* that echoed through the entire dome.
A shockwave burst outward from his landing—kicking up dirt, scattering debris, sending curls of smoke twisting into the rafters. Dust flared at his feet like the aftershock of a meteor.
And then the crowd exploded.
