Chapter 4: The Arena of Shadows
Chapter 4: The Arena of Shadows
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The classroom buzzed like a hornet's nest. Professor Liora's hologram flickered above the combat arena, her voice slicing through the noise. "Today's exercise: Disarm your opponent using *only* your primary ability. Fail, and you'll scrub plasma residue from the training drones for a month."
Elara tightened the strap of her telepathy-dampening headband—a "gift" from the school to "level the field." Beside her, Maya cracked her knuckles, eyes gleaming.
"Nervous?" Maya whispered, her breath frosting in the suddenly cold air.
"I'm always nervous," Elara said. The dampener itched, but she didn't remove it. *Better they think me weak than see how far I've come.*
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**Round 1: The Prodigy vs. The Prince**
Amelia stepped into the ring first, her photographic memory already dissecting Jared's stance. His grin widened as he activated his power—a kaleidoscope of stolen abilities swirling around him: fire, ice, a flicker of Yagami's memory-dive.
"Predict this," Jared taunted, lobbing a plasma orb.
Amelia didn't flinch. Her mind replayed his last 37 fights in perfect detail. *Tells: right shoulder twitch before ice, left eyebrow lift before teleportation.* She sidestepped, snatching the stun baton from his belt mid-lunge.
"Disarm via *memory*," she said coolly. "Not bad for a human."
The class erupted in applause. Elara noted Jared's clenched jaw—*he's never lost to a non-Arcanian before.*
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**Round 2: The Shadow vs. The Sun**
Yagami faced Ambiga, the self-proclaimed "main character." The moment their eyes locked, Yagami's pupils dilated—accessing Ambiga's memories.
***Channel 1 (Ambiga):*** *Age 6, reading Kant under the covers. Age 12, hacking the school's security to prove a point. Last week, sabotaging Elara's desk—*
Yagami stumbled, repulsed. "You're vile."
Ambiga smirked. "Knowledge is power, *thief*." He lunged, fists glowing with repressed energy—but froze mid-swing.
"Disqualified!" Professor Liora barked. "No unauthorized enhancements."
Ambiga bowed mockingly. "Apologies. My *intuition* must've acted on its own."
Elara's dampener sparked. For a split second, she felt it—Ambiga's mind, slick with arrogance and something colder. *He's been watching me.*
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**Final Round: The Sisters**
The hologram highlighted Elara and Maya.
"Wait," Elara protested. "We're not—"
"Now," Liora said.
Maya materialized in the ring, eyes black as event horizons. "Don't hold back."
Elara stepped in, the dampener's itch becoming a burn. *Channel 2 (Maya):* *Show them what we are.*
The bell rang.
Maya struck first—a telekinetic gust meant to pin Elara against the wall. But Elara had spent years dodging Amaga's "surprise attacks." She rolled, the dampener snapping.
The world exploded into sound.
***Channel 3 (Ambiga):*** *She's the key. APGA will pay handsomely.*
***Channel 4 (Jared):*** *I'll steal her power next.*
***Channel 5 (Maya):*** *Please understand. Please fight.*
Elara screamed, clawing at her temples. Maya froze. "Stop the match!"
Too late.
Elara's telepathy erupted—a raw, unfiltered burst. The arena's lights shattered. Students collapsed, clutching their heads as their deepest shames flooded their minds. Maya alone remained standing, her own power forming a shield.
"Enough!" Professor Liora activated the null-field. Elara crumpled.
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**Aftermath**
Infirmary lights hummed. Maya pressed a damp cloth to Elara's forehead. "You could've beaten me."
"I don't *want* to beat you," Elara whispered.
Footsteps echoed. Ambiga leaned in the doorway, holding Elara's broken dampener. "Such… *potential* wasted on fear." He tossed her a new device—sleeker, unapproved. "Wear this. Or don't. Either way, they're coming for you."
When he left, Maya examined the device. The APGA serpent coiled around its core.
"We need to talk," she said.
Outside, thunder rumbled. Somewhere, a storm was brewing—and this time, it had Elara's name.
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