The arena buzzed with anticipation as Aria Velmont and Kael Durnhart took their positions on the vast, glistening battlefield.
The crowd's collective breath seemed held in suspense, their cheers fading into an expectant silence.
Above, the crystalline dome of the arena refracted the sunlight, casting shifting rainbows over the competitors below.
Aria stood poised, her violet eyes scanning Kael with razor-sharp focus. She held a slender rapier, its blade etched with intricate runes that shimmered faintly in the sunlight.
Her slight frame belied the energy radiating from her, a coiled spring ready to unleash. Across from her, Kael gripped the hilt of his massive greatsword. The blade's runes pulsed in sync with his breathing, their glow an ominous rhythm of power.
"Begin!" the announcer's voice rang out, amplified across the arena.
Kael moved first, his greatsword cleaving through the air in a mighty downward arc.
