The soft crunch of boots echoed across the white-stone path as the group moved from the training yard to the Mist Palace's formal dueling field. A trimmed courtyard encircled by stone Walls, the arena stood like a sacred altar of steel and pride.
In the center, two figures stood facing one another: Eris von Vale and Ariel von Solareign. At equal distance between them stood Charlotte Bensvil, her hand resting on the hilt of her ceremonial blade.
"I, Charlotte Bensvil," she declared, her voice loud and clear, "will oversee this duel. This is a non-lethal match. Killing is strictly forbidden."
Her eyes moved to both sides. "There is no time limit. The duel ends when one side drops their weapon or admits defeat. Do you both accept these terms?"
Ariel gave a haughty nod, drawing her sword with a flourish. "I will not go easy on you."
Eris smirked, brushing his hair back lazily as he rolled his shoulder. "You're quite confident in your victory, Your Highness." He tilted his head. "We'll see about that once we fight."
Charlotte's eyes sharpened. "Then… are you both ready?"
Two voices rang out in perfect synchronicity:
"Yes!"
Charlotte raised her hand and dropped it.
"Let the duel commence!"
A sharp wind blew.
In an instant, both swords gleamed in the light, and they charged.
Their blades clashed in a storm of steel—slashes, thrusts, and sidesteps. Neither of them has used aura yet. This was pure swordsmanship. Ariel came at Eris like a tempest, her strikes precise and fierce. But Eris weaved around them, his movements minimal, calculated—like a leaf avoiding the rain.
Each time Ariel's blade came close, he moved just enough to make it miss.
Maria stood at the edge of the dueling field, her eyes narrowed but composed.
"She's very skilled," Maria murmured.
Charlotte, standing beside her with arms crossed and a smug smile, replied, "Of course. Her Highness has trained in swordsmanship since before she even awakened her aura, when she was five years old ."
She glanced at Eris, her expression subtly shifting.
"But… I'll admit it. The Young Master is holding pretty well. His footwork is excellent, and he's only using the bare minimum to evade." She narrowed her eyes. "Still… that won't be enough to defeat Her Highness."
Back on the field, the tempo of the duel sharpened.
Ariel lunged forward in a flowing crescent strike, but Eris stepped just past her reach, letting her blade graze the air beside his jaw.
"I have to say…" Ariel muttered between breaths, her eyes narrowed with grudging respect, "You dodge rather well."
Eris flashed a cocky half-smile. "Thank you for the praise."
But Ariel's expression darkened. "Let's see if you can dodge this."
A burst of pressure exploded from her body. Light surged around her like a solar eruption.
A wave of golden aura erupted, swirling upward in a spiral of divine brilliance.
Charlotte's eyes lit up. "Yes. She finally used it—Radiant Aura."
Radiant Aura
As its name suggests, the Radiant Aura is a manifestation of pure, divine radiance—an ethereal power passed down through the exalted bloodline of the Imperial Family of the Solkardia Empire, Revered across Elyngaea as one of the most majestic and oppressive forms of aura ever recorded, this power is not merely an energy field or a combat enhancer—it is a divine inheritance, proof of celestial right and absolute rule. It is a Power passed down from the first Emperor, blessed by the Sun God named Sol.
It shimmered with the intensity of a living sun—golden flares flickered around Ariel like flames, yet they emitted no heat. Wherever the aura spread, shadows retreated. Even the air shimmered, as if bowing before her presence.
Its power can crush inferior auras. And under the sun, it thrived. The more light it absorbed, the more overwhelming its user became.
Charlotte's voice returned, almost reverent. "She's currently Grade-2, but even Grade-3 aura users have lost to her. The Young Master may be impressive… but now that she's awakened it, her victory is inevitable."
The field shifted.
Eris, whose movements had been calm and flowing, was now on the back foot. Every strike Ariel delivered was weighted with the sun behind it. He blocked one, then another, but the impact sent shockwaves through his arms. His feet scraped the ground, nearing the boundary of the dueling ring.
A powerful down-slash came crashing—Eris barely raised his sword in time. The force exploded, creating a small shockwave and a cloud of dust.
His boots skidded to the very edge of the ring.
Maria gasped. Even Charlotte leaned forward slightly.
"Her Highness may only be Grade-2… but she could already overpower most Grade-3 aura users. It's impressive that the young master has lasted this long. But now…"
She exhaled. "Now that her highness has used Radiant Aura, her victory is inevitable."
From within the dust cloud, Eris's voice rang out:
"So this is Radiant Aura…"
The dust cleared. Eris stood upright, sword in hand, sweat dripping from his brow—but his eyes were calm.
"It's even more incredible up close," he said, breathing slowly. "To think someone so young can exert this much destructive power without even flinching…"
He looked up.
"The old Eris would've lost by now."
His posture shifted. The relaxed stance vanished.
"But too bad."
He raised his blade again, eyes sharpening. "I'm not him anymore."
A deep hum vibrated through the air as red aura erupted from Eris's body, threaded with glimmering golden filaments, as though molten sunlight had fused with crimson flame.
Ariel froze for a moment. She could feel it.
He had awakened his aura.
Her blade slashed again, but this time, he blocked it. Not only that, he countered. A light tap at her ribs made her recoil mid-swing.
Charlotte's eyes widened.
"Th-that was…" she stammered. "Force! That's Aura Force! But that means…"
Her thoughts caught up to her tongue.
"He's a Grade-2 already?! I heard it hasn't even been a month since he awakened his aura!"
Maria allowed herself a small smile.
Charlotte blinked. "Even so…" Her voice quieted. "Her Highness still has the advantage. She has experience and technique. This won't last…"
Back on the field, the duel turned fast and brutal.
Now, Eris wasn't just dodging—he was meeting Ariel head-on. Sparks flew with each clash of their blades, golden against crimson. She gritted her teeth, sweat beginning to form on her brow.
"I won't lose to you!" Ariel shouted, her pride flaring.
She leapt back, then raised her blade with both hands, golden aura concentrating at its tip like the birth of a second sun.
Charlotte gasped. "She's channeling it all into one strike…"
Ariel's boots slammed into the ground, and then she launched herself into the air like a comet.
"This is the end!" she cried.
Eris didn't flinch.
He shifted one foot behind the other. His hand moved to his sheath.
The moment her sword came down—
Eris whispered:
"Lunar Style. Sixth Form."
A click.
That sound echoed like thunder across the silent courtyard.
And in that blink of a moment, before her blade touched him—
Slash.
A silver arc shimmered in the air.
Ariel's eyes widened. She didn't even register the pain before her sword flew from her grasp, her body struck mid-air by an unseen force.
She fell.
Softly—like a feather.
She landed hard on her back, breath knocked from her lungs, eyes dazed.
Her sword clattered across the ground.
Charlotte's mouth opened—but no words came.
Maria's eyes glistened with awe.
Eris stood where he was, sword still sheathed, shoulders relaxed. The mist swirled around his boots.
He exhaled.
And finally completed the name of his technique, as if finishing a poem:
"…Silent Moon."
Everyone stood still.
Not a breeze blew.
What began as a clash of pride and bloodlines had ended in a single moment—
A flash of steel, a burst of clarity, and silence that swallowed all else.
Maria and Charlotte froze, wide-eyed in disbelief.
The Imperial Princess… defeated.
By a devilish boy from a sovereign house.
Silence.
Thick, breathless, echoing louder than any cheer or scream.
It was not the stillness of peace—
But the calm before history shifted.
The spectators could only stare.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
A Empire's pride had cracked.
And in that silence… a legend was born.
End Of The Chapter...