The Exam Colosseum was filled with the cheers and anxious wait of its audience as the first battle of the entrance tournament had begun. Serathin Ezranor was up against Jack Stronum, two contestants who, like the others, know nothing about the other. Kazin took over Ampharos' position just for this moment then sat back down in his chair with the rest of the Adamantium to watch the fight. For this brief break between the official start and when they could actually begin fighting, they were evaluating eachother. Jack was a born fighter and raised himself in the streets where he would barely go a day without atleast slamming one person into the ground beneath them. He'd grown tactical and strong due to his experience and magic. But how about his opponent Serathin?
Hendricks began to say "I hope that boy ends up in-" before being quickly stopped by Nick Hash'ín.
"Shush" he said as deeper scratches, and the small amounts of blood that poured out of them, appeared over Hendricks body. One simple word was all it took to make this man seem as if he'd just gone through a meat grinder, and he didn't even feel fazed by it. Hendricks simply sat there and continued his devilishly calm smile while watching the beginning of the first round.
Jack charged towards Serathin head first, cocked his arm back with a fist, and threw a punch forward with a quick jab to the face. His fist got mere centimeters from Serathins face before it seemed to almost teleport to the left with a dodge. Electricity crackled around the boys body as he hastily made his distance, only for Jack to quickly close the distance and throw a barrage of powerful punches. Serathin planted his feet and gracefully dodged every punch with ease. With every punch that should have connected, wether it be to the directional travel speed of Serathins body or the small inches of area between Serathin and Jacks punches, Serathin dodged every single one of them without even the force of the wind that resulted from the speed and power of Jacks punches. Jack quickly grew angry and frustrated by not being able to hit the boy and stomped his foot on the ground.
Jack had been using his Strength Magic through the past few seconds of the fight, but would now use a different one. See in this world of magic, beauty, war and death, people can be born with two different kinds of magic from birth which can, later in life, fuse together and become its own evolutionary branch of the previous two. For Jack his second magic was Stone Magic. A pillar of stone rose from the ground, causing Serathin to rise with it at a quick pace. Jack jumped upwards and peaked high above the pillar of stone, allowing gravity to take over and guide him back down like a rocket towards Serathin. He looked up to see Jack only feet away from him, and only getting closer by each fraction of a second. A normal person would not have enough time to react to this and successfully make himself out of harms way without getting any scratches. But Serathin was no ordinary man. To the audience it seemed like it had happened instantaneously. A bolt of lightning flashed horizontally as Serathin had found himself on the other side of the arena, floating in the air. Jacks reaction time was also just as quick.
Jack reached out to the corner of the pillar and pulled himself to the side while doing a flip as he fell downward, planting his feat against the side of the pillar and jumping towards Serathin with such strength it caused the launch area to crumble entirely and the rest of the pillar to fall towards the ground.
"QUIT RUNNING YOU BASTARD!!!" Jack yelled angrily at Serathin.
"Very well. Just remember-" Serathin replied before throwing a lightning-fast jab at Jack, making contact with Jacks chin which, due to the rapid turning of Jacks head and neck, caused Jacks brain to shake inside his skull and ricochet around. Jack never even saw it coming. When he turned to Serathin his life flashed before his eyes as he was bombarded with an overwhelming barrage of punches from all direction that he couldn't see whatsoever. He maintained this barrage for a few seconds before slowing down so the audience could see. "-you asked for this." Serathin then made a fist which had water begin to grow and rapidly spin around for the next attack.
"So the boy has Thunder and Water Magic. A very dangerous combination." Said the Female Alexandrite with dragon armor.
