The Blood of the Invoker

Kael's breathing was labored. The underground arena of Nocturnia seemed to close in on him as his opponent approached with his sword drawn.

The man before him was a seasoned warrior, scarred all over his body and eyes as cold as iron.

There was no hesitation in his movements. Only bloodlust.

Kael gritted his teeth. He couldn't use Void magic here, not without drawing too much attention.

He had to fight… and survive.

The Beginning of the Fight

The warrior struck first.

Kael narrowly dodged the blow, feeling the blade whizz past his face. He was fast. Too fast for a normal human.

But Kael was no normal wizard.

He slid back and made a quick gesture with his hand. A golden seal appeared in the air for a fraction of a second, then disappeared.

The warrior didn't even notice. He lunged forward again, thrusting his sword toward Kael's chest—

—and then stopped dead.

His muscles tensed. His sword trembled in midair.

Kael smiled. The Seal of Delay had worked.

It was a simple spell, barely noticeable, but deadly in the right hands. The seal had stopped the flow of magic in the enemy's body for a moment, slowing his movements just enough to—

BAM!

Kael struck the warrior with a fist enhanced by another seal. The shockwave sent him flying backward, sending him crashing into the arena wall.

The crowd erupted in a roar.

Survival and Power

Kael turned to Zareth, who was looking down at him with his arms folded.

The man nodded. "Not bad. But you have more to prove than just cunning here."

The door to the arena opened.

Kael turned… and his heart skipped a beat.

A new opponent entered the arena, but this time it wasn't human.

It was a massive hibrak, a magical beast with three red eyes and venom-coated claws.

Kael immediately saw the truth.

Nocturnia didn't just want to test him. She wanted to break him.

And he had to prove that no one could break a Wizard of a Thousand Seals.