Thales stood in the center of the dueling ring, holding an ordinary sword.
Across from him stood his brother, Richard Erdict, the second son of the House. He was taller and broader in every way. His platinum hair gleamed under the light, and the emblem of the Erdict crest—two crossed blades—shone on his chestplate.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't our little impurity. The Half-Blood Fluxer. The experiment that somehow made it past the cradle."
Thales didn't flinch, though his jaw tightened slightly. Murmurs rose from the crowd. Words like "half-breed," "impure," and "unworthy" rippled through the nobles' section. Richard's smile widened.
"Do you really think Father would ever let you rule our House, boy? You, born of a servant woman and a mistake?"
"Richard. Are you done?"
That stopped his brother for a second not out of guilt, but because the tone was full of boredom.
"Done? No, Thales, I'm just beginning."
He snapped his fingers. Six swords materialized behind him, each forged of platinum light. They floated in a perfect circle around him, rotating slowly like rings. Thales exhaled and sank slightly into stance as Richard pointed one sword toward him.
"Then fight me."
"As you wish."
He vanished.
Thales barely ducked in time as a sword slashed above him, shredding through the sand of the arena. The second sword came spinning from the right. Thales blocked with his sword but the moment it connected, he was pushed back.
"Too slow!"
Thales countered with a low sweep of his arm, releasing a beam of concentrated Xana from the sword. Richard deflected it with one blade. The six swords then launched in unison as they converged on Thales. Thales spun backward. He kept sliding across the ground as two blades grazed his shoulder and thigh. He didn't stop moving. He gathered Xana around his feet, forming a luminous propulsion burst. He shot straight toward his brother.
"Oh? The mongrel has teeth?"
Their blades clashed. The shockwave caused debris flinging into the sides. Richard's expression was one of effortless amusement, while Thales gritted his teeth. His every muscle was straining against the raw force pressing down on him. Richard parried, spun and drove his elbow into Thales' ribcage. The impact threw him several meters back, smashing him to the sand.
"Pathetic. You move like a child trying to play warrior. Did you think Xana alone could compensate for tainted blood?"
Thales coughed, wiped the blood from his lip, and said nothing. The six swords returned to their orbit, forming a halo behind Richard once more. The nobles cheered, chanting his name. Richard raised a hand lazily, directing one sword forward. It pulsed and multiplied into twelve.
Then twenty-four. Then forty-eight.
They surrounded Thales from all sides like a cage of divine light.
Thales narrowed his eyes, then slowly stood.
"So that's how it is."
Richard smiled cruelly. "That's how it always was."
The blades fired.
A storm of light crashed into Thales like an avalanche. The spectators leaned forward, some cheering and some grimacing at the brutality of it. When the dust settled, Richard saw Thales still standing half-kneeling. His arm was bleeding with Xana flickering around his body like smoke. Richard's grin faltered.
"You stubborn bastard."
Thales lifted his head, one eye glowing with an intense azure hue.
"I'm not done yet."
He extended his hand. The energy within him roared awake, forming rippling threads of azure Xana that danced along his arms.
He vanished.
A shockwave cracked the field. Richard barely blocked as Thales' blade came down from above, splitting one of the floating swords clean in two.
The crowd gasped. Richard's eyes widened.
"You—"
But Thales didn't let him finish. Blades kept forming and vanishing as he struck from every direction. Richard deflected two, blocked a third but the fourth caught him in the side, slicing through his armor. He hissed in pain, then grabbed Thales by the throat and flung him into the air. The floating swords responded instantly, all firing towards him mid-flight. Thales clenched his hands together. Xana spiraled outward, forming a barrier. It barely held. Explosions cascaded like fireworks around him. Smoke filled the air as he crashed to the ground again.
"Still standing?"
Thales rose, panting. His skin was cracked with glowing lines. His veins were pulsing with energy that was not entirely natural.
"You talk too much, brother."
Richard smirked and snapped his fingers again. The six swords reformed behind him.
"Then let the bloodline decide who is stronger."
Thales lowered his stance as Richard raised his hand. The six blades aligned into a single point. And when they both moved, the roar of Xana filled the dome. Each blow was more violent than the last. Thales was barely holding his ground. His arms were trembling. Each swing of Richard's blade carried not only strength, but generations of pureblood Flux mastery.
The battle in the Erdict Arena had long since surpassed what anyone expected from a family duel. Phaser sat back in the VIP section, watching the chaos below. His expression was uncharacteristically still.
Thales was staggering now. His chest and arms were bleeding from cuts. His Xana flickered, trying to stabilize itself after every hit. Richard on the other hand, was still standing tall. He was bruised but burning with cruel confidence that made him look more monster than man. Phaser exhaled through his nose.
This was getting painful to watch.
"He's holding back."
Phaser turned slightly. He agreed with his father on this one.
"You can tell too, huh?"