Serathins water around his fist formed into a swirling cone with the pointed end outwards. Serathin threw his punch and connected with Jacks torso, causing Jack to lose his breath from his lungs. Then the water would enlarge and wrap itself around Jack in a sphere form. Serathin stapled back and made two fingers rise to the sky. Then a lightning bolt came from above and struck directly onto the trapped opponent. The water and Jack became conducted with electricity as Jack began to show visible sign of great pain. Serathins water sphere fell off of Jack and descended towards the ground. Jack moaned in pain, almost unconscious from the damage Serathin has caused him, and he was about to see more. Searthins fist became covered in another water cone, but this time it was already shrouded and conducted with electricity. Serathin threw a quick power slam of a punch to Jacks face, making easy contact as the two quickly fell towards the ground. The moment the collided with the ground another bolt of lightning crashed into the arena, directly onto Searthins fist. The contact on the ground caused the ground below them to shatter, powerful winds throughout the arena, a loud defeating bang, and in the middle of all this was a typhoon of swirling lightning.
THUNDER VORTEX
As the arena calmed down and the winds silenced and soothed themselves, all that could be seen was Serathin standing over an unconscious, beaten, and slightly burned bald Jack Stronum. Serathin turned around and began walking towards the arena doors with his hands in his pockets. "Sorry pal, but you need a damn chill pill or something."
Ampharos stood to his feet and echoed to the stadium. "The victor of the first round of this years Entrance Exam: Serathin Ezranor!"
As Serathin walked off stage he would be passed by medics who rushed to Jacks body. Serathin paid no attention to them as they were of no interest to him in any way. He walked back inside under the seating area of the Arena to be greeted by Gonzo. "Hey that was awesome! How'd you even do that?"
"Honestly I'd never do that in a real fight on purpose. That was only for a show. Gotta impress the judges, ya know? You gotta make them remember you."
"I'm press them?" Asked Gonzo. "Hmm... yeah I think I can do that when it's my turn. Maybe fight blindfolded? Yeah I can do that."
"Okay but if you fight blindfolded how the heck are you gonna even fight? You won't see anything and your opponent could easily beat you."
"Oh don't worry. I used to fight monsters and catch my prey all the time growing up in situation where I was practically blind. I'll be really comfortable actually!" Claimed Gonzo with a confident smile on his face.
"Monsters and... prey? Where the hell are you even from, man?" Asked Serathin.
"Where I'm from? Drumund Chofts Baug. Ever heard of it?"
"Yeah but not much about it. Just that it can be really fucked up sometimes and not much is known about it..... WAIT! You're FROM there?"
"Yep! Born and raised as far back as I can remember. Yeah it's hard sometimes but it's still home. Gotta make the best of it that I can."
A few hours passed and it was close to noon. The entire colosseum was burning in temperature. Hendricks Tü Öh rose to his feet and raised one arm outwards, sending a cool chill throughout the stadium to help cool off everyone. "Someone please take care of that contestant. I can take care of their heat, but it is annoying. Who knows... I may make things to cold for these people." Said Hendricks as a devilish smile grew on his face. Azazel stood to her feet and began walking away from the group to go take care of the situation. With the temperature remaining a civil 70 degrees Fahrenheit the matches could continue.
Ampharos walked up to the front of his balcony and looked at the roster. "Up next in the Exams: Gonzo Dracu'ul versus Sheila Damon."
Gonzo heard his name finally come up and began taking deep breaths to relieve the nervousness inside of him. Serathin walked up to him and patted his shoulder. "Hey man trust me it'll be good. Just think of this as another day back home. You'll do fine." Gonzo stood up tall and took one final breath. "Yeah. Thanks." He'd say before making his way through the halls and outside to the Arena. He saw a woman on the other side walking out, just as amazed as he was by the crowd. They made their way closer to eachother until they were in arms length. "So uh... hey." Said Gonzo.
"Hey. Can you believe this place? It's pretty amazing to think we're actually here." She replied.
"Yeah it's something I've never seen before. Well best of luck to you... Sheila?"
"Yeah that's it. You too Gonzo."
