I walked out of the arena with a smile. The match felt close, and I claimed that final spurt to victory. I felt overzealous but pretended to be calm as I walked out. Behind me, the roars of the audience overtook the building. It felt… nice. To have people cheer for you.
I shouldn't get carried away, though. I'm not here to find satisfaction in the audience. I'm here to show everyone my power. I want to show her how much I have progressed this year alone—how I can handle myself if my corruption lingers too long.
Well… It's gonna be a couple of days before my next match. The next match in my bracket is Amber's next fight. Who is she facing next…? I don't remember. I'm gonna be attending her fight with Adrien and Sera, so I'll know by tomorrow. Guess there's no better time than to rest up and train for my next match.
The evening passed by fairly quickly, and the next day arrived shortly after. The outer halls of the arena buzzed with movement. Students whispered, instructors gathered quietly in the upper balconies, healers prepped stations near the base levels. It was almost time for the final match of the quarterfinals.
Amber Gray stood near the gate entrance, rolling her shoulders, cracking her neck, and grinning like she was heading into a bar fight. Her jacket was sleeveless. Her boots were already scorched from previous matches. She exuded the aura of an off-duty soldier. Her gloves were laced with metal-threaded wraps, designed to amplify her elemental control mid-strike.
Adrien, Sera, and I stood behind her.
"You good?" I asked.
Amber smirked. "I was born good. Now I'm just pissed I had to wait this long."
Adrien chuckled. "Still humble as ever."
"You should see me when I win."
I glanced over at Sera. She was silent. That's becoming more usual for her nowadays. She stood still, one hand gently brushing her braid behind her shoulder. Her expression was calm, but her eyes were distant. Focused.
"Amber," she said softly.
Our natural-born fighter paused and turned towards her. Sera stepped closer.
"You're facing Soleil Vireon."
Amber tilted her head. "Yeah, and? Sounds like a perfume brand."
Adrien coughed a laugh while I smirked. Sera, however, didn't even break into a smile.
"He's not just a new face. His last name carries weight—not just political, but ancestral as well. The Vireons are a Lineage-bound family. Elemental legacy stretching back to the old world. They only allow bloodline members to inherit elemental techniques."
I raised an eyebrow. "So… noble nobility."
Sera nodded. "But not the kind that flaunts wealth. The kind that doesn't need to."
Amber let out a slow breath. I can sense her joking edge dulling, but not vanishing. "So what you're saying is… don't get cute."
Sera's gaze locked on hers. "I'm saying—be careful."
A silence passed between us all. This Soleil guy must be pretty intense for Sera to speak so strongly about. I should take notes on this fight, just in case. Amber smirked as she slapped her gloves together.
"I don't care what he's inherited. I'm not the kind of girl you intimidate with a last name."
She looked to me, then at Adrien. "You guys better be cheering loud."
I grinned. "Count on it."
Adrien gave a thumbs-up. "No pressure or anything. Just the last fight before finals."
Amber rolled her eyes and walked toward the gate entrance. Just before she stepped into the light, she glanced over her shoulder. It was just for a second.
"I'm not backing down. Vireon or not."
After that, she was gone, and the crowd began to rise in volume as her name was announced across the arena. We stayed by the gate till we no longer saw her. At that point, the three of us headed up to the benches to watch her fight unfold. Little did I know that this would be interesting to watch.
——————————————————
Inside the arena, the gates across from Amber's side began to open slowly. From the shadows stepped Soleil Vireon. Tall. Composed. Robes are trimmed in navy and silver but cut for movement. His expression was calm, unreadable. His eyes? A deep, strange, gold—like molten metal beneath ice. The crowd quieted, just a little from his entrance. It wasn't out of awe. But instinct. Because even from a distance… Soleil felt wrong.
——————————————————
The arena lights dimmed briefly as we sat down. The match is about to begin. I can see Amber pacing inside her half of the ring. Her knuckles crackling with elemental focus. Her grin was gone now. It had been replaced with something leaner. Sharper. Across from her, the other gate finished rising.
From the dark… Soleil Vireon stepped into the light. The air shifted as he entered. Not in temperature. Not in sound, but in weight. He didn't walk like a student. He moved like someone used to carrying blood on his back. Students fell silent in the stands, murmurs fading into breathless tension.
Then almost suddenly, Soleil stopped walking. He didn't reach the ring's center, but halfway. His head turned slightly, shoulders tight. Brows drawn low. His golden eyes scanned the crowd. It felt like he was looking for something… or someone. Perhaps a parent? Nah, I doubt it. Then, it seemed he found what he was looking for. Up in the stands—sitting down with his arms crossed beside his companions… It was me.
Our eyes met. The moment passed in silence, but everything inside it screamed. I felt my breath hitch. A pulse surged through my spine. It wasn't fire, not pain, but something older, deeper, and familiar. The mark on my palms burned faintly under the wrappings. Soleil's stare was calm but not hollow. He saw something. Recognized something. As for me… I felt it too.
