Spell Rewritten

⚖️ Noble Youth Combat Exchange — Structure

The Aldren-hosted exchange wasn't just ceremony. It was designed to rank, compare, and scout future heirs across magical and martial disciplines.

Combatants were divided by Battle Category, determined by preliminary assessments:

🛡 Battle Categories:

Category D: First-years & non-casters (basic sparring)

Category C: 4th–3rd Rate Swordsmen, 1st–2nd Circle Mages

Category B: 2nd–1st Rate Swordsmen, 3rd–4th Circle Mages

Category A: Reserved for prodigies. Rarely assigned.

Achilles, having no formal record, was placed in Category C by default.

> Convenient, he thought. Let them think I'm still ordinary.

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🧑‍🎓 Round 1: Standard Duel

Match: Achilles Verentis vs. Kael Dorne

Type: Mage (2nd Circle) vs. Sword (Unknown Style)

Limitations: No lethal spells, no summons, no formations

Kael Dorne was tall for his age. Confident. His House specialized in direct-cast elemental magic.

> "Don't blink, Verentis," Kael said as they entered the ring. "I'll try to make it painless."

Achilles gave a polite nod.

Inside, his System flickered awake:

> >>> Opponent Profile: Mage_Circle_2

>>> Opening Cast Detected: fire.spike.linear()

>>> Charge Time: 2.4s

>>> Trajectory: Direct

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⚔️ The Opening Exchange

Kael raised his staff. Mana flared.

> "Velnir—Ignis Dran!"

A sharp lance of flame burst forward—standard fire-spike.

Achilles shifted his weight. Nothing dramatic.

But his System moved faster than light.

> >>> Spell Detected

>>> Begin Intercept Protocol

Inject: [field.overlap.buffer]

Trigger: Micro-shield overlay, 0.6s window

Feedback: spell.fire.spike → error()

Result: Misfire

The crowd saw the spell fire—

—then shatter, mid-air, like it had hit glass they couldn't see.

Kael's eyes widened. "That was—!?"

Achilles didn't give him time.

He stepped forward. Sword drawn. Low arc swing.

> >>> Embed: fire.slash.lightweight

>>> Trigger: Exhale + downswing

>>> Output: localized burn, ~62°C

The sword passed Kael's coat—not cutting—but leaving a long black line across his outer tunic.

Silence.

The referee raised a hand.

> "Point to Verentis. Kael is marked—unable to continue."

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📊 Updated Rankings — Category C

1. Achilles Verentis — 1 Win (Flawless)

2. Mirren Yurell — 1 Win (Conjuration specialist)

3. Kael Dorne — 1 Loss (under evaluation)

4. Others — scattered draws/losses

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👁 Whispers and Warnings

"Was that anti-casting?"

"No chant? No aura?"

"How did a 3rd-rate blade block a 2nd-circle spell!?"

From the watchtower, Agent Silas frowned.

> That wasn't a block.

That was a system override.

> He's not counterspelling. He's rewriting the code mid-cast.

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📩 A New Challenger Approaches

After the match, a letter arrived at Achilles' quarters:

Sealed in violet wax. Marked with an unknown crest.

He opened it.

> "To the boy who doesn't chant—

You've made your move.

I'm next."

—A.