The Duel Concludes
Location: Ashenwell Academy – Duel Pit Alpha (MidFight)
Dust clouded the air.
Sparks hissed along the cracked arena floor.
Grim stood hunched, one knee dipped in the dirt, golden fire coiling around his shoulders like a cape barely clinging to a dying king.
Across from him, Kael grinned—cocky, confident, breathing hard but steady.
"You burn bright, I'll give you that," Kael said, pacing in a wide circle, fists glowing. "But you're outmatched."
Grim looked up.
And something shifted.
The Turn – Solace Awakens
Grim rose slowly.
He rolled his neck once. Fire shimmered across his spine.
The wind changed.
The dust stopped swirling—it fell.
A silence, like the breath before a storm, pressed over the arena.
And then… his eyes lifted.
One stormblue.
One embergold.
Both locked on Kael.
"I've learned what I needed."
Kael blinked. "What?"
"Now I win."
Phase Three – The Golden Inferno
Flames exploded around Grim.
Not in chaos—in form.
Golden fire spiraled into rings around his limbs, folding into mirrored sigils of heat and pressure. Every motion now was controlled. Precision forged by suffering.
He didn't attack.
He moved.
One step. Kael swung—
—and Grim vanished.
No teleportation. Just speed and grace.
Grim reappeared behind him, backlit by a sunburst of gold flame. A punch to the gut. Clean. Direct. But heavy enough to fold Kael midair.
He hit the ground hard, skidding—but managed to roll to his feet.
"You've been holding back this whole time—!"
"No," Grim said. "I've been learning."
Phase Four – Apex Fire
Kael roared, unleashing everything—a barrage of kineticenhanced jabs and a molten burst from his gauntlets. It tore across the pit.
Grim didn't dodge.
He walked through it.
The golden flames around him twisted, swallowed Kael's assault, and reformed into a blade—a pure ember construct trailing light.
He brought it down—not on Kael's body, but on his weaponized gauntlet.
Crack.
The metal shattered like porcelain.
Kael staggered back, one gauntlet ruined, breathing shallow.
Grim stood tall, breathing fire and silence.
"Yield."
Kael stared… then dropped to one knee.
The arena went silent.
Then roared.
PostFight – Respect Forged in Fire
The medics rushed in, but Kael waved them off. He stood, bruised, sweating, and strangely… smiling.
"You're something else, Solace."
"So are you," Grim replied, extending a hand.
Kael took it.
"Don't forget our deal."
"You'll have your weapons," Kael said, nodding to the crowd. "And I'll have my pride… slightly singed."
They chuckled.
The Reactions
In the stands:
Lys had her arms crossed, face turned, cheeks flushed red.
"He's an idiot. But he's my idiot," she muttered.
Sparks hovered smugly above the railing.
"About time he acted like a main character. I was losing interest."
Ayesha, Max, Tristan, and Hadi exchanged glances—no words needed.
He wasn't just their brother anymore.
He was something more.