Richer's arms were folded. "Of course. That idiot is carrying a Primal Synsiline Treasure and he's not even using it."
Phaser blinked. He didn't expect his father to find out that Thales had a Primal Synsiline Treasure even though hie sword was in a disguise.
"He's got one of those?"
Richer's gaze didn't leave the ring.
"The sword. You didn't notice?"
Of course he did. He just pretended not to know.
"How do you even know it's one of the Primal Synsiline Treasures?"
"Everyone knows about them. PSTs enhance and intensify a Fluxer's Xana. It doesn't just give them more energy, it pushes their flow to its most refined form."
"So… it basically supercharges your body?"
"In a way. Thales is an expert in using Xana for physical reinforcement. If he activates the sword, he'll multiply his potential. But if he keeps holding back, he's going to die."
Phaser knew exactly what that meant. He played this story before.
In Masquerade of Dreams: Shattered, Thales Erdict was one of those characters players admired and wanted to shake by the shoulders but he is stubborn to a fault, always insisting he could win with his own strength, even when the odds were breaking his bones. In the game, it made him noble. In reality? It made him suicidal.
Phaser leaned back, pressing his fingers to his temples.
"Damn idiot…"
Xaessia glanced at him.
"What are you mumbling about now, Phaser?"
He looked over. "Hey, Xae. The VIP sections, they got speakers or anything? Like, ways to talk to the duelists?"
Xaessia blinked, clearly not expecting that question.
"They do. Each VIP section has one if they decide to announce something or address the fighters. Why?"
Phaser didn't answer. He was already scanning the platform. His eyes caught on a microphone lying near one of the control pedestals, half-buried under some silk drapes. Xaessia followed his gaze, then sighed like she already regretted asking.
"Oh no. No, Phaser, you're not—"
"Throw it here."
Xaessia's mouth hung open for a second, then with a groan, she snatched the microphone and tossed it at him. Phaser caught it one-handed as September looked at him in confusion.
"Phaser…" Xaessia warned.
He didn't even look at her. He stood up, holding September with one arm.
"HEY!"
The voice boomed through every speaker. The sound echoed off the walls, cutting straight through the clash of swords. The crowd gasped. Even Richard froze mid-motion, one sword hovering inches from Thales' throat. Every head turned.
Phaser stood there in the VIP box, microphone in hand, leaning slightly forward over the rail. The holograms revealed him to the entire arena.
"Thales!"
Down below, Thales blinked, staring up into the stands.
"YOU STOBBORN ASSHOLE! USE YOUR SWORD!"
A silence rippled through the amphitheater like someone had just kicked over the world's most expensive tea set. Xaessia covered her face.
"Oh dear Goddesses…"
"You're out there bleeding your soul out and for what? Pride? Don't tell me you're still trying to prove something by losing like a fucking idiot!"
The audience began murmuring, turning from one another to the combatants, then back to the shouting man in the box. Phaser pointed directly down at Thales.
"This is your chance to prove to the world who you are! Prove that you're not some failed experiment. You're Thales fucking Erdict! And this isn't the time to hold back!"
The place buzzed with whispers. Even the nobles, even the Erdict nobles, were caught between indignation and awe. Thales, meanwhile, stood in the middle of the field, silent, his head bowed. For a moment, all the pain, all the exhaustion, all the noise of the arena faded behind his calm breath.
He smiled.
He looked up at Richard, who was still frozen in confusion.
"No holding back, huh?"
Richard frowned. "What the hell are you—"
Thales placed both his hands on the hilt of his sword. The moment his fingers closed around it, the entire arena felt it. A hum rose from the weapon. The sheath began to glow brighter and brighter until the edges burned with pure azure light. A wave of pressure burst outward. The crowd gasped. Nobles stood from their seats. Even Richer Erdict's eyes widened a fraction.
The blade in Thales' hand now burned with an azure light with a golden hilt. Back to the VIP sections, the nobles of the House of Erdict began to murmur.
"The… the Azure Sword…"
"That's the Ancestor's Blade! The first Erdict's treasure!"
Richard took an involuntary step back.
"Impossible… That sword hasn't—"
Thales lifted his gaze, eyes shining with that same azure glow, the marks of his Flux threading across his skin. The exhaustion was gone. His posture straightened. He twirled the blade once, the motion slicing a clean arc through the air, leaving a fading trail of light.
He gave him a wide, reckless grin that Phaser recognized instantly.
"Round two, you asshole. I really am stupid if Phaser had to do that for my sake."
The sword pulsed once and the field erupted in a brilliant flare of blue. The energy pouring out of him was wild and uncontrolled but magnificent. Phaser couldn't help but smile.
"There it is."
Xaessia shook her head beside him.as she watched him sit. September was confused about what was going on but she didn't mind when he gave her more sweets.
"You're an absolute menace."
"Yeah but I got him to wake up, didn't I?"
Down in the arena, the brothers faced each other again.