Echoes of Conflict

The air crackled with raw power as Bastia and Thane faced off against Zephyr and Liora. Zephyr's Veil was manifested as sharp, slicing gales that cut through the air with deadly precision, added with Liora's illusions and mirror tricks to distort reality itself.

With her veil lending her immense strength, Bastia charged forward with earth shattering force. She swung her fists with such power that the very air around them trembled, creating shockwaves that sent debris flying. Thane danced in and out of the shadows with his veil, he strikes at Zephyr from the most unexpected angles, only to be met by an illusion of his body everytime.

Its as if Zephyr and Liora moved in perfect harmony with their attacks synchronized with eerie precision. Zephyr's wind blades would force Bastia and Thane into a defensive stance, only for Liora to strike with a barrage of illusions that left them disoriented and vulnerable. Liora's mirrors reflected the battle in twisted ways, creating phantom images that confused the two, while Zephyr's winds pushed and pulled them into traps set by Liora's tricks.

"Too slow, princess"

Zephyr mocked Bastia as her punch was only met the air, with the illusion of his self vanishing before her eyes. Loria's laughs can also be heard echoing from all directions as her illusions multiplied around him.

Bastia clenched her teeth, frustration welling up to her as the relentless assault continued. She noticed how seamlessly Zephyr and Loria's powers intertwined, their coordination were beyond just a mere teamwork. Then, it clicked to her.

"Aetheric Bond..."

Thane, dodging another wind blade, glanced at her

"What's that?"

She quickly explained to Thane with her voice strained as she blocked a gust of wind

"They are bonds that are formed between seekers whose Veils resonate strongly with one another. These bonds allow them to share powers, communicate telepathically, or even combine their magic to perform powerful joint spells"

"Can't we do the same?"

Bastia shook her head, she slammed her fist into the ground to create a shockwave that disrupted Loria's illusions.

"It's impossible for us who barely know how the other's veil work. It takes a long time to train and perfected it."

Zephyr smirked as he overheard their conversation. He launched a whirlwind that swept Thane off his feet.

"Shit!"

But Thane wasn't ready to give up. He rolled with the wind, disappearing into the shadows and reappearing behind Zephyr with his claymore lashed out at him. Zephyr dodged the attack, and he was forced to retreat with a gust of wind. Bastia took the opening: and with her Titan strength, she shattered the mirrors around them, dispersing the illusions.

"Stay focused Thane!"

***

Serephira moved quickly through the quiet, empty streets of the capital.

'Where are you, Kaelen?'

She hadn't seen him even once during the whole tournament. She wondered what has he been up to for the whole day.

Suddenly, the sound of crumbling stone snapped her out of her thoughts. Serephira looked up just in time to see debris falling from a nearby building. Without hesitation, she leaped to the rooftop as her instincts were guiding her to the source of the disturbance.

When she reached the rooftop, Serephira was met with a chaotic scene. Madam Nyx was locked in a fierce battle with an unknown man. The clash of their powers sent shockwaves through the air, but Madam Nyx's sharp eyes caught sight of Serephira.

"Princess Serephira?"

Serephira's hand instinctively went to her rapier as she was ready to assist her, but Madam Nyx quickly interrupted her:

"Never mind me, help the boy over there!"

She was slightly startled at Madam Nyx's order, but she followed the Madam's gesture. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Kaelen lying unconscious on the rooftop with his body all battered and bruised, with pool of blood staining his clothes. His skin was pale, almost ghostly.

"Kaelen!"

She rushed to his side. As she knelt beside him, she could sense a faint amount of astral resonance still lingering within his soul, but it was weak—too weak.

Desperation surged through her as she reached out her hand. A soft, radiant light began to emanate from her palm, growing brighter as she summoned her Veil of Light. The healing energy flowed into Kaelen, the warmth of the light was slowly surrounding his broken body. Serephira focused intently, but her heart was pounding with fear and grits as she worked to restore the boy.

'What have you been doing?'

As Serephira's hands hovered over Kaelen, her thoughts spiraled into self-reproach. The warmth of her light did little to ease the cold guilt creeping into her heart. She couldn't believe how blind she had been—caught up in the tournament, obsessed with proving herself, while the reason of Kaelen condition was probably because he had been out here, fighting to protect the capital, to keep everyone safe.

"Was the dark light earlier your doing as well?"

She glanced at his battered form and she felt a sting of shame. How could she call herself a princess? While she chased glory, Kaelen faced real danger, and now he lay broken because of it.

'Some princess i am..'

Serephira's heart pounded as her healing magic seemed to falter. No matter how much light she poured into Kaelen's body, it wasn't working—his astral resonance was fading, slipping further away with each passing moment. Panic gripped her as she realized what this meant. If his resonance disappeared entirely, Kaelen could die.

"You better not die, Kaelen!"

Suddenly, a burst of dark flames erupted from Kaelen's body, forcing Serephira to leap back just in time. The flames roared with a ferocity she had witnessed before, with their heat searing through the air around them. Madam Nyx and Gravis, who were locked in their own battle, paused, startled by the violent display.

Kaelen's body moved, he rises from the ground with an eerie calmness. He then reach out both of his hand. Serephira's eyes widened as she recognized the motion he was making.

"That move..."

From the void between his hands, a dark sword materialized, crackling with the same sinister energy as the flames that had erupted from him. 

As the dark sword materialized in Kaelen's hands, Gravis's eyes widened in shock.

"Impossible... you're—"

But before he could finish, Kaelen, who was devoid of emotion, immediately leapt toward Gravis. Gravis quickly reacted by conjuring a barrier that harnessed the gravity around it, but Kaelen easily erased its existence into nothingness by swinging his sword that was imbued by the dark flames. He then made a punching motion towards Gravis.

"Fuck!"

Gravis reflexively raised both his hand to blocked the incoming attack, but the strength behind it caused him to be propelled back to the ground, causing him to crash into it.

Serephira watched the event in stunned silence. Her mind was slowly flashing back to a time when she had witnessed such power before—The once-lifeless body was now a vessel of a sinister force once again.