🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋✦ AetherBorne: The Archivus Legacy ✦🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋Â
ROUND 2 – Aether Clash Tournament: Team Dragon vs Team Rat
"Ladies and gentlemen—make way!"
The announcer's voice thundered through the stadium speakers. "It's Jet Burst Speed versus Time Burst Speed—Solomon Salamander versus Isaac Delgado!"
A tidal wave of cheers exploded across the crowd. The coliseum trembled as Solomon stepped forward, a living inferno in human form. Fire coiled around his limbs like serpents, his presence casting flickering shadows even in daylight.
"Burst!"
A crack echoed—and Sol launched.
Like a meteor igniting the air itself, he dashed forward. His body blurred, a high-pitched shriek following behind him as jet-propelled flames erupted from his back. His trajectory was clean, brutal, and fast—faster than any human should be able to move. He was aiming to take the first strike—the first blood.
But across the stage stood Isaac.
Composed.
Still.
Almost bored.
Standing only 5'6", with a calm smile on his lips, Isaac didn't flinch. His curled silver-lined black hair swayed gently in the wind. Clutched in his hand was a weapon so out of place it drew whispers—
A slender, silver sabre—a duelist's blade, sharp as intent.
"En garde," he muttered.
Sol was a step away from Isaac then suddenly, fwoosh—Sol's flames vanished.
His entire body, once blazing with violent combustion, flickered into dim embers. His speed dropped. His senses jolted.
"Wh—?"
STAB. STAB. STAB.
Ten quick, surgical strikes struck Sol's chest, ribs, and arms. They weren't heavy—but they were precise. The audience gasped.
Aether Loss.
Sol backflipped with instinctual agility, landing away with a trail of smoke. His breathing was ragged—his mind racing.
"Was that... a Time Skip?" he thought, eyes narrowing.
Everyone thought so. Everyone wanted it to be Time Skip.
But no.
It wasn't.
As my Observation says
"No one can control time. Even with Aether."
Grandpa once told me that. "You can bend it, maybe—but never control it. Not truly."
And what Isaac did…
It wasn't bending time. It was space-layering.
A technique akin to my own spear cannon.
When I compound teleportations—layering jumps through space—I create a gravitational explosion upon impact. It's not the teleport that does the damage, but the momentum built between those skips.
Isaac did something just as terrifying.
Instead of speeding up, he layered space between himself and Sol's attack vector.
From Sol's point of view, he was rushing straight forward.
But in reality?
He was sprinting through layer after layer of compressed space.
To his senses, the distance was mere meters.
But to the fabric of reality—it was miles.
Enough to burn out his flames.
Enough to exhaust his jet-burst before ever reaching his opponent.
That's when Isaac struck.
Each stab?
It wasn't a time stop. It was the illusion of proximity. He had shortened the spatial gaps between thrusts. Every stab felt simultaneous, undodgeable—because there was no distance between them.
Brilliant.
And his choice of weapon? A sabre.
A blade so thin it could glide through space-manipulated slits without requiring much Aether at all. The efficiency was staggering. Why swing a heavy blade when you can poke holes through reality?
I smirked.
If Isaac had fought me—or anyone else who could bend space-time—we might've recognized it sooner. But Sol? He was a jet. He relied on momentum, not perception.
And that's the catch. Grandpa always said it:
"Your ability to bend space is only as powerful as your eyes. What you can see… or have seen—you can alter. But if you can't see it? Then space is your cage."
I remember asking once if Aether was the same for everyone.
He laughed. "No, Ryuji. Aether is like DNA. Everyone's born with a different strand. Same genre—different song."
And Isaac?
His song was sharp, surgical…
A deadly silence between the beats.
I turned my gaze back to the arena. Sol stood tall—zoning. Not rushing. Not recklessly dashing in. He was calculating. Maybe... just maybe, he thought Isaac had drained his Aether reserves.
But I knew better.
And so did he.
"If you're fighting someone who bends space—cut their line of sight."
That's rule number one when dealing with a Calamity-class spatial manipulator. Take away their vision, you weaken their anchor.
I leaned forward, arms crossed.
"You're a genius, right Sol? Show it to me."
