The terrain of the battlefield stretched before them, uneven stone and patches of shallow water that reflected the afternoon light. Multiple broken pillars stood half buried in the ground, repurposed as areas of cover. It was a battlefield designed to focus on strategic awareness rather than raw strength, an observation that made Lucien feel a quiet relief.
Behind him, his team gathered in unison, their movements perfectly in sync. Lucien did not look back at the audience, he didn't need to see their expressions to already know what they were thinking. House Nox had little reputation left to stand on. A utility-class captain and two commoners weren't a combination that inspires confidence.
Across the fields, the opponents had already taken their positions. Team Arcei moved with practised ease, their formation setting naturally without need for many instructions. Their captain, Jonas Arcei, stood slightly ahead of the others. In his hand rested a bow that had not been there moments before, the strings glowed faintly as if responding to his breathing rather than his grip.
At a glance Lucien recognised that weapon was not ordinary. Jonas' team moved and set up a neutral position immediately, they weren't aggressive or reckless.
This made them even more dangerous.
A loud horn rang throughout the entire arena, signaling the start of the battle.
The match had begun.
At the opposite ends of the field, the team bases stood clearly marked. They weren't fortresses but instead reinforced platforms of marble stone raised slightly above the terrain, each bearing their captain's house banner at the center.
The banners were the objective. To claim victory, one team had to breach the opposing base, seize the enemy banner, and return it to their own platform intact.
Team Arcei advanced first, their movements precise as they ran across the open space to create distance between both bases. One of his members stayed at the base, sat on the ground with an unreadable expression.
Two others split off into opposite directions, flanking around toward Lucien's base. Jonas walked forward in a straight line toward Lucien's whole team, not out of arrogance but out of certainty that he was indeed stronger than them.
Their entire set up was clearly based on an idea to force the opposing team into a reaction.
Lucien lifted his hand slightly.
"Alya," he said calmly, his voice steady despite the tension. "Create a front barrier."
She stepped forward and pressed her palms into the grass, her hands glowing green as the ground vibrated slightly. Stones rose, orbiting around her hand as they stretched into a barrier.
Jonas stopped walking as he reached the middle of the field, his eyes watching the barrier be formed, he shook his head as if warning them that a simple barrier wouldn't be enough. The bow that had vanished moments earlier was suddenly there again, resting in his hand naturally as if it had never left, emitting a dangerous crimson aura.
He raised the bow slowly in the air. An arrow appeared against the string, its outline manifesting clearly.
He released.
The arrow shot through the air at a rapid speed, curving around a tree and smashing straight through Alya's barrier with precision. The barrier did not even stand a chance, it crumbled instantly from the impact.
"What the hell was that?" Corin shouted in surprise.
"That must be his skill." Lucien declared, "Alya fix the barrier, Corin go pressure him."
Jonas' posture shifted immediately as he saw Corin dash toward him at a speed matching his arrows. Corin jumped in the air a few feet away, Jonas aimed his bow toward his position in the sky before releasing another arrow.
The shot pierced through the sky with a deafening whistle.
The arrow shot through the empty sky searching for the target.
Corin wasn't there.
He appeared behind Jonas in an instant and swept his leg, causing him to trip over onto the ground.
"What the-" Jonas said with irritation written on his face.
"Nice Corin!" Faye shouted.
He grinned while pinning Jonas to the ground. "I got him, guys."
VRRRRRR
The earlier arrow, still in the air, changed its trajectory and flew straight toward his new position.
Lucien noticed the arrow straight away. "Alya form a small barrier around him quick"
Alya quickly put her hands out and formed a small stone barrier around Corin with hope to stop the impact of the arrow. The arrow didn't slow as it smashed through the barrier with ease, striking him in the shoulder.
"Shi—" He shouted in pain.
Jonas managed to wrestle out from below him while he was in pain, Corin blinked away as fast as he could back to his team's base before Jonas could get another shot off.
He sat behind cover as Faye ran over and healed his wound.
"The wound isn't too deep… Alya's barrier must've lessened the blow."
Faye's hand hovered over his shoulder as the wound began to close slowly. He clenched his jaw, tolerating the pain as it started to disappear.
Lucien stood in thought, trying to form a plan that could push the fight in their favour. He could hear the cheers of the crowd in the background, students clapping in excitement. Lucien looked back toward the field, Jonas had already regained his footing, his bow resting in his grip still. He lifted the bow again.
"Spread out." Lucien said calmly, "Break his focus."
Alya put her hands onto the ground again, forcing the terrain around to shift. Stone rose unevenly from the ground, creating more small areas of cover.
"Corin. Use your blink while bouncing off the walls Alya just created." Lucien said calmly. "It should increase your speed. Use it to take the arrow's impact when it changes trajectory."
Corin nodded as he rolled his shoulders. He planted his feet on the ground and blinked onto the first wall… then the next. His speed faster than before, using the surfaces as a boost.
Jonas watched as Corin moved closer toward him, his eyes unable to keep up with the movements. He drew his bow and released another arrow. The arrow cut forward with the same speed as before, Corin blinked in between another stone wall as the arrow changed trajectory.
The arrow struck the wall where he was standing seconds earlier, the impact destroying the wall completely, sending fragments toward the river. The crowd reacted again, cheers reaching the fields.
Lucien didn't look away from Jonas, noticing what followed.
Nothing.
Jonas lowered his bow slightly, his posture shifting as he stepped back, taking a defensive position. The bow in his hand began to change, its shape losing definition as it slowly dissolved. He was already repositioning, putting distance between himself and Team Nox.
Lucien noticed his retreat, realising he would've shot again if he could've.
"Corin pursue him fast. I don't think he can use arrows anymore."
He didn't hesitate. He vanished in a blink, reappearing closer to Jonas's position.
Without the bow, Jonas fell back quickly, having to rely on his positioning alone.
The crowd's cheers faltered, confusion spreading in a way they didn't anticipate.
Lucien watched as Corin advanced, the bow still not reappearing.
"Good." Lucien muttered under his breath. "Must've reached his limit…"
One of Team Arcei's flankers repositioned, abandoning their flank completely as they moved back toward Jonas. Their callouts were timed to the exact moment Corin reappeared.
"Move left." The flanker shouted toward Jonas.
Jonas reacted without hesitation, instantly shifting direction before Corin could fully commit to an attack. He blinked again, reappearing closer this time but the flanker had already regrouped with Jonas.
He blinked one more time, without Lucien's guidance. He blinked behind Jonas, planting his feet on the ground before spinning into a kick, aiming for his head.
The flanker beside Jonas lifted his hand. Corin's kick suddenly stopped, it had been resisted mid strike by something. Something not solid or visible but a faint barrier that shattered immediately under force.
At the same time, the second flanker closed in towards Lucien's base, creating more pressure. Lucien's eyes narrowed, he had to make a decision. Either let him continue his attack or have him regroup at the base to deal with the new threat. He let his mind work for a moment before he snapped back to reality.
"Corin." Lucien called, his voice cutting through the field. "Fall back to base."
Corin's jaw tightened, not wanting to retreat yet but he instinctively began to retreat to the base as instructed.
The second flanker had continued moving, slipping closer to Team Nox's base while the rest of Team Arcei regrouped near the center of the field.
The second flanker stayed low, trying not to give away his position fully. The distance between the flanker and the rest of his teammates was too wide.
Too far for his team's voices to reach over the noise of the crowd.
The previous coordination was gone, he had to rely on instincts alone.
The decision was his to make.