Kalon Bloodborn's POV
The training grounds of the citadel were a jarring departure from the refine, silent-laden aisles of the Hall of Knowledge. Here, the pursuit of truth was not found in the turning of a parchment page, but in the octagon of metal and the violent clash of competing mana.
I stood before a bulky cabinet built at the western wall of the training grounds preparation chamber. It had a dark metallic surface designed with glowing runes that pulsed in a steady rhythm.
I ran a finger over the edge of a spear-tip, feeling the vibrations of the metal.
'This must be the work of the Vulcans.' I identified immediately.
While runesmithing was considered a basic craft by many high-level Lamians, who looked down on the overreliance on a physical tool. Yet, the Vulcans had mastered it to such a degree.
They were a race of forgemasters that had recently led Enoria in the production of artifacts.
Despite the exquisite craftsmanship, I felt a familiar, cold detachment as I closed the cabinet doors. Yes, I marveled at the designs, but I wasn't one for wielding steel. To me, magic was a far more sophisticated, albeit a costly arsenal. While a sword felt more like static tool, the blood arts I practiced were a living, breathing extension of my own being. It required more mana, yes, but it offered a versatility that no piece of metal could match.
I made my way to the observation tier and took my seat between Nora and Damon. Each court was a vast, sunken octagon of grey granite stone. Around the perimeter, boundary artifacts were fixed.
The training grounds buzzed with the clashing of metal and surges of mana that followed each strike. The air was thick with the heavy ambient mana from the magic of the few competing celestials. Unlike the library, the courts were mostly empty.
Lamians, by nature, were scholars and we were not as naturally battle-hardened or bloodthirsty as the other races.
"They're beginning," Nora said, her voice tight with anticipation.
Across the field, the duel was set. Clovis and Jared stood together against the lone, formidable figure of Ariadne.
Jared moved first, his sword erupting in a brilliant, roaring coat of fire. His longsword looked like beacon against the grey stone. Beside him, Clovis entered a stance drawing his blades out from their scabbard. He seemed to flicker. His dual blades shimmered with an energy that was barely visible even under the light of the arena. It was a vibration between a brilliant white and a dull, shadowed grey. They looked more like a heat haze than a physical weapon.
I had pestered Clovis for days about teaching me the art behind his movement. One could find him moving across the citadel as though he was sliding through space. But he had always refused me with a firm seriousness.
"It's forbidden," he had said, "and even if I tried, you wouldn't be able to diffuse it."
I didn't know what he meant by 'diffuse,' but watching him now, I began to form my own theories.
Clovis closed the distance in just three steps. A speed that defied my understanding of the normal gait. He slashed his blade toward Ariadne's midsection, a strike so fast it left a trail in my vision. Ariadne, however, blocked it effortlessly. Her left axe locked with Clovis's blade with a heavy clack, while her right arm flexed above her shoulder.
Jared appeared at her side, his sword flashing in an upward diagonal arc of flame. Ariadne didn't panic. She twisted her hips, her feet pivoting in a smooth arc, as she intercepted the blow.
The moment of impact was silent for a split second, then the sound hit us. A piercing, glass-shattering crack followed by the angry hiss of steam. The red flames that once coated Jared's sword were instantly extinguished, replaced by a layer of jagged frost. Ariadne's influence was absolute.
Before Jared could even process the loss of his heat, Ariadne swung both axes outward, her crossed arms snapping wide with a force that sent Jared staggering backward, his boots skidding across the granite.
Sensing her opening, Clovis rushed in. Ariadne noticed, turning back to Clovis, and swinging an axe in a butcher like manner.
Clovis parried the first, but as her second axe descended in a crushing overhead slash, he was forced to leap backward.
His retreat was a mistake.
An eruption of ice exploded across the arena floor, shards of frost bursting forth like crystalline spears. A few neared the artifacts, causing a focused point of the air to glow a translucent blue protective bubble that repelled the magic back into the court.
The icy branches grew with great speed, weaving a cage that trapped Clovis in his tracks.
Jared, recovering quickly, descended from above. His wings were suddenly ablaze with fire. A brilliant orange glow that fought against the freezing atmosphere Ariadne had summoned. I watched the ambient mana between them fluctuate wildly. A chaotic war between heat and cold.
The shift was too much for Jared, unable to steady himself in the turbulent air, as he crashed awkwardly to the ground right at Ariadne's feet. Without hesitation, she stepped on his chest and gripped him by the neck, her axe raised and poised for a killing blow.
Suddenly, the arena went obverse. It wasn't a natural change. A total inversion of colors. Light areas appeared dark and dark areas appeared light.
It was as if someone had poured ink into the very air. My vision blurred, and the shapes of the combatants dissolved into complementary opposites.
The sound of Ariadne cursing, drew my attention. Clovis blades blurred, followed by a sharp, metallic clang of an unseen strike that hit Ariadne's armor.
