The explosion hit before the crowd could even scream.Stone split beneath Kai’s boots, the impact rattling up his legs as crimson chains slammed into the arena floor. Shards of rock tore through the air, pelting the stands.The robed figure advanced through the smoke, blood magic pulsing around him like a heartbeat. His voice cracked with fury.“You’ll choke on your past, Tyrant.”Another chain ripped from his arm—splitting into three. One for Kai’s throat. One for his chest. One to tangle his legs.Kai didn’t dodge. He surged in. His dagger met the first chain with a hiss, shadows eating into the magic until both vanished in sparks. The second chain grazed his shoulder, burning straight to the bone. White pain flared through him, but his stride never broke. He cut the last chain before it wrapped him.Above, fire burned across the storm clouds. Words big enough to fill the sky:THE TYRANT LIVES.The crowd didn’t cheer. They tore into chaos—some screaming for his blood, others screami

The next morning arrived gray and dreary, almost as if the sun itself didn't want to participate in the turmoil brought to Arcadia.The courtyard usually filled with loud voices echoing around from shouts and students preparing for duel practice was silent. Benches lay overturned in confusion from the night before's panic; scorch marks still burnt the flagstones; the banners that flew formally over the arena had wilted, half-burnt.Kai stood on the railing directly outside the dormitory, fingers grasping the cold iron. Using the same eerie stillness he used in combat, he observed the grounds. Every guard in sight wore a double, freely engaged in patrol motioning in stiff formations with their weapons drawn even though there were no visible enemies.But the air itself relayed a different history. A history laden with fear, laden with distrust, tension wound so tightly that with a spark, the tension would surely release explosive amounts of energy.The Grand Duel Tournament had been s

Morning came without rest.Kai hadn’t closed his eyes once. He sat in the same position he’d held through the long hours of night—back straight, dagger in hand, eyes locked on the door. The mark beneath his collarbone still pulsed, faint and steady, as though it knew what he had decided in the silence. He hadn’t agreed to Cyrus’s terms—not aloud. But he had sheathed his dagger. That was enough.Now he had to see what Cyrus would bring.⸻The knock came just after dawn. Two taps. A pause. Then one more.Kai rose without hesitation. He didn’t bother opening the door like a student might—he slipped the lock, eased it back just enough for shadows to slide in. Cyrus ducked through with his usual smirk, already dressed in crisp uniform blacks, as though curfew-breaking and rule-bending had no place on his conscience.“Morning, sunshine,” Cyrus said lightly. “You look well-rested.”Kai’s silence was its own blade.Cyrus rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. Straight to business.” He reached into hi

The summons came at dawn.Kai hadn’t slept, not really. His body still carried the ache of his last match, wounds mended only halfway by Lina’s touch. He sat at the edge of his bunk, shadows clinging faint at his wrists like smoke waiting to burn, a knock at his door.Kai.” A guard’s voice, flat, rehearsed. “By order of the Council, you’re to report to the arena floor. Immediately.”The door shut again before he could answer.Across the room, Cyrus leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a dangerous smirk on his face. “They don’t waste time, do they? Barely let you bleed before they throw you back in.”Kai said nothing. He stood, fastening his dagger to his belt.Lina stirred awake on the cot across from him, her hair tangled, her wrists still marked red from the Council’s punishment yesterday. She sat up fast, eyes wide. “The tournament’s suspended. They can’t—”“It’s not a tournament match,” Cyrus cut in, voice edged. “This is theater.”Lina’s chest tightened. “Then refuse. You’re st

The lock pushed back against them. It felt alive somehow. Kai just stood there stiff in the hallway. Shadows pulled at his boots like the whole academy was trying to shove him out. Those big iron doors towered over everything. They had these thin silver markings running through them. The glyphs kind of throbbed, fading in and out like a pulse you could almost feel under the metal's surface. Cyrus got down low by the lock. He had this grin on his face. Way too relaxed for what they were doing. He flicked his wrist around. A slim beam of light came out, the kind he always treated like some magic pick to get anywhere. “What’s the point of having me along if I can’t break into places professors tell us are cursed?” “Cursed usually means cursed,” Kai said flatly. His voice was lower than usual, carrying the weight of something he didn’t want to name. Lina rested her fingers against the wall. The stone was cold, damp with the hush of forgotten air. She swallowed. “If we’re c