The roar of the crowd was a distant hum, a muffled noise that faded into the background. Liam stood in the center of the dueling circle, his breath steady, his heart a silent drumbeat against his ribs. Across from him, Ser Kael, a tall, imposing man, was a coiled spring of raw fury. His Aura, a burning red torrent, pulsed and flared around him like a malevolent flame, heating the very air between them. This wasn't a duel of swords and shields; it was a clash of spirits, a battle of wills.
Kael's rage was a tangible force. It radiated from him in waves, a raw, unrefined power born of a lifetime of hardship. He was a champion, a man who had earned his place through sheer brute force and an unyielding will. But in his eyes, Liam saw a new emotion. Fear. A primal, instinctive fear of the unknown. He had heard the rumors of the Lithian boy, the champion who had defeated a Prince. He had seen the quiet power that radiated from Liam, a power that was both unsettling and terrifying.
Liam's own Aura, a shimmering golden light with a faint, dark, spectral shimmer, hummed around him, a calm and controlled counterpoint to Kael's wild fury. He channeled mana into it, strengthening its presence, but he kept it contained, a quiet force waiting to be unleashed. He was a weapon, yes, but a weapon with a purpose. He would not let his rage consume him. He would not let his hate become a weapon of his own destruction.
The King's steward, a tall, gaunt man with a face like a hawk, raised his hand. "Begin!"
Kael lunged first, a guttural roar erupting from his chest. His Aura, a burning red torrent, surged forward, a hammer of pure, unadulterated power aimed at Liam's very soul. The force was immense, a physical weight that threatened to crush Liam's Aura, to break his spirit.
Liam met the onslaught head-on. He didn't try to dodge or evade. He stood his ground, a rock in a storm. He channeled every ounce of mana he could into his Aura, pouring it in a torrent, letting the golden light flare brightly. His will, forged in the crucible of his past, refused to bend. He would not be broken.
The two Auras clashed in the center of the dueling circle, a silent, titanic collision of golden light and burning red. The air crackled with raw mana. The ground beneath their feet groaned, small cracks appearing in the hard-packed earth. The duel was no longer a matter of swords and shields; it was a battle of spirits, a clash of wills.
Kael, the beast, was surprised. He had expected Liam to cower, to retreat, to be crushed by the sheer force of his Aura. But Liam, the dragon, stood his ground, a silent, unyielding monument to his own will. Kael roared in frustration. He pushed more mana into his Aura, forcing it to burn hotter, to lash out with more ferocity.
Liam met him with a quiet, steady resolve. He didn't fight Kael's rage. He absorbed it. He let the red Aura wash over him, a burning tide, and he met it with his own golden light, a calm, controlled river that slowly, inexorably, began to extinguish the flame.
Kael, for all his raw power, was losing. His Aura was a chaotic, unrefined beast, a burning fire with no direction. Liam's Aura was a masterfully controlled force, a quiet, unyielding power that knew exactly what it wanted. It was a matter of time.
Kael, seeing his own defeat, felt a strange emotion. A kind of awe. He had never seen anyone with so much control, so much power. He had always believed that power was a raw, untamed thing. But Liam had shown him something else entirely. Power was not a beast to be feared. It was a force to be wielded.
Kael felt his rage ebb. His Aura, the burning red torrent, flickered and died. He was defeated. He had lost. He looked at Liam, his eyes filled with a strange mixture of awe and respect. He had lost, but he had also won something else entirely. He had won a teacher.
"I… I yield," Kael said, his voice raw with defeat.
Liam, his Aura a steady, shimmering light, nodded. He had won. He had won the duel of wills. He had won the right to stand before the King and his court, a silent, unyielding monument to his own power.
The King's steward, a tall, gaunt man with a face like a hawk, raised his hand. "Lord Liam Lithian is the victor! He has shown us the true power of a warrior's will!"
A thunderous roar erupted from the crowd, a mix of awe for Liam and outrage towards Ser Kael. The King, a withered figure on his throne, watched with a piercing gaze. The Prince, his face a mask of cold fury, watched with a chilling smile.
Liam, his Aura still a steady, shimmering light, turned to face the King. He bowed. "My King, I thank you for this opportunity. I have shown you the power of my will. A power that will be used to protect my family, to serve my King, and to forge a new path for my House."
The King nodded, a small, tired smile on his lips. "Well said, young Lithian. You have shown us a power that is both terrifying and beautiful. I will not forget this. Nor will I forget the man who taught you to wield it. Tell me, young Lithian, what is this new power you possess? What is this Aura you wield?"
Liam knew, with a certainty that chilled him to the bone, that this was a test. A test of his loyalty. A test of his honesty. A test of his obedience. He looked at his father, who simply nodded, a stoic and unyielding expression on his face. He looked at Vorian, who smiled, a chilling, triumphant glint in his eyes.
"It is the power of my will, my King," Liam said, his voice quiet but firm. "It is a power that comes from within. A power that can only be wielded by a man whose will is not to be broken."
