The colosseum was already alive before the next names were called. A thousand eyes fixed upon the sand-pit where dust from the last duel still lingered, glowing faintly under beams of sunlight spilling through the open sky. The crowd's noise rose and fell like the ocean — bursts of laughter, jeers, whispers. Nobles in their refined boxes leaned forward with sharp interest, while common-born students shouted with reckless excitement.
Kaizer leaned lazily against the edge of the announcer's podium above, his red hair catching the light. The herald, yet more than that — the conductor of this grand spectacle. His voice cut through the noise like steel through silk.
"And now…" he began, tone warm, playful, as though he was personally enjoying the little theatre unfolding below. "The next duel shall not be one you'll forget." His gaze drifted toward the staging tunnel where the 1st-years stood waiting. He smirked. "Representing the West, heir of the Zheka family… my little sister—"
The crowd erupted in chatter. Nobles stiffened. Commoners leaned closer, curious, some shocked. A murmur swept like fire across the stands.
"…Keiya Anastasia Zheka."
The name carried weight. Heavy, noble, inescapable.
Keiya stepped forward. Her boots pressed into the sand of the Arena, each sound deliberate, carrying authority. Red hair like molten embers cascaded in waves past her shoulders, violet eyes burning with intensity. She walked with her chin high, the proud bearing of someone who did not need the crowd's approval, nor her brother's tease.
When her gaze briefly lifted toward Kaizer, the death glare she sent him was sharp enough to slice through armor. The air itself seemed to recoil. Kaizer, unfazed, only chuckled, tapping a finger against his chin as though amused by her fury.
Opposite her, Benedictus Marrowe swaggered into the colosseum. Chestnut hair slicked back, hazel eyes glimmering with golden flecks. His lips curled into a crooked smile, one that had no warmth, only hunger. He rolled his shoulders, the cracking of his bones echoing louder than it should have — the first sign of his twisted gift.
"Ahhh, Lady Keiya…" His voice oozed. "The flame of the West herself. To be so close to you in combat — I should consider myself lucky. Your beauty burns brighter than any ember…"
The crowd half-laughed, half-hissed. Even some nobles shifted uncomfortably, hearing the disgusting edge in his tone.
Keiya did not pause. Did not flinch. She raised her eyes to meet his only once, and her lips parted.
"You disgust me."
The words fell flat, but the weight of them crushed the noise of the Arena into silence.
Benedictus chuckled lowly, pretending to be unfazed, though a tick ran through his jaw. "I'll make you eat those words, girl." His hands clenched, bones shifting beneath his skin. His frame grew denser, unnatural ridges forming under his arms, spine arching like a beast.
Kaizer lifted his hand, voice ringing out:
"Begin."
—
The world ignited.
Keiya raised one hand, swift and sharp, and fiery glyphs spun into existence midair, each rune trailing sparks that fell like shooting stars. Ember Script. The air hummed with energy, the symbols glowing with violent promise.
Benedictus charged forward, feet pounding across the sand, grains scattering in his wake. His arms stretched grotesquely as bone sprouted like armor, jagged and sharp. He swung with monstrous strength, a swipe that could have split a tree in half.
The runes flared.
A glyph detonated at his feet, the explosion kicking up sand and flame into his face. He roared but pressed forward, bone plates shielding him. Another glyph snapped into being, exploding near his chest, rattling him, shaking his balance.
But Keiya did not move.
She had seen this kind of brute force before. The heavy, straightforward strikes of someone who relied purely on body strength… just like him. Her violet eyes narrowed as she shifted slightly, letting another glyph detonate at Benedictus's flank, staggering his rhythm.
When he snarled and lunged again, she lifted her hand higher, her voice calm, sharp as steel:
"I know someone strong in terms of physical," her eyes gleamed, fire dancing at her fingertips. Benedictus twitched at her words, confused. "He may act like an idiot, but he is a hundred times better than you."
The crowd murmured—half in confusion at her words, half in awe of her ferocity.
"Did you hear what she said? About someone stronger…?"
"Yeah. 'Acts like an idiot'—"
"—but a hundred times better? Who was she talking about?"
She stood at the center of her firestorm, still as stone, her eyes calculating. The aura around her shimmered — heat rising in waves, distorting the air. Blazing Veil. Projectiles of bone shot toward her, but they bent, warped, incinerated before they could touch her. The pervert's desperate reach was burned away before it could land.
The crowd gasped. Whispers turned into shouts. Some sophomores narrowed their eyes.
"Too easy for her…" someone muttered.
"She's barely even moving."
Benedictus snarled, sweat pouring down his temple. "Stand still, will you?! I'll—"
Another rune burst against his shoulder, flames clinging to his bone-armored flesh. He stumbled, teeth bared, fury in his voice.
"You think— you can beat me with tricks—"
Keiya finally stepped forward, her boots crunching into the sand. The oppressive silence fell heavier.
"You were never worth my full strength," she said, her voice like a blade across ice. Her violet eyes gleamed, flames reflecting in them.
She swept her hand. Glyphs spiraled into the air, forming a ring around Benedictus. His eyes widened.
"No—wait—"
The runes detonated in unison, a blooming inferno that swallowed him whole. The colosseum quaked, fire roaring high into the sky before vanishing into smoke.
