In the spacious training hall where Alex and Aria usually held their sessions, the sound of footsteps, slicing air, and the pulse of magical energy rang out once more.

  Now three combatants had gathered — Alex, Celia, and Rogan.

  The floor was already littered with marks from previous duels — cracks, scorched scars, and embedded impressions. The training area was protected by barriers, allowing the participants to go all out.

  Alex stood with his blood-forged sword pointed down. His gaze was calm, his body relaxed yet brimming with readiness. A light smile played on his lips. His opponents — Celia, her eyes burning with fiery sparks, and Rogan, whose arms had transformed into massive beastly limbs — had already taken their fighting stances.

  "Begin," Alex said briefly.

  Without waiting for a second invitation, Celia launched a fiery projectile forward — not to strike, but to obscure his field of vision. Simultaneously, Rogan stomped the ground, sending a line of stone spikes racing toward Alex.

  The boy dissolved his sword, morphing it into a long whip of blood. With a few swift strikes, he shattered both the spikes and Celia’s blast, then surged forward, trying to close the distance.

  Celia didn’t let him: she summoned a wall of scorching flame between Alex and Rogan, then hurled several fireballs at his feet, forcing him to alter his trajectory. At the same time, Rogan, circling around, charged in for close combat. His arms were once again beastly, claws long and sharp as blades.

  Alex dodged, deflected the blows, parried the claws with a blade of blood that had taken the shape of a sword again.

  And although Rogan’s attacks grew increasingly aggressive, Alex adjusted his defense every time, as if he knew exactly where the next strike would come.

  "Now!" Celia shouted to warn Rogan, and two powerful streams of flame burst from her hands, aimed directly at Alex.

  He managed to shield himself with a compressed blood barrier, but even through the protection, the scorching blast forced him to slide back. Without wasting a second, Rogan lunged forward again, using earth magic to accelerate. Stone armor covered his chest and shoulders, giving additional force to his strike.

  Celia covered his advance, bombarding Alex from the sides with waves of fire to keep him from dodging or counterattacking. They worked like a well-tuned mechanism: when one attacked, the other created space and provided cover.

  For the first time during the duel, Alex frowned darkly. He didn’t have time to form new blood constructs—so he dashed forward between two waves of flame and slashed Rogan’s leg with his blade, cutting through the armor. The blow made the beastkin stagger—at that moment, Alex clenched his fist, causing blood shards scattered across the field to rise into the air.

  "I yield!" Rogan shouted, feeling the cold blade press against his back.

  Alex barely had time to exhale when flames approached from behind again. Celia launched a final assault, forming two fiery whips and attempting to knock Alex off his feet. But he threw his sword straight at her. Celia deflected it with one of her whips—only to realize, too late, that Alex had vanished from his spot. She hesitated for just a moment, and that was her downfall.

  A single motion—and the blade stopped at her throat.

  "I yield," Celia said calmly, lowering her hands.

  Alex lowered the sword and exhaled deeply. His body was drenched in sweat, and his breathing was slightly unsteady—not because it was too hard, but because he had to constantly adapt to their tactics.

  "Well done. You both coordinated nicely," he said.

  Celia winked at Rogan. "I told you we’d sync up over time. Even our commander had to break a sweat."

  "But we still couldn’t beat him," Rogan muttered with a grin.

  "You will, soon enough," Alex smiled. "Now, let’s see how the others are doing," he added, turning his gaze toward where Lilith, Kaelis, and Lianel were fighting.

  Kaelis surged forward, his sword gleaming with every move, as if it were slicing through space itself. He struck first—a wide horizontal slash followed instantly by a vertical one. Lianel dodged skillfully, blocking with his spear while seeking weaknesses in the offense.

  But it was only a distraction. Meanwhile, Lilith had begun forming dark spears, which appeared one after another around her, hovering in the air. When Kaelis briefly retreated, she launched three at once—from different directions.

  Lianel spun his spear, creating a shield of light around himself that shattered the projectiles into fragments. But at that very moment, Kaelis was already rising into the air—lifted by his own wind magic—and descending from above, sword aimed straight down. Lianel barely managed to dodge to the side, and the air exploded where he had just stood.

  Lilith gave him no rest: several tendrils of dark energy shot from her palm, twisting through the air like lightning, grasping at the space around them as if seeking a target. Lianel conjured a thin barrier of light that flared up before him, blocking the attack, but one dark bolt slipped past and burned his shoulder.

