Clash at Dawn

The morning haze rolled across the high-altitude arena, fog curling low along the glowing edge of the floating platform. The sun had only begun to rise, casting a pale warmth through the clouds. This was the same place where only days ago, Solene, Seraphyne, and Nerys had experienced their first "death" together.

The memory hung in the air.

Solene walked toward the arena with Seraphyne tucked close to her side, their bodies brushing as they moved. Solene's arm was looped loosely around Seraphyne's waist, and Seraphyne clung to her arm like it was the only anchor left in the world. They whispered to each other in hushed, affectionate tones, the kind only lovers traded when they believed no one else was listening.

Trailing behind them, Nerys wore her usual half-smirk, half-scowl. She kept a polite distance, watching the pair with amused detachment.

It had been decided, mutually and peacefully: Solene and Seraphyne would continue their romance openly, and Nerys would step back. She didn't need or want the sweetness and constant cuddling. When she wanted Solene—needed her—she would have her, and Solene had promised not to deny her. But this, this clinging intimacy? It wasn't Nerys's style. And the night before, she'd even made herself scarce to give them privacy.

She didn't hate it.

She just couldn't live in it.

But that didn't stop her from caring.

As they entered the arena, all three froze.

Nyxara was already there.

Leaning casually against her floating staff, she looked decidedly off. Her silver hair was messy, almost wind-blown, and—strangest of all—she wore thick black lenses perched on her nose.

None of them had ever seen such a thing.

"What... is she wearing?" Seraphyne murmured.

"Don't ask," Nerys muttered.

Nyxara raised a hand in a slow wave, the effort sluggish.

"Ah... apologies for my appearance," she slurred slightly. "Had a bit to drink last night... you know... how mating season is... if ya haven't... got anyone."

The last words were mumbled, incoherent.

Next to her stood Lira, dressed in flowing azure blue robes traced with soft white cloud patterns. She stood with a straight back, her expression calm but her hands fidgeting nervously.

Nyxara cleared her throat loudly.

"Anyway! Duel time! You know the rules by now. Lethal damage means you reform outside the platform. No outside interference, especially you, girlfriend-types."

Her sunglasses slipped slightly down her nose.

She pushed them back up.

"Solene. Lira. Take your places!"

The platform lit with warm energy as both combatants stepped forward. Solene stood tall, a calm intensity behind her eyes. Lira, by contrast, looked focused but unsure. Until she looked up.

Nyxara gave her a single, subtle nod.

That was all she needed.

---

The duel began in a crack of ice.

Solene moved first, a thin veil of frost sweeping across the floor as she skated forward with supernatural grace. Lira responded by leaping back, drawing on her internal reserves of spiritual energy to buffer her footing.

Solene conjured sharp ice shards, firing them like missiles. Lira ducked the first, spun under the second, and leapt the third—barely avoiding the sting of their deadly chill.

Lira returned fire with bursts of concentrated Qi, launching forceful gusts of golden light in explosive arcs. Solene weaved through them with ease, her feet leaving trails of snow in her wake.

"Faster than before," Solene noted aloud, her breath visible in the morning chill she herself had created.

"I've been training," Lira called back. Her voice didn't waver. "And I want to win."

Solene smiled, a genuine one. "Good. Come at me, then."

They clashed at the center.

Solene formed an icy whip, lashing it toward Lira, who flipped over it with a burst of Qi-powered agility. She landed hard and struck the ground, sending a pulse of force at Solene's feet. Solene jumped, spun mid-air, and launched a spiral of ice behind her, narrowly missing Lira's side.

The fight intensified.

Lira's fists glowed golden, her internal energy focused into close-range strikes. Solene danced around her, ice blooming with every footfall, turning the field into a dangerous terrain of frost and crystal.

Lira slipped once, and Solene seized the moment—she summoned a jagged spike of ice beneath Lira's feet.

But Lira—somehow anticipating it—flipped backwards, catching herself on one hand and twisting mid-air.

She landed roughly, panting.

Solene charged forward, hand glowing with sharp ice energy, aiming for the decisive blow.

Lira screamed.

And a shockwave of energy burst outward.

Her eyes glowed.

Then it appeared..

The Bow of Radiant Dawn blazed into existence, floating before her like the dawn sun. Its golden limbs stretched wide, humming with power.

Lira reached for it.

She notched a single arrow of radiant Qi.

And fired.

The arrow pierced through Solene's incoming spell, through the mist, through the silence— a direct hit to her core.

Solene's body exploded into shimmering particles, vanishing into light.

The arena went silent.

Nyxara stood up straight.

"Winner: Lira of the Azure Cloud Palace."

Lira stood in silence, bow fading from her hands, breath caught in her throat, her body trembling from the surge.

Solene reformed on the edge of the arena, blinking, hand on her chest.

Then she smiled.

"Damn. Nice shot."

Lira exhaled for the first time in what felt like hours.

And Nyxara allowed herself the faintest smirk, hidden beneath her sunglasses.