The arena is in ruins.
Shattered stone and molten earth crumble beneath Lucien's boots as he floats midair, watching the scorched crater where Veyra had just been. The smoke parts, and there she is, standing tall in her armor, the glowing wings of her battle-suit twitching violently.
Lucien whistles. "You're ridiculous."
Veyra's voice crackles through the suit. "You told me to go all out."
"Right. Remind me never to do that again."
The next moment is a blur.
Her back thrusters ignite with a roar, twin flames propelling her through the air.
Lucien raises his arm, forming a circular shield of ash just in time to deflect her strike, but it cracks with the force of impact.
She hits like a freight train dipped in hellfire.
The audience, his companions, curious villagers, and mercenaries alike, all begin screaming and scattering as blasts of heat and shockwaves erupt from the battlefield. A massive boulder explodes near the hillside, sending chunks of molten debris flying.
Serenith stands on the edge of the hill, arms flailing. "You idiots are going to level the Ashlands! Stop the fight!"
Ignara grips the rock wall beside her. "They're insane! We have to do something—"
"I agree," X'zelle growls, her twin blades already in hand. "She's gonna rip his pretty head off—"
"No." A dozen black ash tendrils erupt from the ground, slithering around their arms and legs before Val strides into view, unbothered by the carnage. "This is his trial."
X'zelle snarls at him. "Trial!? She's foaming at the mouth!"
Val's tone is calm but firm. "Lucidius is your king. He must face more than affection, more than politics and pillow talk. He must prove he can make the hard decisions. Without us catching him every time he stumbles."
Below, the ground explodes. A massive sword of fire and steel slices through the terrain, chasing Lucien as he darts midair on clouds of ash.
Lucien grunts. "Gods, Veyra, at least pretend I'm your boss!"
"You told me to go all out!" she roars again.
Her battle-suit twists mid-lunge, launching a salvo of burning javelins from compartments on her shoulders. Lucien spins through them, ash coiling like smoke around his body, but one clips his side, burning through his jacket and drawing blood.
"Ah, fuck," he mutters, grimacing. "That was tailored."
He teleports in a blink, reappearing behind her. "You owe me a jacket."
She spins fast. Too fast. He barely dodges the counterstrike.
He's breathing harder now. He'd been holding back, trying to feel her out. But she's relentless, her armor driven by emotion, her magic boiling over like a volcano. If he doesn't escalate soon, she might actually kill him.
He flicks a hand. "Alright. Time to get serious."
He drops to the ground, slamming his palms down. The earth trembles, cracks spidering around him in jagged veins. Ash floods outward like a black tide, swallowing rock and root alike. Floating swords erupt from the soil, burning with void-flames, dozens of them rising in a slow, deliberate arc like a firing squad taking aim. He launches them like arrows.
Veyra roars and brings her mech arms up to block. They clash, sparks and shrieks of metal echoing through the valley.
Lucien weaves between his conjured blades, teleporting short bursts at a time. He strikes, slashing with dual void blades. The first hit shatters a gauntlet. The second slices a wing.
Veyra shrieks, stumbling back, but catches herself, slamming a fist into the ground and launching a burst of concussive flame.
Lucien skids backward, coughing smoke. "Okay! Maybe I overdid—"
Boom~
Her remaining wing explodes.
Half her suit collapses. The metal plates crumple, limbs sparking and twitching. Lucien's eyes widen. "V-Veyra!?" He drops to a crouch. "Shit, are you..."
Then he feels it.
A pulse of power. Dark, ancient, and furious.
Her armor hisses open like a flower blooming in hell. The inner core splits. From the wreckage, Veyra emerges. Blood running down her lip, her eyes glowing like twin green stars. Her breathing mask locks into place, runes flaring to life, her hair a raging inferno of twisted, sweaty curls.
She stands in her true battle form now. Tight, custom armor hugging her lithe form, with exposed runes glowing across her arms and thighs.
