The morning sun bathed Skyviolet City in golden light, but it was not its warmth that stirred the thousands gathered in the coliseum it was the anticipation. Today marked the grand final of the Youth Aether Selection Trials, where only two contenders remained out of the original four thousand: Zend Kly, the dark horse from Little Wind Village, and Kael Draven, the heir of House Draven and the wielder of the legendary Aether Lunaris Fang, a blade forged from starlight and void.
Zend stood in the waiting hall beneath the arena, his breath slow but steady. Dressed in his combat robes, the sleeves cut short and his iron needle now looped and coiled around his wrist in a serpentine form, he appeared calm but his heart pulsed with the intensity of thunderclouds.
"You ready?" Chris asked, tightening the silver cuffs on his own sleeves, standing by Zend's side. Though not in the final, Chris was given permission to see his friend off before the match began.
Zend nodded, his white eyes calm, focused. "I've never been more ready."
Chris gave a proud grin. "Show them what the boy with a needle can do."
A voice echoed through the underground hall. "Finalists, to the gate!"
Zend stepped forward. As he ascended the stone stairs and emerged into the coliseum, cheers erupted from all sides, waves of sound crashing like a storm. Banners fluttered, wind carried petals from enchanted blossoms, and arcane lights circled the sky dome above.
Across the field stood Kael Draven.
He was clad in obsidian armor that shimmered with silvery-blue veins. His hair was a deep violet, and his eyes, sharp and calculating, radiated confidence. The blade on his back was unlike anything Zend had ever seen a crescent-shaped sword with a black core and edges that glowed like the night sky. The Lunaris Fang.
The announcer's voice rang out, enhanced with magic to reach every corner of the stadium. "Today we witness the final battle between two rising stars! On one side, Zend Kly, wielder of the mysterious evolving Aether Needle! On the other, Kael Draven, heir to the Draven bloodline and bearer of the legendary Aether Lunaris Fang!"
A roar of approval shook the arena.
Kael stepped forward, speaking just loud enough for Zend to hear. "It's impressive you made it this far. But your journey ends here."
Zend remained composed. "We'll see."
The ground beneath them began to shimmer. Runes activated along the boundary, forming a dome of protective energy around the battlefield. The announcer's voice fell silent.
A horn blared.
The match had begun.
Kael didn't hesitate. He unsheathed Lunaris Fang with a flourish, the blade singing through the air. As he slashed forward, crescent waves of void energy burst forth, hurtling toward Zend.
Zend jumped back, his eyes scanning the trajectory. With a flick of his fingers, the black iron needle shot from his wrist, extending mid-air like a whip before striking down one of the void arcs. It dispersed, but the force rattled Zend's control.
Kael pressed in.
His speed was phenomenal. He blurred from one side to another, a trail of silvery light marking his path. Zend activated Light Telekinesis, his needle whipping through the air to parry strikes. For a moment, their weapons clashed again and again light and void, precision and power.
Kael leapt into the air, spinning as he channeled his Aether.
"Lunar Rend!" he roared.
A massive arc of void energy, wide as a house, slashed down.
Zend gritted his teeth, focused his mana, and willed his needle into its sword-like form. It extended rapidly, transforming into a dark blade of its own, coated with a venomous green sheen. He crossed it above his head, bracing himself.
Boom!
The force smashed into him like a tidal wave. Dust exploded from beneath his feet, forming a crater. Zend slid back several meters, his boots carving twin trails in the dirt. His arms trembled from the impact, but he stood firm.
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Did he block a legendary skill?"
"Is that really just an iron needle?"
Zend exhaled slowly. His arms hurt, but his body was still able. He flicked his hand, and the needle retracted into its smaller form, spinning around him like a dancing shadow. He dashed forward, closing the gap.
Kael swung. Zend dodged.
He ducked low, using Rapid Shrink to shorten the needle mid-air, letting it whip faster into Kael's ribs. Kael barely managed to block it, but Zend wasn't finished. The needle extended again from behind Kael, striking his shoulder.
A hit.
The venom seeped in. Kael winced.
But he retaliated instantly, slamming his elbow back and activating another skill Void Pulse. A wave of concussive energy blasted Zend away.
Zend rolled and rose, spitting blood.
He was outmatched in raw power, but he had something else: adaptability.
He glanced at his hand, where his soul chamber pulsed.
Just a little more...
Kael didn't let up. He roared again, activating another legendary skill Moonshadow Chain.
Black chains burst from the ground, each etched with runes and seeking to bind Zend's limbs.
Zend darted and danced, his needle slicing through some, dodging others. But one caught his leg.
He fell.
Kael descended, his blade poised for a final strike.
Zend's eyes sharpened. In that moment, the world slowed.
He focused his telekinesis. Every drop of mana surged into the needle.
The weapon grew, it morphed into a longer sword, becoming a long sword.
"Serpent Form: Triple Fang!" Zend shouted.
The spear-like needle whipped toward Kael's incoming slash. They clashed mid-air.
Bang!
Energy exploded outward. Dust covered the arena. Everyone stood.
When the mist cleared, Zend knelt on one knee, his body shaking but still standing.
