The ground lurched, and in the blink of an eye, the training field vanished. Vijay stumbled forward, sandaled feet skidding across something rough. He caught himself with a grunt, chest heaving, and looked around.
Flatness.
The landscape stretched endlessly, smooth stone marked by faint cracks, gray and featureless. No trees, no hills, no water, no shade. A blank canvas. The air was still and dry, heavy with silence.
Vijay frowned, tightening his grip on his training staff. "A flat arena…" His voice echoed faintly, swallowed almost immediately by the expanse.
The silence broke with a sudden rumble.
The stone floor split apart, glowing lines of red carving across its surface. From the cracks rose pillars, jagged and sharp, then crumbled back into ash. Between them, shimmering constructs began to form.
First came a sphere of flame, hovering, its surface pulsing like a living ember. Then another of water, swirling and crashing silently in its contained sphere. Then a third—air, whirling like a storm locked inside a bubble.
The three elemental orbs hovered, circling him slowly, radiating energy.
Vijay's throat tightened. "So this is my trial…"
The orbs struck.
The fireball lashed out first, spitting a whip of flame that seared the stone floor where he had stood an instant earlier. Vijay dove aside, rolling, heat licking at his arms.
Before he could stand, the water orb surged, releasing a torrent like a crashing wave. He threw up his hands instinctively, channeling his own magic. A burst of wind roared out, colliding with the torrent, splashing it to either side. He staggered under the force, soaked and freezing despite the heat.
The air orb darted forward, its wind slicing into blades. Vijay braced, then countered with his own—sharp currents clashing mid-air, scattering dust across the arena. His chest heaved.
"They're testing me with what I can't control properly…" he realized bitterly.
The orbs circled again, faster now. He raised his staff and steadied his stance. "Fine. Let's see who lasts longer."
The battle dragged on.
The fire orb lunged again, spitting flame. Vijay swung his staff, channeling water magic clumsily. A burst of liquid hissed into steam against the heat, buying him seconds.
The air orb sliced low. Vijay jumped, countering with a gust from below to propel himself higher. The move worked—but he landed hard, jarring his knee.
The water orb surged once more, striking with a crashing wave. He tried to push it back with fire, but his flames sputtered, weak against the sheer force of water. The torrent slammed into him, throwing him across the ground. His shoulder scraped against stone. Pain lanced down his arm.
"Damn it!" he hissed, forcing himself up. His body trembled. He wasn't keeping up—barely surviving, barely reacting.
The orbs shifted tactics. They began to work together.
Fire lashed out in an arc. Wind fanned the flames, doubling their range. Water surged just behind, forcing him to dodge straight into the line of fire.
Vijay's eyes widened. He threw himself flat, rolling as fire scorched past, then slammed his palm to the ground. Air burst upward in a shield, breaking the water's impact just enough for him to crawl out.
Every second was survival. Not mastery. Not domination. Just survival.
Minutes stretched like hours. His body grew heavier. Every spell burned through his reserves. His hands shook as he lifted them again and again.
The fire orb struck relentlessly, the heat blistering his skin. The water orb's torrents soaked him, weighing him down. The air orb sliced him open in shallow cuts, blood beading along his arms and legs.
Still, he refused to fall.
Vijay grit his teeth, eyes narrowing. "I won't lose… not here."
The three orbs closed in together, surrounding him.
Vijay forced his mind to focus. He drew air, fire, and water at once, twisting them chaotically through his staff. The magic crackled, unstable, threatening to explode in his grip.
The orbs lunged.
With a roar, Vijay slammed his staff into the ground. A cyclone burst outward—wind carrying fire and water in a chaotic storm. The three orbs collided with the maelstrom, their energies scattering, struggling to push through.
For a moment, everything was light and fury. Heat seared. Water lashed. Wind howled.
Then silence.
Vijay collapsed to one knee, chest heaving. The arena cleared, dust settling.
The three orbs hovered, cracked and flickering. They pulsed one last time, then shattered into sparks of raw energy, dissolving into the air.
Vijay dropped onto his back, staring up at the flat gray sky. His body screamed with pain. Every muscle ached. Cuts stung, burns throbbed, bruises pulsed. But he was breathing.
He had survived. Barely.
A weak laugh escaped him, bitter and tired. "I'll… take it."
The flat landscape began to blur, cracks of light appearing along the horizon. Vijay sat up slowly, clutching his staff like it was the only thing anchoring him.
"Not mastery," he muttered, dragging himself to his feet. "Not yet. But enough to stand."
The light swallowed him whole.