I didn't begin my foray into the wider world of magic intending to become a powerful combatant. In fact, I intended to become a scholar. I did, eventually, but that, like all the rest, was born of necessity.

Unfortunately, the first necessity of war is overwhelming force.

-Basen Koh on his path to greatness

Thanks to the flash of blinding light, Reid missed the battle's opening blows. Now, he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Hundreds of illusory figures made from shadows fought against one another, filling the sand below. Over a dozen copies of men in brilliant golden armor scattered around the arena shot arrows of light at Basen. He fought one of the men in golden armor. It might have been the actual Desmond, but Reid could not tell what was real and what was illusion. Instead of a bow, the Blinding Arrow nearest Basen fought with a sleek golden sword in one hand and a ball of blinding light in the other.

Basen leaned away from slashes and perfectly stepped away from jabs from his primary opponent. Plate sized circles of sand melted around the mage, and globs of liquid sand bubbled into the air, perfectly intercepting arrows from his other opponents. All the while, he moved around shadowy warriors and dodged their blows when he came close enough for them to strike.

A pool near Desmond belched a line of magma that crystalized even as the man's foot reached the obstruction. Instead of tripping, Desmond's foot passed through. Basen jumped toward the illusory Desmond and struck him with an open palm. The illusion shattered, breaking into a pattern of shards and crumbling to the ground before dispersing. Basen turned and ran toward another one of Desmond's copies.

"That's a lot of illusions," Leah said.

"My father's specialty. He is known as an exceedingly frustrating foe," Garret said.

"Basen doesn't look frustrated," Reid said.

Basen had an impassive expression. He focused on his target and ignored the chaos around him. Reid noticed he had a single small black stone floating above his head, barely visible from Reid's seat.

"I don't think he's started fighting yet," Leah said. "All the stories I've heard about his battles say he smites his foes with overwhelming force."

"That might be true, but he might not have the essence for it, or it might rely on his authority," Garret said. "The king made it sound like Basen having all of his True Mage abilities would be an advantage, but those abilities will drain the essence of a Greater Mage quickly."

The only visible ability Basen used was the molten sand, but he wasn't using it offensively. It protected him and impeded his opponent or revealed illusions. As he moved around the arena, the spots of hot sand cooled into rough crystalline patches on the ground.

The fight was less exciting than Reid expected, and from the muted sounds of the crowd, they thought the same thing. Basen moved from one illusory Desmond to another, dispersing the illusion after proving it wasn't the real Desmond. For the Blinding Arrow's part, Desmond simply shot golden arrows at Basen and struck out with his illusions. It was impressive, and both men were clearly skilled, but it wasn't a spectacle. Maybe Desmond was saving his essence to see what Basen would do.

"What's happening?" Leah asked.

Reid glanced at her, and she was staring at the sand below. He returned his attention to the arena. Basen was still fighting, Desmond was still shooting, and the shadowy figures were still engaged in a terrible battle.

"What? I don't see anything."

"Look at the circles."

Reid didn't know what she meant until he spotted a group of shadowy combatants fall into line. They had arranged themselves into concentric circles around the center of the arena. As they fought, the edges of these circles became more clear until everyone in the arena noticed the untouched circles of sand. Figures occasionally moved across the lines, but they never remained in them.

"Is this one of your father's abilities?" Reid asked Garret.

"No. This is Basen's. I've heard of something like it."

"What is it?"

"Just watch."

Something else had been happening the entire match, but Reid only now noticed. The shadowy figures had sorted themselves. The shortest ones were in the middle, with the figures growing progressively larger as they approached the outer wall. Desmond and Basen fought in the second to last ring, where Desmond's size fit perfectly.

Like a puzzle snapping into place, Reid noticed the remaining copies of Desmond were equally spaced around the arena. With a burst of motion, Basen retreated from his contest. He jumped back and landed in the exact center of the arena. As one, all of the Desmonds looked around, realizing what had happened, but it was too late to stop Basen.