When it cleared, Benedictus lay flat on the sand, armor of bone cracked, charred, his body twitching with pain. The crowd gasped, then roared.
Keiya did not look at him. She turned her back, her voice calm, distant, as though speaking not to him, but to the Arena itself.
For Keiya, it was instinct. Fighting him—no, fighting Klyden every morning, every spar—meant she'd long grown used to reckless strength paired with radiant resilience. This opponent was nothing compared to that.
"Next time, send me an opponent who isn't trash."
The words cut sharper than any flame. The crowd erupted — some in awe, some in nervous murmurs. Nobles exchanged glances, unsettled by how coldly she had dismantled him.
Kaizer laughed, clapping slowly, his voice playful but tinged with pride. "Hah. My little sister never disappoints."
—
The colosseum barely had time to recover before Kaizer raised his hand again.
"And now…" His grin widened. "Another crowd favorite. The Sun himself. Klyden Yurei!"
The crowd howled, cheers exploding like thunder.
Klyden strode out, golden hair catching the light, blue eyes gleaming like a calm sky before a storm. He grinned, waving at the crowd, his steps confident, almost cocky.
From the opposite side came Lyra von Heissen. Auburn hair tied elegantly, amber eyes burning with sharp resolve. She moved like a performer walking onto her stage, her posture regal, her lips already humming a haunting melody. Flames licked at the air around her as her song carried across the Arena, low and resonant.
Her voice built, and fire blossomed in a spiraling pattern, weaving like dancers across the sand.
"Lyra von Heissen," Kaizer's voice rang. "Arcana's own songstress. This will be one to watch."
"Begin."
—
The clash was immediate.
Lyra's song rose, fire spinning outward in waves, heat striking like a storm. Her melody sharpened, the flames coiling into spears that rained toward Klyden. To the crowd, it was dazzling. To Klyden—it was familiar.
Klyden grinned wide. He stepped into the storm.
Flames struck his body, bending against a shield of light. Sunflare Aegis. Heat rippled across his skin, but he walked forward, laughing.
"Now that's some fire!" he shouted.
Lyra's brow furrowed, her song deepening, the fire intensifying, swirling into a blazing vortex. The sand scorched black under the sheer heat.
He shouted, laughing over the roar. "I encounter fire every day!"
The crowd blinked at his odd declaration, but Klyden's smile was bright—directed straight at his opponent, though in his mind it was someone else's flame he thought of.
Every searing wave of heat, every burning blast—none of it could compare to the way Keiya's glyphs scorched the sand when they sparred, to the countless mornings where he was burned to a crisp and laughed it off.
Klyden broke into a run. His boots kicked up sand, body glowing with condensed solar energy. He cut through the vortex, leaping high, his fist blazing. Dawnbreaker Strike.
Lyra's flames surged to meet him, colliding midair with a thunderous explosion. The shockwave rippled across the colosseum, flames scattering like shattered glass.
The crowd roared.
Klyden landed, skidding across the sand, grinning like a beast unleashed. "Ohhh… you're like Keiya." His voice carried easily through the smoke. "All fire and pride."
Lyra wiped blood from her lip, standing tall. "Don't mock me." Her song rose, the pitch higher, desperate, her flames surging into a dragon that roared toward him.
Klyden laughed, charging straight into it. His aura burned hotter, brighter, his fist raised. The sun itself seemed to gather in his hand.
The cheering was louder this time, the impact of his solar strike still echoing in the bones of the audience. Yet once more, the quieter voices cut through in threads of curiosity:
"Did he just—compare her flames to someone else's?"
"Who else burns fire into his training every day?"
"…Wait. Didn't Keiya just talk about 'someone strong' earlier?"
The dragon engulfed him. For a heartbeat, he disappeared. The crowd held its breath.
Then light exploded.
Klyden burst through, his fist shattering the dragon's head, his body blazing with solar heat. He closed the gap in a blink, standing before Lyra. His grin widened.
"But nothing beats the original flame, right?"
He struck. Dawnbreaker.
The impact shook the colosseum, light flooding the space. Lyra was thrown back, her flames extinguished in an instant. She hit the sand hard, unconscious, her song silenced.
The crowd erupted.
Some shouted in awe, some whispered fearfully. The 1st-years watching clenched fists, their hearts racing.
Liora leaned in, trying not to giggle.
"Do you hear them? They're literally connecting the dots. Keiya's gonna explode if she finds out."
Wads just rolled his eyes, knowing Klyden is just messing around and oblivious plus naive, so he doesn't know what he is messing around with.
Kaizer raised both hands, laughing. "Hah! And there you have it! The heirs of the West and Sun — showing you what true power looks like!"
For a heartbeat, the colosseum seemed to hold its breath—watching the way Keiya's violet eyes flicked, just once, toward Klyden's side of the Arena. He was already laughing, waving at the crowd like the golden fool he was, but she caught the way his gaze drifted to her, too.
And that was enough for the whispers to swell like wildfire.
The Arena thundered with noise, but beneath it, a shift had occurred. Nobles whispered of the Zheka heir's terrifying control. Students gossiped of Klyden's overwhelming strength.
And in the shadows, the final duels loomed closer.