Kai lunged forward, catching Elara’s hand just in time, but the weight and momentum were too much. They both started to slip. Elara’s eyes widened with fear, but Kai’s grip was unyielding. “I’ve got you,” he said through gritted teeth. “Just hold on.”

The edge of the cliff started to crumble under their shared weight. Kai used every ounce of strength he had to try to pull her up. Below Elara, he could see the pursuing contestants climbing up.

Kai’s muscles strained as he pulled Elara up, inch by inch. The cliff’s edge continued to give way, but he refused to let go. “Almost there,” he whispered, more to himself than to Elara.

With one final, desperate effort, Kai hauled Elara onto the ledge. They both collapsed, breathing heavily, their bodies trembling from the exertion. The pursuing contestants reached for the ledge, keen on taking out their competition. But with the extra weight, the ledge crumbled away completely, sending them into the abyss.

Kai and Elara lay on solid ground, catching their breath. “That was close,” Elara said, her voice shaky.

Kai nodded, his heart still pounding. “We should keep moving; there’ll likely be more to follow soon.”

As they stood up, the announcer’s voice echoed through the arena. “Congratulations to those who have made it this far! But your hardship is far from over. Proceed with caution, and may the divine favour be upon you.”

They exchanged glances, giving each other a determined nod. They started to move, and the cliff beneath them gave a sudden, violent shake. Rocks started to crumble, and their path began to collapse.

“We need to jump!” Elara shouted.

As they jumped to the next solid ledge, the ground below them crumbled, a cloud of dust pushed upwards. They heard numerous screams and shouts below. They looked back, seeing that their section of the cliff had crumbled entirely, likely as planned.

Kai looked at the other cliffs; none seemed as unstable as theirs. Was it some kind of defect in its construction? He didn’t have time to think about the question. As he turned forward, he saw a large stone expanse before him.

Lightning struck down regularly, and he saw figures running across it. He looked up, seeing the flashing black conjured clouds looming above the field. These were the lightning fields.

“How are we going to get through it?” Elara said as she looked across the lightning field.

“Look! There’s an overhanging outcrop there. We should run for it; it’s probably one of those safe zones.” Kai pointed to an overhanging boulder sticking out of the flat expanse. “The lightning doesn’t seem to strike the same place twice; we should move across the scorch marks.”

They nodded to each other and made a dash for the safe zone. Lightning struck down all around them, and if one of the bolts hit them, they would likely be dead on the spot, scorched inside out.

Weaving through the field, they followed the scorch marks. The air sizzled with static energy, as every wrong step could mean death. Quickly, they slid towards the outcrop as a lightning strike hit the spot they had been standing moments before.

“I think there is some kind of interval between the lightning strikes,” Kai said as he looked at the lightning strikes. He tried to focus but was disrupted by a sudden pat on his back. He looked at Elara, who pointed towards another pair of contestants.

The competitors quickly moved through the lightning field and aimed for the same outcropping Kai and Elara were under. They looked more skilled and weren’t looking to avoid a fight.

“We can’t afford to get held up here,” Kai said. “I’ll see if I can find a way through.” Elara nodded, the flames around her hands appearing.

As Elara engaged the opponents, Kai scanned the field for the safest route. He noticed a pattern in the lightning strikes, a brief pause every few seconds. “Elara, there’s a gap in the strikes! We need to move now!”

Elara created a wall of flames to block the opponents, pushing them back and buying them a few precious seconds. “Go!” she shouted. Kai sprinted towards the next outcrop he could see, and Elara followed close behind. Their hearts pounded in their chests; the exit was in sight.

“Wait!” Kai said as he looked at the lightning strikes. “The timing is different from before.” He looked closer at the lightning strikes, the intervals being almost random. “We might have to run for it to get through.”

Elara glanced back at the pursuing contestants. “They’re on our tails, Kai. We need to move now.”

Kai nodded, his mind racing. “Alright, when I say go, we sprint to the next outcrop. Ready?”

“Ready.”

Kai watched the lightning strikes, counting the intervals in his head. “Go!” he shouted, and they both sprinted forward. Their feet pounded against the rocky ground as lightning flashed around them, the air crackling with energy.

Stolen novel; please report.

They made it to the outcrop, and the entrance to the final ring was in sight. They looked behind them, seeing many duellists running across the field. The competition would be less, but they still needed to fight most of them.

Again, Kai observed the pattern. “Go!” he shouted, and they ran for the entrance.

“We should defend the opening; we could drive down the numbers,” Elara suggested.

“No, if we do that, all of them will become our enemies. Let’s enter the final ring and avoid fighting as much as possible. It will only drain us; the goal is surviving,” Kai said.

Elara nodded with a defeated look as they both entered the final ring. The final was a chaotic mess, with several groups attacking each other. It was one giant skirmish. Elara and Kai stuck to the edge so they wouldn’t get surrounded.

As they stayed on the edge, they observed the other groups fighting, who were intently focused on each other. The bodies of defeated duellists lay on the ground, some unconscious, others dead.

“We should let them tire each other out,” Kai said, eyes scanning the chaos. “Once the strongest emerge, we’ll have a better chance.”

As they waited, they saw another group get overpowered by a duo. The victors looked strong and unlucky for them; they had noticed Kai and Elara. A large, burly man with stone fists walked towards them, his partner following behind after finishing off the duo.

