The air vibrated with tension as Lucien's wings spread wide, reflecting the iridescent light of the planet's sky. He hovered above the plains, casually spinning a fragment of rock in one hand as if testing gravity itself.
Vryndor, the silver-eyed humanoid, took a step forward, the ground quivering beneath him. "Enough testing. Let's see if you truly deserve the title of Sole Exception." His voice carried authority, but beneath it, a flicker of curiosity—he had felt Lucien's power, and it unnerved him.
Lucien smirked, letting his shadow fall across Vryndor's path. "Oh, I've been waiting for this. Don't worry—I'll try not to make it too boring for you."
Kaelith hovered off to the side, arms crossed, his smirk wide. "Finally… the real fun. Just remember, base forms, Vryndor. Don't get completely embarrassed."
With a sudden burst, Vryndor bent gravity around a massive boulder, hurling it at Lucien like a meteor. Lucien tilted his head, wings fluttering lazily, and the boulder curved around him as if avoiding him entirely, orbiting the planet harmlessly.
"Cute," Lucien murmured, voice dripping with amusement. "Let's see if you can do better."
Vryndor's eyes flickered, and in an instant, streams of compressed gravitational energy tore through the plains, ripping the ground asunder. Lucien stepped forward, and with a flick of his fingers, the energy bent around him like water flowing over a rock.
"You're learning… fast. I almost respect that," Lucien said casually, floating just above a jagged peak. His wings flared, sending a shockwave that scattered energy streams harmlessly into the air.
Kaelith laughed. "Almost respect him? Careful, he might hear you."
Vryndor's voice rose, echoing across the plains. "Your arrogance is unbearable!"
Lucien tilted his head, a faint grin forming. "Unbearable? That's just my default setting. Don't take it personally."
Vryndor clenched his fists, silver light pulsating from his eyes. "You will learn what it means to face me."
Lucien's voice softened, teasing yet deadly: "Oh, I've already learned. But it's entertaining to see you think you might teach me something."
Vryndor lunged forward, gravity bending violently, aiming to crush Lucien in one seamless strike. Lucien countered with a wave of his hand, and the impact of their meeting created a shockwave that rippled across the planet, splitting mountains and creating glowing fissures in the plains.
Kaelith's eyes widened, smirking. "Okay… that was impressive. Base forms only, huh?"
Lucien tilted his head at him, wings glimmering. "Base forms, yes. But I never said anything about holding back style."
As the two collided midair, reality itself bending around them, the horizon split with a sudden explosion of energy. From the edge of the planet, a faint shadow moved—something unseen by both combatants, massive and slow, exuding power that even Lucien paused to consider.
Lucien's eyes narrowed, wings flaring. "Hmm… that wasn't supposed to be here."
Vryndor's expression flickered between curiosity and concern. "What is that?"
Kaelith hovered closer, voice low but teasing: "Ohhh… looks like our playground just got a lot more interesting."
The shadow slowly coalesced into a form so immense, so alien, that even Null stirred beside Lucien, its nine heads hissing softly. The atmosphere quivered, and the plains themselves seemed to hold their breath.
Lucien's smirk returned, sharper than ever. "Well… then. Shall we continue?"
And with that, the first clash was left unresolved, hanging in the air like the tension of a universe waiting to explode.