First Mark:
—Activate!
Right in the middle of Kael's back, a dark mark appeared: an incomplete black circle, surrounded by sharp cracks spreading outward like fissures. At its center lay a deep void, so dark it seemed to swallow all light, looking like an abyss opened upon his skin.
—KAEL HAS JUST ACTIVATED HIS FIRST MARK OF THE TOURNAMENT! —the commentator shouted—. WHAT WILL NAERIS DO AGAINST SUCH IMMENSE POWER?!
The other combatants watched the match from their rooms in real time.
—Kael's first mark… Impressive, Naeris —said Arien with a smile.
On the balcony where the teachers stood, they all watched the match with curiosity.
—Victory leans toward Kael —commented Selene.
Professor Masanori looked at the girl with a stern expression.
—Yet Naeris doesn't seem worried at all.
The teacher nodded.
—Yes. What a curious little girl.
Down in the arena, Naeris let out a little giggle.
—Hahaha! Wow, Kael, you've really made this difficult now!
He didn't answer. He simply held her gaze with cold eyes. His right hand rested on the hilt of his katana—loose, yet firm.
—You saw through my deception and awakened your mark! —She spread her arms wide—. So… what now?
—Defend yourself. Darkness Art: Dominion of Shadows.
Darkness swallowed the battlefield once more. Kael vanished into the gloom.
—Yeah, I guess so —Naeris said, before she too was hidden from sight.
—AND KAEL USES DOMINION OF SHADOWS ONCE AGAIN!
He moved swiftly toward where Naeris had been standing—only to find her already gone.
Suddenly, Kael sensed a presence directly behind him, and a katana gliding dangerously close to his neck.
He spun around and swung an upward strike, but cut through nothing but air.
—Damn it. Another trick —he muttered to himself.
Another presence formed behind him. Kael glanced sideways at the approaching blade.
—Just another illusion —he closed his eyes—. It's not… —His eyes snapped open—. THIS ONE'S REAL! —He blocked Naeris's strike with ease.
She smiled in surprise as their blades locked.
—So close!
—Deactivate —Kael thought, and stomped his foot once against the ground.
The darkness lifted, returning sight to everyone in the stands.
Both fighters stepped back to create distance.
—I thought the illusions were done —Kael said.
—Not even close, Kaelie! —She raised a hand and pointed a finger at him—. Not until you figure out the trick.
—There's a main trick… I see it now.
—Exactly. And I know you're curious about the technique I used at the start, aren't you?
—I'd be lying if I said I wasn't.
Naeris raised her index finger.
—Let me explain then… but fair warning—I'm not giving you hints about the main trick. That one you have to figure out on your own.
First: my technique only triggers the moment my opponent moves from their spot. You think you're moving… but you're not. You're trapped inside the illusion.
She lifted her middle finger.
—Second: inside that illusion, no matter what you do… I always end up "killing" you.
If you believe you've truly died, you loop back in time and it all starts over.
But if you die accepting that none of it is real, you break free. And when you do, you reappear exactly where you realized it was all an illusion. That's exactly what happened to you.
She raised her third finger.
—And third! There's something else you should know… —She paused for a moment, lifted her katana up to eye level, and squinted at the note she'd written the rules on—. Wait, hold on… Ah, here we go!
She lowered her katana again.
—If you activate your technique before leaving your spot, it's real. But the moment you step forward… it becomes an illusion too.
Inside the illusion you can turn it off… but out here it stays active. That's why when you re-entered your spot after casting your shadows, your technique never actually stopped.
—Oh, and one more thing! Once you escape, I need at least ten minutes before I can create that same illusion again. So whatever attacked you inside the darkness wasn't part of that technique anymore—that was a real clone I made while you couldn't see me.
—Andddd! —She threw her arms open excitedly—. How did you like my explanation?!
Kael said nothing. He stayed perfectly still, processing every word. Naeris pouted.
—Hey! Kaelie! Say something at least! I stayed up all night planning this with Arien and now you won't even say a word?!
Arien laughed nervously from his room, watching the screen.
