Rain slammed into the ground, turning dust into mud.
Water ran down Kael's face, cold and sharp.
The champion attacked first.
Fast.
Precise.
Kael barely blocked the strike.
The force traveled up his arm, numbing his fingers.
Lira gasped.
"He's strong…"
Kael felt it too.
Not raw power
control.
The champion didn't rush.
He struck once, then stepped back.
"You react well," he said calmly.
"But reaction is not victory."
Kael moved again.
Shadow wrapped around his blade.
Lira sent light into the bond—steady, focused.
The next clash was louder.
Steel screamed as they locked blades.
The champion leaned close.
"You carry fear," he said.
"Not yours. Hers."
Lira's heart jumped.
Kael felt it instantly
her fear tried to rise.
Breathe, his intent flowed.
She steadied herself.
The champion twisted his blade and kicked Kael back.
Kael slid through the mud, barely stopping himself.
Lira ran to him.
"Kael-!"
He was already standing.
The Seer shouted through the rain:
"He's provoking the bond! Don't let him decide the rhythm!"
The champion raised his sword again.
"Your silence makes you slower," he said.
"Orders require words."
Kael answered without sound.
He stepped forward
and didn't stop.
He didn't swing wildly.
He didn't hesitate.
Shadow moved with him.
Light followed.
The bond aligned.
The champion's eyes widened slightly.
Steel met steel again
This time, Kael didn't move back.
Mud exploded under their feet.
Lira felt Kael's strain and pushed calm into him.
The champion frowned.
"You're not fighting alone"
Kael pressed harder.
Rain ran into his eyes.
He didn't blink.
The champion broke away suddenly and changed tactics.
He lifted his blade high.
The air around him tightened.
"Command," he said quietly.
Pressure slammed into Kael and Lira
like invisible hands trying to force them down.
Lira cried out as her knees buckled.
Kael felt it instantly.
Rage surged.
Not wild.
Focused.
He stepped between the pressure and Lira.
Shadow rose like a wall.
The pressure cracked.
The champion staggered back one step.
Just one.
But it mattered.
Silence fell between thunderclaps.
The champion stared at Kael.
"You resist command."
Kael's eyes were cold.
Lira stood behind him, shaking but steady.
The Seer whispered:
"That was his strength.
And you broke it."
The champion wiped rain from his face.
A slow smile appeared.
"Then I will stop testing."
He lowered his stance.
Serious now.
The storm howled above them.
Lira felt the bond tighten again.
Not fear.
Readiness.
Kael stepped forward.
The next strike
Would decide everything.