A few days had passed since the mortal had been brutally murdered. Everyone knew about it, but no one dared speak of it openly. To criticize a Luminaire, even in whispers, was dangerous. So it was left unspoken, buried in silence, as if erased from history.
"Will you do it today?"
Darian sat across from Kael at the table, his voice casual but curious.
"Yes. The trial starts in a few days, so I'll sign up today."
Kael didn't lift his eyes from the book in front of him as he spoke.
"It's about time. You've got sixty wins and only one loss. You're more than qualified to move up to tier two."
Talia chimed in between bites of her sandwich.
"For real," Darian added, gently rocking his chair as he looked up at the ceiling. "If you stay down here much longer, all you're doing is handing out losses to unlucky fighters. You're making it harder for them to climb."
Anytime a fighter wanted, they were allowed to sign up for a trial. A match that, if won, would earn them a place in tier two. This rule stood no matter their record. Even a fighter with zero wins and twenty losses could apply.
Of course, the request still had to pass through the staff, who would decide whether to approve or decline it.
Trials were held once a month, and even though Kael had only been here for a few weeks, he was not about to miss the opportunity. There were no real consequences for losing. It would simply count as a regular defeat on his record.
In truth, there was nothing to lose, except reputation.
And reputation had never been a concern for Kael.
"Mhm."
Kael gave a quiet reply before closing his book and walking over to his bed, grabbing the cane resting against it.
Thud.
The chair landed firmly on all four legs as Darian dropped his gaze from the ceiling to look down at him.
"Oh, you're going now?"
Kael was buttoning his coat as he gave a small nod toward Darian.
"In that case, I'll come with you. Need to stretch my legs anyway."
He stood up, throwing on his coat.
"By the way, why the hell are you using a cane? You're probably the last person in this whole place who actually needs one."
Kael paused, halfway through buttoning his coat. He glanced down at the cane, then shrugged as he continued fastening the buttons.
"No reason. Just like the way it looks."
Darian rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Sure you do."
"I guess I'll come too,"
Talia said, brushing crumbs from her coat.
The three of them made their way to the signing station, making small talk along the way. After a while, a desk slowly came into view, a short line stretching out from it.
"Seems like we won't have to wait too long,"
Darian said, his eyes fixed on the line ahead.
Even though there was virtually nothing to lose, or from Kael's point of view. Many still hesitated to sign up. Fear of losing face. Fear of tarnishing their reputation. Fear of standing in front of a larger crowd and failing.
Kael scoffed at the thought.
'People chain themselves to mediocrity, not because they are incapable of reaching higher, but because they are terrified of how others might see them if they fall.'
Kael adjusted his coat slightly, his expression unreadable.
Losing face had never been a problem for Kael.
Limiting his potential because of others' opinions? Never.
That was all they were—opinions. They held no real weight. No real meaning.
Standing in line, with Talia and Darian waiting quietly beside him, Kael finally reached the front.
"Please place your hand on the sphere and answer the questions,"
the clerk behind the desk said without looking up, casually gesturing toward the object.
Kael glanced down at it. The Heartened mote flew around within, circling lazily like it always did.
Without hesitation, he placed his hand on the sphere and prepared himself.
"What is your name and what are your current stats?"
"Kael Sinclaire. Sixty wins, one loss."
The clerk straightened in his chair and looked up, his expression sharpening slightly.
"Ah, I see."
He reached down to a drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper, placing it neatly on the desk and turning it toward Kael.
"Please sign here. After that, report to the board over there. It will display who you'll be fighting in a few days"
After signing, Kael made his way toward the board. Talia followed shortly after, while the clerk waved the next person forward without even glancing up.
A few steps ahead, Talia noticed that Darian had not moved with them. He stood there, looking a little uncertain, shifting his weight from foot to foot.
She paused and raised an eyebrow.
"Are you thinking about signing up too?"
"I'm thinking about it,"
Darian replied quickly, though there was a clear edge of hesitation in his voice.
"Do it,"
Talia said simply, flashing him a warm, reassuring smile before turning and continuing forward alongside Kael.
The two waited by the board, and after a short while, Darian came walking toward them, almost skipping, a proud grin on his face.
"Let's go to the cafeteria. My treat."
Neither Kael nor Talia had any complaints, and they followed him without a word.
—
Two days passed quickly. Now, a large group of people was gathered in front of a giant board mounted on the wall.
Each month, only five out of the hundreds of participants were allowed to advance to tier two. The competition setup was simple: you fought once, and if you won, you moved on. If you lost, you were out. It continued like that until only five remained.
"Never heard of that guy before,"
Darian said, pointing to the name of his opponent on the board.
"What about you? Do you recognize who you're up against?"
He turned to Kael, who stood silently, his gaze cold and fixed on the board.
Kael knew the name well.
Lucian.
'If there was ever any doubt, there is none now. His reason for being here is not just to watch me. It is to guard the gates to tier two.'
'Even though it looks like a fair competition, Valthorne has placed their own Luminaires within the club. Their sole purpose is to filter out the candidates, to let only those who meet their standards move forward.'
'On the surface, the fighting club seems like a place of opportunity. A place where strength alone carves your path upward. But of course, that is a lie. Every victory, every so-called master who climbed to tier one... was handpicked by the family.'
Darian looked at Kael for a moment before following his gaze to a name written clearly on the board.
"Lucian? Again? Well, this is great, is it not? You can finally take your revenge."
His tone was upbeat, and he gave Kael's arm a light nudge as he spoke.
"I guess,"
Kael replied, his arms crossed, his gaze still locked onto the board.
