CENE 1 – Competitors' Locker Room · 1 Hour Before the Fights
Silence reigned like a prayer before the storm.
📸 In the back of the locker room, Lorien Valtier spun the guild headband between his fingers, his golden eyes calm but sharp.
📸 To his left, Kai Hayashi finished tightening his combat gloves. His jaw was clenched, focus intense. He pulled his headband tight across his forehead.
— "Nervous, man?" — asked Lorien with a slight, teasing smile.
Kai took a deep breath before answering:
— "A little. Hayate's fast... They say he once sliced a thunderbolt."
Lorien chuckled and gave his friend a friendly pat on the back:
— "Thunder or lightning, you're cutting him in half."
— "Go all in, man. Second place is not an option."
📸 Kai raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth tugging into a faint grin.
— "If you say so, golden boy… then I will."
🎬 SCENE 2 – Observation Room · Rayden & Ray
📸 In a wide room with walls of arcane crystal, Rayden watched the broadcasts with arms crossed. Beside him, Ray held little Inavy, still asleep against his chest.
— "Lorien. Diana. Kai." — Rayden muttered, eyes locked on the screen. — "That trio will change the world."
Ray nodded slowly, his gaze more serious than usual:
— "Yes… but Kai..."
— "There's something inside him. Too much fire. Sometimes it feels like he wants to burn everything — even himself."
Rayden stared at his friend for a moment. The response came firm and grave:
— "Then keep him close."
— "Sometimes, it's a friend who stops the fire from becoming wildfire."
🎬 SCENE 3 – Secondary Arena · KAI VS HAYATE
📸 The crowd roared. The arena was wide, marked with gravitational runes to contain the speed of both fighters.
🎤 The narrator's voice cut through the air:
— "Time for a duel between two titans of speed and strategy!
Kai, the dancer of plasma… versus Hayate Nami, the slicing gale!"
📸 Kai entered silently, eyes narrowed, body relaxed like a seasoned fighter.📸 Hayate, in contrast, had the grin of a mischievous samurai, spinning his katana with effortless precision.
— "Shall we dance with the wind?" — Hayate said, his hair floating.
— "I'd rather ignite the sky." — Kai replied, eyes blazing.
⚔️ FIGHT BEGINS
📷 Hayate vanished — a cutting blur, crossing the arena with jabs so fast they left traces in the air.
📷 Kai raised his arms, channeling plasma into spirals around his body. Forms slithered: electric serpents, white flames, arcs of light.
💥 The clash was pure choreography. Wind versus electricity.
📸 Hayate landed a graze on Kai's shoulder, and for a second... Kai smiled.
— "Now, it's my turn."
🔥 Kai raised both arms to the sky, and circles of energy formed around him, glowing like miniature suns.
— "PLASMA ARC: BLAZING LOTUS!"
📸 Six circles collapsed around Hayate like petals of destructive light, merging speed and heat.
💥 The explosion was intense. Light and wind collided.
📷 When the dust settled... Hayate was on one knee, sweating and exhausted.
— "You... won in style. Respect."
📷 Kai also dropped to his knees, breathing deeply.
— "Thanks, samurai. That was beautiful."
📷 In the stands, Lorien stood with both fists in the air:
— "THAT'S MY PARTNER! I TOLD YOU!"
🎬 SCENE 4 – Mental Combat Arena: TRENT JAYSON VS ???
📸 The atmosphere was dark, an arena of mirrors, shadows, and silence. Trent Jayson's opponent was an illusionist — identity unknown.
Trent walked in with contempt in his eyes, dark hair like ink, his gaze as deep as an abyss.
— "You think the mind is your battlefield?"
— "Then let's dance in the mud of reality."
📸 His eyes shone crimson red.The enemy's illusions began... but failed.
🪞 Technique: Crimson Reflection – "Judgment of Intention"
📷 Every hostile thought of the enemy bounced back at him.Strikes imagined against Trent hit the caster instead.Forgotten pain. Revived trauma. Nightmares turned real.
The enemy screamed:
— "Wh-what's happening to me?!"
📷 His reflection in the mirror was himself… bleeding, begging, broken.
Trent simply replied:
— "You're facing… yourself."
📷 With a final snap of his fingers, the opponent collapsed unconscious.
The audience fell silent.
📷 In a private room, Rayden narrowed his eyes.Ray murmured:
— "This boy… will either be a weapon or a disaster."
🎯 Qualified for the Semifinals
✔️ Lorien Valtier✔️ Diana Flamesoul✔️ Kai Hayashi✔️ Trent Jayson
Lead-in to Next Chapter – "Flames, Reflections, and Fates"
The semifinals are coming.
🔥 Diana Flamesoul will face Kai, her friend… now rival.🪞 Lorien Valtier will face Trent Jayson, and the Crimson Reflection will reveal more than just cuts — it will reveal truths.
And when the reflections shatter… destinies will be sealed.