The King nodded, a small, weary smile on his lips. "Well said, young Lithian. You have shown us a power that is both terrifying and beautiful. I will not forget this. Nor will I forget the man who taught you to wield it."
He looked at Vorian. "My lord, I trust you have no further... troubles with your enemies?"
Vorian's face, a mask of false piety, did not waver. "Indeed, my King. I have no troubles. My troubles are my brother's. He has a… rash temper. A… wild disposition. I fear he will bring shame upon our family. A shame that will not be forgotten."
The King's steward, a tall, gaunt man with a face like a hawk, announced the final event of the evening. "A duel! A duel between the champion of the Oulbeck Tournament, Lord Liam Lithian, and the most promising young knight in the Royal Guard, Ser Kael."
Liam's heart hammered. A duel? Here? Now? He looked at his father, who simply nodded, a stoic and unyielding expression on his face. He looked at Vorian, who smiled, a chilling, triumphant glint in his eyes.
He stepped onto the dueling circle, a silent figure in a maelstrom of light and whispers. Across from him stood Ser Kael, a tall, imposing man, a man whose Aura was a burning red, a sign of his immense, but unrefined, power. Liam's Aura, a quiet, controlled river, met Kael's wild torrent. The crowd was a silent, watchful presence. The King, a withered figure on his throne, watched with a piercing gaze. The Prince, his face a mask of cold fury, watched with a chilling smile.
Liam looked at his opponent. This was not a tournament. This was a battle for his family's honor. A battle for his father's reputation. A battle for his own life.
"Begin!" the King's steward boomed.
Liam's Aura flared, a brilliant, golden light with a faint, dark, spectral shimmer, a ghostly echo of his Obsidian Scales, a hint of the Dragonheart Vigor. He had become the dragon. And he was ready to show the world what he was capable of.
The two Auras clashed in the center of the dueling circle, a silent, titanic collision of golden light and burning red. The air crackled with raw mana. The ground beneath their feet groaned, small cracks appearing in the hard-packed earth. The duel was no longer a matter of swords and shields; it was a battle of spirits, a clash of wills.
Kael, the beast, was surprised. He had expected Liam to cower, to retreat, to be crushed by the sheer force of his Aura. But Liam, the dragon, stood his ground, a silent, unyielding monument to his own will. Kael roared in frustration. He pushed more mana into his Aura, forcing it to burn hotter, to lash out with more ferocity.
Liam met him with a quiet, steady resolve. He didn't fight Kael's rage. He absorbed it. He let the red Aura wash over him, a burning tide, and he met it with his own golden light, a calm, controlled river that slowly, inexorably, began to extinguish the flame.
Kael, for all his raw power, was losing. His Aura was a chaotic, unrefined beast, a burning fire with no direction. Liam's Aura was a masterfully controlled force, a quiet, unyielding power that knew exactly what it wanted. It was a matter of time.
Kael, seeing his own defeat, felt a strange emotion. A kind of awe. He had never seen anyone with so much control, so much power. He had always believed that power was a raw, untamed thing. But Liam had shown him something else entirely. Power was not a beast to be feared. It was a force to be wielded.
Kael felt his rage ebb. His Aura, the burning red torrent, flickered and died. He was defeated. He had lost. He looked at Liam, his eyes filled with a strange mixture of awe and respect. He had lost, but he had also won something else entirely. He had won a teacher.
"I… I yield," Kael said, his voice raw with defeat.
Liam, his Aura a steady, shimmering light, nodded. He had won. He had won the duel of wills. He had won the right to stand before the King and his court, a silent, unyielding monument to his own power.
The King's steward, a tall, gaunt man with a face like a hawk, raised his hand. "Lord Liam Lithian is the victor! He has shown us the true power of a warrior's will!"
A thunderous roar erupted from the crowd, a mix of awe for Liam and outrage towards Ser Kael. The King, a withered figure on his throne, watched with a piercing gaze. The Prince, his face a mask of cold fury, watched with a chilling smile.
Liam, his Aura still a steady, shimmering light, turned to face the King. He bowed. "My King, I thank you for this opportunity. I have shown you the power of my will. A power that will be used to protect my family, to serve my King, and to forge a new path for my House."
The King nodded, a small, tired smile on his lips. "Well said, young Lithian. You have shown us a power that is both terrifying and beautiful. I will not forget this. Nor will I forget the man who taught you to wield it. Tell me, young Lithian, what is this new power you possess? What is this Aura you wield?"
Liam knew, with a certainty that chilled him to the bone, that this was a test. A test of his loyalty. A test of his honesty. A test of his obedience. He looked at his father, who simply nodded, a stoic and unyielding expression on his face. He looked at Vorian, who smiled, a chilling, triumphant glint in his eyes.
"It is the power of my will, my King," Liam said, his voice quiet but firm. "It is a power that comes from within. A power that can only be wielded by a man whose will is not to be broken."