  "Got you!" Lilith shouted.

  "I’m just getting started," Lianel replied through gritted teeth.

  Kaelis attacked again, this time in tandem with Lilith. They moved with pinpoint timing—while one attacked at close range, the other launched ranged assaults, forcing Lianel to dodge and defend simultaneously.

  When he tried to break through to Lilith, Kaelis stopped him with a flurry of strikes. When he tried to push Kaelis back—Lilith’s darkness caught up with him. It was a perfectly synchronized attack that gradually reduced his options for escape.

  But Lianel was still Lianel. Slowly, he began to change his rhythm: instead of retreating, he acted boldly, seizing the initiative. He released several blinding flashes, disorienting Lilith just long enough for him to dash toward Kaelis.

  Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Spear strike—block. Second—block. Third—an upward thrust. Kaelis reacted too late—a strike to the ribs knocked the air from his lungs and sent him flying. A moment later, a light projectile sliced the air just inches from his face.

  "I yield," Kaelis muttered, lying on the ground.

  "One down," Lianel whispered.

  Immediately, Lilith cast a dome of darkness upon him, with blades of concentrated shadow spinning inside. Lianel vanished in a flash of light—seizing the moment, he appeared behind her. A spinning strike with the spear—and Lilith had only enough time to raise a magical barrier, which cracked and shattered into pieces. She tried to retreat—but Lianel was already there.

  "I yield," she exhaled, barely suppressing a smile.

  He lowered his spear and shook his head. "You were a great team. One day you’ll defeat me."

  "Yeah, in about a hundred years," Kaelis snorted.

  "Less," Lilith replied. "Much less."

  Lianel simply smiled, twirling his spear, which slowly disintegrated into luminous dust.

  Eliria ran up to him. Without wasting time, she activated healing magic. Her hands glowed with soft light as she touched the boy’s shoulder, where traces of Lilith’s dark magic still lingered.

  "Thank you," Lianel said, gratitude in his voice.

  "Always happy to help," the girl replied with a gentle smile, then turned to Lilith and Kaelis.

  "Do you two need any help?"

  "I’m fine," Lilith answered first, a little tired but confident.

  "I’m good too," Kaelis responded, brushing dust from his sleeve.

  "Glad to hear it," Eliria nodded.

  At that moment, Alex, Rogan, and Celia approached. Lianel sighed lightly and clicked his tongue skeptically.

  "So, Alex finished first again," he muttered with a sly grin.

  Alex clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Maybe you should focus less on finishing quickly and more on not getting injured," he said with a smile.

  "Exactly!" Celia chimed in. "Alex is right."

  Then she turned to Lilith. "You did great. If you managed to wound Lianel, that means you gave it your all."

  "Thanks," Lilith replied. "But I couldn’t have done it without Kaelis."

  "And where are my applause?" Lianel exclaimed with mock offense. "One against two, by the way!"

  Suddenly, a loud clap echoed nearby, followed by a warm, familiar voice.

  "Well done, well done."

  Everyone turned. Fenrix was approaching them.

  "You held your ground with honor, Lianel," he continued. "But you could benefit from listening to your friends now and then. They clearly mean you no harm."

  "I know..." Lianel muttered, averting his gaze.

  "You all did a great job today," the Director continued. "But that’s it for now. Get some rest, and tomorrow we’ll head into a new dungeon."

  "Thank you, Director!" the students replied in unison.

  Fenrix just smiled, nodded, and disappeared in a flash of teleportation.

  "Well then," said Rogan, turning to the group. "Shall we head out?"

  "After three rounds with Lianel, I’m definitely sleeping in till noon," Lilith sighed.

  "Same here, after that fight with Alex," Celia added.

  "How are you?" Rogan asked Kaelis.

  "I’m fine. If I could, I’d go for another round," he replied with a smile.

  Rogan just smiled back, and the boys started heading for the exit together.

  Celia, Lilith, and El?ria followed at a leisurely pace, chatting amongst themselves. Alex was the last to leave but stopped when he noticed that Lianel had stayed behind, staring into a small pool of water.

  He waited until the others had left, then approached his friend.

  "Something wrong?"

  "I’m fine," Lianel replied, trying to maintain his usual smile, though his voice betrayed a hint of sadness.

  "Really?" Alex asked gently.

  Lianel sighed silently. In the next moment, a spear of light appeared in his hand. He pointed it straight at Alex.

