The horn's echo faded into the twilight sky-and for a heartbeat, the world stood still.
Then the arena roared to life.
The stands came alive shouting and chanting Serah's name, some with disgust and some with admiration and recognition.
Then they fell silent as the announcement came.
"The next battle approaches. Step forward, Varek of the Skybound-bearer of the Star of Voltage. And Kye of the Silent Choir-bearer of the Star of Stillwater."
The air changed and the crowd grew louder than before, with excitement and anticipation for battle.
In the stands students were placing bets on the battle.
"Varek will mop the floor with Kye, he is a member of Skybound, one of the best cohort's in the academy as a first year." said a boy in the stands.
"You can't be serious, have you not seen what the Silent Choir has done so far." said a second year girl looking smug. "They've destroyed the other trials. I doubt Kye will even struggle against Varek."
"I'm just glad we have really strong first years in this class, We might be able to pass the Guardian Trial." the third year boy said.
–
The stage was set and prepared for the next battle.
Another storm was coming.
Varek let out a slow breath, his fingers itching to get started as a lightning bolt glowed bright yellow across his right arm, his dark black hair with yellow in it flowed in the wind as he cracked his knuckles.
Varek's presence was an electric storm. His dark yellow eyes flickered with sparks, his body a coil of barely contained power. Each step he took left faint trails of light in his wake-electric currents dancing beneath his skin. The Star of Voltage had always been his claim, and the hum of raw energy around him confirmed that this was not just a fight-it was a spectacle.
"Let's get this started," he said with his eyes full of joy and pulled his glaive off his back.
Across from him, Kye moved like water, his feet silent against the stone, his gaze calm as ever. The Star of Stillwater reflected in his movements-graceful, controlled, yet carrying and undercurrent of something far deeper, something colder. His power wasn't about spectacle. It was about precision, quiet devastation. A storm waiting to be unleashed.
"Let the battle begin!" The announcement came swiftly and in less than a second both participants were gone.
Varek's first move was lightning-fast. His arms flicked, and arcs of voltage shot through the air, forming jagged lines of crackling energy. He was on the offensive from the moment the signal was given, two sparks flying from his arms like bolts of thunder. The crowd gasped as the first streak of lightning tore across the battlefield, the raw force powerful enough to melt stone.
Kye couldn't see him moving; he was too quick and in a second he was gone and the next second the first sparks hit him dead on. With no time to react Kye tried to fortify his body but it was too late he went flying back.
Catching himself he stood up and raised his hand, palm open, and the storm of energy from the second spark around him slowed to a near-crawl. The air seemed to hum, the faintest trace of water rippling around his hand, as if he were pulling the flow of time itself into stillness.
The lightning sizzled to a halt, suspended in the air.
"Hm neat trick." Verak said cockily. "Try stopping this."
Varek's eyes widened, he didn't wait. He launched himself into a series of movements, each one a blur of electric speed-strikes, feints, and bursts of lightning-but each time, Kye was just out of reach. As if the very air bent around him, each motion measured and controlled.
And then it happened.
Varek, too eager, too confident in his speed, pushed forward with a strong reckless surge of voltage-too fast. Too reckless. His energy surged high, aimed directly at Kye.
The moment he committed, Kye moved. In a single, fluid motion, he shifted, and the bolt of lightning that had been so perfectly aimed missed entirely.
The crowd gasped as Kye's hand darted out. A subtle shift in the air, and the very current of the energy bent–redirected–slicing through Varek's cheek with pinpoint accuracy.
Kye had transformed the storm into a quiet blade.
Varek staggered back, eyes wide with disbelief, he wiped the blood off of his cheek with his thumb and smiled looking at Kye.
"You're better than I thought, this will be so much fun.," he said with a huge grin.
"I'll try not to disappoint you then." Kye said with a smile.
The arena held its breath, watching.
This was no longer just a battle of power.
It was a battle of control.
Varek's glaive started to glow with sparks of electricity, A streak of lightning shot from where he was standing and then he was gone. Varek appeared in front of Kye in less than a second. Varek lunged his glaive into Kye's chest.
Kye predicted the attack and raised his hand, attempting to slow the storm once more, but this time the charge was too much. Varek's speed outpaced the flow of water Kye was attempting to control. The water managed to push the glaive to the side impaling his shoulder, sending him sprawling backward, his shoulder with a hole in it.
The crowd roared as the first real hit landed, the sound of crackling electricity still ringing in the air.
Kye gritted his teeth and stood holding his shoulder, his form a study in poise but the sting of pain was now settling in. His focus had been capable of countering Varek up until now, but Varek wasn't giving him a chance to breathe.
Varek looked at him with disappointment in his expression. "You can do better than this."
He let go of his glaive and it hit the ground, his face saddened.
Varek launched at Kye again, his fists blurred through the air, each one carrying the destructive force of a thunderstrike. Kye raised his arms in defense, but the pain of his shoulder and raw power and speed of the storm was too much. Varek''s fist collided with his ribs, sending a jolt of electricity through Kye's body. The electric surge left a deep, burning mark along his side as the force of the punch sent him crashing into the floor.
The crowd erupted in a mix of gasps and cheers, their eyes wide as they watched the battle shift decisively in Varek's favor.
Kye thought to himself 'His power isn't just lightning, it's his speed. I can't keep up.'
Varek was relentless. He moved with ferocity that was almost too fast to see, every step a blur, every strike a thunderclap, He was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. A storm with no anchor. He didn't just use his power–he became it. Lightning flowed from him like an extension of his very being, chaining Kye's movements, keeping him constantly on the defensive.
"You're too slow," Varek taunted, his voice dispirited. "Too calm. The storm is faster than you, Stillwater."
Kye's eyes narrowed, his breath coming in short gasps as he tried to maintain consciousness. His form was elegant,controlled, almost perfect–but Varek's onslaught was too much. Kye attempted to redirect another punch, his arm lifting as if to push the energy away, but Varek swatted his arm down and punched him with the strike of thunder striking his face with a violent crackle that sent him staggering.
Pain exploded in Kye's head as Varek's fist collided with his face, the force of it snapping him back and crashing him to the ground once again. He struggled to rise, his body shaking, but he could feel the energy draining from him. The storm had overwhelmed his stillness, and now, it was consuming him.
The crowd was silent, watching Kye's every move, a few faces filled with concern. His perfect control was beginning to fray, his attempts to regain his footing growing weaker with each strike.
Varek was done, he summoned a lightning bolt as a threat, "Concede, this isn't fun for me anymore."
Kye's consciousness slipped away from him.
The horn sounded.
Victory: Varek, Star of Voltage.
The crowd exploded into cheers and applause.
The other participants in the stands were all on their feet, some in admiration, others with a mix of concern and respect. Kye, for all his quiet strength, had been no match for Varek's overwhelming speed and power.
Varek's gaze laid on Orion, his face filled with hope and excitement for his next battle.