Arthur moved first.
Not because he was impatient, but because standing still gave the creature more time to read him.
He shifted sideways, feet light, testing the edge of the courtyard again. The floating fragments responded, stone drifting closer together behind him while opening space to his left. The change was subtle but immediate. The world was not neutral. It reacted.
The creature followed.
Its steps were heavy but controlled, each footfall cracking the stone beneath it. The pale light running through its body pulsed brighter with every movement. Arthur watched the rhythm carefully. There was a pattern there. A delay between intent and action.
Good.
Arthur bent his knees and jumped.
Not high. Not far. Just enough to land on a floating slab at waist height. The slab dipped slightly under his weight before stabilizing. He adjusted instantly, rolling his ankle to absorb the shift. The creature lunged.
Too fast.
Arthur twisted midair, pushing off the slab at an angle rather than straight back. The creature's strike shattered the stone where he had been a heartbeat earlier. Fragments exploded outward, several pieces slashing across Arthur's arm.
Pain flared.
Arthur ignored it.
He landed hard, sliding across the courtyard floor before regaining his footing. Blood ran down his forearm, warm and slick. He flexed his fingers once. Movement intact. Grip strength reduced slightly.
Noted.
The creature turned smoothly, already advancing again. No hesitation. No reaction to the failed strike. It learned fast.
Arthur backed away, eyes never leaving it. He needed more information. Strength, reach, reaction time. He feinted left.
The creature mirrored him.
He feinted right.
It adjusted again, a fraction slower this time.
Arthur smiled faintly.
He reached down and grabbed a loose stone fragment, tossing it underhand toward the creature's head. The throw was not meant to hit. It was meant to provoke.
The creature raised its arm, swatting the stone aside with casual force. The light beneath its surface flared sharply at the moment of impact.
There.
Arthur lunged.
He did not aim for the creature's center mass. He aimed low, sliding across the ground and driving his shoulder into its knee joint. The impact sent a jolt through his body, rattling his teeth, but the creature stumbled.
Barely.
Its counterattack came instantly. A heavy backhand that Arthur barely avoided by throwing himself backward. The strike passed inches from his face, the displaced air slamming into him like a wall.
Arthur rolled, came up on one knee, and moved again.
The courtyard was changing faster now. Floating fragments drifted closer together, narrowing paths. The world was escalating with the fight. Arthur felt it clearly.
Good.
He needed pressure.
Arthur sprinted toward the suspended fountain, leaping onto its stone basin. Water droplets trembled in the air around him, vibrating faintly. He kicked off, sending himself toward the creature from above.
The creature looked up.
Too late.
Arthur drove his heel into the side of its head.
The impact was solid. Pain shot up his leg. The creature staggered sideways, crashing into a hovering bench and sending it spinning away.
Arthur landed hard, breath hissing between his teeth. His leg burned. Something had strained.
He assessed quickly.
Still functional. Reduced output. Acceptable.
The creature straightened.
Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface where Arthur had struck. The pale light beneath flickered unevenly now. The creature tilted its head, studying him.
Then it changed tactics.
It slammed both hands into the ground.
The courtyard shuddered violently. Stone fragments shot upward like shrapnel. Arthur threw himself flat, feeling sharp edges tear into his back and shoulder. A piece struck his calf, biting deep.
Arthur hissed through clenched teeth but did not cry out.
He pushed himself up immediately, ignoring the blood soaking his leg. The creature charged.
Arthur ran.
Not away. Toward the narrowing space between floating debris.
He dove through a gap barely wider than his shoulders. The creature followed, smashing aside obstacles instead of slipping through them. That cost it time.
Arthur used it.
He grabbed a jagged stone fragment mid-stride and spun, hurling it with everything he had at the creature's chest. The fragment struck true, embedding itself where the light pulsed brightest.
The creature roared.
Not in pain. In disruption.
Its movements stuttered. The light beneath its surface flared wildly, then dimmed. Arthur did not wait.
He closed the distance in three steps.
He drove his hand into the embedded fragment and twisted.
The creature convulsed.
Cracks raced across its body, spreading rapidly. The pale light surged once, then collapsed inward. The creature froze, then shattered into chunks of stone and crystal that clattered across the courtyard.
Silence followed.
Arthur stood still, breathing hard.
Blood dripped from multiple wounds. His arm throbbed. His leg screamed with every movement. He ignored it all.
He had won.
But the world did not relax.
The floating fragments continued to shift. The courtyard did not reset. The danger had not passed.
Arthur straightened slowly.
Above, on the platform, the observer finally moved.
He stepped forward, hands unclasping, eyes sharp with interest.
Arthur looked up and met his gaze.
The real test was not over.