The arena trembled with excitement, the roar of the crowd echoing across the stadium. Flags snapped in the wind, dust swirled, and the golden sunlight glinted off blades and armor. Whispers of Selphira Nyxalis's centuries of mastery mingled with the adoration for Aurelian, the Chosen Hero. Young Taren Albright, notebook in hand, perched on the sidelines, feverishly jotting down every move, every flicker of aura.
Aurelian stepped forward, his eyes blazing with determination. "I am the Chosen Hero! Watch closely, everyone!" His sword shimmered faintly as he channeled a spark of elemental energy into it, slashing with calculated flair.
Selphira Nyxalis stood poised, her high elf features calm, almost ethereal. A faint aura shimmered around her, subtle yet commanding. "Childish bravado… I expected nothing less," she murmured, eyes scanning Aurelian with measured precision.
The first clash was a burst of sparks. Aurelian's fiery strikes met Selphira's precise parries, metal ringing against metal. The ground beneath them cracked from the sheer force of the impacts. Dust and debris kicked up, and the spectators gasped in unison.
Aurelian twisted, launching a rapid combo of strikes designed to overwhelm, each infused with minor elemental magic. Selphira's movements were a dance of lethal elegance; she deflected, countered, and pivoted effortlessly, her aura flaring slightly with every dodge.
"You are brash… but not careless," she said calmly, as if commenting on a puzzle she was solving in real time.
Aurelian grinned, wiping a trickle of sweat from his brow. "Good. That's exactly what I want you to think."
He feinted left, then lunged right, his sword slicing through air charged with heat. Selphira shifted her stance, aura rippling, and met his attack with a deflecting spin that sent him stumbling back. The crowd gasped, murmuring among themselves. "Is he faltering?" one whispered. "Even the Chosen Hero seems pressed!" another said.
Taren scribbled furiously: "Her reaction time is centuries ahead of him, but he adapts quickly. Interesting… technique sequencing… aura bursts correlate with emotional spikes."
The combat escalated. Aurelian leapt into the air, spinning, sword crackling with fire as he aimed a powerful downward strike. Selphira sidestepped gracefully, leaving a streak of light as her blade traced a defensive arc. She countered with a swift strike aimed at his shoulder, which he barely deflected, stumbling yet again.
"You fight well… for a child of this age," she said, her tone almost approving, though her eyes remained cold.
Aurelian smirked despite his exhaustion. "I may be a child, but I'm the Chosen Hero!" he shouted, and with a surge of determination, he channeled more energy into his next strike. It slammed into Selphira's defense with a thunderous impact, knocking her back several meters.
For the first time, her calm demeanor faltered. Her eyes glazed momentarily, aura flickering. The roar of the crowd seemed to dim, replaced by the echo of a memory long buried. A fleeting image—a soft golden light, a small village, laughter—glimmered in her mind.
She blinked, grounding herself. The battlefield remained chaotic, yet for a heartbeat, she was elsewhere. Taren's eyes widened as he noted the subtle shift in her aura: "Momentary vulnerability… emotional trigger detected… fascinating."
Selphira's breathing deepened. Her focus wavered, and a tiny spark of emotion surfaced—fear, grief, and a pang of something she had buried centuries ago. She shook it off slightly, but it was enough. Her mind began drifting toward the life she once had, the home she lost, and the parents who had given everything to keep her alive.
The arena seemed to hold its breath. Even Aurelian sensed the change, noting the brief flicker of vulnerability in the immortal warrior before him.