Sol-Regis Royal Academy – The Grand Colosseum. Midday – The Final Round.
The sun hung at its absolute zenith, a punishing white orb that turned the sky into a furnace. Below, the Grand Colosseum—a massive amphitheater of ancient stone and modern magitech reinforcement—vibrated with the suppressed energy of ten thousand spectators. The white sands of the arena floor had been baked into a shimmering, heat-reflecting bed of embers. Every breath taken by the crowd felt heavy, as if the air itself was thick with the weight of the impending clash.
In the center of this scorched circle, two figures stood as polar opposites of Aethelgardian society.