A living curse. The kind you don't choose. The type that tethers you to something monstrous, not just power, but legacy. Our connection wasn't forged by history. It was born of resonance. What I felt was like a gate; It was closed, locked, and rattling behind both of our eyes. I straightened slowly, heart now pounding, but not from fear. It was from confirmation.
He's like me.
Soleil turned back toward the arena. We didn't speak a word to each other, but we understood each other. The pressure didn't fade. In fact, it followed him. I stood up slowly, holding on to the rails in front of me. Both Sera and Adrien looked at me.
"What is it?" Sera asked with concern.
I didn't answer her right away. I just kept watching. Because now? This wasn't just Amber's fight. It was a signal. The Curses were waking up. And they were starting to recognize each other.
I told her it was nothing and continued watching. I could feel both their eyes on me, but I couldn't care less about that. Right now, I feel myself fearing for Amber… and I think I was right for it.
The energy shifted when Soleil turned away from me and walked to the center of the arena. Amber rolled her shoulders again. It seemed like she was trying to ignore the chill crawling up her spine. She didn't scare easily, but Soleil didn't feel like a fighter. He felt like a consequence.
The referee stepped between them, eyeing both with caution. "The final quarterfinal match. Amber Gray versus Soleil Vireon. Standard rules apply. Ring-out, incapacitation, or surrender ends the bout."
She looked at them both. Then stepped back.
"Begin."
Amber moved first. She moved fast. Her fists lit with searing flame, a metal coating forming across her forearms as she surged forward. No hesitation. No reading her opponent. She fought to hit first. Her boot slammed into the stone—she was mid-sprint—
Then the air collapsed around her. A silent, crushing force fell from above like a giant hand. Amber's knees buckled immediately. She gasped, but not from pain; from pressure. Like the entire sky dropped on her. Her fire flickered and died. She dropped to one knee, eyes wide, her limbs suddenly heavy—impossibly heavy. Her metal armguards cracked slightly, and she could not hold them under the sudden stress.
Soleil simply raised one gloved hand. The arena floor beneath Amber cracked outward in a spiderweb pattern. I stood in the crowd, eyes narrowing.
"That's—"
"Gravity," Sera whispered, voice tight. "Pure gravitational manipulation. That's a legacy Vireon element."
Adrien stared. "She can't even move!"
Amber tried to rise, bracing herself against the ground. Every fiber in her body screamed. And the Soleil spoke—just two words.
"Too slow."
With a flick of his fingers, the pressures shifted—and Amber flew backwards. She was pushed by a compressional gravitational wave that sent her skidding across the ring and directly past the boundary line. The arena buzzed—both confused and understanding. Then, the bell chimed.
"Ring-out confirmed. Amber Gray has been disqualified. Winner: Soleil Vireon."
The arena was silent, then whispers.
"That was… seconds."
"She didn't even touch him."
"That's another win for Vireon, I guess…"
Amber sat up just outside the ring, coughing. The look on her face was not of pain but of rage. Soleil turned his back. He made no celebration, no smirk or arrogance. Just cold finality. He walked off the field as casually as he'd entered. I could only watch him leave. My hand twitched faintly near the wrapped mark of my palm.
Minutes later, the crowd began to disperse. Murmurs trailing behind every student who'd witnessed another lopsided bout. It seems that Soleil has done this with every opponent he has faced so far. He uses his element of gravity and ends the fight in seconds.
Amber sat on a bench just outside the lower medical wing, arms crossed over her chest, jaw locked so tight it looked like she might shatter her teeth. Her hair was still singed at the tips, and her bandaged knuckles fidgeted restlessly.
She wasn't injured. Not really, but she'd been hit with something far worse than pain. Confusion, powerlessness, and humiliation. She didn't understand what had happened. And that's what burned.
"I didn't even get a hit in," she muttered, staring at the floor.
Adrien sat beside her, arms resting on his knees. "Amber, come on. You know he's not normal."
"That's the point," she snapped. "I didn't know. I didn't even get a read or feel his rhythm. He just… crushed me."
Sera stood nearby, her hands folded neatly before her, but her voice was gentler than usual. "It wasn't just you. Unless you're prepped for that kind of pressure-based gravitation, there's no conventional counter."
Amber looked up. "So you're saying I lost the moment my name hit the board."
Sera hesitated. "No. I'm saying… he decided when you lost."
We all know that didn't help at all.
Amber stood, pacing once with sharp, clipped steps. "I could've lasted longer. I should've. I'm stronger than that."
"You are," I said from behind.
The group turned to me. I stood at the entrance to the hall, arms folded. I hadn't spoken much since the match began. I reckon they can tell I said enough with my eyes. They weren't on Amber, but on the ring where Soleil had been.
Amber scoffed lightly. "You're not going to tell me I fought well?"
