Quarter Finals II

|Lancelot|

The anticipation was palpable as I prepared to face my opponent, Kathyln, in the quarterfinals. She was renowned for her prowess in archery and ice magic, making her a formidable adversary.

As we took our positions, I could feel our auras colliding, with Kathyln narrowly losing out to my own. Despite this, I had no intention of underestimating her and refused to rely on Bell's power to gain an advantage.

Kathyln wasted no time in unleashing her magic, quickly transforming the battleground into a treacherous ice field. I used my wind magic to levitate myself just above the ground, determined not to slip up and expose myself to her attacks.

With a quick incantation, I conjured Gale Arrows made entirely of wind magic, ready to strike at Kathyln. But before I could even release them, she countered with a flurry of her own arrows, expertly neutralising my attack.

I watched in awe as she gracefully pulled back the string of her bow, firing off six arrows in the blink of an eye. Two of them raced towards me with incredible speed, forcing me to react quickly to avoid being hit.

Despite the intensity of the battle, I remained focused and determined.

As I watched Kathyln's fluid footwork on the ice field, I couldn't help but be impressed by her agility. She moved with such grace, constantly shifting her position to avoid my attacks.

Our battle continued with a flurry of long-range spells, neither of us gaining an advantage. I knew I needed to step up my game if I wanted to come out on top.

Summoning all my concentration, I activated one of my most potent abilities, [Mana Sovereignty]. The wind mana in the air instantly responded to my call, allowing me to amplify my spells to a whole new level.

With a renewed sense of confidence, I conjured a massive green hawk made entirely of wind mana, sending it hurtling towards my opponent.

As the green hawk I conjured closed in on Kathyln, she quickly responded with an ice spell that countered it perfectly, a move beyond my estimation. Undeterred, I summoned my sword from my spatial ring and charged towards her.

Kathyln, with only her bow as a weapon, quickly retreated, firing off arrows to keep me at bay. Her movements were graceful and swift, but I was relentless in my pursuit.

I closed the distance between us and swung my sword, aiming for a decisive blow. But Kathyln was not one to be taken by surprise. With incredible agility, she dodged my attack and fired a flurry of arrows in response.

I barely managed to deflect her arrows with my sword before leaping back to avoid her next strike. Our battle had intensified, each of us pushing ourselves to our limits.

Despite my [Mana Sovereignty], Kathyln's skill and speed were proving to be a formidable challenge. I needed to come up with a new strategy if I wanted to secure victory.

I took a deep breath and began to focus on my magic. The ambient wind mana responded to my call, forming a vortex around me. As the vortex grew stronger, it began to distort the ice field beneath us, making it difficult for Kathyln to maintain her footing.

With my opponent now off-balance, I charged forward once more, using my wind magic to enhance my speed and strength. Kathyln tried to retaliate with a barrage of arrows, but I deflected them effortlessly with my sword.

Finally, I closed in on her and struck with all my might. The sound of metal on metal echoed through the arena as our weapons clashed one last time. But this time, I emerged victorious, sending Kathyln's bow flying out of her hand.

As the Director announced my victory, I took a deep breath in to relax.

|Alistair|

'To think he beat Kathyln without even using Spirit Dive,' I thought as I looked at the battle. Lancelot was a stage higher than Kathyln, but it was that method he used to control the ambient mana around him that decided the battle.

Despite Kathyln having superior technique with her bow compared to his sword, the difference in mana manipulation and skill was too much to cover.

As I ascended the steps to the stage, my heart was pounding with anticipation. Facing my fiancée, Tessia, in a battle was a mix of excitement and nervousness.

The Director raised her hands into the air and commanded us to assume our positions. Tessia's determined expression showed that she was ready to give it her all.

I joked, "No hard feelings?" as I summoned Faithkeeper from my spatial ring.

Tessia responded with a soft smile before her expression hardened again, "You aren't using your second sword."

I shrugged and replied, "Sorry, but I don't think I need to against you."

The Director announced, "Let the final match of the quarterfinals begin!"

As we began the battle, we shot vines towards each other. Our spells entangled, but I gained a slight advantage. However, Tessia quickly countered by firing wind blades into my plant magic, cutting it and allowing her vines to overflow.

I swiftly destroyed her vines with blue flames from my right hand, but this action caused a strange feeling inside me. It was as if something was missing.

Ignoring the feeling for now, I charged at Tessia using wind magic, and she met me in a sword duel.

Our swords clashed and exchanged strikes, their white and emerald blades glinting as they moved at extreme speeds.

As the battle intensified, Tessia's swordsmanship proved to be swift and light, relying on speed rather than brute force to penetrate my defenses. However, my enhanced perception with my eyes allowed me to easily anticipate and counter her moves.

But as I summoned blue flames from my right hand once again, that strange feeling inside me grew even stronger, and I suddenly lost all my strength.

Tessia seized the opportunity and quickly trapped me with her plant magic, knocking Faithkeeper out of my grasp.

As I struggled to break free, a familiar voice echoed in my mind, "Child, it's time for you to awaken."