And he did.
With zero hesitation, Sol dashed again—flames igniting, his jet-burst flaring in a sharp streak toward Isaac.
Same stance. Same approach.
Isaac didn't move.
Still calm. Still composed. Still layered with invisible walls of space that stretched the distance like rubber bands—sapping Sol's momentum without lifting a finger.
He looked slow.
Too slow.
Then—Sol stopped.
Mid-dash. Feet skidding with red-hot sparks. Hands glowing.
What the hell is he—?
Flash.
A soft sphere of light emerged in his palm, then burst into a dozen shimmering orbs that floated like dandelion seeds. They scattered across the arena, dancing erratically… heading toward Isaac.
Boom.
Boom.
BOOM!
They exploded in waves of fiery shock, but Isaac held his ground—sabres raised defensively. His face didn't twitch. His posture remained immaculate.
He'd already done the math.
He knew those lights couldn't touch him. Tournament rules forbade lethal strikes unless within a certain range. They looked dangerous—but he stayed calm, knowing it was a feint.
But that's what Sol wanted.
The explosions were never meant to hit.
They were meant to distract.
To lull.
To make Isaac commit to defense—not escape.
And that's when it happened.
Fire Phoenix Form
The glowing orbs... regrouped.
They clustered—fast—to Isaac's left flank.
And then—
BAM!
A haymaker from Sol's right fist crashed into Isaac's cheek.
It sent him flying—Gauntlet flickering with training-field aether dampeners. No lethal damage, just kinetic punishment.
From the ground, Isaac's eyes widened.
"How?"
We all saw it.
Sol was "still" in front of him.
The orbs were exploding.
But that Sol in front was just an after-image—left by the movement of those orbs.
He'd masked his body in the flame trails, riding with the decoys, approaching not with speed—but with misdirection.
A trap layered in illusion.
And Isaac fell for it.
He regained his footing quickly—blade raised, stance poised.
But it was already too late.
Finisher: Phoenix Mirage Breaker
Isaac scanned the field, eyes sharp. But all he saw was the flicker of light orbs once again.
Then—woooosh.
From the left, flames merged together—coalescing into Sol's real form.
BLAAM!!
Another heavy right cross exploded into Isaac's ribs, sending him tumbling once more. And before he could even hit the dirt—
FLASH!
Sol was already on top of him.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
A barrage of reinforced gauntlet punches thundered into Isaac's guard. The only thing keeping him conscious was his reflexes—but his defenses were crumbling.
Aether: Critically Low.
The crowd was going feral.
"SOOOOOL! SOOOOOL! MVP! MVP!"
The arena pulsed with firelight, a roar louder than thunder.
"WINNER—SOLOMON SALAMANDER!"
The announcement echoed across the dome.
Flames danced across the battlefield like a curtain call. And in the middle of the heatwave stood Sol, surrounded by shimmering light and praise.
I stepped forward from the shadows, making my way to the next battle zone.
But as I passed by, a flaming hand grabbed my shoulder.
Sol's voice cracked through the noise.
"Don't screw it, Taxi."
I blinked. Then smirked.
"Don't worry."
"Consider this next one… a free ride."
He laughed, stepping away with that signature cocky grin.
Now it's my turn.
Let's see if I can put on a show.
ROUND 3 – Team Dragon vs Team Rat
Series Score: 1 – 1
Winner Takes All.
"Representing Team Dragon… Ryuji Archivus!"
"Taxi! Taxi! Taxi!"
The chant echoed like thunder from the crowd. The name I never asked for, but somehow… it stuck.
"So the Taxi's become a crowd favorite, huh?"
I caught Blake muttering it from the other side.
I didn't care. I've never liked being in the spotlight.
"Representing Team Rat… Blake Carson!"
The man was built like a freight train. Stocky. Strong. Dead serious.
Announcer: "Begin!"
No time to waste.
I spun into a full 360-degree pivot—momentum is a weapon, and I summoned a double-handed training axe mid-turn, slicing horizontally toward Blake's torso. At the same time, I flicked my hand upward—Tempestus Lumens, my teleport-tagged dagger, flew above Blake's head.
CLANG!
