Lorian allowed himself a slight smile. The constant movement was working, but he knew it was only a matter of time before his pursuers closed in again. He darted deeper into the forest, weaving between thick tree trunks and leaping over fallen logs, trying to keep them off-balance.

Suddenly, a beam of light streaked toward him, slicing through the air with a brilliant radiance. Lorian sidestepped just in time, the bolt searing into a nearby tree with a sizzling hiss. He turned to see Elara emerging from the shadows, her rapier drawn and glowing faintly with magic. The light illuminated her young, determined face—only fourteen years old, yet her resolve was unmistakable.

Elara's team quickly surrounded him, their formation tightening like a noose. Julian stood to her left, his two-handed sword resting on his shoulder, while Celeste and Vivienne flanked either side, their magic crackling in the air.

"Lorian," Elara said, her voice steady despite her youth, "you've carried that relic far enough. Hand it over, and we can avoid making this any harder than it needs to be."

He met her gaze and shook his head, a hint of amusement in his voice. "You've got me surrounded, Elara, but you’re forgetting something," he replied, his eyes glinting. "A cornered beast is the most dangerous."

Without warning, Julian slammed his sword into the ground, and a fissure erupted beneath Lorian's feet. Thick roots burst up from the earth, summoned by Vivienne's magic, and snaked toward him, aiming to ensnare his legs. Lorian sprang into the air just before the roots could tighten around his ankles, flipping backward and landing atop a large boulder.

From his elevated position, Lorian quickly assessed the battlefield. Julian and Vivienne were working together to manipulate the terrain and limit his mobility, while Celeste prepared to strike from a distance with water-coated daggers. Meanwhile, Elara was closing in with her rapier, its tip glowing with a radiant light.

They’re trying to overwhelm me with coordinated attacks, Lorian thought. He would have to split them up and take them down individually.

As Elara lunged forward, thrusting her rapier at him in a quick, precise motion, Lorian leapt down from the boulder, twisting his body to avoid the tip by mere inches. The close evasion left her overextended, and he swept her legs out from under her with a low kick. She stumbled but recovered with a graceful step back, her rapier raised defensively.

Before she could press the attack again, Lorian dashed toward Julian, who was conjuring a wall of earth to cut off his escape. Lorian reached him just as the wall began to rise, ducking low and driving his shoulder into Julian's chest, knocking him off balance. As the larger boy staggered back, Lorian swung the relic—a trophy-like object with handles on both sides—striking Julian's wrist with a sharp blow that forced him to drop his sword.

Vivienne’s voice rang out as she unleashed a wave of thorny vines, aiming to catch Lorian while he was still close to Julian. But Lorian had anticipated the attack. He sidestepped, positioning Julian between himself and the incoming vines. The tendrils wrapped around Julian's legs instead, causing him to let out a startled grunt.

"Sorry, Julian!" Vivienne called, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"Don’t apologize," Lorian advised, his tone almost teasing. "It gives your opponent an advantage."

Celeste seized the distraction, flicking her wrists to send water-infused daggers streaking through the air toward Lorian, shimmering like liquid silver. He dropped low, feeling the cool rush of air as the daggers whizzed past his head. As he came up, he rolled to his left to avoid another blast of light magic from Elara, who circled him with her rapier ready.

They're trying to pin me down again, Lorian thought. Time to disrupt their rhythm.

He launched himself toward Vivienne, who was dividing her attention between freeing Julian from the vines and preparing another spell. Lorian darted to her right, forcing her to pivot to face him. As she raised her staff to conjure a bramble shield, he closed the distance and struck the staff with the relic, disrupting the magic. The impact sent a jolt up her arms, and the shield dissipated.

Celeste lunged at him from the side, but Lorian caught her approach in the corner of his eye. He spun, using the relic to parry one of her water-coated daggers. The orb clanged against the blade with a sharp, metallic ring. As he deflected her strike, he lashed out with a kick, catching Vivienne in the side and sending her sprawling to the ground. The combined momentum from the deflection and the kick allowed him to slip past Celeste's guard and dart toward Julian, who had just freed himself from the vines.

Julian swung his two-handed sword in a wide arc, hoping to catch Lorian off guard. But Lorian was already in motion, weaving in close to Julian’s body where the large blade was difficult to maneuver. He slipped past the swing and slammed his shoulder into Julian’s chest, knocking him back once more.

Elara sprang into the fray, her rapier glowing with intensified light magic. She unleashed a flurry of thrusts, each one faster and more precise than the last. Lorian's sword and relic moved in tandem, deflecting the rapid strikes with fluid, precise motions that seemed to flow seamlessly from one to the next. Though Elara was skilled and had a natural talent for combat, her attacks lacked the unpredictability and sheer force that Lorian had cultivated through his battles in the mindscape.

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As he parried the final thrust, he saw an opening and took it. Lorian sidestepped, swinging his sword in a controlled arc that knocked the rapier out of her grasp. Elara's eyes widened in shock as her weapon clattered to the ground.

At that moment, Vivienne's vines surged forward again, wrapping around Lorian's legs and yanking him down. He broke the grip with a burst of his aura, but the brief entanglement cost him precious seconds. The relic slipped from his grasp, landing a few feet away.

"Now!" Elara shouted, her voice urgent.

