<-Nora>
The crowd roared as Lisa and I stepped into the arena—two names whispered all week. The final match of the cadet 1v1 tournament.
The sun glared down, casting sharp shadows across the polished stone. My pulse pounded, not from fear—but readiness. Every step I took felt heavy with expectation. Every breath crackled with the fire beneath my skin.
An instructor raised his hand.
"This is the final match. Begin when you're ready."
I lifted my wooden sword and stared across the arena.
Lisa mirrored me.
We circled each other slowly—measured, coiled. She didn't smile. Neither did I. We'd seen what the other could do. This wouldn't be like the other matches.
Lisa moved first. A feint, low and fast. I didn't fall for it—I knew her tricks by now.
CLANG!
Our swords collided mid-air—lightning and fire bursting like two storms clashing. The arena lit up, the crowd gasping with each strike.
"You're not holding back," I said between gritted teeth, parrying another slash.
"Wouldn't dare," she replied, breathing hard. "Not against you."
She was fast. Always was. Each swing cut the air like thunder, forcing me to brace my footing. But I didn't need to match her speed—I just needed to find her rhythm.
And break it.
I lunged. She twisted.
Her blade crackled—she timed the surge perfectly. SNAP! A jolt of lightning ricocheted down my sword. My grip slipped, and I staggered back.
<-LISA>
I saw the opening.
"She's off-balance," I whispered to myself.
I dashed in, blade sparking with every step, crackling with stored energy.
But then—her hand came up.
A pulse of flame erupted between us.
BOOM!
Heat exploded out, sending me flying.
Smoke engulfed the ring. My vision blurred. Every muscle burned.
"Damn it," I hissed, trying to find her shape in the haze.
Too late.
A shadow burst through the smoke—Nora. Her sword now wreathed in flame.
<-NORA>
She raised her blade to block, lightning wrapping around her arm like armor. I swung down with everything in me.
BOOM!
Fire met lightning again, and the arena split with light.
We kept going—strike, parry, dodge. Neither of us yielding. Every clash echoed like a war drum.
Lisa leapt back, her chest heaving. Sparks flickered off her skin like embers in a storm.
Above her, the clouds churned.
She was calling the sky now.
I responded.
My flames surged hotter, brighter—until they wreathed me entirely. Every breath burned. Every heartbeat pounded with purpose.
We locked eyes.
No words.
And then—
We ran.
Our final clash split the sky, cousin a huge wave through the crowd
<-KAEL>
I couldn't breathe.
The blast nearly knocked me off my feet. Dust and smoke swallowed the ring. For a long moment… nothing.
Then I saw them—two instructors emerging from the haze. Each carrying a cadet in their arms.
Nora.
Lisa.
Unconscious.
Battered.
Alive.
The crowd erupted as Nora stood up conscious enough to clean the win. My ears were still ringing. My thoughts louder than the noise.
That wasn't a duel.
That was a war.
"Did… did you see that?" Flynn said beside me, voice shaking.
I nodded slowly. "That wasn't a final match... That was a message."
One older cadet whispered the truth aloud:
"They weren't fighting to win. They were fighting to prove something."
Flynn let out a dry laugh. "I thought I had a shot at placing top ten. But after that? We've been watching the wrong people."
I sat on a bench, my heart racing.
I'd survived fire drills, suppression chambers, sword training. But this?
This was control.
Purpose.
Clarity.
Knights.
They fought like real knights.
Doubt gnawed at my stomach. Was I even close?
Then—I stood.
"I'm going to fight them someday."
Flynn blinked. "What?"
"Lisa. Nora. Maybe not today. Maybe not even this year. But someday… I'll stand where they stood."
He raised an eyebrow. Then grinned. "Let's just survive orientation first."
<-LISA>
I came to with a pulse in my skull and the taste of lightning in my mouth.
Someone called my name—Kael?
"You were incredible," he said, voice barely above the rush in my ears. "I… I hope you get better soon."
I turned my head just enough to smirk.
He was still watching.
Good.
Then darkness took me again.
<-NORA>
"Is she going to be alright?" I asked, still catching my breath as the instructor supported my weight.
He nodded. "Just burned out. She'll recover by morning."
I gave a small nod and looked back one last time. That ring would remember us.
It wasn't just victory.
It was proof.
<-KAEL>
The arena cleared slowly. But I stayed.
I stepped forward, toward the center of the ring, where they had clashed.
There, scorched into the stone—
A jagged line.
Split down the middle.
One side blackened with fire.
The other cracked with lightning.
And I stood in the space between them.
A whisper of a promise sparked in my chest.
Someday.
I'd leave a mark too.