Basen spread his arms wide, and the scene froze. Basen drew his arms together, and the scene melted. All the shadows and illusory copies of the Blinding Arrow were flattened and then transformed into near invisible energy. All this power was drawn into Basen, and a third stone appeared above his head. Reid hadn't seen him collect a second stone, but now that he looked at them without so much chaos around the man, he thought he recognized them as the same sort of stone Basen frequently polished.

The true Desmond stood alone on the west side of the arena between two pillars. Whatever power or surprise had frozen him was gone, and he drew an arrow. Basen raised an arm in the air, and an arrow of his own power formed. Only, it wasn't quite an arrow—more just the shaft of one made from smooth obsidian. It floated high above him.

Desmond gathered power around his bow and loosed. His power didn't blind the crowd this time. Instead, the arrow split into a hundred copies.

The sand beneath Basen became a pool of liquid earth. He punched downward even as Desmond began his attack. The force of the blow blasted molten sand in a high sheet in front of him. It crystalized in an instant, forming a perfect wall as though a mason had been in the arena and constructed one for Basen's protection.

Desmond's arrows obliterated the wall, but Basen was already moving. A fourth stone of crimson red joined the other three in a lazy orbit around his head. He pulled molten sand from the arena floor in fistfuls, spinning as he hurled them at Desmond. He ducked behind a pillar to close the distance with cover.

The Blinding arrow duplicated himself, and the copies shot the molten projectiles out of the air. Desmond drew his sword.

Basen jumped out from his cover near the group and clapped, creating a wave of force. The wave lit up the arena's barrier near Basen, and Desmond's illusions were hurled back. The real Desmond was more substantial and unaffected by the force. Undaunted, he charged Basen.

Basen used molten sand to batter and slow his opponent, but Desmond cut through the projectiles with his blade or deflected them with small shields of forged light. Light coated Desmond's blade when he'd closed the gap, and Basen fought a retreat. He stepped away from spears of light conjured from the brilliant orb in Desmond's hand and knocked away sword strikes with open palms.

Desmond's illusory copies righted themselves and began attacking again. As the pair of fighters moved around the arena, the sand below their feet began to smooth out. Where they stepped, the sand became smooth and reflective.

The reflective arena floor was almost too bright. By the time half the arena was covered, it was painful to look at.

King Hessian's scepter shone, and the barrier around the arena darkened, shielding the crowd from the intense light and allowing them to see again.

Reid had no idea how Basen could see. Desmond he understood. The man was a light mage and probably specialized in manipulating light.

"Blinding is right," Leah said, blinking as the light was suppressed.

"I don't know this ability," Garret said, brow furrowed. "It could be my father, but if so, it's one of his pieces of Greater Magic. He does not reveal those to many."

The arena continued to glow more brightly. Desmond could easily pull massive spears of light from the air around him. Each new spear consumed light, but there was more than enough to go around. The spears struck at Basen. He tried to deflect them at first, but after the second one, he flinched back and looked at his hand. Even through the barrier, Reid could see he'd been burned.

Basen's expression darkened. Impassivity was replaced by the beginnings of rage. It was a fraction of the expression Reid had seen on the man when he'd introduced Leah to Basen and explained her story, but Reid could still see the change. The air around the arena rippled. Desmond jumped back.

The entire arena floor melted. The pillars that had circled the arena toppled and began to melt into the floor.

Without the sand's reflective properties, the image of the contest darkened for a moment, but the king pulled back slightly. The barrier lightened. Desmond raised a hand and consumed the rest of the excess light, returning their view of the arena to normal. A thousand arrows of light filled the sky above the arena floor.

Molten shapes began pulling themselves from the sand, and Desmond lowered a fist in judgment. The shafts of brilliant light shot down as one. They ripped apart the molten figures before they could finish forming, splattering sand molten sand in a chaotic mess. Basen withdrew his power, and the molten sand crystalized even as it was pummeled apart.

