The silence in the great hall stretched taut after Orion's challenge, like a bowstring pulled to its limit. Children whispered, elders exchanged wary glances.
Neo tilted his head, lips quirking into a lazy smile. "A challenge? Really?" He crossed his hands and shook his head slowly as if genuinely disappointed. "You're acting like a two-year-old throwing a tantrum over candy. And last I checked… we're six. Try to at least act your age... cousin."
Snickers rippled through the gathered children. Orion's crimson eyes flared with fury, his mana already licking at his fists in wild flames.
Just then, the side door creaked open and a tall figure strolled in, stretching as though he'd just woken from a nap.
Adrian Castreed, Neo's elder brother. Twelve years old, hair a slightly deeper gold than Neo's with faint red streaks, his presence calm and unhurried. His aura thrummed faintly, restrained but vast — Eather potential, the second highest potential who held the top spot among his peers. He looked every bit the carefree prodigy, sleeves rolled up, smirk easy.
"Yo, lil bro" Adrian said casually, hands in pockets. "What'd I miss?"
When his gaze fell on Orion puffed up like an angry phoenix chick, Adrian's brows lifted with amusement. "Don't tell me you're trying to pick a fight with Neo. You're shaking already."
Orion stiffened but quickly masked it with bravado. Still, the faint twitch of his jaw betrayed his unease. Adrian's mere presence made him uneasy as always; the gap between their power was too obvious as Adrien was already at the third stage of the Intermediate rank.
"Clan Elders," Adrian turned lazily toward the three robed figures overseeing the ceremony, "The evaluations are done, right? Then how about letting the boys have their little duel? Better to let Orion get it out of his system now before he goes to bed grumpy again."
The elders muttered among themselves, clearly reluctant, but the logic was sound. Finally, one sighed. "Very well. But only to first blow landed."
"Perfect," Adrian grinned, clapping Neo on the shoulder. "Go easy on him, little bro. Just… finish it before Mother gets here, or we're both dead."
Celeste chuckled in Neo's head, flicking her game avatar across the glowing screen she alone could see.
(Damn, big brother Adry brought the drip. One spoiled brat, one cool big brother, and you in the middle — the only one with the cheat codes. Try not to break him too badly, Neo. No one likes dead weight in the tutorial.)
"Can you stop talking like this is a game, I'm seeing a lot of cringe points here."
Neo gave a quiet laugh as she snorted and walked to the center of the hall where glowing runes lit up a faint circle forming a makeshift q1qdueling ring. Orion stormed in opposite him, fire gathering around his fists.
"Prepare yourself, outsider!" Orion snarled.
"Sure," Neo replied calmly. "I'll even give you a full minute. Try not to bore me."
The clan gasped at the audacity. Orion roared, charging in with a blazing fist. His movements were sharp, precise, relentless training clear in his strikes. Each punch cracked the air, flames bursting as he aimed for Neo's head, chest, and legs.
But Neo… simply wasn't there.
He leaned, stepped aside, tilted his head, letting Orion's blows pass by as if he were dodging falling leaves. His expression never changed — calm, almost amused. Sometimes he didn't even move his feet, just shifting a shoulder so a fiery fist cut through the empty air beside him.
The elders exchanged looks. Orion's form was excellent, his flames controlled, yet Neo's effortless evasions were… beyond natural. It was obvious to all... Neo was playing.
(You're showing off again) Celeste teased in his mind, biting into a bag of chips as her game character danced across a glowing battlefield. (You haven't even tapped those OP skills of your's and he looks like he's shadowboxing with air. Ten out of ten on style points.)
The children gasped with every failed strike. Even Lyra's shy eyes widened, her hands clutched to her chest as she whispered under her breath, "He's… amazing."
Then it happened.
An aura like a blade drawn from its sheath swept through the hall, freezing everyone in place. Even the elders stiffened. Annovelle Castreed, third elder of the clan — and Neo's mother — appeared suddenly at Adrian's side. No one had even seen her arrive. Her beauty was severe, her fiery hair bound back in a regal braid, her gaze sharp enough to cut steel. The mana pressure of a fifth stage Empyrean rolled off her in waves, and every child trembled.
"Explain," she said in a chilling tone as soft as it was dangerous.
"Just c..calm down. Relax," Adrian said shakingly, holding up his hands with a sheepish grin. "Just a friendly duel. Orion was feeling feisty and Neonkist decided to helpnhim test both their abilities through a duel."
Her eyes narrowed. The flames around her softened… slightly. Still, the weight of her displeasure lingered like thunder in the clouds.
Neo glanced at the glowing rune timer projected above the duel ring. Fifty-nine seconds had passed. His smile sharpened.
"Time's up."
Before Orion could react, Neo's hand glowed faintly with mana, perfectly channeled and condensed around his fingertip. Before he could register the movement, Neo was in front of him. And then, he flicked.
Crack.
Orion's head snapped back as though struck by a hammer.
Before he even hit the ground, another full powered flick again to the forehead.
Crack.
Orion tumbled backward, dazed. Neo stepped forward, delivering the final flick with absolute precision.
Crack.
The last blow sent Orion sprawling across the arena floor, unconscious but unharmed, his flames extinguishing instantly.
The hall was silent.
Neo lowered his hand, a puzzled and deceptively innocent frown on his face as he brushed invisible dust from his sleeve. "He fell asleep? Damn, that was… disappointingly easy."
Celeste burst out laughing in his head, nearly dropping her game.
(Three-hit combo with a flick? Neo, you absolute menace. That wasn't a duel — that was bullying in HD. I love it.")
The children stared at Neo in awe and fear. The elders whispered furiously among themselves, struggling to comprehend what they had just witnessed.
Orion's Legendary potential now looked like a candle before a sun.
And Neo Castreed, smiling faintly with his red-and-gold hair catching the light, had just made his true debut.