Kael had been forced to retreat, a long gash along his left side dripping dark blood.
Cheers erupted.
The announcers could barely speak over the noise. "An incredible exchange! Zend Kly has just countered a legendary blade with what appears to be an evolved Aether possibly approaching the A-rank tier!"
In the stands, high-ranking instructors from all five great academies leaned forward.
"That needle… it's not ordinary."
"It has evolved twice already, at his age?"
"Track that boy's progress closely."
Back in the field, Zend staggered up, blood running from his mouth. Kael's expression had shifted from arrogance to grudging respect.
"You're strong," Kael muttered. "But let's see how long you can keep that up."
Zend didn't answer. He steadied his breath.
This wasn't over.
And he wasn't done yet.
Zend's heart pounded like a war drum. The coliseum was deathly silent, every pair of eyes locked on the two combatants at the center of the crater-strewn arena.
Kael Draven stood tall, but his breaths came shallow. His once-flawless armor now bore cracks and charred streaks. Opposite him, Zend staggered to his feet, blood running down his lip, his clothes torn, and his black needle aether floating around him like a coiled serpent.
Kael raised Lunaris Fang one final time, void energy swirling into its edge like a tidal wave preparing to crash.
"I will end this with my strongest form," Kael growled.
Zend narrowed his eyes. "Then I'll answer with everything I have."
Kael's Aether flared to life, transforming into a curved blade of pure celestial energy. "Lunaris Judgement!"
From above, a phantom moon formed pulsing, swirling with silver lightning and void magic.
Zend clenched his fists, his needle spinning wildly.
The moonbeam crashed.
Zend twisted, ducked, and hurled his glaive upward with full telekinetic force. The two energies collided. The venomous glaive and void moon burst into a cascade of explosions, blinding the arena.
For seconds, nothing could be seen or heard only a wild tempest of light and force.
When the dust cleared…
Kael lay on the ground, unconscious, his blade cracked beside him.
Zend stood in the center of a shattered ring, barely upright, supported by his floating Aether which had returned to its needle form, circling him protectively.
The arena exploded into deafening cheers.
A voice roared across the sky, "ZEND KLY IS THE FIRST FINALIST!"
He exhaled and collapsed to one knee, smiling faintly.
The Second Final Chris vs. Meteor Cannon
Not long after, the field was restored by mages, and the second final began.
Chris stepped into the arena, sparks flickering around his body. His Aether, the Thunder Dragon Blade, pulsed with living energy lightning shaped like a dragon spiraling along the edge of the sword. He breathed deeply, his blonde hair already crackling with power.
Opposite him, a boy in massive crimson armor stomped forward.
His Aether was enormous a Meteor Cannon, easily twice his size, glowing red with molten sigils. This was Jarek of House Orvis, a brutal prodigy and the wielder of the legendary Blazing Core Aether.
"This won't be like your other matches," Jarek warned.
Chris smiled and slid into stance. "Good. I was getting bored."
The horn blared.
Jarek acted first. His cannon charged, its barrel humming with arcane pressure. "Comet Shot!"
He fired. A massive fireball the size of a carriage tore through the field.
Chris dashed aside, his lightning dragon sword leaving a trail of thunder. He deflected the explosion, the shockwave sending flames in all directions.
The two clashed, again and again.
Chris's blade met the metallic body of the Meteor Cannon. Sparks and fire collided. Chris was faster, more agile, but Jarek's firepower was overwhelming.
"Meteor Barrage!" Jarek yelled.
Dozens of flaming projectiles burst from his cannon in rapid succession.
Chris's blade roared. "Thunder Domain!"
A dome of lightning erupted around him, blocking several meteors while his sword danced cutting through the rest with razor precision. Still, two blasts struck his shoulder and thigh, scorching his robe.
Blood trickled, but Chris only grinned.
He sprinted forward, sword raised high. Lightning coalesced into a full dragon spirit roaring above him.
"Thunder Dragon Fang!"
He slashed.
The ethereal dragon dove and clamped down on Jarek's cannon, detonating in a massive electric surge. The arena rumbled as molten pieces of metal scattered.
Smoke engulfed the battlefield.
Chris fell to one knee, panting.
From the smoke, Jarek emerged injured, his cannon cracked but not destroyed.
"You're strong," Jarek said. "But so am I."
He lifted the cannon one last time, its barrel glowing brighter than ever before.
Chris closed his eyes. Now or never.
Lightning surged from his core to his fingertips, to the very blade he held.
"Lightning Breaker: Storm Rend!"
He vanished from sight reappearing above Jarek in an arc of pure thunder and struck down with every ounce of his power.
The Meteor Cannon fired.
The two energies collided in a deafening blast that shook the coliseum to its foundations.
When it cleared…
Jarek's cannon was shattered.
Chris stood behind him, blade still glowing.
Jarek fell.
Silence.
Then
"CHRIS XAVIER WINS!"
Zend, still recovering on the sidelines, managed a tired smile as Chris limped over to him.
They exchanged a look.
Two boys from the same small village.
Both in the Grand Final.
And tomorrow… they would face each other.
To be continued…