The arena was packed. Students filled the terraces, their voices rising in a constant roar. The tournament ring was a raised platform of packed earth, forty feet across, bordered by low stone walls. Above it, holographic screens displayed the bracket, the match schedule, and the names of the competitors.
Cale stood at the edge of the ring with his team beside him. Val had summoned her Ember Cloak, an armor of woven flame that clung to her shoulders and chest, flickering with heat. A murmur ran through the crowd. Some pointed, seemingly impressed, while others—mostly nobles—just sneered.
"Peasant armor," someone shouted. "She'll probably burn herself before she even lands a hit."
"Look at the rest of them," another voice added. "They're a joke. It's no surprise she's part of that group."
Val's jaw tightened, but she didn't look away from the ring. Ethan's hands clenched, yet he said nothing. Riker's eyes were half-closed, his focus turned inward. Rel stood motionless, his screen dark and his mask hiding his expression.
Across the ring, Team Kade waited.
There were four of them, all from the Aethel faction. Their uniforms were crisp and their stances confident. It wasn't just confidence, though; it was the gleam of enchanted armor and the shimmer of inherited Memories. Kade himself wore a silver breastplate that seemed to drink the light, and at his hip hung a bow that glowed faintly—a constellation weapon passed down through generations. Beside him, his three teammates were similarly armed: a girl in green with a spear that crackled with wind, a boy in bronze with a shield that pulsed with light, and a healer in white robes whose hands already glowed with stored power.
"That's three generations of Memories right there," someone in the crowd said. "The other team doesn't stand a chance."
"Kade's going to wipe the floor with them."
The announcer's voice boomed. "First round: Team Cale versus Team Kade. Fighters, take your positions."
They walked to the center of the ring. Cale felt the weight of the crowd, the eyes of hundreds of students, and the instructors watching from the upper tiers. Vorian was somewhere in the stands, watching. Lysander was there, too.
Kade's gaze met his. The noble's eyes were cold and calculating. He didn't speak; he didn't need to.
The announcer raised his hand. "Begin."
Riker moved first.
His hands swept up, and the ring flooded with illusions—a dozen copies of each team member, a forest of false trees, and shifting walls that confused the eye. The crowd gasped. The wind girl thrust her spear at a copy of Val, but it passed through empty air. The shield bearer swung at an illusory Riker, hitting nothing.
Kade didn't move. He drew an arrow of pure light, closed his eyes, and fired. The arrow flew straight through the illusions, past the copies, and struck the real Riker in the shoulder.
Truth-seeker. That was one of Kade's Sagittarius abilities. Illusions meant nothing to him.
Riker staggered, clutching his arm, but he didn't fall. He kept his hands raised and managed to keep the illusions alive, buying the team time.
"Riker's hit, but he's still in!" the announcer called.
The shield bearer charged.
He was fast, his bronze shield raised and light pulsing from its surface. Ethan threw up a wall of earth. The shield bearer slammed into it, and while the wall cracked, it held. He struck again, and this time a shockwave erupted from the shield, sending chunks of stone flying. The force knocked Ethan back a step.
Val moved. Her whip cracked, wrapping around the shield bearer's ankle. She pulled, but he remained rooted, his shield anchored to the ground. He yanked his leg free, the whip sliding off his armored boot.
"He's a bulwark!" someone in the crowd shouted. "His shield absorbs impact!"
Ethan reinforced the wall, locking it to the stone beneath. The shield bearer growled, slamming his shield against it again and again, each blow sending tremors through the ring.
Cale engaged Kade.
He drew Soul Drinker, its edges glowing, and closed the distance. Kade dropped his bow and drew an enchanted short sword that trailed light. Their blades met once, twice, three times. Cale's Death Sense screamed, allowing him to see the strikes before they landed. He parried, dodged, and gave ground.
Kade was precise, his attacks relentless. Each hit sent shockwaves up Cale's arm. The noble's armor absorbed the few blows Cale managed to land, and the healer's light was already knitting any small wounds before they could slow Kade down.
"He's not even breaking a sweat," Val muttered, watching from the corner of her eye.
Rel spoke.
The word was incomprehensible and scraping. The shield bearer froze, his shield dropping as he stumbled, clutching his head. The wind girl's spear wavered, her concentration breaking.
"Rel's using his voice!" the announcer exclaimed.
The crowd went quiet. Some leaned forward, fascinated; others looked uneasy.
Kade's head snapped toward Rel. He drew an arrow faster than before.
Rel spoke again—a second word, though it sounded weaker. The wind girl cried out as her spear clattered to the ground.
Kade fired. The arrow caught Rel in the chest, just below his collarbone. Rel crumpled, his screen flickering and his mask knocked askew.
"Rel is eliminated!"
The shield bearer recovered.
His shield flared as he slammed it against Ethan's wall. This time the shockwave was massive. The wall shattered, and Ethan was thrown backward. He hit the ground hard and rolled, but he managed to get to his knees, his hands already pressing against the earth to recover.
The shield bearer advanced with his shield raised. Ethan threw up a new wall, smaller and angled to deflect the blow. The shield bearer's next strike sent cracks spiderwebbing across the surface, but it held.
"Ethan's holding him!" the announcer called.
Val struck.
She had been waiting, her fire coiled and her whip ready. The wind girl was still disoriented from Rel's second word, her spear still on the ground. Val's whip cracked, wrapping around the girl's ankle, and she pulled. The wind girl fell hard, her head snapping against the stone.
