The arena was silent.
The moment Yuuv stepped onto the field, whispers spread like wildfire.
"Him? That's the last Celestar?"
"Did he even do anything in the trials?"
"Must be riding the others' coattails."
Yuuv stood at the edge of the blackened battlefield, wand in hand, the tiny bell tied to it chiming ever so faintly. His blonde hair shimmered under the golden light, his cyan-blue eyes cast down.
Across the arena, Soren grinned wickedly. His red robes flared like fire, fists wrapped in enchanted battle wraps glowing with violent energy.
"I'll end this fast," Soren muttered. "So your friends won't cry too hard."
The judge raised his hand. "Final Round. Begin!"
Soren charged instantly, fire bursting around his fists. Yuuv stepped back quickly, barely avoiding the flaming punch.
Another swing.
Yuuv bent, rolled to the side.
"He's just dodging!"
"Is he even casting?!"
Yuuv breathed quickly, wand clutched close. A voice echoed in his head:
_"Yuuv... your magic is not for tournaments or unnecessary battles. You mustn't use it recklessly atleast till you grow enough to understand it well. Time magic is sacred—and dangerous losing control over it can cause disasters."
He muttered softly, "Master Elard... I know. I remember."
Soren lunged again. "Don't run! FIGHT!"
Yuuv finally lifted his wand.
"Float."
His body lifted gently, hovering just above the ground. Then—
"Psych Shift."
In a blink, Yuuv vanished from Soren's strike range—appearing behind him.
Soren stumbled. "Tch—Teleport?"
He swung around. Yuuv ducked.
"Slice."
A wave of invisible pressure flew from Yuuv's wand, slamming Soren sideways. The crowd gasped.
But Soren bounced back fast.
"Burn Crash!"
Flames erupted from his hands, shooting toward Yuuv in a spiral. Yuuv raised his hand.
"Push."
A telekinetic blast deflected the fire mid-air. The crowd fell quiet for a moment.
"He's doing something…"
" Mental magic?"
"Still not enough."
"psych magic"Yuuv's eyes glowed
He floated again, dodging more blows, launching small invisible strikes—gentle blasts, air shifts, flickers of motion.
But he wasn't hitting hard. He wasn't dominating.
And Soren started laughing.
"This is it? Your big secret magic?" He charged. "You Celestars are all the same—just showoffs!"
He struck again, this time catching Yuuv mid-air. A blast of fire hit his shoulder.
Yuuv flew back and hit the stone.
The audience winced.
"Finally got him."
"He can't last."
Yuuv sat up slowly, wand trembling in his hand. He coughed, eyes dazed.
Inside his head—
"You mustn't rely on it, Yuuv. Your body is not built to handle its weight yet."
He whispered, "I wasn't going to use it... but... I can't let them get hurt because of me."
Soren growled, pulling something from inside his glove.
A small crystal. It pulsed dark red.
"Illegal item!" someone shouted.
The judge turned—but Soren crushed the crystal.
A surge of fire engulfed his body. His fists became giant flaming gauntlets.
"You're DONE, blondie!"
Yuuv stood.
The bell on his wand jingled.
His eyes turned calm.
He raised his wand—
And his right eye began to glow.
Cyan-blue at first.
Then—leaf-green.
The eye shifted.
A glowing clock face spiraled into view within it.
Soren charged—fire exploding around him.
Yuuv whispered.
"...hour-debt."
The air... stopped.
Soren froze mid-step.
His flames slowed to a crawl.
The audience… their cheers faded to silence.
Everything… slowed.
Yuuv walked forward, breathing heavily, each step trembling.
His wand tapped Soren's chest—softly.
A pulse.
Time resumed.
Soren was blasted backward, spinning, crashing into the wall.
Silence.
No one moved.
Soren didn't get up.
Then—
The judge raised a shaky hand.
"Winner… Yuuv of Celestars."
The crowd erupted.
"What was THAT?!"
"Did you see his EYE?!"
"I… don't understand what happened—"
"He just walked through fire!"
Loud cheers echoed through the battleground
"That was fantastic, as expected of the member of Celestars"
Yuuv swayed.
His eye dimmed, the clock vanishing.
He staggered.
But before he fell, Lui caught him.
Back in the resting zone, the Celestars surrounded him.
Riggi slapped his back gently. "You legend! That was EPIC!"
Iuro grinned. "You should've seen their faces!"
Ishi nodded. "They won't call you weak again."
Izumi folded his arms. "You did everything perfectly."
Yuuv gave a soft smile. "I didn't… do anything."
Lui patted him. "You did something really amazing"
Yuuv looked at his wand.
"But Yuvi, I don't get it, what was that last spell you used? did you learn to control minds?" Iuro tugged on his arm.