  "Let’s have one more fight."

  "I figured it would come to this," Alex sighed, summoning a blade of blood. "Rules?"

  "First blood. Do you agree?"

  Alex nodded and raised his weapon.

  "If you insist."

  They took their stances. Half a second passed — then they lunged at each other simultaneously.

  Their silhouettes collided — a flash of light and a crimson arc of blood. The clash of metal against magic echoed through the training hall. Alex parried the spear’s first strike by sidestepping and immediately attempted a counter. Lianel leapt back, nearly slipping on the smooth floor, then rushed forward again, faster this time.

  Every move they made was precise, calculated, like pre-planned moves in a chess match. Alex dodged attacks within fractions of a second, his blood blade shifting form — from spear to whip to classic sword. He attacked and defended simultaneously — spikes of blood erupted from the ground, forcing Lianel to retreat or reposition.

  But Lianel didn’t fall behind. His spear released waves of light that sliced through the air, deflecting the spikes and blinding Alex. One flash made the vampire shield his eyes, and in that instant, Lianel lunged — but Alex, as if expecting it, swung his blade sideways, halting his opponent a breath away from defeat.

  "Whoa," Lianel gasped, "still relying on intuition?"

  "Not exactly," Alex replied. "I’m just getting used to your fighting style."

  They met again at the center of the room — both breathing heavily now. Sweat streamed down their temples, but neither of them intended to stop. This wasn’t just a sparring session — it was a challenge. It had been a long time since they’d had a true duel, both fighting at full strength, holding nothing back.

  Light and blood clashed once more in a lightning-fast battle. This time, Alex took the offensive — blood blades grew around Lianel, forcing him to dodge, jump, and parry, but he held firm. Then, in a swift burst, his spear surged forward, aiming to break through the vampire’s guard.

  But Alex wasn’t just defending — he was luring.

  At the precise moment Lianel lunged with all his might, Alex activated several blood spells at once. Spikes erupted from the floor, from the air, even from his own shadow, surrounding Lianel in an instant. The boy halted, inhaled — and only then saw Alex’s blood blade frozen a mere millimeter from his chest.

  A few drops of sweat rolled down his cheek. His heart pounded — not from fear, but from realization. He had lost.

  "Not going to finish it?" Lianel asked between breaths.

  "I don’t want to spill a friend’s blood," Alex replied with a smile, also breathing heavily.

  "Fair enough..." Lianel exhaled. "I concede."

  The spikes vanished. The blood blade dissolved. Alex stepped back and offered a hand.

  "Thanks for a great fight. Feel better?"

  Lianel sighed, then smiled sincerely — no mask, no arrogance — and took the hand.

  "Yeah. Thanks."

  They stood in the middle of the hall — sweaty, exhausted, but satisfied. Because today, they hadn’t just fought — they had grown. Together.

  Having caught his breath and returned to his usual self, Lianel rubbed his shoulder, still sore from the battle, and said with a grin:

  "So, Commander, any comments after the duel?"

  Alex paused, eyes drifting sideways as he mentally replayed their fight. He exhaled slowly.

  "Not a comment... more of a recommendation. Use your light magic more offensively."

  "Hm?" Lianel raised a curious brow.

  "You're excellent with the spear — no question. But you mostly use your magic to disorient or slow down your opponent. If you start combining it with your spear in close combat, you’ll become a much more dangerous fighter."

  Lianel crossed his arms, thoughtful, and quietly repeated:

  "Use light magic more for attacks..."

  After a short pause, he smiled wider.

  "Funny. Mister Raphael told me the same thing a few days ago. Looks like I really should start taking it seriously. Thanks, Alex."

  "Always happy to help," Alex replied with a soft smile. "But now you should go rest. Tomorrow’s the raid, and my second-in-command needs to be in shape — just in case he has to cover his commander’s back."

  Lianel laughed, then gave a playful bow.

  "Yes, sir, Commander."

  They both laughed. Lianel turned and walked slowly toward the exit. At the doorway, he crossed paths with Mira, who had just entered the hall. Nodding to her in greeting, he disappeared through the doors.

  Alex approached Mira, wiping sweat from his brow.

  "Hey. Something up?"

  "Miss Elizabeth asked me to tell you she needs to see you," the girl said calmly.

  "Got it. Thanks, Mira," Alex nodded.

  A magic circle flared beneath his feet — and within seconds, he vanished from the training hall, leaving behind only a faint whisper of energy.