"What trickery is this? Do not fight like a coward!" she shouted, her voice echoing in a fury.
'It has to be Clovis,' I thought, leaning forward and squinting, until my eyes ached. 'Is the light refracting? No... it's as if the darkness itself has substance.'
"This is simply my magic," Clovis's voice drifted through the gloom in a calm and mocking tone. "Battle isn't just about brute strength, you thick-headed brute."
The fight intensified within this obverse world. Clovis seemed to be everywhere at once, leaving behind vivid, ghostly traces that drew Ariadne's axes away from his true position. He moved with a speed that felt like he was being pulled forward by a vacuum. In a flurry of motion, he appeared to her side and effortlessly freed Jared from Ariadne's firm grip.
The court was soon lit up by rapid bursts of white bullets, I believed were flames. Jared regained his footing, his fiery attacks cutting through the court. Each shot illuminated the ice-laden expanse for brief moments, casting eerie, distorted reflections off the frost.
"Bow before these flames and I may spare you!" Jared's voice boomed.
Ariadne's response was a cheeky, defiant smile. Her teeth now black. She stood tall, unfazed. The ice around her began to twist and coil
"Got you," she whispered.
Ice coiled around Clovis's legs, locking him in place mid-dash. His own momentum carried him forward, straight into Ariadne's waiting fist. The punch landed with a brutal, sickening thud. Clovis hurtled across the court, crashing into the stone as color returned to the world, leaving everyone blinking in the sudden return of the light.
Jared, seeing his partner down, dropped his sword in defeat.
"You win," Jared muttered, his voice laced with exhaustion.
Damon, Nora, and I didn't wait. We rushed onto the court to attend to their wounds. Even with their Vulcan-hardened armor, the force they had used was dangerous.
I moved toward Ariadne first. I had little to no experience healing a Noden. I had only practiced with ice beasts made available in the citadel.
The difference was little compared to lamians. The cells of her skin were more tight.
As I began to heal the shallow cuts and bruises Clovis's strikes had left behind.
"Ugh, we just can't seem to win against you," Jared lamented, rubbing his sore ribs.
"It's a shame you can't find opponents of matching strength among our peers," Clovis admitted, looking at Ariadne with a bitter respect. "You must get tired of dueling us over and over."
I smirked to myself as I finished knitting a small gash on Ariadne's shoulder. Nodens were truly built differently. She wasn't one for study or deep reflection. More like a natural-born predator. The idea of her tiring from combat was the funniest joke I'd heard all week.
"Kalon... you're zoning out. What's making you smile?" Nora asked, pulling me back to reality.
"Nothing really," I replied with a half-hearted grin.
"Kalon, why not have a duel against Ariadne?" Clovis suddenly chimed in, a mischievous spark in his eyes. "You're quite strong."
I froze. "What? You've never even seen me duel. How did you come to that conclusion?"
Clovis shrugged, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. "Call it instinct. You've got more strength than you think."
Ariadne raised an eyebrow, her grin returning. "Oh? Kalon, do you want to have a go? It'd be fun to see what you've got."
I hesitated, the curiosity finally outweighing my caution. I looked over at Damon, who was giving me a supportive smile. Apparently, he had been praising my phenomenal growth in magic in my absence, building a reputation for me that I now had to live up to.
"I could give it a try," I said. "Are you ready for another round, Ariadne?"
She stood up, flexing her newly healed muscles. "Of course. Let's see your magic in action, Kalon."
Before we took our stances, I walked over to Clovis, who was still catching his breath. I held out a hand to help him up. "That magic... the way you moved through it. How did you make the light flip like that? It was like looking at a world without colours."
Clovis looked at me, his expression softening as he realized my question wasn't just curiosity alone, but acknowledgement. He took a deep breath, looking around to make sure no one else was listening.
"Since you're the one who's about to get hit by Ariadne, I suppose I can tell you," he whispered. "We Phantoms call it the 'Specter'. It's a combat style where our body acts as conduits. We don't make darkness, we invert the relationship between light and dark. It flips the luminance of the room. Shadows glow, and the light becomes a void."
He leaned in closer. "And that speed? It's 'Propulsion'. More like swallowing the light in our path to create a vacuum that pulls us forward like a slingshot. But it has a price, Kalon. We call it the decay. It strips energy from our own flesh. Had I fought too long in an ice zone like Ariadne's, my blood would have crystallized. It freezes us from the inside out."
"It's why we keep it secret. If the other races knew how much we hurt ourselves just to move that fast, they wouldn't be so afraid of us. But even knowing the theory, you couldn't replicate it. It requires the a Phantom's body."
I nodded in response.
"Thank you, Clovis," I said, turning back toward the center of the court.
I took my position opposite Ariadne. The air between us was already cold, but I began to circulate my blood mana, feeling the heat rise within my vessels.
I wasn't just going to fight her. I was going to test the new theories I had made.
"Ready?" Ariadne asked, her axes humming with frost.
"Ready," I replied.