Blackout Ascension: Return of Primordial Heir-Chapter 8: Light and Scar

The The floating platforms of the Luminary Colosseum are shifting. High above the magical white marbles was healing itself. The shady and cracked stones by Ignis’ fire automatically became shiny stones again.

But the heat can’t be replaced, it remained. The fifty thousand spectators in the stands were still shaking with the suffocating heat emitted from the first match.

Then, the grand announcer’s voice roared across the arena.

"The arena is set! We move immediately to the Second Match of the Luminary Bracket: Lysandra Velkin of Solaris versus Daemon Sylphyros of Sylphyros!"

Deep and respectful murmurs started in the crowd. Both of these warriors were already legends in their own strength, respected by warriors and commoners alike. But their powers were opposites. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Light and Flame mean Purity against Destruction.

Down on the arena floor, the heavy iron gears of the East Gate widely opened with a loud sound.

Lysandra Velkin stepped forward into the sunlight. She was the Lieutenant of the Solaris Royal Guard, widely known across the kingdom as the "Shield of the Dawn." She wear a armour, which was a masterpiece made of silver and white steel flowing bright to the sunlight. At her hip, a long sword rested with a silent aura.

Across the opposite side, the West Gate opened. Daemon Sylphyros stepped out from the tunnel. The moment he entered the arena, the temperature in the arena turned into a void and rose suddenly. A suffocating fever rose for the audience in the front seats. Daemon wore an armour which left his muscular arms out and a scar on his face, he represents the Sylphyros bloodline.

High above in the Royal Pavilion, Soltheia and Catherine Sylphyros leaned against the marble railing. They watched their brother with excitement and prayed for his win. They knew what kind of beast their brother was hiding in.

A few seats away, Princess Seyana sat close to the edge of her balcony. She brought her hands together with anxiety.

"He looks... heavy," Seyana whispered to herself, "like he’s carrying the whole burden on his shoulders."

Down in the waiting area, Kairos Vedaryan observed the two fighters in silence. He was already building thoughts inside his mind, observing the invisible mana lines flowing in their bodies. He watched how Lysandra used her mana perfectly and also watched how Daemon’s hands craved for the violence.

Lysandra is efficient, Kairos noted, his gaze locked on the soft glow from her armour. She uses her mana perfectly without wasting anything. But Daemon... Kairos raised his left eyebrow and felt a strange mana surge.

Daemon’s mana is flowing out unevenly like a bomb going to blast at any moment.

A bell echoed from the high towers.

GOOONNNGGGG!!

Daemon moved and simply stepped forward, watching Lysandra and kept his hand forward to launch a devastating fireball towards her. The flames of the fireball converted into numerous roaring beasts. Lions with raging white flame and wolves made of molten lava are rushing towards Lysandra.

Lysandra simply raised one hand, keeping her palm flat and open. The soft white and golden particles began to materialise at the top of her palm. "Sanctum Skin."

The fire beasts rushed and crashed into her with sheer pressure. The impact covered her in a whole with raging flame. A second later, the fire scattered away, when they touched the particles created by Lysandra. The raging fire turned into sparks in a fraction of a second.

Lysandra stood unarmed and perfectly still. Daemon’s left eyebrow rose and gave an interesting look to Lysandra.

Lysandra stepped calmly forward and her hand moved to the sword at her hip.

SHING.

She unsheathed Solistra. The moment the blade got out, the bright light shimmered over the arena. The shadows are gone and the white marbles shone too bright.

"Light exists to protect.." Lysandra whispered.

Daemon answered her statement with

A burst of fire exploded from the soles of his boots. He moved faster with the force generated at legs. He drew his broadsword in mid way.

Lysandra bent her knees and jerked off up into the air to meet him. They clashed directly in mid-air.

BOOM.

Their blades crossed. The collision created a shockwave throughout the arena, which blew the hair of the audience in the arena backwards.

Daemon pushed downward and Lysandra pushed upward. Then due to gravity they met at a white marble.

CLANGGGG!

CLANGGGG!

Daemon’s sword was enchanted with black fire and every single time his black fire hit Lysandra’s pure light the steam came out with a hiss sound.

They moved so fast, striking, dodging and defending. To every audience, they looked evenly matched.

But down on the floor, Kairos saw the truth. The difference between the fight of Lysandra and Daemon. Lysandra’s attacks were precise and calculated.

But Daemon was a pure monster he fought just to destroy whatever came to fight him.

His attacks grew faster, hotter and heavier.

SLASHHHHH!!

Daemon swung his sword with rage and Lysandra blocked the attack with her sword, but the shockwave of the attack hit her arms.

With the sheer force and slashes taken from Daemon made Lysandra to lose her ground. Lysandra is getting back step by step.

Daemon held his sword with two hands and charged forward with slashes. Lysandra raised her blade horizontally. The impact was devastating, her knees were trembling.

She tightened her jaw with anger.

"You’re pushing yourself too far, Daemon," she said, her voice calm even lethal struggle, "your flame burns from deep sorrow. I can feel it. It is eating you alive from the inside."

The very moment she spoke the word sorrow, the air pressure in the arena changed. Daemon’s eyes widened. The black flames on his sword grew more reacting to his rage.

"Don’t you dare touch my heart." His voice groan in anger and agonising pain.

ROARRRR.

A tornado of blood red fire rose around him.