Blake caught the axe with both hands—like it was nothing. His muscles flexed, and that's when I saw it.
His body—blackening.
A dark, gleaming carapace spread from his chest down to his arms and legs. A black iron armor—natural and dense—crawled over him like living exoskeleton.
"Claire's angelic armor…?" I whispered.
No.
This wasn't divine.
This was insectoid. Dense. Brutal. Ancient.
"King Beetle?"
No answer.
Just the sound of iron.
Switch & Strike
But I wasn't there anymore.
I switched with the airborne dagger—Tempestus Lumens, always in play.
I appeared behind him, in midair—CLAYMORE SUMMONED.
Downward slash with full weight—
WHAM!
Blake caught it again. Bare-handed. No flashy aether burst—just raw timing.
That's when his right hook came like a hammer.
I had milliseconds to react—Spartan Shield summon.
BOOM!
The impact shattered the air.
The shield absorbed most of it, but I was launched backward, skidding across the battlefield.
Regained footing.
Unsummoned the shield.
"Alright… King Beetle or not. He bleeds."
I needed force.
I needed a clean opening.
Training Spear Cannon—AMPLIFIED x10
VOSSH! VOSSH! VOSSH!
Three sequential spear cannons—blazing light compressed into hyper-kinetic bursts.
Blake shielded the first, rolled under the second, and dove past the third—
But that was the plan.
As the last explosion rocked the field, he lost vision.
And the moment he reacted—
SLASH!
A training-grade nodachi carved a line across his lower left leg. Not a deep cut—but enough. He staggered.
The broken spear tip is now hovering, glowing. Mid air
above his shoulder—Tempestus Lumens again.
Time for the finisher.
Amplified x10.
"Galaxy Punch!"
BLAMMMMM!!
The impact cracked like thunder.
My fist connected square with his chest, and the sheer force + Blake's weight drove him down—pinned to the ground.
I raised my fists—ready to unleash a follow-up barrage of power strikes—
But my body stalled.
Aether: Critically Low.
Damn.
Victory Declared
"WINNER—RYUJI ARCHIVUS!"
The crowd erupted—
"TAXI! TAXI! TAXI!"
I let the chants echo without reacting. Just walked out of the ring—calm. Quiet.
I glanced back only once.
Blake sat upright, fists clenched—his carapace armor shedding in flakes. Frustration painted across his face. The guy wasn't used to losing.
But he wasn't alone.
Minato stepped in, kneeling by his teammate.
I nodded slightly. Respect.
🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋✦ AetherBorne: The Archivus Legacy ✦🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋Â
Aftermath
Sol met me outside the arena gate, arms crossed, "Good job, Taxi."
I rolled my eyes. "It was nothing," I said, brushing soot off my shoulder.
We walked side by side as the final day of the Aether Clash Tournament began to unfold.
And if I'm being honest—
The real fight hadn't even started yet.
We left the arena, as the Aether clash final day unfolds the morning match
The morning match continue, this time it was Team Rat vs Team Snake
Minato Kurogane 🇯🇵 — Aether Chain Manipulation vs Seraphine Wu 🇸🇬 — Venom Mirage
Elena Vosk 🇷🇺 — Freeze Touch vs Lyra Chavez 🇲🇽 — Queen Bee
Lee Jaewon 🇰🇷 — Shadow Play vs Daisuke Tan 🇹🇼 — Spiderman
Round 1: Minato Kurogane 🇯🇵 — Aether Chain Manipulation vsÂ
Seraphine Wu 🇸🇬 — Venom Mirage
Winner: Minato Kurogane 🇯🇵 — Aether Chain Manipulation
The fight was almost the same as Claire fighting, Seraphine was struggling but Minato was barely even making a sweat from the fight. The venom mirage created a large copy of Seraphine but since no deadly skills shall be used. The mirage only generated clones instead of its poisonous effect but despite that Seraphine gave a fight. But struggle was futile due to Minato expertness
Elena Vosk 🇷🇺 — Freeze Touch vs Lyra Chavez 🇲🇽 — Queen Bee
Winner: None
The battle of freshmen. Lead to exhaustion of aether well who would not. Lyra launches a barrage of Aether bees towards Elena and elena constantly freezes them one by one or blocks them with an ice wall when a large swarm directed on her. It was tough for elena but since she's trying to go for a close combat approach Lyra just kept on pushing with her aether bees. Until both of their aether become critically low
Lee Jaewon 🇰🇷 — Shadow Play vs Daisuke Tan 🇹🇼 — Spiderman
Winner: Lee Jaewon 🇰🇷 — Shadow Play
Daisuke the show of web and thread power in the fight with haru has got the crowd going and makes them feel he has something on this fight. The first five minutes was sluggish for daisuke restraining lee Jaewon but after enveloping the arena with thread and web. It didn't change anything. Lee just kept teleporting from every shadow that the arena could reflect meaning he was everywhere i was expecting to see the Shadow chess but unfortunately. Just a martial prowess only can defeat the spiderman
With the Team Rat vs. Team Snake match settled, the results were clear.
