Spirits were mystical entities not everyone could see. Only those with a rare gift—honed through years of grueling training or born from an innate spark—could glimpse them in their natural form.

But when a warrior summoned their power, spirits materialized on the physical plane, visible to all.

Syris Kael's fire creatures, the lizard and the monkey, blazed with an intensity that laughed in the face of the torrential rain, their glowing forms slicing through the water like it was tissue paper.

The steam from evaporating raindrops created a thick fog in the arena, turning the fight into a chaotic mess.

In the stands, Lira and Kaira watched the battle with wide eyes, each processing the scene in their own way.

Lira, arms crossed, jaw clenched, was lost in thought, her mind spinning like a hamster on a wheel. Kaira, leaning casually against a pillar, couldn't hide the glint of intrigue in her red eyes, despite her laid-back pose.

The crowd roared around them, but the two were glued to Rian's movements as he dodged the fire creatures' attacks with agility that seemed downright impossible.

"Did you teach him that?" Kaira asked, tilting her head toward Lira without taking her eyes off the arena. "That fancy footwork… that's not something they drill into Aspirants or Rookies."

Lira blinked, caught off guard. Her cheeks warmed slightly, and she shook her head, flustered.

"No," she admitted, her voice quieter than she meant it to be. "I didn't teach him any of that. Rian… he figured it out on his own."

Kaira raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical.

"On his own?" she repeated, turning fully to face Lira. "You're telling me that guy, who was barely a Rookie a week ago, learned to dodge fire-spirit attacks with moves like that without any help? Not even from you?"

Lira pressed her lips together, a pang of unease hitting her.

She knew what Kaira meant. In his fight against Darion, Rian had sidestepped wind blasts with flips and jumps that looked ripped from an elite training manual.

Now, facing Syris's creatures, he was doing it again: twisting his body, leaping to the side, even rolling across the wet ground to avoid attacks.

It was a skill even she, with all her training, hadn't mastered so well.

"Yeah," Lira said at last, her tone clipped. "He learned it on his own. I don't know how, but he did."

Truth be told, she had noticed how much time Rian spent training alone before his recent attitude shift a few days ago.

Kaira, for once, was speechless—a rare feat. She turned back to the arena, where Rian dodged a fiery swipe from the fire monkey with a backward somersault.

"Well, damn," she murmured, a slow grin spreading across her face. "Your stepbrother's got more going on than I gave him credit for."

A thunderclap boomed overhead, as if the weather wanted to punctuate her words, and the rain came down harder, hammering the stands with renewed fury.

◇◆◇

In the arena, Charles was in his own personal hell.

It wasn't just Syris Kael he was up against—it was three opponents: the summoner and his two fire spirits. The lizard, small but lightning-fast, darted in from the sides, trying to tackle him with spark-spitting lunges.

The monkey, bigger and meaner, swung flame-wrapped fists, each punch leaving a trail of heat that made the water on the ground hiss like an angry kettle.

WHOOSH!

The monkey threw a punch, and Charles hit the deck, rolling to dodge it.

The heat grazed his back, and the rising steam clouded his vision. Before he could scramble to his feet, the lizard came at him from the left, its body glowing like a living ember.

HISS!

Charles dove to the side, barely avoiding the tackle. His boots slipped on the slick ground, but he managed to stay upright. The rain kept pouring, but the creatures didn't care.

The water evaporated on contact, creating a dense fog that made their movements even harder to track.

"Damn it!" Charles growled, wiping water from his eyes. "These things don't quit!"

He tried to fight back. Clenching his fists, he felt static crackle in his hands and unleashed a blast at 50% power toward the monkey.

BOOM!

The energy wave ripped through the air, but the monkey barely flinched. The flames on its fur flared brighter, as if the blast had just stoked the fire.

The lizard, meanwhile, hissed and lunged again, forcing Charles to roll once more to avoid it.

'This doesn't add up,' he thought, his heart pounding. 'My blasts aren't doing jack.'

Panic started creeping in, but he shoved it aside.

'I can't keep this up. These things are too tough.'

Then his eyes locked on Syris, standing a few meters away, watching with an unsettling calm.

The guy wasn't attacking directly—just controlling his spirits.

'It's him,' Charles realized. 'If I take him out, these things should vanish

"System," he muttered under his breath. "Crank the energy in my legs to 65%. I need to move fast to get past those creatures, but no blue sparks. Don't want them catching on."

[Redistributing energy. 65% channeled to lower limbs. Ready for boost. Warning: Prolonged use at this level will drain your energy to 30% in two minutes.]

"Got it," Charles said, bending his knees. "Do it

He felt the familiar heat in his legs, sharper than before. His muscles tensed, primed for action.

The monkey threw another fiery punch, and Charles seized the moment. He shot forward, cutting through the fog and rain with a speed that made the crowd gasp.

WHOOSH!

Charles blew past the monkey like a blur, dodging a tackle from the lizard with a sideways leap.

In three seconds, he was within three meters of Syris—perfect range for a blast.

"Got you!" he shouted, raising his hands to unleash a 70% explosion.

But before he could act, Syris flicked his staff with a quick motion.

"Not so fast," he said, a confident smirk on his face.

The ground beneath Charles glowed with a circle of red symbols, and a burst of fire erupted upward.

FWOOM!

AE pillar of flames engulfed Charles, the heat so intense it felt like the air was sucked from his lungs.

The crowd screamed, some jumping to their feet.

"What the hell?" a voice yelled from the stands.

"He's toast!" another shouted.

The narrator didn't miss a beat.

"Unbelievable, folks! Syris Kael had an ace up his sleeve! Rian Cole's trapped in a fiery cage! Can he claw his way out of this one?"

Syris, still smirking, lowered his staff.

"Nice try, Rian," he said, his voice calm but laced with amusement. "But my spirits aren't my only trick."

Inside takeoff circle, Charles gasped, the heat searing his skin despite the rain. His tunic was scorched at the edges, and the pain in his hands mixed with the burning on his face.

'Shit,' he thought, gritting his teeth. 'This wasn't part of the plan.'

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