RIPPLE!! WHOOSH!!
The two opposites darted at one another, clearing the gap in an instant.
The space seemed to blur as Jacob emerged from the darkness, sporting a condescending look, as the air collapsed around him.
SLASH! CHING!
All the crowd could hear was the cutting of oxygen, as the two clashed in that void.
Riven pivoted and dodged as Jacob conducted a flurry of mana attacks, all whilst covering himself in Ki.
The result of which made him quicker than before...
RIPPLE!
The void between strikes filled with flashes of steel and surging force.
Every step Jacob took cracked the ground, mana warping in waves.
Riven's blade carved through the distortion, his movements a blur; slowly in tune with Jacob's.
BOOM!
A shock wave ripped outward as their weapons met, the air itself recoiling.
Whilst the two clashed, from the darkness emerged those summoned beasts...
Having their own sentience, they were patient enough, looking for the perfect moment to strike.
ROAR!!
With Jacob pressing from in-front and the beasts emerging behind, Riven lowered his stance, eyes narrowing.
CLANG! CLANG!
His eyes darted as the beasts were metres away from colliding...
Twisting his body after clashing with Jacob, he spun his sword meeting one of the beast's claws...
THUD!
The weight pushed him back slightly, however with his centre of gravity and body low, he swung his sword to the right, straight after the collision; redirecting the force of the beast.
The redirected strike sent the creature stumbling to the side, sparks flying as shadows cascaded the air in a wide arc.
Riven stepped into the opening...
However, a surge of mana exploded from behind.
WHOOOSH!!
Jacob's presence flared, a mana blade descending in a blur.
Riven's instincts ignited.
Dropping his weight, the sword whisked past over his head, before he drove his shoulder forward into Jacob's midsection.
BANG!
The impact rattled through them both, but it was enough to disrupt the rhythm in the air.
There was no room for respite.
It was a scene of quick reactions.
The other beast charged from behind, claws raking across Riven's back before he could fully turn.
ROAR! SHAAH!
Drops of blood rolled down his spine as shredded fabric fluttered to the floor.
Riven grunted as the smell of iron filled the air, the pain throbbing.
A few metres away, Jacob stood with killing intent radiating from every inch of him. His stance had stabilised, the air around him was dense and oppressive.
His expression twisted; not of triumph.
Fury.
Faces in the crowd scrunched as the sound of the blow resounded through the arena, followed quickly with the claws.
Huff huff huff hu-
Riven's breathing came staggered after the blow, slowly taking his time to stabilise.
Jacob's jaw tightened, that faint, aristocratic calm cracking for the first time as his gold eyes glowed under the arena lights.
His eyes turned to his summons behind Riven.
Click
With a snap of his fingers, they had dissipated into the shadows, their snarls dying mid-breath.
Riven turned back, chest rising and falling, blood still dripping from his back.
"Enough distractions", Jacob said, voice low but heavy with command; each word pressed down like a hand on the neck.
He inhaled once.
Huff
Closing his eyes briefly.... the world seemed to still with him.
A faint hum resonated through the air, too deep to be sound alone.
Riven stared, as a gold light crawled up Jacob's frame until it shimmered around him like sunlight.
The crowd watched in silence, the golden light transforming into a towering, translucent figure.
It's head crowned.
It's posture regal.
It's very presence 'law'.
The mirage radiated the aura of an emperor.
Jacob's eyes slid shut, the golden glow behind him swelling until the air seemed to bend.
The crowd murmured, then fell silent, as the arena floor rippled like water under sunlight.
From the outside, a haze of molten gold bled out in a perfect sphere around the two, swallowing them whole.
The stone beneath their feet blurred, edges vanishing as if they didn't exist. Even the sound of the wind dulled to a faint hum.
A few among the audience swore they could hear something faint...
The distant swell of strings, the low thrum of drums.
A percussion?
On the viewing platform, murmurs broke out.
"Is that... a Spirit Domain?" one instructor breathed, eyes narrowing.
"In the first year? Impossible..." another muttered, the strain in their voice contrasting with the doubt.
The Elite Class watched in silence.
Seris's brows drew tight, gaze flicking between the golden sphere, and Riven's still form inside.
Kalen's jaw clenched, arms folded as his eye's didn't leave Jacob from his bed.
Aelana exhaled slowly, as if steadying herself, while Caelun's calm eyes sharpened.
All around, Jacob's name whispered with a mix of awe, fear or disbelief.