Julian and Celeste closed in on the relic from opposite sides. Lorian lunged to recover it, but Celeste summoned a surge of water from the nearby waterfall. The liquid snaked through the air like a serpent, wrapping around the relic and yanking it toward her.

The relic flew into Celeste's waiting hand just as Julian closed in to guard her, and Lorian found himself empty-handed. He cursed under his breath. Though he had bested them in combat, they had still managed to take the relic.

Elara's team quickly regrouped, with Celeste holding the trophy-like relic aloft. "Got it!" she exclaimed, triumph gleaming in her eyes.

Lorian rose to his feet, dusting himself off as adrenaline still coursed through him. "You might have taken it," he said, his voice steady and eyes locked on the relic in Celeste’s grasp, "but it’s far from over."

Celeste tightened her grip, her triumphant expression faltering slightly as Lorian’s aura began to pulse with energy. A soft glow emanated from him, quickly intensifying into a radiant light that bathed the clearing. It wasn’t just an ordinary glow; this light carried a sharpness, an edge that made the air hum with tension. It was clear that Lorian’s light magic had grown far stronger than they had anticipated.

Elara’s brows furrowed with surprise. "Since when...?" she whispered, but there was no time to ponder as Lorian sprang forward, the glow of his magic trailing behind him like a streak of sunlight cutting through shadow.

Julian stepped up first, raising his sword in a defensive stance. He swung in a wide arc, summoning a wall of earth to reinforce his defense. But Lorian was already on the move, sidestepping and slashing through the wall with a blade of concentrated light magic that sliced through the stone as if it were paper. Julian barely had time to react before Lorian closed the distance, delivering a sharp, magically-enhanced punch to his midsection. The force of the blow lifted Julian off his feet and sent him crashing to the ground.

The relic slipped from Celeste’s grasp during the exchange, and Vivienne lunged to catch it. She summoned a flurry of vines to entangle Lorian’s legs, but he countered with a burst of light magic that severed the vines before they could tighten around him. The bright energy arced like lightning, illuminating the clearing as he twisted mid-air to avoid a follow-up strike from Vivienne’s staff.

“Is this really the same Lorian?” Vivienne exclaimed, her voice a mix of disbelief and alarm as she watched him effortlessly dismantle her spells.

“Focus, Vivienne!” Celeste called out, dashing to retrieve the relic from the air. She gripped it tightly, then turned and channeled her water magic, sending a torrent of icy shards toward Lorian in a desperate attempt to drive him back. But Lorian moved with blinding speed, his light magic enhancing his agility. He weaved between the shards, the light bending around him as he flickered in and out of sight.

As he closed in on Celeste, she tried to summon another wave of water, but it was too late. Lorian’s hand darted out, reaching for the relic, but Celeste tossed it away just before his fingers could close around it.

The relic sailed through the air, and Elara snatched it mid-flight. She barely had a moment to catch her breath before Lorian’s silhouette appeared before her, the glow of his magic casting long shadows across the ground. Their eyes met, and for a brief second, time seemed to slow.

“Elara,” Lorian said, his voice softer now. “You’re stronger than before. But—”

“I’m not backing down,” she interrupted, her grip tightening on the relic. Light magic flared around her rapier as she adopted a defensive stance. “You’ve changed too, Lorian. Let’s see how much.”

The air crackled with energy as the siblings launched into a flurry of strikes. Lorian’s light magic surged with each movement, and Elara’s spells met his with equally brilliant flashes. Their clash was swift and intense—a dance of magic and steel as they fought to overpower one another.

Elara lunged with her rapier, its blade glowing with radiant light. Lorian deflected her strike with his sword, then countered with a burst of light magic from his free hand. The blast forced Elara to retreat, her heels digging into the ground as she struggled to regain her footing.

But Lorian didn’t give her a moment’s reprieve. He pressed the attack, using rapid, unpredictable movements that kept her off-balance. Each strike carried an explosive force, far stronger than she remembered from their previous sparring sessions. It was clear that Lorian was no longer just the older brother she once tried to emulate; he had become a formidable fighter in his own right.

As Lorian closed in, Elara made a desperate move. She thrust the relic forward, using it as a shield to block his next blow. Their eyes met again, a silent acknowledgment passing between them.

With a final surge of light magic, Lorian knocked Elara’s rapier from her hand. She stumbled back, the relic slipping from her grasp. Lorian snatched it from the air, his expression softening as he looked at his younger sister.

“Sorry, El," he said quietly, his tone tinged with both regret and determination. "Block this."

Before she could fully process his words, Lorian launched a swift kick to her midsection. The force of the strike sent Elara flying backward, crashing against the ground several paces away. She managed to brace herself just in time, raising her arms to absorb the impact and roll with the momentum, skidding to a halt. Her breath came in a sharp gasp, but her eyes still held a spark of defiance.

Lorian didn’t give her a chance to retaliate. He turned and sprinted back into the forest with the relic in hand, his movements a blur as he dashed through the underbrush. Elara and her team could only watch as he disappeared into the shadows, the glow of the relic fading with him.

The fight was far from over, and Lorian could already sense other challengers approaching, drawn by the commotion and the relic’s pull. He would have to stay on the move and keep his wits about him if he wanted to hold onto it any longer.