“They look strong,” Elara murmured, but the man was distracted when he got attacked by another group.

“Now,” Kai said, “while they’re distracted.”

They moved swiftly, catching the distracted contestants off guard. Elara unleashed a wave of flames, forcing the opponents to scatter. Immediately, Kai and Elara targeted the burly man. His movements were slow, but his attacks held a lot of force behind them.

Kai tried to create an opening for Elara by gaining the burly man’s attention. He used his agility to dodge and tried to attack vulnerable points. He then acted as if he stumbled. The man, already frustrated that he couldn’t hit him, went for the opening without hesitation.

Before he got hit by the attack, Kai dodged, and Elara followed it up with a charged punch. The flames propelled Elara’s punch forward with unnatural might, hitting the burly man in the face. The man got knocked down as the fire stuck to his face.

Kai stomped down on the man’s head, finishing him off. The man’s partner immediately tried to defend him, pulling out his daggers and swinging them wildly towards Kai. Kai moved backwards, creating distance between him and the man.

He had a slender build, opposite to the burly man that was his partner. The slim man crouched down to see if his partner could still fight. Then he looked back up at Kai, but something odd happened to Kai’s vision.

The man disappeared from his view. “Jump back, Kai; he’s a Mindweaver.”

Kai jumped back. “Can you see him?”

“No,” Elara said.

Kai’s heart raced as he tried to keep track of the slender man, who was now invisible to his eyes. He strained his senses, listening for any sound that might give away the man’s position. Elara stood close by, her flames flickering nervously.

“We need to outsmart him,” Kai whispered, trying to think quickly. “Mindweavers rely on deception and illusions. If we can’t see him, we must force him out.”

Elara nodded and created a ring of low flames around them. The fire would part if the Mindweaver tried to go through them. It would also disrupt the Mindweaver’s concentration and make it harder for him to remain hidden.

Suddenly, a shadow flickered just outside the ring of flames. Kai’s eyes darted to the movement and quietly signalled to Elara. “There!” he shouted, pointing in another direction.

The slender man entered the ring, thinking they had fallen for his deception. Elara threw a burst of flames in the direction of the Mindweaver. The Mindweaver was caught off guard by the sudden attack, and his invisibility faltered.

“There you are,” Kai muttered, charging towards the now visible opponent.

The slender man reacted swiftly, his dagger gleaming as he swung at Kai. Kai dodged and grabbed the man’s arm. He shifted his weight, throwing the man over his shoulder onto the ground.

But the man had scrambled back up before Kai could finish him off. Elara moved in from the side, adding pressure to the Mindweaver. The man’s movements were quick and precise, but two against one was a losing battle.

As the battle raged on, Kai saw an opening. Elara faked a high attack, causing the Mindweaver to raise his defensive daggers. In that split second, Kai came in with a punch to the Mindweaver’s gut.

Staggered, the man stumbled backwards, but Elara immediately followed it up with a kick to the stomach, knocking him to the ground. Then Elara finished it off with another strike, knocking him out cold.

From a distance, Kai saw the white gleaming armour of Goldmane. He was making his way towards them. Contestants seemed to avoid him as if afraid of him. Around him, the air seemed to crackle with golden lightning.

Suddenly, Goldmane closed the distance unnaturally, his eyes locked onto Elara. He swung his sword, and Elara was barely able to block it. “We meet again, Ashborne.” He pushed her back with a kick.

Elara stumbled but quickly gained her balance, keeping her distance from Goldmane. “I’m surprised you could block that, but you should’ve stayed down.” He said as he slowly walked towards Elara.

Kai ran at Goldmane from the side, going for a punch, but before he could, Goldmane spun around at unnatural speed, his blade pointed at Kai’s throat, stopping Kai dead in his tracks.

“I commend your effort, peasant, but your effort is wasted on her. You’ll only end up like her parents if you help her.” Goldmane said, his voice cold of emotion.

Elara’s eyes widened. “Shut up!” she spat, charging at Goldmane.

She aimed a powerful punch at his side. Goldmane parried it effortlessly, sending a shockwave of lightning towards her. “You’re outmatched, Ashborne. Why don’t you just surrender?” Goldmane taunted, his eyes cold.

Goldmane moved his blade towards Elara’s throat. “I could end it right here. You only have to give up on this foolish ambition.”

“Not while I’m still breathing,” Elara hissed back.

“Then this will be the end for you,” he said as he readied to stab Elara through the throat.

The announcer’s voice boomed across the arena. “Ladies and gentlemen, that is the end of the first trial. All surviving contestants cease combat immediately. Guards will escort you to the rest chambers, where you will be given a chance to recuperate before the next challenge.” The crowd erupted in cheer.

Goldmane’s blade stopped mere inches from Elara’s throat. He turned to face the source of the announcement, his eyes narrowing. “Saved by the bell,” he sneered, pulling his blade back. “But this isn’t over, Ashborne.” As he said that, he walked away.

Kai moved to Elara’s side. “Are you okay?” he asked, concern evident.

Her gaze was fixed on Goldmane. “I’m fine.”

They followed one of the guards, who led them through a series of tunnels beneath the arena. It was a large chamber filled with makeshift beds and medical supplies. Other contestants were already there, some tending to their wounds, others deep in discussion about the next trial.

Elara, her anger simmering below the surface, looked at Kai. “We need to train harder. We need to crush the competition.”