Dawn broke early. Kael woke before the sun even rose. Lucien was still asleep, steady breaths filling the silence.
Kael got dressed in silence, pulled his boots on, and stepped outside. The air was crisp. The academy grounds, usually brimming with activity, felt like a ghost town at this hour.
He ran.
Down the training paths. Around the quiet courtyards. Through the trees lining the northern wall. His body moved like a blade drawn from its sheath—silent, precise, efficient. After his run, he went straight to the martial grounds.
There, he trained. No fancy sword forms, just brutal routines—punches, kicks, strikes, stretches, balance. His breathing stayed steady even as his muscles trembled. He trained not to learn anything new but to keep his body awake, alive, sharp.
After an hour and a half, he stopped, sweat glistening along his skin. The sun was now in full command of the sky.
He returned to the dorms, showered, and changed into his academy uniform. Dark and simple—standard for martial students. After a quick brunch of meat, eggs, and fruit, he finally made his way to the arena.
The Imperial Academy's arena was a massive open structure built from silver-veined stone, engraved with magical runes to reinforce its integrity. Tiered seating surrounded the ring, enough to seat thousands. Today, most seats were filled.
Students, professors, nobles, and curious observers had gathered—not just for entertainment, but for history. This match had been sanctioned by the Academy's administration for a reason.
For the first time, a first-year martial artist was being pitted against the top mage of his year.
Magic against aura.
Lucien Thorne, the Crown Prince of the Empire, silver-haired prodigy of the arcane.
Versus a nameless, dark-haired martial artist—Kael—a rumored nobody… yet somehow the first aura user to appear in years.
Among the crowd, whispers passed like wildfire.
"He's just a commoner, right?"
"He's the one with aura? He doesn't look like anything special."
"Do you think the Crown Prince is just humoring the administrators?"
"But… if that Kael kid really has aura—"
In one of the noble seats, Selene Virellia sat with a composed expression. But her mind was alert. She glanced down at the arena floor where Kael was now walking, calm and unreadable as always.
He didn't bask in the attention.
He didn't glare or smirk.
He simply stood there… waiting.
Across the arena, golden light shimmered—and Lucien stepped forward, his royal robes transformed into combat-ready attire laced with defensive enchantments. Blue eyes scanned the stadium once before locking onto his opponent.
The crowd hushed.
The announcer's voice boomed, "Today's special demonstration match—Lucien Thorne versus Kael. Begin on my signal."
The battle that would echo through the Empire was about to begin.