The arena lights dimmed as Kenneth Prince stepped into the ring.
A hush fell over the crowd. This was different. The air itself seemed to thicken, charged with something primal. Even Master Rhelgar leaned forward in his seat, his scarred fingers steepled beneath his chin.
Kenneth's opponent, Dain Holloway, cracked his neck with a smirk.
Name: Dain Holloway
Ability: "Kinetic Absorption"
Can store physical force from impacts and release it in explosive burst
Dain was broad-shouldered, his nose long since broken and reset crookedly. He'd earned his place in the Crucible by breaking three ribs of his last opponent with a single touch.
"Begin."
---
Dain charged immediately, aiming to grapple. Kenneth sidestepped—but not fast enough.
Thud.
A meaty palm slapped against Kenneth's shoulder. Dain grinned as the kinetic charge began building. "That's one."
Kenneth said nothing. His eyes darkened.
The crowd murmured. Prince was slow. Prince was off his game.
Zarek, watching from the stands, clenched his fists. "He's holding back too much."
---
Dain struck again—this time a brutal knee aimed at Kenneth's ribs.
Kenneth took it.
The impact should have sent him staggering. Instead, he absorbed the blow like stone absorbing rain. His fingers twitched at his sides.
Dain's grin faltered. "The hell—?"
Then Kenneth moved.
Not with vampiric speed. Not with wolfish fury. Just precision.
A palm strike to Dain's sternum—no more force than a normal human could muster.
But the placement...
Perfect.
Dain gasped as his diaphragm locked. Kenneth followed with a knee to the thigh—another carefully measured strike—hitting the exact nerve cluster to deaden Dain's leg.
The kinetic absorber stumbled.
---
Dain roared, swinging wildly now. Kenneth wove through the blows like smoke, each counterstrike surgical:
A thumb pressed to the radial nerve made Dain's arm go limp
A knuckle driven into the pectoral notch disrupted his breathing
A heel stamped behind the knee sent him crashing down
The crowd was silent. This wasn't a fight. This was a dissection.
Kenneth stood over his opponent, breathing steady. "Yield."
Dain, shuddering from nerve shocks, could only nod.
"Winner: Kenneth Prince."
---
As Kenneth walked from the ring, the whispers followed:
"Did you see? No abilities at all..."
"...moved like he knew exactly where to hit..."
Cassian Veyne watched with narrowed eyes, his fingers twitching as if taking invisible notes.
Zarek caught up to Kenneth in the corridor. "That was brutal. Even for you."
Kenneth finally released the breath he'd been holding. His hands shook—not from exhaustion, but from the effort of restraint.
"I couldn't risk it," he murmured. "Not with him absorbing force."
A beat. Then Zarek grinned. "Still. Looked pretty damn cool."
Somewhere in the shadows, Master Rhelgar smiled.
The real test was coming.
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