—For the record, I had no idea Naeris would be fighting Kael.
After a few more seconds of silence, Kael finally spoke:
—You couldn't keep something that complex going without a single word or gesture. And I doubt you cast it before you even stepped into the arena. So… one of your clones is maintaining it for you. Isn't it?
—… Impressive —Naeris grinned—. You figured it out far sooner than I expected.
—That's the main trick. I just have to find which one of them it is —Kael relaxed his posture slightly—. And another thing… I thought you hated complicated plans? This one's pretty elaborate.
—Well… maybe I stretched the truth a little about Arien and me doing it all on our own.
Naeris drifted back in time.
It was midnight. She and Arien were in her dorm room, going over their strategy.
—Ugh, Arien! My brain hurts —She rested her head in her hands—. I don't even understand what we came up with.
—Yeah, you're right. And I'm exhausted.
—Let's go ask someone for help!
Arien grabbed the notebook and stood up beside her.
—Do you really think anyone's awake this late?
—Here's hoping.
They slipped out of the room and walked down the quiet hallways. As they turned a corner, they ran straight into Selene.
—Hi! —Naeris chirped.
Selene offered a small smile.
—Hello, you two. What are you doing up at this hour? It's very late.
—We need help with an assignment. Can you help us?
Arien nodded and held up his notebook.
Selene looked confused.
—Homework? Classes haven't even started yet.
—Well… it's for a friend of Arien's.
He nodded again and looked up at her.
—Yeah. It says: "Imagine you're about to face a powerful opponent whose ability is illusions. Prepare a strategy to defeat them."
Naeris beamed, bouncing slightly on her toes.
—Will you help us?
Selene chuckled softly.
—I see. Alright then. I'll help you.
—Yay! —they both cheered.
Naeris snapped back to the present.
—But the escape part? We figured that out all by ourselves! Honest!
Up in the teachers' balcony, Selene sat with eyes closed, arms crossed, a faint smile on her face, while the others stared.
—They tricked me… though in my defense, I'd completely forgotten Naeris specialized in illusions.
—A strategy crafted by one of our teachers—it's no wonder it was so well put together. But once you find the flaw… it falls apart.
—You still haven't found him yet, Kaelie. My strategy isn't done with you.
—He's in the stands. Hidden among the students.
The entire coliseum fell silent.
Naeris's smile didn't fade.
—No way. You got it again.
—And you can't use it twice on me… because I've already found him.
Kael stepped forward and raised his katana with both hands, moving with frightening speed.
—Darkness Art: Severing Shadow —He channeled the technique in mere seconds—. Liang! Matteo! Get down!
Both boys looked confused but dropped to the floor without hesitation.
Kael swung—one clean cut aimed straight at the stands.
Students nearby scrambled aside. But one figure wearing a wide-brimmed hat that hid their face didn't move fast enough… because it was never really there.
The clone's eyes went wide. It took the strike head-on and split cleanly in two before dissolving into nothingness.
That section of the stands was carved through by the force of Kael's attack. Students, combatants, and teachers alike stared at the spot—shocked into silence.
Naeris froze. Her mind struggled to process what just happened.
Kael straightened, calm as ever.
—Problem solved.
—UH-KAEL-KAEL HAS FOUND THE CLONE AND DESTROYED IT WITH ONE DEVASTATING STRIKE THAT EVEN TORE THROUGH THE STANDS! WHAT CAN NAERIS POSSIBLY DO NOW?!
—How…? —Naeris whispered.
—While you were explaining your plan, I studied everything around me. I deduced the clone had to be hidden in plain sight, among the crowd. So I watched every single person. Every detail. Every tiny movement. Every glance told me what wasn't real.
—And my mark sharpens all my senses. I focused… and tuned out everything else.
After a moment, Naeris's smile returned.
—Heh. I don't know why I thought illusions would ever beat you.
—Illusions will never defeat me. This will be quick, Naeris —He stepped into a fighting stance.
Naeris met his gaze.
—Come on then. I want to see how this ends.