Most couldn't see inside....but the feeling it projected.
Even through a broadcast....it was undeniable.
The King stood up; eliciting surprise from those around, as even Headmaster Kael's eyes narrowed.
-------
Riven blinked.
The world was gone.
Bright.
Too bright.
His surroundings had changed instantly.
The cold stone had become a spacious hall of gold and marble stretching into infinity.
Pillars rose like towers, banners of white and crimson hung from arches.
High above, that figure was there again.
This time more defining.
More clear.
Real.
A spirit with a crown of burning light.
It rested on a throne...it's posture pristine.
It's eyes fell on Riven casually, who drew a shallow breath...
Around the room was an orchestra of spectral figures.
They all played a symphony of instruments that pressed against his chest.
Thumping.
Flowing.
Breathing.
The music they made wasn't just sound.
It was pressure.
Each note plucked made the air vibrate, each drum beat pushed against Riven's ribs as though testing their solidity.
The strings swelled, and the golden light from the crowned spirit's throne fell onto the marble floor.
'....what is this?', Riven questioned as his fingers twitched, eyes darting between the statues, their towering figures undeniable.
Jacob's shadow stretched across until it reached Riven's.
His words followed, smooth and certain, carried by the music as if the orchestra played to his whims.
It was an echo of reputation.
Calm, yet absolute:
"In this space....every step you take is under my command," his lips curled into a maddening smile as he stretched his arms out wide.
In dramatic fashion....the spirit seated above followed in action.
The scene was sadistic.
Maddening wasn't justifying of this scene.
Jacob stared at Riven, the stare of a predator, the smile ever apparent.
"You wanted an answer? Let's see if you can survive till the finale."
He flicked his finger....
The music rose.
A hum rippled through the air; low strings resonating, a sound felt more than heard.
Then came the brass; slow, regal. Each note rising in authority, as though this hall was a gate opening to admit judgement upon him.
Riven's steps stumbled.
The percussion followed, a steady beat that threatened to claim his own, pressing against his ribs.
Every instrument that flowed in the air, seemed to breathe in rhythm.
The figures stood, rooted, as the walls around echoed with triumph.
Sitting in the throne, the spirit weaved it's hands back and forth.
The motion of a conductor.
A conductor of madness.
Riven's breath rose, the sound attacked his mind.
Each breath.
Each inhale, rattling his chest.
WHOOSH!
Commanding focus, Jacob charged at Riven with the speed of a phantom.
The percussion rose sharply at the movement, invading Riven's senses.
Appearing to his left, Jacob's arm was coated in Ki:
FWOOSH!! BANG!!!
His reactions had dulled under the sound, the rhythm over powering his own, as the impact slammed into Riven's ribs.
He flew across into one of the towering pillars.
BOOOM!
Drip drip
Blood poured from his head.
His vision grew blurry.
Jacob marched towards the ant.
The symphony rising with each step.
Louder.
Crueler.
The conductor seated, waving more passionately, as even the spirit hummed a tune of commandment and rite.
Riven couldn't think, he slowly stood up, relying on the pillar.
His thoughts jumbled, the orchestra's sound worming between them like thousands of whispering voices.
Every beat pressed down, heavier than the last.
Tap tap tap
Jacob marched forward, each step in perfect tempo with the music.
The grace of the room shining onto him, gliding his figure like the centrepiece of this cruel performance.
Then on the downbeat....he vanished:
WHOOSH!
Riven moved Mael's Fang as quick as he could, which was too slow to combat Jacob's assault.
A golden flare erupted behind him.
GASHH!
The air trembled as Jacob's blade descended like a guillotine.
The strike cut into Riven's shoulder, cold steel sliding through flesh with precision.
Not a wild slash.
Not a desperate blow.
This was calculated cruelty.
The floor beneath their feet fractured from the force, shock waves carrying the rhythm into Riven's bones.
From above, the spirit's crowned visage tilted slightly, its lips curling into amusement, the gold light in it's eyes dimming.
The orchestra's melody dropped into a lower catalogue; cellos groaning, horns swelling like a funeral march.
The change of rhythm brought a change in Riven.
His hands trembled further under the music alongside his shoulder.
Mael's Fang nearly slipped from his grasp as heat and pain surged through, each throb syncing with the percussion.
However, he wouldn't drop his blade.
That was one thing he couldn't afford to do....
In this symphony of madness.