"NEXT DUEL! LYDIA ASTROLOME VERSUS ALTHEA CLARKE!"

Lydia entered the stage with sword in hand and her opponent followed.

Althea had long, inky-black hair that hung straight down her back, the strands slightly uneven at the ends. Her skin was pale, almost ghostly, with shadows naturally forming beneath her eyes.

Her eyes were a deep violet, narrow and steady, giving her a distant look. Her lips were darkened to a muted plum color, matching the ribbon tied loosely around her neck.

She wore dark, layered clothing that contrasted sharply with her thin, delicate frame.

"BEGIN!"

Althea pressed her palms together. Her fingers interlaced.

"[Summon Shadow]"

Darkness pooled behind her. It rose from the ground like smoke. The shape twisted and writhed.

One moment it stood seven feet tall. The next it shrank to four feet. The form never stayed constant. It had no face. No features. Just shifting darkness.

The shadow figure lunged forward. It moved fast. Way faster than anything its size should move.

Lydia sidestepped and a black fist shot past her shoulder. The shadow didn't stop however. Its arm extended and another punch came at her face.

Lydia's sword came up. She deflected the blow to the side. Another fist materialized. This one aimed at her ribs.

She blocked with her forearm. The impact was solid. Real. The shadow grew taller. A third punch came from above.

Lydia raised her blade. The fist struck steel and bounced off. She slashed horizontally at the figure's torso.

Her sword passed through it like air. The blade met no resistance. The shadow's form rippled where the sword went through. Then it reformed instantly.

Lydia gritted her teeth. She spun and delivered a vertical cut. The blade passed through the shadow's head. Nothing happened.

She stabbed forward and the point went through its chest.

Still nothing.

The shadow's fist drove into Lydia's stomach. Air exploded from her lungs and she doubled over.

An uppercut followed immediately. The black fist connected with her chin.

Lydia's head snapped back. Her feet left the ground. She flew backward three yards. She landed hard and rolled and her vision blurred for a moment.

The shadow was already moving. It glided across the ground toward her.

Lydia scrambled to her feet.

The shadow threw another punch.

Lydia's blade came up just in time. She deflected it but the force pushed her back a step. She used this position and kicked at the shadow's midsection.

Her boot passed straight through it and her leg went through darkness. The shadow's mouth formed. It curved upward in a smirk.

Its fist hammered into Lydia's shoulder and she staggered sideways. She then leaped backward to escape the creatures grasp. She put five feet between herself and the creature.

She began thinking about it. The sword was useless. Physical attacks were useless.

The shadow charged again.

Lydia raised her sword and slashed. The blade cut through the shadow's torso. But this time she didn't stop. She used the momentum of the swing to pivot and her er feet carried her past the creature.

She ran straight at Althea.

Althea's eyes widened. Her hands shot up.

"[Sphere of Darkness]!"

Black energy erupted around her. It formed a perfect sphere. The surface was smooth and opaque.

Lydia's sword struck the sphere. The blade sparked against it but the barrier held firm.

Althea's smile returned. Her hand thrust forward from inside the sphere.

"[Darkness Spear]!"

A lance of black energy materialized. It shot through the sphere like the barrier wasn't even there.

The spear hurtled at Lydia's chest.

Lydia twisted. Her sword came across in a desperate block. The spear exploded into fragments and the force knocked Lydia's sword aside.

Heavy footsteps behind her.

She started to turn around but the shadow's fist slammed into her back. Lydia pitched forward. Her face hit the ground. Dirt filled her mouth.

She rolled immediately. Her momentum carried her across the arena floor. Dust kicked up around her.

The shadow closed in. Its form grew larger. It was now eight feet tall with arms that dragged on the ground.

Lydia came up in a crouch. She spat dirt and blood. She then exploded forward.

Althea stood behind her dark sphere. Her smile was confident. Lydia feinted left and he shadow moved to intercept. But she cut right. The shadow adjusted but she was faster.

She closed on Althea's barrier.

Althea's hands moved. Another darkness spear began to form.

Lydia ducked low. The sphere's edge passed over her head.

The shadow was right behind her. Its massive arms reached out. They wrapped around Lydia's torso with a grip like iron. Her arms were pinned to her sides.

She struggled. The shadow's arms tightened.

Althea laughed. "[Darkness Spear]!"

The spear formed completely. It aimed at Lydia's trapped body.

Lydia's eyes closed. Light gathered inside her.

"[Light Beam]!"

Her eyes snapped open. Brilliant white light erupted from her entire body.

The shadow screamed. Its arms released instantly. The light burned through its form like acid through paper.

The creature's body disintegrated. It dissolved into wisps of smoke that vanished in the light.

Althea's smile disappeared. "What..."

The beam of light exploded outward from Lydia. It was pure white. Blinding.

It struck Althea's sphere of darkness head-on.

The sphere cracked. Lines of light spread across its surface.

Althea raised her arms. "No!"

The sphere shattered but the light beam kept going. It slammed into Althea's chest and Althea flew backward. Her body lifted off the ground and she tumbled through the air.

She cleared the arena boundary. Her back hit the wall outside the ring with a thud then she slumped to the ground. Her head lolled forward.

The light faded. Lydia stood in the center of the arena. .

The referee's hand shot up. "Althea is out of bounds! Lydia wins!"

The crowd erupted.

Lydia took her time and slowly and steadily descended from the arena.

"So how was it?" Damion asked.

"Awful " Lydia said, "it seems I have some more training to do. I'm lucky the light spells I've been learning counter her or else I'd have been finished."

"You specialize in light spells, have you formed your core?" Lucas asked.

"No. But most people including myself have an idea of what kind of specialization we want before we even form our core." She said.

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