The two turned away from the other and walked to their respective sides of the Arena. "Let the match... begin!" Said Ampharos. Gonzo pulled out a long piece of cloth and wrapped it around his eyes, tying a knot at the back of his head to secure the blindfold. The woman put on some headphones and began clearing her throat. Gonzo reached on arm outwards with his palm open. He took a deep breath and focused on his surroundings. Sheila took a deep breath opened her mouth and let out a deafening screech so loud that the Adamantium mages had to set up a soundproof magical shield around the audience almost instantly before the sound could reach them. As the sound waves from her screech reached Gonzo he could feel the vibrations in the air before his ears could hear anything. As fast as he could he closed his mouth tightly to prepare for the change in air pressure and used his hands to bang against his ears as hard as he could, blowing out his ear drums on impact, leaving him temporarily deaf. The sound reached him but all he heard was a loud ringing. He placed his hands on the ground and paid attention to the vibrations. With this his sense of touch gave him a perfect depiction of the arena and everything around.
Gonzo quickly made his way towards Sheila and got close enough to grab her, but was stopped by a powerful wind. The woman was shooting an air cannon from her hand to stop Gonzo from reaching her. He was blown back and skid across the ground before shoving his hands and feet into the ground. The air cannon continued and left Gonzo with no chance of moving without being blown, possibly, out of the arena. His throat began to glow red and his body began to emit heat waves. He opened his mouth as a concentrated beam of intense flames shot out and broke through the air cannon. The heat caused the wind to rise above the flames as soon as it got close enough, allowing the flames to easily make their way towards Sheila. Seeing the flames quickly close up on her, she ended her screeching and air cannon to dodge out the way as quickly as she could by using the wind to shoot her body away. Gonzo's hand and feet quickly began emitting intense flames that shot out of him to blast him directly at the unexpecting woman. Gonzo planted his hands in front of her and shot himself upwards while spinning rapidly, leaving a trail of flames behind him, trapping the female in a circular vortex of fire. She couldn't move without harming herself severely, so she planted her feet and tried to ready herself for what Gonzo would do next.
After Gonzo found himself a good distance above the ground he'd aim his hands upwards and shoot out more fire, launching him downwards towards Sheila where he'd raise his legs and ready a quick downward kick directly her. Gonzo made contact with the ground as flames shoot outwards beneath him in every direction, making it look as if this pillar of fire was clashing with the ground.
DRACONIC PILLAR
As the flames dispersed and faded away, the audience could see that Gonzo had missed his attack by mere inches. His foot was planted in the ground and Sheila was unharmed. However, to everyone's surprise, Sheila was raising both her hands to signal that she had surrendered. Gonzo looked towards her, blindfold still on, and controlled his breathing. "Why did you surrender?" He asked.
"Well honestly I'm not sure. Just thought you wanted it more. Oh also 'cuz what you just did- I could never do anything like that. I'd rather time be spent on someone more deserving."
Though Gonzo heard none of it, he could still feel the vibrations of her words and clearly made out every sound she made. He stood up and began taking the blindfold off to see who she was. He thought she was drop-dead gorgeous. He was unable to actually form a sentence.
"The winner of this round: Gonzo Dracu'ul!"
The crown echoed with more cheer and applause as they had witnessed a wonderful match and, fortunately, no one was severely hurt. Sheila gently waved to Gonzo and turned around to leave the arena. Gonzo weakly waved back, even though she couldn't see, and composed himself. "Oh yeah. Serathin!" He began running back to his exit and into the contestant lounge to see Serathin. "Hey hey did you see me? Was I good? I didn't mess up, did I?"
"No not at all. Actually I'm curious how you knew to blow out your ear drums before her scream hit you."
"Oh well that's simple. I could feel the vibrations in the air and knew I had to do it to protect myself. What that's not normal?"
"No... no it's not."
"Huh... oh well-" Gonzo said before being interrupted by the announcement of the next match.
"Up next: Mirion Laos versus Belson"
"Belson? Who just names themselves that?" Asked Gonzo. "Let's go watch." The two walked towards the opening area in the room to watch the fight. The two had already made their ways out into the Arena. One was draped in black and only allowed his face to be visible. He was a very handsome man, but his eyes seemed blank yet neutrally sinister. His magical presence was very different from everyone else in the entire city. This was Belson. His opponent wore thin yet powerful armor. His family crest spoke of his bloodline, which was known to many in the continent. The Laos family were renound for their prowess and bravery in battle. Mirion is next in line for his family's crown as "General". Everyone expected him to walk through these exams like it was a summer day at the beach. "Begin!" Yelled Ampharos.