'Such a bothersome system… Climbing the ranks without being noticed by the noble family is impossible. Just as they designed it.'
Without another word, Kael turned away and started walking back toward his room. There was nothing left to do now but wait for the fight.
—
Time moved quickly, and soon the light of a new morning spilled through the window.
Kael stretched slightly as he sat up in bed. Darian was already pacing the room, mumbling quietly to himself.
"You're ready?" Kael asked.
Darian stopped and looked over at him.
"I don't know if I can do this. What if he's extremely talented?"
Kael sighed inwardly, then got out of bed and began preparing himself for the day.
"Don't worry. I didn't even recognize the name of the one you're fighting. With your skill, you'll be able to beat him," Kael said.
Darian's expression softened at Kael's words.
The two of them stepped into the open hall of fighting arenas. Any regular matches had been put on hold for the event, but the place was still packed.
Without a doubt, this was the highlight of the month. Everyone was eager to see how their friends and foes would advance. Not to mention rising stars like Kael and Lucian.
And as it happened, they were about to fight today.
It was obvious which arena was theirs, judging by the size of the crowd gathering around it.
"Good luck in your fight today, Kael. Sorry I can't come to watch it."
"You too," Kael said with a nod toward Darian before the two of them split up and headed in different directions.
As soon as the crowd saw Kael approaching, voices stirred. They moved aside, creating an open path for him to enter the arena.
As he walked, Kael tied the cloth around his hands. He stepped inside without even glancing at Lucian, completely focused on his wrapping.
After a moment, one of the three judges spoke up.
"Are the two parties ready?"
Both Lucian and Kael gave an affirmative nod.
The judge went through the usual obligatory announcements before swiftly swinging their hand down, signaling the start of the fight.
'Alright. Let's see how far I've come.'
Kael's eyes locked with Lucian's, and without hesitation, they dashed toward each other.
As soon as the fight started, the crowd fell silent, giving the contestants the space to focus entirely on the match.
Lucian moved first, entering with his usual aggressive style, though this time there was something different. His strikes were still fast and sharp, but now there was more calculation behind them.
Kael dodged and parried with precision, his movements crisp, wasting no effort.
The fight had raged on for a few minutes now, but neither of them had landed a clean punch or kick.
The crowd was dead silent, some holding their breath, others analyzing every move in the hope of improving themselves.
And then it happened.
Bam.
Kael deflected a punch and landed a clean strike with his palm under Lucian's chin.
The crowd gasped as Lucian stumbled back a few steps.
Kael wasted no time. He shot forward, his palm aimed straight at Lucian's throat.
But just before it could connect, Lucian arched his back, dodging the blow by only a hair's width.
As if predicting the outcome, Lucian twisted his body, his leg snapping up with tremendous speed and striking Kael hard in the side.
Kael let out a quiet grunt, sliding a few steps to the side before stopping. It was a clean hit.
Not a single word was spoken before they clashed again. This time, Kael held the clear upper hand.
Right hook, left kick, it did not matter. Every strike landed with deadly precision. Lucian was unable to deflect a single one.
The crowd stared in shock. Both of them were rising stars, but it was not supposed to be this one-sided. What had changed?
The crowd had started talking out loud now, sometimes even blurting out random statements.
"How did he do that?"
"No way I would have been able to block that."
"It's almost like he's toying with him."
Bam.
Deflecting a punch, Lucian used the momentum to create some space between them.
'What is happening? I cannot read a single punch of his.'
Lucian's eyes sharpened as he focused on Kael.
He had fought countless battles. Something was wrong.
They clashed again, but this time Kael stayed purely defensive, not throwing a single punch.
Lucian rained down a flurry of kicks and punches, but not a single one landed.
Lucian's eyes widened slightly in disbelief.
'How is this possible? What pathway is he from? Is he using his Luminaire abilities?'
Lucian had already realized Kael was a Luminaire during their first fight, but he had never figured out which pathway Kael belonged to.
Since then, he had spent every chance trying to uncover it, spectating every match Kael fought, questioning the other Luminaires in the building, but he had found no answer.
'I need to step it up.'
Determined to force a reaction, Lucian focused for a brief moment and activated some of his own Luminaire powers.
In an instant, the rhythm of the battle shifted.
Kael remained on the defensive, but now Lucian's punches started landing, one after another.
'This is it. Show me your pathway.'
A grin crept onto Lucian's lips as the fight raged on.
'Come on, Kael. Show me.'
Lucians offence grew more fierce, and his punches more precise. Kael was, pale beads of sweat forming on his forehead, there was also bruises and a small stream of blood running down from the side of his mouth.
'I'll show you.'
Lucian stepped in with a low feinting kick aimed at Kael's knee, forcing a slight shift in Kael's stance.
Without hesitation, he followed up with a quick left jab toward the ribs, keeping Kael's guard low.
Then, using the momentum, he twisted his hips and unleashed a sharp, straight punch directly at Kael's face.
'Got you.'
Lucian's teeth flashed as a vicious grin spread across his face.
The punch flew forward with tremendous speed, all of Lucian's weight behind it.
But only a moment before the punch could land, Lucian's expression shifted into complete bafflement.
Kael had thrown up his hand, leaving himself completely open.
And for the first time since stepping into the arena, someone spoke.
"I forfeit."
Lucian used all his strength to stop his punch, halting it just a few centimeters from Kael's face.
The force of it made Kael's hair sway slightly from the sudden gust.
"What?"
The word slipped out of Lucian's mouth before he could stop it.
"I forfeit," Kael repeated, his voice plain and simple.