All teams had one win and one loss—but when it came to point accumulation:
Team Rat clinched the lead with 3 points:
Minato Kurogane – 2 points
Lee Jaewon – 1 point
Team Dragon also gathered 3 points:
Claire Everhart – 1 point
Solomon Salamander – 1 point
Ryuji Archivus – 1 point
Team Snake fell short with only 2 points:
Daisuke Tan – 1 point
Tasha Kin – 1 point
Despite the tie between Dragon and Rat, Team Snake was officially declared third place in the Aether Clash. But the question of who would claim the championship still burned in the air.
The entire arena shifted in energy when Principal Voltaire stepped forward, voice amplified through the speaker system.
"To determine the victor between Team Dragon and Team Rat... we will hold a final showdown.
Not a 1v1, but a 2v2 buddy match.
Representatives from both teams, prepare. The match will begin promptly at 14:00 hours. For now—take your lunch."
The announcement erupted into a wave of cheers.
🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋✦ AetherBorne: The Archivus Legacy ✦🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋🜋Â
Locker Room – 12:24 PM
Inside the dim locker room, silence weighed heavy on our shoulders. I sat with Sol, Claire, Haru, and Fujimori—our minds all locked on the same thought: Who's going in?
I already knew.
It was going to be Minato and Jaewon from Team Rat.
And from us…
It should've been Claire and Sol.
But something shifted.
Sol stood, fire already stirring in his voice. "Alright then, guess it's go time," he said, reaching his hand out to Claire.
"Just don't drag my feet out there," he added with a smirk.
But Claire didn't take his hand.
Instead, she turned to me.
"Ryuji," she said, her voice steady. "Get up."
I blinked. "Huh?"
Sol's grin faded. "Hey—don't tell me you're cutting me off?" he snapped.
Claire raised a hand. "You're going too, Sol."
She looked at both of us—me and him—with the kind of seriousness I hadn't seen since Day 1.
"This time, it's Ryuji and Sol."
Everyone in the room paused.
I stared at her, and so did Haru and Fujimori. We all had the same thought: Maybe that last hit from Minato messed her up worse than we thought.
Still, I asked, "Claire… are you sure you're okay?"
She smiled faintly. "I am."
"This could be your shot at redemption—against Minato," I added gently.
Sol nodded. "Yeah, and you've got me at your side too."
"I know," she said, voice unwavering. "But I'm not thinking as 'me' right now. I'm thinking as us."
She stood tall, almost glowing with clarity.
"I lost as Claire Everhart—but I won't lose as part of Team Dragon.
This isn't about revenge. It's not about glory.
I want to win this…
as my final legacy in high school."
Her eyes scanned us.
"Do you guys want to win it too?"
"YES!" everyone shouted in unison—except me.
"…Maybe," I said with a shrug.
Claire turned to me with a knowing smile.
"Then win it, Ryuji. Not for yourself—but for the team.
No matter the outcome, let's walk into summer class with our heads held high."
We all stood. A surge of unity passed through us.
"Alright!" Haru clapped his hands. "Now that's a speech! Let's go eat—I'm starving!"
Laughter bubbled up, cutting through the tension. For the moment, we were just kids again.
But in less than two hours, we'd be warriors.