"Val eliminates the wind fighter!"
The crowd roared. Cale's supporters—fewer in number but loud—cheered.
Riker's illusions faltered.
The wound in his shoulder was bleeding freely, and his concentration was wavering. Kade saw it. He drew another arrow, aimed at Riker, and fired.
Cale threw himself in front of the shot with his sword raised. The arrow struck his blade and deflected, but the impact sent him stumbling. He lost his grip on Soul Drinker, and it clattered to the ground.
Riker's illusions collapsed. He fell to his knees, clutching his arm, his face pale.
"Riker is eliminated!"
Three down. Two left.
Cale and Val stood back to back in the center of the ring. Kade's team was still three strong: Kade, the shield bearer, and the healer, whose hands were already glowing as she mended the wind girl's wounds. The girl was stirring but was not yet back in the fight.
"We have to take out the healer," Val said.
"I know."
The next few minutes were chaos.
Cale retrieved Soul Drinker, its edge still glowing. He engaged Kade again, using his Death Sense to stay ahead of the noble's strikes. Val targeted the shield bearer, her whip cracking and her fire keeping him at bay. The healer stayed back, weaving light to keep Kade and the shield bearer on their feet.
Cale landed a hit on Kade's arm. The armor deflected most of it, but blood welled up regardless. The healer's light closed the wound in seconds.
Val's fire caught the shield bearer's arm. He grunted and dropped his shield for a moment. She pressed forward, her whip lashing out to wrap around his wrist. She pulled, forcing him off balance. As he stumbled, Ethan—still down but watching—raised a wall behind him, tripping him. The shield bearer fell hard.
"The shield bearer is down!"
The healer rushed toward him, her hands glowing.
"Now!" Cale shouted.
Val sprinted. She ignored Kade and ran straight at the healer. Her Ember Cloak flared, flames trailing behind her. Kade fired an arrow, which she barely dodged. Another grazed her arm, but she didn't stop.
Her whip wrapped around the healer's wrist and yanked. The healer screamed, her concentration broken. Val's knife was at her throat in an instant.
"One move and she's dead!" Val shouted.
The crowd went silent.
Kade's eyes burned.
He drew another arrow and aimed it at Val's back. Cale saw it—his Death Sense screaming—and threw himself between them. The arrow caught him in the shoulder, punching through, and he went down.
"Cale!" Val screamed.
He hit the ground, pain exploding through him. Blood soaked his jacket. Soul Drinker skidded out of reach, and his Mauri was nearly gone.
Kade walked toward him, drawing another arrow. "Clever, targeting the healer. But you're out of moves."
The shield bearer was getting up, shaking off his fall, and the wind girl was stirring. The healer was trapped, but Val couldn't hold her forever.
Cale lay on the stone, his vision swimming. He could hear the crowd's shouts and the cheers for Kade. He could see Val fighting to keep her whip taut, though her fire was dimming.
"Get up," Iris said.
He couldn't. His arm was useless and his leg was numb.
"Get up, Cale."
Kade stood over him, arrow nocked. "Yield."
Cale's hand found something cold—his dagger. The Ogreian Dagger. He'd forgotten it. He channeled the last of his Mauri into it and felt it vanish from his physical sight as the invisibility took hold.
Kade's eyes flickered, noticing the hand movement, but he couldn't see the blade.
"Now," Iris said.
Cale swung. The invisible blade cut across Kade's bow arm. The arrow went wide. Kade stumbled back, his arm bleeding as his bow clattered to the ground. Cale rolled, grabbed Soul Drinker, and lunged.
His blade pressed against Kade's throat. His other hand—the one holding the invisible dagger—pressed against Kade's heart.
The ring went silent.
Kade stared at him. His arm was bleeding and his bow was gone. His teammates were frozen; Val's whip was still at the healer's throat, her fire ready to flare.
"Checkmate," Cale said.
The word hung in the air.
Kade's jaw tightened and his eyes burned, but he finally raised his free hand.
"We yield."
The crowd erupted—some cheering, some booing, and some just stunned. The announcer's voice cut through the noise. "Team Cale wins! They advance to the next round!"
Cale let his sword drop. His legs gave out, and he fell to his knees. Val was at his side, pulling him up and laughing through the blood on her face.
"You crazy bastard," she said. "That was insane."
He tried to laugh, but it came out as a groan. His arm was useless and his Mauri was empty, but they'd won.
Medics rushed onto the platform. Ethan was already sitting up, arguing with a healer. Riker was being helped to his feet. Rel was standing, his screen dark, his mask somehow still intact.
Cale let them lift him onto a stretcher. The last thing he saw was Kade standing at the edge of the ring, watching him with something that might have been respect.
Then the world went grey.
He woke in the medical wing, bandaged and aching. Val was in the cot next to him, her side wrapped and her eyes closed. Ethan was sitting up while a healer checked his ribs. Riker was in the corner with his shoulder bandaged. Rel was nowhere to be seen.
Cale lay there, staring at the ceiling. They'd won. Barely.
His gauntlet chimed.
Experience: 234/300
One more win, maybe two, and he'd reach the next threshold. The next seal.
He dismissed the screen and closed his eyes. The tournament would continue. Vorian's team was next. Lysander was watching.
But for now, they had won.
"Checkmate," Iris said quietly.
He smiled, just a little. "Checkmate."