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The result was an absolute mess. Half formed crystalline warriors were broken in messy piles, and the half consumed arena pillars were haphazardly strewn and broken across the area. The once neat sand of the arena floor looked like a building had collapsed.

Basen stood in the middle of the arena, battered and wounded. His robes were singed, and his scalp was bleeding and smoking from the fiery light that had ravaged the arena. Blood dripped from his fingers as he opened and closed his fists.

He looked up at Desmond and smiled in a bloody, feral grin that made Reid flinch back. He spread his arms, and just like earlier, the chaos surrounding the arena flattened, was transformed, and drawn into Basen. The arena sands looked untouched, minus the missing columns. Power flooded out of Basen and into the black arrow above his head.

It finished forming, radiating dark power that pulsed against the barrier high overhead, cracking it slightly.

"Do you give up?" Basen yelled, still smiling at Desmond.

Power flooded out of Desmond, and the sand filled with his copies once again. They all drew brilliant arrows and gathered power.

"Never," he said.

Motion drew Reid's attention. The king pressed his free hand to the barrier.

Hundreds of dense bars of light shot as one, converging on Basen. His black arrow stopped spinning above his head and fell toward the arena floor.

The light detonated, but it was swallowed by black energy as his arrow split. The arena erupted. Cracks formed along the barrier. The script circles around the edge shattered one by one in a breath.

When the last one fell, Reid barely heard the king's command over the rushing sound of violent energy below.

"Hold!"

The cracks in the barrier vanished. The buffeting power continued for a few seconds before the darkness vanished in streaks of evaporating power.

The crowd was silent as the inside of the arena became clear. A single pillar of earth where Basen stood was unharmed. The rest of the arena floor was simply gone. The space below ended with rock on the other side of a translucent barrier, forming an empty sphere.

Basen panted on his knees. Far below, another figure lay seemingly unconscious at the base of Basen's pillar.

Desmond's armor had been half burned away. His skin was scorched and burned in places, but other than being out cold, he looked alive and clearly breathing. Given the destruction, Reid didn't really understand how that was possible.

Reid didn't know what to say. No one knew what to say as silence hung in the arena. It was the most terrifying thing he'd ever seen. He understood what Tassis had meant now. Basen Koh, the Scourer.

Slowly, the crowd came back to life. They began speaking, and the energy rose until the wild and varied conversations about what they'd just witnessed filled the air with a low buzz. Basen rose to his feet, and the odd expression that Reid had noticed faded. The normal Basen was back. It was just as Kris had told him—like a switch flipped from one side to another. Basen looked around with chagrin at what he'd done. He gathered some power and melted his pillar of earth, lowering gently to the barrier below, avoiding his opponent. He hoisted Desmond onto a shoulder and formed steps to the platform high above.

Healers met them there, taking Desmond and treating him. Basen waved the healers away from him, instead approaching his fellow True Mages. Words passed between them, and Basen's former vigor returned. He didn't stand quite as straight as before, but Reid was sure his full power had been restored. That only shook Reid further. If this is what Basen could do with his power restricted, what could he manage as a True Mage?

The announcer finally decided to say something, breaking Reid's runaway thoughts.

"I think I can speak for all of us when I say there aren't words to describe these displays of power. Truly, we are fortunate to have such powerful allies. Please, everyone, show your appreciation for the power of our former arena champions, Desmond Sands and Basen Koh!"

The crowd cheered, and though there wasn't a soul who hadn't been impressed by the display, their cheers revealed the uncertainty about how they should react to what they'd seen. Basen waved to them with his own uncertainty, and Desmond was just sitting up, looking confused.

When Reid suggested that Basen should fight in the arena, he'd imagined Basen would do something similar to when he'd embarrassed the Dusk Guild Master, Gadren. Get the crowd invested. Tell them about his might and give them a reason to seek him out—preferably at the Immaculate Collection. Now, Reid thought half of the crowd would be terrified by the man. Maybe they should have discussed the details. He wasn't sure how this stunt would affect business. Maybe it was terrifying enough that the Greymoon Shadows would forget their demands.

