📖 Ashes of the Forgotten Star Chapter 8 – Arena of Masks
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The stone doors of Arena 6 closed with a deep, resonant thud, sealing me inside.
Rows of seats towered above the circular battlefield, already filled with students, instructors, and curious nobles. Combat trials weren't mandatory for first-years, but when Kael Dyran demanded a duel, the academy turned it into an exhibition.
I stood on one end of the polished obsidian floor. My uniform cloak fluttered slightly with the wind enchantments circling the arena.
Kael waited on the opposite end, his arms crossed, golden eyes radiating confidence. His flame-etched gauntlets shimmered with stored mana.
Instructor Haldena stood in the center, her voice magically amplified.
"This is a sanctioned duel. Core suppression lifted. You may use all elemental magic. No fatal strikes. Begin upon the chime."
The chime sounded.
Kael struck first.
A spear of flame exploded from his palm, spiraling toward me. I side-stepped and raised my left hand. Wind and lightning wove together, forming a translucent shield that absorbed the blow before fracturing into sparks.
Kael closed the distance, his gauntlet crashing toward my ribs. I caught it with a burst of water mana, twisting his arm and sending him skidding across the floor.
He grinned, exhilarated.
"You were hiding more than a high-yellow core."
I didn't answer. I let mana flow through my limbs, lightning-quick and coldly precise.
We clashed again.
Flame met shadow, metal met force. I let him think he had control, letting his light magic blind the crowd while I drew on the deeper reserves under my core. The awakened layer.
One he didn't have.
I raised my palm.
Tempest Veil.
Wind, water, and lightning surged together, forming a spiraling vortex that snapped forward. Kael raised a golden barrier but the spell shattered it like glass, sending him flying into the arena wall.
Silence.
When the dust cleared, Kael lay crumpled on the ground, groaning.
The crowd erupted.
Haldena raised her hand. "Victory: Lioren."
Kael looked up at me, his pride bruised more than his body. "You... you're not normal."
I knelt beside him, low enough for only him to hear. "No. I'm not."
Then I stood and walked away.
That evening, Elyra met me in the courtyard. "You've made enemies now."
"I was born with them."
She handed me a scroll. "The Circle wants you to see this. It's the old campus map. Your next trial lies beneath it."
I unrolled the parchment.
🗺️ Map: Veltheim Academy Grounds
1. Central Spire: Main tower housing the Aetheric Prism, High Council Chamber, and the Arcane Archive.
2. Novitiate Halls: Student housing and common areas. Divided into four dorms by elemental affinity.
3. Combat Arenas (1-9): Training fields designed for live magical duels, each tied to an elemental terrain.
4. The Old Courtyard: Abandoned training ground. Entrance to the Circle's hidden chamber lies beneath the angel statue.
5. Runic Integration Hall: Labs and lecture halls focused on magic-technology fusion.
6. Whispering Woods: Enchanted forest used for field tests and practical exams. Rumored to house forgotten ruins.
7. The Observatory: Once used to study the stars. Now locked, but still draws mana at night.
8. The Sealed Stair: An ancient descent into the Academy's deep foundation. Marked off-limits.
9. Archives of Aether: Secret library hidden within the mountainside behind the academy. Only accessible to Circle members.
I studied the map.
So many secrets buried beneath the stone.