She's gorgeous. Dangerous. And completely bloodlusted out of her mind.
She reaches back and rips two massive swords from the fallen battle-suit's corpse. "I'M. NOT. DONE." she roars.
Lucien steps back. "Okay, alright. Deep breaths. We can talk—"
She screams like a banshee and charges.
Lucien conjures walls, spikes, tendrils of ash. She breaks through them all. He blocks a slash, only for her to spin and catch him with the other. His side bleeds.
"Dammit, Veyra!" He hisses. "That's enough!"
From the ridge, Ignara screams. "LET US HELP!"
But Val holds firm. "No. He needs to figure this out on his own."
X'zelle's eyes glow red. "He's gonna die!"
Val doesn't even glance at her. "Then he dies. And you crown a new king. A better one."
She lunges at him, snarling, but the tendrils hold.
Val finally turns, voice low and cold. "You want to protect him. But he must choose when to protect himself."
In the arena, Lucien has had enough.
He cracks his neck and floats into the air, bleeding, frustrated, tired, and turns deadly serious.
He raises a hand. A black star forms in his palm.
"Sorry, babe," he says softly. "But I can't flirt this one away."
He launches himself at her, ash spiraling behind him like wings. Veyra grins and meets him midair.
He strikes.
Two rapid blows with twin blades.
Crack, crack~
Her swords shatter like glass.
Before she can recover, he summons tendrils that wrap around her, but she screams and breaks free again, lunging straight for his heart.
Lucien whispers, "Sorry. This one might hurt."
He pulls void energy into his fist.
The world warps, colors twisting, sounds muffled, reality bending around his hand.
Then he punches.
The blow lands square on her jaw.
The air ripples.
Veyra goes flying, launched across the valley floor like a comet.
Lucien vanishes in a blur of ash, then reappears behind her and catches her limp form just as gravity takes her, arms wrapping tight around her armored waist to cushion the worst of it. They explode through boulders and pillars of stone before both crash, cratering into the valley wall, dust and pebbles raining down around them long after the impact fades.
Silence.
An hour later, warm light flickers across steaming water. Magical lanterns float through the air, casting gentle glows across the enchanted hot springs dug into the valley side.
Veyra groans, eyes fluttering open.
Her body aches. Her jaw throbs. But the bath's healing waters soothe her skin like silk as steam curls over her body.
Naked, relaxed, floating gently.
Lucien sits behind her, shirtless, brushing water along her arm with a soaked towel. He looks up and smiles.
"Hey, beautiful."
She blinks. "Wha… what happened?"
"You went rabid," he chuckles. "I had to put you down."
She groans again. "Oh gods. I'm so sorry—"
He silences her with a gentle wave. "You warned me. I asked for it. I deserved it."
Her lips twitch into a grin. "Did I at least look good?"
Lucien leans close. "Veyra, you looked like the bastard lovechild of a war goddess and a siege weapon. I nearly pissed myself."
She laughs, and winces, holding her side. "Worth it."
Lucien rinses her shoulder. "Still, I'm sorry. That last hit was a bit much."
"I've had worse," she says with a shrug. "Besides, that was the most fun I've had since I was exiled."
Lucien leans in closer, lips just inches from hers. "See, that's not good. I can't let that stand."
"Hm?"
He smiles smugly. "I have a reputation to uphold. If word gets out that fighting me is more fun than bedding me, I'll never recover."
Veyra giggles. "I don't know. You are kind of adorable when you're panicking."
"Panicking?" He smirks. "I held back. And besides, I don't panic, I throw myself at the problem until it stops."
She bites her lip. "Well, you could try throwing me at something."
"Oh? Like what?"
She turns to him in the water, chest brushing against his.
Her lips hover near his ear. "Like a bedpost?"
Lucien's smirk widens.
He cups her cheek, brushing wet hair from her face. "Still up for more fun?"
Her smile turns devilish. "Only if you promise not to hold back again."
He growls low in his throat. "I was hoping you'd say that."