As soon as the word "Begin" left Instructor Caelis' mouth, Kael Vernier and Samantha Solaris vanished.
The crowd gasped.
They didn't literally disappear but their speed was so explosive, so immediate, that they left afterimages behind. To the less experienced eyes in the room, they may as well have blinked out of existence.
Clang!
Steel rang out across the training hall, echoing like thunder in a canyon.
Kael slid back half a step, blocking Samantha's vertical cut with the flat of his blade. He parried her counterstrike and twisted, coming around with a horizontal slash aimed at her ribs.
But she was already gone.
Clink!
Their swords met again in the center sparks flying. Samantha's hair whipped around her like a golden flame. Her footwork was graceful, honed, precise.
She was calm, but sharp.
Every movement refined. Every strike with intent.
This… was talent.
Samantha Solaris wasn't just good.
She was gifted.
Every step she took was measured. Her guard never dropped, her reactions never hesitated. Kael could feel it. She was born to wield a sword. Her blood carried the teachings of the Solaris Empire. Trained since birth by Caelis Drayven himself.
And yet… he didn't lose ground.
Kael spun, dipping low beneath a feint and swept her legs but she jumped, using his shoulder to flip over him. She landed, and her sword thrust toward his back but he turned, caught the blade on his guard, and pushed forward.
"His instincts…" she muttered between exchanges, "they're not normal."
Kael didn't reply. He was in flow.
His sword moved on memory. Each strike came from trial, not theory.
> Elowen Forest.
Where he had fought beasts.
Where he learned to move not in straight lines, but with unpredictability.
Where he bled. Where he nearly died.
He didn't have her perfect posture. He didn't have her measured grace.
What he had was experience.
Hard-earned.
Violent.
Raw.
Clash! Parry! Feint!
They circled one another, Kael's breathing steady, Samantha's eyes gleaming with joy like she had found someone worthy.
Their blades met in a high arc. Samantha twisted, trying to break his balance but he adjusted mid-step, spinning his sword around her defense.
The blade kissed her cheek just barely.
She flinched, but smiled wider.
"Finally…" she whispered.
She pressed forward, raising her sword. Mana wrapped around her legs and arms, her body flowing faster now lighter. Kael felt the pressure rise.
She's opening her core.
This is going to get serious.
Kael responded, shadow slipping across his blade not full power, just enough to match.
Their next exchange cracked the floor beneath them.
The class had stopped.
Even Elira Morvayne had paused her practice.
Samuel stood, arms crossed, watching with burning interest.
Instructor Caelis Drayven's eyes narrowed.
It's not just talent anymore… this is a clash of ideals.
"One trained by legacy. One forged by survival."
Sweat beaded on Samantha's brow. Kael's knuckles ached from blocking her relentless blows.
They both leapt back.
Silence.
Kael gripped his blade, readying his form.
Samantha lowered hers… and whispered.
"Solaris Sword Art: Third Form—Radiant Pulse!"
The room shifted.
Her sword glowed with golden light, brighter and brighter until it was nearly blinding.
Caelis raised a brow. "She's using that already?"
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"Looks like I'll need something real too…"
He let out a breath.
"Shadow Arts: Form Two… Crescent Fold."
First stance.
Second stance.
Their blades hummed.
The room held its breath.
And then.
They struck.
BOOM!
The clash was like a lightning bolt, sending shockwaves through the entire training hall. Wind blasted through the air, knocking back onlookers. The floor cracked beneath their feet.
Dust clouded everything.
Silence.
No victor yet.
But everyone knew.
The next move would decide it.