"That's real power," Leah said.

"I can't imagine ever being able to do anything like that," Reid said.

"It's not even that high above me. They were both at Greater Mage. Two more stars, and I could be a Greater Mage. It's a little terrifying knowing that power is so attainable."

"Greater Mage is attainable, yes," Garret said. "But the power of my father or Basen Koh is far beyond the mere base abilities of a Greater Mage. My father has a six star bow and a four star light aspect relic. Gaining ten stars is no small feat. Gaining complimentary powerful items is nearly impossible."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Leah said.

"I still have no idea what Basen's powers are," Reid said. "Molten earth and, what, that black arrow? But he had those stones, plus whatever that thing was that he'd done to draw in some kind of power. You said something about that ability earlier, Garret?"

The young nobleman nodded, hand steepled under his chin. The announcer wrapped up the event while they were talking, and people had begun to filter out, but Garret just watched his father and the True Mages.

"I've heard that he uses patterns somehow. Making patterns and breaking patterns. I don't claim to understand, and now, having seen his power for myself, I'm not sure what to think."

That, Reid could agree with.

"Well," Garret said. "Now that things are over, should we say hello?"

Leah turned to him. "We can go talk to them?"

Garret shrugged. "You're Basen's personal guests, and that's my father. Who would stop us?"

Garret hopped onto the platform before them, and Leah shrugged at Reid.

"I do want to meet Arvind..." she said, trailing off and glancing at Lucian's hulking form. He wasn't wearing his black armor anymore, but the Greater Mage was one of the most intimidating people Reid had ever seen.

Reid didn't want Leah's worries to stop her from doing what she wanted.

"Let's do it then!" he said, jumping over the railing.

Leah jumped down next to him, and no one seemed to notice them wandering around. Garret moved directly to his father, so Leah and Reid kept close. Basen was still speaking with his fellow True Mages, and Reid wasn't about to crash a conversation with the king.

"A spectacular battle, father."

Desmond nodded to his son.

"What was my mistake, Garret?"

Garret froze, eyes moving back and forth, trying to replay the battle.

"You should have crushed him immediately," Leah said.

Desmond looked up at her.

"He was collecting whatever power he needed to beat you. You should have tried to bury him instead of distracting and trying to whittle him down," she explained.

"Not a bad guess. Basen needed to amass some power, but he didn't need that to beat me."

Desmond glanced between Reid and Leah, then looked back to his son.

"Are these your friends, Garret?"

"Yes, this is Leah and Reid. They were Basen's guests today. Reid sold me my items the other day as well."

"Did he now?"

A flat stare fell on Reid, and he suddenly wished he were anywhere else.

Reid bowed low, unsure of Desmonds's actual rank, title, or honorifics, other than his arena champion status.

"It was my honor to help him choose, Lord Sands."

"Hmph. Well, I guess it's not a bad combination."

Desmond turned back to his son.

"But you never answered my question, Garret. What was my mistake?"

Garret shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know, father."

Desmond looked back at Reid. "What about you? Reid, was it? Do you have a guess?"

Reid glanced between the massive hole that used to be the arena floor, the king, who'd needed to reinforce the barrier with authority in addition to his magic, and Basen, who'd looked somewhat tired after his match.

"Getting into a fight with Basen at all."

Desmond smiled.

"That's right. I knew Basen wouldn't kill me, but I also knew I couldn't win. Still, I had to know if I could stand toe to toe with one of my heros. These were special circumstances, though. Know your opponent, and don't bite off more than you can chew."

Desmond excused himself to change out his armor, and Garret went with him to assist. Leah and Reid found Arvind chatting with Prince Devon. The pair turned to them, and Arvind politely inclined his head.