Confused and disoriented, I suddenly felt a burning sensation in my left eye, as if it were on fire.

In that moment, I instinctively summoned my most powerful spell, the Black Flames of Annihilation, unleashing a torrent of dark flames that consumed everything in their path.

What just happened to me? And why did I feel like I had tapped into a power beyond my control?

The dark flames continued to eat away at the stage, with Tessia unable to defend against them at all.

|Gary|

My attention was only half on the match between Tessia and Alistair. It was clear that Alistair had the upper hand, and it was only a matter of time before he emerged victorious.

Suddenly, everything changed. Alistair's body went limp, leaving him vulnerable to Tessia's attack. She quickly disarmed him and ensnared him with vines.

But that wasn't the strangest part.

Alistair conjured black flames made of vivum. The flames burned through Tessia's vines with ease, but they were out of control and spreading rapidly.

As the Director panicked and tried to contain the flames with her sound magic, I knew I had to step in. With Arthur absent, I was the only one who knew how to handle aether.

"Director, let me handle this," I said, attempting to calm her down.

I drew on the power of my purple core and focused my mind. With my palm outstretched, I siphoned the aether from my surroundings and used my motes of vivum to counter Alistair's vivum.

Brilliant white flames erupted from my hand, clashing fiercely with the black flames. For a few moments, it seemed like neither would give way, but finally, the black flames subsided, snuffed out by my white flames.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the danger passed. It was clear that Alistair had no control over the vivum flames he summoned, and that was a worrying sign. It was time to investigate this power further.

|Alistair|

My eyes fluttered open to a familiar sight - the ceiling of my bedroom in Elenoir. I attempted to sit up, but the weight of exhaustion pulled me back down.

It was only then that I noticed the presence of my parents, Grandpa Virion, Tessia, Gary, and Arthur all crowded around me.

Tessia's face lit up with relief as she threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly. "You're finally awake!"

A small smile formed on my lips as I hugged her back, trying to calm her down. "What do you mean 'finally'?"

Gary's expression grew solemn as he spoke up. "You've been in a coma for three days, Alistair."

My heart skipped a beat at the news. Three days? I couldn't believe it. I didn't remember anything after summoning those black flames.

Gary ushered my parents and Tessia out of the room, leaving only Grandpa, Arthur and me. There was an uneasy silence between us until Grandpa spoke up.

"Why did you send them away?" he asked, looking at Gary.

Gary cleared his throat, "We need to discuss something serious and confidential. It's about the power Alistair used against Tessia."

Grandpa's expression turned serious as he understood the gravity of the situation.

Arthur took a deep breath before explaining, "This power, it's extremely dangerous. If it were to be leaked out, it could cause a lot of harm."

Grandpa nodded, his expression remaining stern, "I see. Go on, then. Tell me everything."

|Virion|

Today was a day that left me in complete shock. The three brats revealed something truly incredible to me: the existence of a power beyond mana that can influence time, space, and life - aether.

At first, I couldn't believe it until they demonstrated their abilities with time pausing and teleportation. I was left speechless.

As the pieces fell into place, everything made sense now. The creation of teleportation gates, spatial rings, emitters, and diviners - all of it was because of aether.

But the real shock was that nobody knew how to use it anymore. The ancient mages who held this knowledge had died out, leaving only traces of their work behind.

It was only through a mysterious woman that Gary and Arthur were able to obtain the knowledge, and Alistair received it from his mother, who I now suspected to be a mythical being like the dragon Arthur encountered.

It was a mind-blowing revelation that opened up endless possibilities and also potential dangers. The power of aether was beyond anything I had ever imagined, and I couldn't even fathom what it could do in the wrong hands.

"The artifacts used to bind the Lances are most likely powered by aether," Gary revealed.

Alistair and Arthur's eyes widened in surprise as they had not considered this possibility before. I couldn't help but chuckle at their reactions.

"Brat, you never cease to amaze me," I said, smiling at Gary.

As the conversation continued, I realized it was time to share a revelation of my own. However, it was something that would require the presence of all the members of Paladins.

"It's true that today has been a day of revelations, but there is something I must share with you all. However, I will wait until after your first year at Xyrus Academy," I said, looking at each of them.

"You are still just children, only twelve years old. Enjoy your academy life while it lasts," I added, hoping they would not be burdened by the weight of what was to come.

I hadn't realised just how slow my thinking was, and that the world wasn't slowing down for the Paladins.

|Vicht|

I observed the portal displaying the three children and the elder discussing aether and sighed deeply. This was the inevitable outcome of Alistair's inability to control his birth power.

All of them were monstrously talented, to balance the scales in favour of Dicathen. However, time was the one commodity these young prodigies lacked the most.

With enough time and guidance, they could surpass even the strongest Indrath and myself. However, their lack of time meant they needed to hurry.

As I sank back into my chair, I wondered if they would develop to their full potential or if time would run out for them. It was a difficult question to answer, but I could only pray that it would be the former for the sake of Dicathen.