The expanse of Nax trembled faintly, not from their presence, but from the weight of anticipation that hung in the air. Lucien floated casually, hands folded behind his back, abyssal eyes calmly tracing Kaelix Dravenn's movements. Their aura clashed subtly, rippling reality around them like a stone thrown into a pool—but neither had yet committed fully.
From the distant horizon, streaks of color twisted into focus as Kaelith, Kaelitharion, and a handful of the author candidates arrived. The sheer sight of the metaphysical plane bending around them—spaces folding, dimensions layering—made even these extraordinarily powerful beings smirk in appreciation.
Kaelith, arms crossed and a faint grin on his lips, leaned slightly forward. "Well… this is going to be interesting. Looks like our Sole Exception finally has a real playmate."
Kaelitharion, standing beside him with his usual calm demeanor, only nodded, his blue-and-gold aura pulsating gently. "Observe. This is a test—not just for him, but for everyone who watches. Notice how he doesn't overextend, yet holds the threat of annihilation in a single gesture."
Lucien glanced toward them casually, his smirk widening. "Ah, my audience has arrived. How… punctual of you all. Don't worry, I won't make this too messy… for now." His tone was light, teasing, but it carried the weight of someone who could crush the planet—or the observer—with nothing more than thought.
Kaelix, floating slightly above the ground with an elegant twist of their form, raised an eyebrow. "You do have an audience. I hope you don't mind them watching… or are you going to pretend it's a private duel?"
Lucien chuckled, a low sound that resonated through the warped space of Nax. "No pretense needed. Let them watch. Let them see the inevitability of a Sole Exception in action. And don't worry… I'll keep it entertaining."
One of the younger author candidates, barely containing excitement, whispered to their neighbor: "Do you realize what's happening? That's Lucien Dreamveil, controlling reality like it's… a toy. And that's Kaelix Dravenn, favored by the metaphysical plane itself! Watching this is like seeing stars being born and dying at the same time."
Kaelith smirked. "You're not wrong. I'm curious which one of them will make the first real move. From here, every subtle gesture is a storm waiting to erupt."
Lucien, sensing their conversation without turning, leaned slightly forward and winked. "Speaking of storms…" He flicked his hand lazily toward Kaelix. The air twisted, space condensed, and the ground beneath them seemed to stretch and collapse simultaneously.
Kaelix's eyes gleamed, recognizing the small—but deliberate—escalation. "Ah… so the game begins. I was wondering how long you'd wait before showing a glimpse."
At that moment, Kaelitharion's gaze sharpened. "Look at the layering of their aura. Even in 'controlled' form, they're bending laws of the metaphysical plane. The audience should remain cautious; a single slip could erase a fraction of Nax itself."
One of the other author candidates, a woman with silver hair and a mischievous smile, muttered under her breath: "I hope they're not planning to go full power… that would be catastrophic even for spectators."
Lucien, hearing her clearly, chuckled and raised a hand in mock salute. "Relax. You're here to watch, not intervene. Unless you want to test your luck against me, of course."
Kaelix grinned, floating closer, the red streak in their hair catching the warped light of Nax. "I prefer to test him. Though… it is tempting to see if your audience can survive this little dance of ours."
Kaelith, crossing his arms again, murmured to Kaelitharion, "I swear, if they start manipulating their power fully, I'm stepping in. But… I doubt it. Lucien enjoys theatrics too much to go all-out in front of an audience."
The other candidates began forming a semi-circle, maintaining a safe distance, their collective auras creating faint ripples in the metaphysical space. Each of them felt the magnitude of the confrontation about to unfold.
Lucien tilted his head toward Kaelix, voice calm but edged with amusement. "So… audience in place. Reality is watching. Are you ready?"
Kaelix's grin widened. "Always ready. Let's show them why the metaphysical plane isn't just a playground. It's a testing ground. And no one tests it like we do."
A subtle hush fell across Nax. Even the fragmented, layered realities seemed to pause, waiting for the inevitable clash. The faint flicker of distant stars and constellations shifted as though bending to watch.
Lucien's smirk turned mischievous. "Good… then let's begin. But remember—this is controlled. Just 30% of what we could do. Don't want to erase my audience before the show even starts."
Kaelix tilted their head, floating closer still. "Controlled, huh? I like that. Let's see whose 30% is more… memorable."
The author candidates murmured among themselves, excitement and awe mixing with apprehension. Kaelith leaned back slightly, hands in pockets, and said with a smirk: "If this is just 30%, I wonder what happens when these two finally stop holding back."
Lucien's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Then you'll have front-row seats to the impossible. But for now… watch carefully. Even the smallest strike can rewrite the rules."
Kaelix's aura flared faintly, teasing the limits of the metaphysical plane, and the first sparks of their duel crackled through Nax.
Lucien, with a lazy, teasing smile, moved slightly—nothing more than a shift in stance—but the air around him seemed to bend as though responding to his presence alone. The audience could feel it: every movement, even the smallest, carried consequences that would ripple across the very fabric of the metaphysical plane.
Kaelitharion leaned forward, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "Here it begins. Pay attention… this is the kind of clash that legends are made of."
Lucien's gaze swept over the watching candidates and Kaelith. "Relax… just watch. You might even learn something before I decide to entertain you further."
And in that moment, the air seemed to pulse in rhythm with infinity itself. Nax became both stage and spectator, witness to a controlled chaos that only two beings—Lucien Dreamveil and Kaelix Dravenn—could orchestrate. The fight, the dance, and the spectacle were about to begin… and every eye, mortal or otherwise, leaned forward in anticipation.