air thick with heat and moisture, as Torren and Veyra locked into their duel. The stone tiers loomed silent, no crowd to cheer, only the sharp eyes of faculty cutting through the haze. Torren's red robes flickered like a living flame, his stance wide, hands crackling with raw power. Veyra's blue robes rippled, water droplets orbiting her, her eyes sharp with focus. The ground was already scarred, blackened patches and shallow puddles marking their opening clash.
Torren surged forward, his Inferno Lash escalating into a Blaze Net. He thrust his arms out, flames weaving into a lattice of searing cords, each thread pulsing with steam-fueled intensity. The net snapped toward Veyra, exploding on contact, the blasts gouging craters into the arena's earth, sending shards of scorched dirt flying. The air sizzled, heat waves distorting the space, the net tightening to trap her in a cage of fire. The arena's stone pillars shuddered, their surfaces blistering from the radiant heat.
