Stone shattered like glass as Nicolas was hurled into the center of the arena, the pale figure landing with him in a storm of dust and broken rock. The empty coliseum echoed with the impact, every fragment of debris clattering loud in the silence. No crowd remained—no chants, no roars—only the sound of battle carving its place into the hollow space.
Nicolas rose from the crater with unnerving composure. His cloak was torn at the shoulder, his eyes narrowing on the attacker now standing before him. The figure was skeletal thin, skin bleached pale, almost corpse-like. A dark veil obscured his face, only black strands of hair spilling from beneath the cloth. In his hand, he carried a jagged sword that hummed faintly, as though alive with stolen mana.
The First Pillar.
He lunged without warning. The blade cut down in a vicious arc, stone splitting open in its wake. Nicolas flickered out of sight.
"Spatial Shift!"
