The sky above Caelora Grand Colosseum trembled under the roar of thousands.The sand shimmered with protective magic, and in the center of the vast arena stood hundreds of mages — the finest from across the Kingdom of Urtz.
On the highest podium, Helmir, Sage of Mind, tapped his wooden staff against the enchanted ground.His voice thundered across the entire stadium.
"This trial isn't about raw strength. It's about control and clarity.Stand your ground for forty minutes — and show me that you deserve the name of mage."
He drove the staff into the sand, and the entire arena shook.Cracks spread outward, and from the earth burst enormous black roots — twisting, snarling, forming into the shapes of living trees.They moved, breathed, and growled like beasts.
"Survive without hurting each other," Helmir commanded."Begin!"
A deep gong echoed through the air.The first trial had begun.
Wave One — Chaos and Pride
The arena erupted into madness.
Flames, water, wind, and lightning collided in a storm of uncontrolled power.Each contestant fought alone — defending themselves, casting shields, and dodging the monsters' roots.No one helped another. They were rivals, not allies.
Lurk of the Kingdom of Sisillia raised his hands and conjured rotating blades of steel that circled around him."Stay back! I don't need anyone slowing me down!"
Across the field, Rossie — small, confident, and utterly calm — spun a soft breeze around herself."They fight like toddlers," she muttered, unimpressed.
A few participants began to falter, their spells colliding with friendly fire.Amidst the chaos, Elara stood still, her hair fluttering in the heated air.Without a staff, she lifted both hands — light formed from her palms, creating a gentle barrier that reflected the monsters' attacks with elegant precision.
"She's blocking without even striking back?" whispered a nearby mage."Her control is... unnervingly calm."
Helmir chuckled."Interesting. So many boast power, yet that girl chooses composure."
Wave Two — The Forest Learns
The tree monsters weren't ordinary constructs.Helmir had imbued them with adaptive sentience.
Every time they were struck, they evolved.Burn them with fire — they turned moist.Shock them with lightning — their roots grew like stone.Drown them — their branches sharpened into blades.
"They're adapting," a council watcher murmured."Classic Helmir."
Then, another figure drew attention — a young man with ocean-blue hair, his expression serene.His hands moved like flowing tides, summoning thin spirals of water that deflected attacks without explosion or chaos.
"That's Prince Noah of Aqualis!" shouted a spectator."The sea-born prodigy!"
Helmir's eyes glinted with approval."Ah, the heir of the deep. Water that never wavers."
Wave Three — The Breaking Point
Thirty minutes passed.
Dozens of contestants had collapsed, and the arena looked like a battlefield of ash and roots.Then the ground began to quake again.
Helmir raised his staff.Every surviving tree monster shuddered — then merged into one colossal creature:Helmir's Great Root Titan — its body a living fortress of bark, its chest a blazing furnace of green fire.
It inhaled.The air shimmered with unbearable heat.
"That's its final form!" cried one of the judges."That heat could melt steel!"
Panic rippled through the contestants.Some fled to the edges of the arena; others tried to defend themselves blindly.Chaos reigned again.
Lurk spat in disgust.
"Cowards! None of you dare face it?!"
A calm voice answered.
"Then I will."
Elara stepped forward.She raised her hands, eyes glowing faintly with resolve.Light gathered — and a transparent dome spread before her, catching the monster's first blast of heat.
Rossie gasped. "She's insane!"
Lurk clenched his fists."She thinks she can handle that alone?"When the barrier cracked, he cursed and sprinted forward.
"I won't lose to a girl!"
Steel spikes erupted from the ground, pinning the monster's roots in place.Rossie followed, redirecting the escaping waves of heat with spirals of wind."Kami-sama, you two are hopeless," she muttered, half annoyed, half impressed.
Then one after another, others joined in.
Arven summoned lightning.Mirell weaved shadows to bind the monster's limbs.Kael solidified the ground beneath them.Lyra controlled the air flow, cooling the temperature.Drestan unleashed dragonfire to reinforce their attack rhythm.And Seryn, the chronomancer, slowed the monster's movements, freezing fragments of time around it.
For the first time — they fought as one.
Helmir smirked."At last. They've stopped trying to be heroes."
The Climax — Two Lights Collide
The monster roared.Its chest glowed like molten iron.Helmir rose from his seat."Now show me — who among you is worthy!"
Noah stepped beside Elara, his tone calm but firm.
"I'll stabilize the current. When I give the signal — release everything."
Elara nodded silently.
The beast inhaled — its final breath of fury.Then, two voices rose as one:
"Cold Radiance!""Abyssal Tide!"
Blinding light and swirling water collided, forming a single spiral beam that pierced through the fiery storm.Heat turned to frost.Flames dissolved into glimmering ice.And the Great Root Titan shattered into thousands of glowing leaves that floated into the Caeloran sky.
Silence.Then thunderous applause.
The Aftermath — Ten Standing
Helmir stood, smiling faintly, his robe fluttering from the aftermath of power.
"Five minutes remain," he announced, voice echoing through magic."Yet only ten of you still stand."
The crowd roared.
"Those who endured thirty minutes — you did not fail.You will be offered places as magic soldiers under the Council of Urtz.""And for the ten who conquered the Great Root Titan — congratulations.You advance to the next trial."
He raised his staff once more.
"Even if you do not become a Sage, you will be invited to serve as executives within the Sage factions.Should you refuse — you are free to return home. No chains, no oaths."
Rossie exhaled, half laughing.
"Executive, huh? Well, that doesn't sound bad. But I'll fight till the end."
Lurk scoffed.
"Executive? Hah.It's Sage... or nothing."
Noah smiled faintly. "So stubborn for someone who almost fainted."Lurk glared. "I didn't ask for your help."
The arena filled again with laughter, applause, and whispers of awe.Fans shouted both names — "Elara the Cold Radiance!" — "Prince Noah of the Tide!"Two new stars were born under the Caeloran sun.
Shadow over Triumph
High above, in the shaded balcony, a cloaked figure watched silently.A faint glow flickered from the crystal on his wrist.
"Lord Numrath," he whispered. "One of them interests me.""Speak," came a calm, low voice from beyond."Prince Lurk of Sisillia. Ambitious. Proud. Fragile. His soul... could break.""Hmm," Numrath murmured. "Good. Keep watching him.""If he falls, shall we offer him the path?""Yes," Numrath said softly."Tell him — even light can learn to love the dark."
The transmission ended.The spy lowered his hand, smirking beneath his hood as the crowd cheered below.
Ten young mages basked in glory —unaware that among them, a seed of darkness had just been planted.