"Power is not in the strike—it is in what you hold back."
—Old Skyhold Combat Principle
The Whisper of Ash
The arena trembled with the energy of recent battles. Spells had scrched the floors, and enchantments still hung in the air like static. But none of it mattered to Kairo.
Standing in the preparation hall beneath the main stadium, he kept his head down. His cloak, now tatered from his earlier duel, barely covered the faint red-glow that pulsed beneath his skin.
It was happening again.
The curse—the one they called "Breaker magic"—stirred beneath his veins.
He gripped the obsidan pendant Lyra had given him.
"Stay in control. Just one more match."
Lyra watched from the archway, arms crossed. Her gaze was fixed not on Kairo, but on the mirrored monitors overhead. Dozens of names rotated—contestants paired for the second tier of the tournment.
One name blinked into existence:
Kael Rune vs. Reiji Marlowe
Her heart dropped.
"Kairo…" she whispered. "You're fighting a Blood Tier."
Blood-Tier Duelist
Reiji Marlowe was not famous.
He was feared.
Ranked 43rd, he was an anomaly in the system—a duelist who never smiled, never spoke, and never lost. His magic: Bloodfire, a forbidden art fueled by pain, sacrifice, and lineage.
He entered the ring with no theatrics, no gestures.
Just a quiet presence that made even the noble students uneasy.
Kairo stepped in seconds later. No cloak. Just his name: Kael Rune, echoing across the arena.
No one cheered.
The silence was louder than any roar.
The ward chimed.
"Begin.
The Dance of Death
Reiji struck first—his blade drawn and cloaked in a writhing red flame. He sliced the air, and blood sigils shimmered forward like living chains.
Kairo dodged left, barely avoiding the attack.
A second wave came. Three more sigils. One grazed Kairo's sholder, and he felt the sting—not just of pain, but of his magic being pulled.
Reiji's power fed on opponents' energy.
"He's siphoning my aura," Kairo realized. "He's using me to power his spells."
He moved backward, eyes narrowed. His heart pounded. He couldn't risk full Breaer activation—not here, not yet.
But he also couldn't lose.
He drew his short blade and countered a sigil arc with a burst of neutral fire—non-Breaker, basic-level. Reiji absorbed it, grining for the first time.
"You'll have to do better," he said.
And that's when Kairo saw it.
The shadow.
It wasn't Reiji's. It was somehing behind him—like a black flame attached to his spine, whispering.
"Bloodfire…" Kairo whipered. "He's possessed."
Lyra's Secret
In the vaults beneath the arena, Lyra ran.
She had hacked the Registry's magical circuit to find Reiji's source file. What she found horrified her.
"He's not just using forbidden magic," she gasped. "He's channeling a sealed relic."
It was called the Ash Node—a remnant of the Sky War that devoured the souls of its wielders.
Lyra reavhed for her comm-stone and whispered:
"Kairo, if you can hear this—don't let him hit you again. Every strike feeds the relic. And if it reaches full burn—"
The line cut out.
The Inner Spark
Kairo dodged the next sigil strike and croucched low. His magic surged, begging to be released. Visions flickered—his father, his exile, the Vault.
He bit his tongue until blood pooled.
Then, he whisperd a single word:
"Ignite.
A deep blue flame burst from his hand—not Breaker magic, but something older. A technique from the Forgotten Schools—the ones that taught restraint, not power.
He hurled the flame. It passed through Reiji's sigil—and for the frst time, the blood magic fizzled.
Reiji's eyes widened.
"What… was that?"
Kairo didn't answer.
He surged forward, his blade drawn—not to kill, but to cut the connection between Reiji and the shadow relic.
One slash.
Light burst.
The shadow scremed.
And Reiji collapsed.
Aftermath
The arena was silent. Then came roars—half in triumph, half in fear.
A medic team rushed forward.
Kairo stood over Reiji's unconscious form. Judges whispered. Magical scans glowed bright red.
Lyra appeared beside him, panting.
"You did it," she said.
Kairo didn't smile.
"He wasn't the real threat," he said.
He looked at the stands—where Reign Azaril still wathed.
"He's just the first test."
Reign met Kairo's eyes.
And for the first time, Reign's smile faded.