I shook my head. "You didn't fight. You didn't get the chance."
That silence hit differently. Amber didn't argue. She just exhaled, eyes turning toward the stone floor again. Sera walked closer and placed a hand on Amber's shoulder. It was a quiet support from her—no words needed.
Adrien, still trying to ease the mood, muttered, "I mean… I thought you looked cool flying backward."
Amber jabbed him with her elbow. This led him to hold on to his side. "Okay, ow. But I got you to move."
I turned towards them. "He's not just strong. He's… controlled. Every motion feels intentional. There was no flourish or emotion."
Sera tilted her head slightly. "You sound like you've seen that before."
I chuckled, trying to change the topic and not expose myself here. "Heh, call it my intuition."
After that, Sera and Amber went back to their dorms, while Adrien and I wandered around the school grounds. We ended up doing some light training and researching in the library. That reminds me: I haven't seen Regalia lately…. I wonder what she's up to? Probably doing some missions. Though I wish she had kept me in the loop.
Regalia aside, the research about my curse hasn't progressed much. With our limited access, I can only read the same fantastical stories for so long before wanting to pass out from boredom. I could ask Vivian for help… but she'll probably try to pry more about me. I would rather avoid that entirely. I sigh as I close a book on mythological legends in the world.
We decided to hit the hay early and return the next morning to see the bracket. Students packed into the upper galleries of the arena for what had become a daily ritual—watching the results of the latest matches unfold across the main projection crystal.
The monitor shimmered with golden light as the new title cards began to rotate slowly across the air, flanked by elemental banners and flashes of archived fight highlights. One by one, a title card shows the preliminary finals for each bracket. Then, mine appears:
Preliminary Finals — Ascension Clash Bracket
Match: Daniel Reyes vs. Soleil Vireon
A wave of whispers, gasps, and excited murmurs rippled through the room.
"Soleil versus some nobody, huh?"
"That 'nobody' is a rising fighter!"
"Soleil's gonna wipe the floor with him…"
I'm not hearing a lot of confidence in me. That's fine; I'm used to playing the underdog. I was building self-confidence until I felt a pang in my palms. I could feel it. The resonance between us was still there—buried under skin and bone like a heartbeat that didn't belong to me. Adrien looked at the board, then at me.
"You ready for this, bro?"
I didn't answer immediately. I exhaled.
"I have to be."
I watched the board fade back to the academy crest, the whispers still trailing around me like smoke. I didn't need confirmation from anyone, not from Evelyn or Regalia. I'd already know. The second, I felt that presence press against my skin before Amber's match. I learned: This fight wouldn't be about technique. Or rank. It would be a clash of curses. And only one of us could bear the weight of it.
——————————————————
Elsewhere, in the same school grounds. There was a private lounge near the headmaster's tower. The fire crackled quietly in the hearth of Evelyn's private office, casting soft orange light across the deep wood walls and navy silk curtains. The room was sealed, the guards dismissed.
There were only two women present. Evelyn herself and Regalia are the only ones who remain. The twin-blade fighter stood at the far side of the room, her posture stiff. Evelyn swirled a glass of dark wine but didn't sip. Instead, she spoke first.
"So. They met… indirectly, but still."
Regalia didn't move. "It was inevitable."
Evelyn glanced over her shoulder. "You've been quiet since Soleil arrived. I expected more objections."
Regalia's voice came low. "Because part of me wanted to see what he would do."
Evelyn set the glass down. "And what do you see now?"
Regalia walked forward slowly, her cloak brushing the marble floor. Her eyes were hard.
"He's not just strong. He's curated. Too precise. That much control at his age doesn't happen naturally—not without trauma or tethering."
Evelyn nodded. "The Vireon bloodline hasn't produced an elemental anomaly like him in generations."
"And yet here he is," Regalia retorted. "Barely flinching while casting pressure fields with gravitational sync. Students with that elemental affinity don't master it until post-graduation."
Evelyn's fingers tapped her desk lightly. "That's because he isn't just a Vireon."
That made Regalia stop. "...What?"
Evelyn turned to face her fully, voice quiet. "His file was buried. I threatened half the High Order's records office to get an unredacted history." She stepped to the fireplace, eyes distant.
"He's not just a bloodline legacy. He was part of the Obsidian Orphanage in eastern Argenhold. Raised under silent doctrines. They conditioned him to isolate power from identity."
Regalia's brow furrowed. "That place was shut down five years ago."
Evelyn nodded. "Not before he came out of it."
A long silence fell.
Regalia's voice dropped lower. "So he's more than blood. He's a controlled experiment."
Evelyn finally looked at her. "Not an experiment."
A weapon.
Silence fell upon them both before Evelyn continued."But I like to wonder… why did they keep him contained? What is this boy's true purpose?"
Regalia moved forward again. "There's more to him than you know?"
Evelyn smiled. "Of course. And I'll find my answers soon enough."