They introduced themselves as Basen's guests. Reid wasn't sure he liked name dropping, but it sure did open a lot of doors.

"Your battle was amazing," Leah said. "You didn't even get much use out of your elemental, but you still won."

"Thank you. Lucian hits like a bolder rolling down a mountain. My elemental has the brawn I lack, but it can't withstand force like that for long. I needed to jump in early. I'd normally let it fight for a bit while I recover some essence, but what can you do? It worked out in the end."

"How did you cast that icy fist when you were summoning your elemental?" Reid asked. He'd not used much magic, but he knew that had to have been hard.

Arvind laughed. "I guess the cat's out of the bag on that one. It's a secret I've been holding for a while. Truth be told, I didn't cast it."

Reid didn't understand.

Prince Devon jumped in. "Reactive effect item!"

Arvind nodded at the prince. "Exactly. It's an item that counter casts a spell to protect me while I'm drawing out my summon. It only works once a day, but it, ah, packs a punch."

Reid didn't remember identifying any items with that effect at the shop. He wanted to see if he remembered that right, but the arrival of another person stopped him short of searching his ledger.

"Arvind! Excellent job out there," Basen said, walking up to the group.

"I would say the same to you, Basen, but I think arena codes dictate that you should leave the space intact during a competition."

"You know, I do believe that's what one of the arena organizers was shouting at me right before we started. Ah well, we all have our weaknesses."

Basen rounded them and clapped Leah and Reid on the shoulders. "What did you think?"

"Never seen anything like it," Leah said.

"How did Desmond even survive?" Reid asked.

"Desmond was protected by his armor, and I'd not actually done any damage to him directly by the time I used my final technique. I figured he'd survive. I would have cut it off early if he'd been in real danger."

"I know I said I'd rather not fight Desmond," Arvind said. "But I wouldn't have survived that."

"We both know you hit a lot harder than Desmond, Arvind. Don't sell yourself short. You might have been able to stop me from gathering."

"Basen, I've seen you fight a few times, and I still have no idea what you even gather. Paths..." Arvind shook his head.

Basen was pulled away and made his way from group to group. Leah and Reid met and introduced themselves to a few more people, but they had little to say to the powerful mages and important people. Things wound down when the royal palace's floating island drifted above the arena. What few people in the audience waved farewell to the king as he and his family rode disks into the sky.

Leah and Reid walked along the inner edge of the arena toward the exit closer to the road home. Along the way, they ran into a familiar face.

"Reid? Leah? What are you two doing here?"

Trace stood next to the wall near a broken protective script. She had a bundle of tools unrolled and a book with glowing symbols open nearby.

"Hey Trace!" Reid said warmly. "We never ran into you afterward, but we got some tickets to the match."

"Oh. So you saw what happened?"

They nodded and couldn't help but glance into the arena pit.

"It's a good thing the king was here. Even during the first match, I'm not sure the scripts would have held. Then that second match...that guy is a monster."

"Not exactly fair for you to have to try to stop the power of a True Mage's abilities," Leah said.

"Yeah, that's true."

"What are you doing now?" Reid asked, gesturing at her tools.

"Taking measurements. The scripts were each built slightly differently. I want to see how they broke and figure out if I can improve them."

"Are there more matches coming up?"

"I don't know. I'm just a rune crafter, not an arena employee. I was hired for the event, so I don't know what they have coming up. I travel around creating runes for different things, so any time I have an opportunity to improve my craft, I will."

They left Trace to her work when it became apparent she was itching to get back to it. Reid and Leah returned to the Dusk Guild to relax. It was a bittersweet feeling. Reid had an incredible day with Leah and had seen more magic than he ever had before and more power than he ever thought he would. At the same time, the day was coming to a close. Leah would return to her Dusk Guild contracts tomorrow, and Reid needed to return to the reality that they still didn't know if the shop would still be in business in a few days. Hopefully, their stunts today would prove more helpful than harmful.