Belson reached an arm out from his cloak and begin drawing a magic circle in the air. He tapped it in its center and the circle faded away. He retreated his arm back inside his cloak and watched Mirion without moving a muscle. Mirion smirked and began cracking his knuckles. "Oh don't worry I won't beat you too bad. I'll just-" he said before stopping. His eyes widened and he began to scream out in horror. He tried running away but he tripped over himself and fell to the ground. Tears quickly began flowing from his eyes as he curdled into a ball. "GO AWAY!!! AHHH! SOMEBODY HELP MEEEE!!!" He cried. "IM SORRY JUST PLEASE LEAVE ME ALOOONE!!" The entire audience, even the judges, were shocked and confused. To them nothing was happening. It just seemed as if Mirion was looking at something no one else could. Little did they know that Belson had shown Mirion 1000 years in the depths of the darkest corners of Hell in the blink of an eye. He'd experienced that millennium of horror and torture and suffering faster than he could blink.
MILLENNIUM SUFFERING
Belson turned around and began walking back towards his exit. Ampharos, confused, decided to end the match. "The uh... winner of this round is Belson..." Everyone was silenced and confused. The lack of knowledge and visible impact left them wondering what exactly Belson had done to Mirion. Medics rushed out and carried Mirion out and to the emergency room where they would later find that Mirion had become a vegetable of a person. He would only blink and breath on his own. The scars of that split second would likely remain with him for the rest of his life.
Serathin and Gonzo were shocked. They watched as Belson came back inside the lounge and rested himself on a seat, staring downwards at the floor in silence. "Let's not mess with him, eh?" Asked Gonzo. Serathin nodded in agreement.
The hours passed on and the sun would soon set. The final match was nearing its way and the audience was slowly diminishing. People can only be in one spot for so long. Azazel had made her way to the contestant that caused the heat problem earlier that day. "Hey you. You good now?" She asked the him. The man had blonde short hair and golden eyes with white flakes within. He wore very casual clothes, yet still looked very presentable as if he were going on a date later that day. He stared off towards the sun and sighed. "I really hope there will be some sunlight left when I get my turn." He said.
"You're the last fight for a reason. We don't want you doing too much damage to the arena or harming any audience members. We are judges, not guards. It was best that we do it at a later time due to the magic you possess. We're not sorry. You'll be up in a few minutes though so stop complaining and get ready." She turned around faded away into burning ashes, reappearing with the judges. She sat down in her chair and watched the current match play out. "He'll be out here next right?"
"Yes" said Kazin. "As Iwata's eldest child I hope he lives up to his name."
"I just hope he permanently scars his opponent. I hope he ki-" said Hendricks before being interrupted by Nick. "Shut up" he said before Hendricks once again was skewered with cuts and gashes, though he wasn't affected by it. He simply silenced himself, maintained his smile, and watched.
"I hope he doesn't hurt his opponent. Why do we even have to do things this way, anyway? There's better ways to recruit students into the academy." Said Velentine.
"Because the world ain't all sunshine and rainbows, Avery. You know that just as well as everyone else does." Said Azazel
"Look-" interrupted Kazin. "-regardless of the means of entrance we can't give any prejudice and favoritism towards him. He may be Iwata's child but that gives him no advantage of any kind. We will judge him just as fairly as we do everyone else." Everyone became silent and watched the current match up come to an end. They all maintained their composure, but deep down they all knew who this contestant was. They knew his bloodline and they knew of the contestants journeys. They would give no advantage to him of any kind, but they were all positive of one thing. That this final match would likely be the shortest, yet most interesting.
The final contestant was the son of a deceased Alexandrite. The strongest and most mysterious rank in the Mage system. Currently only one exists, but that was not the case 12 years ago.