"Helios Inferno:" Daemon whispered like commanding the fire, "Sovereign Form."

The Luminary Colosseum felt fear.

Lysandra was escaped and jumped high reaching a platform above. Daemon was a walking inferno, burning away everything in his way. She slowly sheathed her glowing sword and prayed keeping her hands on her chest.

"He leaves me no choice" Lysandra murmured with sad look.

She closed her eyes.

"Divine Veil:" Lysandra called out, her voice was so calm, "Luminara."

A massive, solid thick domes formed around her. It was the unbreakable and one of the strongest defence of Solaris Royal Guard. Down below, Daemon looked up through the swirlling red flames.

He flapped the wings once and flew up. The force he used to fly broke the marble he stood into a thousand pieces. He launched himself directly upward into the sky. He reached above Lysandra and then he dived down like a falling blood-red meteor. He crashed violently into the center of the barrier.

The impact sounded loud like a meteor hitting a large mountain. The first layer of the light shield broke instantly. Daemon kept pushing, to break the dome completely. The second shield resisted for three seconds and broke. He hit the third layer, but it can’t hold him more than a second.

CRACK.

The third shield also broke. Daemon slammed his fists into the fourth layer of the Luminara veil. Daemon pushed all his sorrow into his hands. The fourth shield shattered and Lysandra’s ultimate defence fell.

Daemon crashed heavily onto the marble tile right in front of her. The stone shattered and his chest was thudding violently with exhaustion. Thick black smoke covered in an instant. Lysandra slid backwards from the impact of her broken spell. She was shaking and blood dripping from her nose.

But she didn’t surrender. With trembling hands, she reached down and drew her blade once more. She raised the sword pointing it into his chest. They looked deeply into each other’s eyes.

"I will not let the darkness inside you win, Daemon!" Lysandra murmured, struggling for breath.

Daemon looked at her trembling blade and her bleeding face.

"You cannot decide what my heart becomes, so called Shield," Daemon answered softly.

He took a single step forward, completely ignoring the sword pointed at his chest. He raised his right fist high into the air, the flame waving around his fist and punched the marble floor beneath his own feet.

"Eruption." The core of the marble floor they stood scattered. A pool of lava erupted beneath Lysandra.

She didn’t panic, she jerked her hand up, converting every last drop of light mana remained into a thin veil around her to survive the eruption.

Everything else burned. The floor was consumed in fire. The crowd went in dead silence, watching the destructive force from Daemon.

Slowly, the eruption cleared. The red flames faded into grey smoke. Lysandra Velkin collapsed heavily to her knees. Her beautiful silver-white armour was completely damaged and turned into black. Her body trembled uncontrollably, Solistra slipped from her numb fingers and fell.

She tried to force herself to stand. But her legs simply failed to stand. Her mana core was completely empty.

The bell rang twice.

"The match is concluded. Daemon Sylphyros is the winner."

The arena roared with applause and crowd were in shock. Daemon stood at center of the ruined platform. His chestthe was thudding with exhaustion. The rage in his eyes completely faded away into hollow gaze again.

He didn’t looked at the crowd cheering for him, he walked slowly towards Lysandra knelt on the ground. He reached down and picked up Solistra from the floor. He wiped the ash on glowing blade with his hands. Then, he knelt on one knee. He placed the hilt of the sword gently back into Lysandra’s trembling hand.

"You are a truly great warrior, Lysandra," Daemon said quietly. His voice was calm without any rage, "but you should not try to heal wounds that are not yours to carry."

Lysandra looked up at him through her exhausted eyes with a faint sad smile.

"And you, Daemon," she whispered, "you should not have to carry them entirely alone."

Daemon turned away from her and simply walked toward the edge of the floating platform and jumped down, heading toward the exit tunnel.

High above, the scoreboard shifted.

Winner: Daemon Sylphyros: Sylphyros Kingdom.

A team of royal medics rushed into arena, gently placing Lysandra onto a stretcher to escort her back to the healing wards. From the sidelines, Ignis Solaris gave a respectful bow to Lysandra. She had fought brilliantly.

Daemon returned and sat alone on a stone bench in the darkest corner of the room. His pale face was completely unreadable. But for the first time since he had entered the arena, Daemon’s shoulders felt rest.

Up in the Royal Pavilion, the tension finally broke. Princess Seyana wiped a tear from her cheek.

"He is in so much pain, don’t know why but I can feel it" she whispered to herself.

Down below, Kairos was still standing in the same spot. He had watched Daemon far longer than anyone else in the arena. He rested his hand on his own sword hilt. He hides his broken soul behind anger. Just like me. For a brief moment, Kairos felt that the arrogant Sylphyros prince was a mirror of himself.

A few seats away from Seyana, Brandon Sylphyros didn’t watch the battlefield at all. His eyes rested entirely, obsessively, on Seyana. He saw her wipe the tear from her cheek and the genuine feeling written across her beautiful face.

Brandon squeezed the golden side bar of his chair. Why do you cry for him? Brandon thought. Why does your expression change for that broken fool? Why do you look at the peasant from Zephyros with such warmth? Why do you show emotion for everyone in this world... except me?

A dark suffocating aura came from Brandon’s shadow for a fraction of a second and became normal again.

Down in the Colosseum, the grand announcer’s voice roared again. The white marble arena tiles began shifting rapidly, rising and healing with speed.