As Luke steadied his stance, preparing for whatever was to come, his eyes narrowed on Riven. The air between them buzzed with tension, thick with unspoken energy. Riven raised a hand, casting an illusion spell—an echo of himself shimmering into existence beside him. The clone mirrored his movements perfectly, its form crackling with faint, distortion.
''Again with the illusion, ''Luke thought, backing up a few steps cautiously. His mind steady.
''He's trying to distract me… or confuse me. But why do it again? What's he planning this time?''
Then, without warning, Riven raised both hands and summoned a blazing Firewall. A roaring curtain of fire erupted between them, rising high enough to obscure Luke's line of sight completely. The intense heat radiated outward, even causing the surrounding tiles of the arena floor to glow a faint orange.
Luke clenched his fists, eyes narrowing.
''He's awakened his elemental essence...'' he realized, his more serious then ever.
'' He didn't use it during our first exchange. Either he was hiding it on purpose or holding back until now. Either way... this changes everything. Now I have to be even more careful.''
He lowered his center of gravity slightly, assuming a defensive stance. He could no longer see Riven or his clone beyond the wall of fire. A trick, no doubt—but whether the real Riven was preparing an attack or using the fire to reposition himself was still unclear.
Meanwhile, in the spectator stands, the crowd held its breath in awe of the rising intensity. The entire stadium buzzed with hushed excitement. Among the audience, Elyon watched closely, leaning forward. His expression was calm and unreadable, eyes locked on the fire with a curious gaze .Something about Riven's sudden showcase of elemental essence intrigued him.
"He has more essence energy than Luke…" Elyon murmured to himself. A thought ran through his mind, This wasn't expected.
But then, his attention was pulled elsewhere. His eyes darted through the crowd, scanning faces as an odd feeling tugged at him. Slowly, he turned his head left, then right, his gaze sweeping across the seats. Something was off.
''Where's Shila? the thought struck him like a quiet alarm. unless I just missed her?''
He stood for a moment, scanning the crowd more intently now. But no matter how hard he looked, she wasn't there.
''Unless I haven't looked properly… or she really isn't here'', Elyon thought calmly.
Still distracted, his gaze lifted toward the elevated stand where the Headmaster and faculty sat. Among the figures, he spotted Mr. Renos, calmly watching the duel with his arms folded. For a second, Elyon frowned.
Wait… his brow furrowed. ''Didn't I just see Mr. Renos in his office less than ten minutes ago? How did he get to the arena so fast?''
A troubling possibility surfaced in Elyon's mind—one that popped into his mind when he put two together.
''the Renos I saw earlier wasn't really him?''
A memory stirred—Renos in his office, his tone unusual, his manner stiff, almost played out. At the time, Elyon had shrugged it off. Now, though, things started to add up.
His mind began piecing things together.
''Shila… she's the only one missing from the arena. I already had suspicion cast on her... From her admission Papers and her involvement with Count Dark.''
Elyon thinks.
''And if she can use illusion magic from astral essences—like Riven does it means that she used that to fool me''
"But… can this actually be true?" Elyon whispered under his breath, and uncertainty in his heart''
He looked toward the arena again, watching the roaring fire between Luke and Riven ripple and dance in the wind, its heat distorting the air. His thoughts swirled with suspicion. Shila's absence, Renos in two places.
He clenched his fists. "Well… I'm about to find out."
His eyes shifted to Kelson, who sat beside him, eyes glued to the duel. The crowd erupted again as a loud crack echoed from the center of the battlefield. But Elyon wasn't watching the fight anymore—his mind was somewhere else entirely.
"Hey," Elyon said, turning toward Kelson.
Kelson blinked, pulled out of his trance. "Hm?"
"So… when you came here earlier," Elyon asked casually, "was everyone already here? I mean, the teachers and all?"
Kelson furrowed his brow slightly, giving Elyon a sideways glance. "Yeah, why do you ask?"
Elyon hesitated for a beat. "Mmm… nothing. Just wondering."
Kelson raised an eyebrow. "Oookay… weird question, but sure."
"Anyway," Elyon added quickly, standing, "I'm going to the bathroom."
Kelson waved him off. "Alright. Don't take too long. This fight's heating up—you don't wanna miss it."
Elyon nodded, already making his way out of the stands, his pace brisk but careful not to attract attention. Once he passed through the corridor leading into the academy building, his expression turned more serious. The noise of the arena faded behind him, replaced by the quiet hum of the academy's halls. Torches flickered along the walls, their warm glow casting long shadows.
He walked swiftly, heading toward the Renos office.'' If Shila really is missing, and she was impersonating Renos… then whatever she's up to, it's happening now''
''I have to find out what she's doing—before anyone gets hurt.''
Meanwhile, in the arena, the battle was reaching a new level of intensity.
Luke planted his feet firmly, his eyes locked on the massive wall of fire still dividing the battlefield. He tightened his grip on his spear, feeling the familiar energy pulse through his limbs.
From the right, Riven's illusion clone burst through the flames, its movements fast and unpredictable.
But Luke didn't flinch. He read the clone's trajectory and timed his reaction perfectly. With a sharp breath, he shifted his weight and sprang backward, his spear lancing out in a precise arc.
The tip of the weapon struck the clone's chest—and in an instant, the figure shattered like glass, breaking into glowing fragments before fading.
Luke landed on one knee, scanning the area immediately. His instincts screamed that something was off.'' That was too easy, '' he thought.
''He knows I've seen that trick before.''
He stood quickly, eyes darting across the arena.
But there was no sign of Riven.
The flames began to die down, revealing only scorched tiles and empty space. A breeze swept through the coliseum, carrying ashes into the air.
''What the!? Where is he?'' Luke thought, heart racing.
Then, a sudden shift in energy—a presence above him.
Luke's eyes snapped upward.
Riven had emerged from the ground like a phantom, silently phasing upward through the stone tiles before launching into the air. His body was suspended midair, hovering with the help of the wind and phase step, black flames rippling faintly across his figure. He held his obsidian blade high above his head, the sun's light catching its edge.
For a moment, Riven's silhouette eclipsed the sun entirely, casting a long shadow across the arena floor. The crowd gasped collectively as Luke looked up into the blinding sky, raising an arm to shield his eyes.
There was no time to retreat. Riven descended like a falling star, his sword poised in a brutal downward strike, the dark blade glowing with crackling energy. Wind howled around him, his form twisting as he plummeted toward Luke with terrifying speed.
Luke barely had time to react. His eyes sharpened, adrenaline flooding his veins.
Here it comes.