Duskveil Academy Arena – Lower Division.
Circular stone platform.
Barrier field activated.
Students gathered in tiers above.
Word spread fast.
"The Level 13 wants his run back."
The boy Jareth dropped two nights ago stood in the center.
Bandaged ribs.
Jaw slightly swollen.
Mana flaring aggressively.
Status visible to observers:
Darin Vale
Level: 13
Rank: Flint
Clan: Duskveil
He stared at the entrance.
"He got lucky," someone whispered.
Instructor Maerin stood above, arms crossed.
"This is sanctioned," she said calmly.
"No lethal force. No external interference."
A pause.
Then—
Jareth walked in.
Hands in pockets.
Cloak oversized.
Loose.
Dragging slightly behind him.
Students whispered.
"That's him?"
"He doesn't even glow."
"Is he really Level 2?"
Status flickered briefly above him.
Jareth Nocturne
Level: 2
Rank: Unassigned
Clan: Provisional – Duskveil
Darin scoffed.
"You embarrassed me."
Jareth tilted his head.
"You jumped me."
"That's not the point."
"…Okay."
A few students laughed.
Darin's jaw tightened.
⸻
MATCH START
Barrier sealed.
Darin activated full reinforcement immediately.
Mana surged around his body.
Controlled this time.
No emotional leakage.
He rushed.
Faster than before.
Level difference was obvious.
His first strike grazed Jareth's shoulder.
Second landed clean across his jaw.
Jareth skidded across stone.
Blood hit the arena floor.
Crowd murmured.
Level 13 speed wasn't something a Level 2 should handle.
Darin pressed advantage.
Combination strikes.
Body blows.
Elbow to ribs.
Each hit reinforced.
Each hit heavy.
Jareth blocked late.
Dodged barely.
Took damage.
He winced.
"…You trained," Jareth muttered.
"Obviously."
Darin shifted stance.
Mana gathered at his forearms.
Advanced technique:
Pulse Impact.
Short-range kinetic burst.
He slammed both fists into Jareth's chest.
Boom.
Shockwave pushed dust outward.
Jareth flew back.
Hit barrier.
Coughed blood.
Silence in the stands.
"See?" Darin shouted.
"Difference in level matters!"
Jareth slowly stood.
Breathing heavier now.
But not exhausted.
Not drained.
Just hurt.
He wiped blood from his mouth again.
"…Okay."
He rolled his shoulders once.
"Let's try that properly."
Darin frowned.
"What?"
Jareth lowered his stance.
This time his movements changed.
Less reactive.
More measured.
Mana flowed evenly through his body.
No spikes.
No waste.
He stepped forward.
Darin rushed again.
But now—
Jareth could see the micro-delays in his transitions.
Level 2 or not—
Mana Perception was sharp.
Darin threw Pulse Impact again.
Jareth stepped half a degree off line.
Redirected the force with his forearm.
Internal recoil traveled through Darin's own shoulder.
Tiny fracture.
He hissed.
Jareth countered.
Short punch to ribs.
Low kick behind knee.
Palm strike under chin.
Not flashy.
Clean.
Efficient.
Darin staggered.
Students leaned forward.
Jareth didn't stop.
He increased reinforcement gradually.
Not explosively.
Gradually.
That's where unlimited mana started to matter.
Darin's breathing changed first.
Then his aura flickered.
Then his movements slowed by milliseconds.
Jareth's didn't.
Another exchange.
Another block.
Another counter.
Darin overcommitted to one final Pulse Impact.
His crystal flared too hard.
Too long.
He ran out first.
Mana drain hit him mid-strike.
His reinforcement dropped instantly.
Jareth's fist connected.
Directly to the sternum again.
This time—
Crack.
Not fracture.
Shatter.
Darin collapsed.
Barrier deactivated immediately.
Medics rushed in.
Silence filled the arena.
Status flickered above Jareth.
Jareth Nocturne
Level: 3
Skill Learned: Mana Flow Control
Stamina Drain: 0%
He blinked.
"…Huh."
He looked at Darin on the ground.
"Next time," Jareth said softly,
"Don't rush it."
Then he walked out casually.
Students didn't laugh now.
They stared.
Different energy.
Not mockery.
Not yet respect.
But attention.
⸻
Above in the observation deck—
Instructor Maerin spoke quietly.
"He doesn't spike."
Elder Kael beside her nodded once.
"He sustains."
That was more dangerous.
⸻
END OF EPISODE 3