The match between Drakar and Solreth had finally begun.
Before stepping fully into the fight, Drakar made a resolve within himself.
After this battle, no matter what happened, he would tell Raedon the truth.
The truth about their parents.
The truth about their village.
The truth he had carried alone for so many years.
But for now, there was only one thing that mattered.
Winning.
The moment the referee signaled the start of the match, Drakar exploded forward.
The ground beneath him cracked as he launched himself toward Solreth.
In an instant he had already crossed the distance between them.
Without hesitation, he swung his axe aggressively.
Clang!
Solreth calmly raised his scythe and blocked.
Drakar swung again. And again. And again.
Each strike carried anger and force behind it.
Meanwhile, Solreth remained composed, defending every attack with precise movements.
Not a single unnecessary motion.
Not a single wasted step.
Drakar's frustration continued growing. 'Fireball!'
Several blazing spheres shot toward Solreth.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Yet Solreth simply swung his scythe and deflected them away one after another.
The explosions echoed throughout the battlefield.
But none of them reached their target.
Drakar immediately followed up. 'Burning Axe'!
Flames engulfed his axe.
The weapon glowed bright orange as heat radiated from its blade.
Drakar leaped high into the air before bringing the burning axe down toward Solreth.
Solreth calmly raised his scythe.
Clang!
The two weapons collided.
The force shook the battlefield.
Drakar pushed harder, forcing his axe downward.
The two Dragonkinds stared directly into each other's eyes.
Then Solreth spoke softly.
"Is this aggression all you've got?"
The words immediately ignited Drakar's anger.
His grip tightened.
His jaw clenched.
For a moment he wanted nothing more than to attack recklessly.
But he stopped himself.
He took a breath.
Then another.
He pulled back.
Calming himself, even if only slightly.
Then he charged once more.
'Fireball Barrage'!
Dozens of fireballs filled the air.
This time Solreth took flight, moving through the sky while avoiding the attacks.
But Drakar was already prepared.
'Dragon's Breathe'!
A massive stream of fire erupted from his mouth.
The flames surged toward Solreth.
Now directly in the line of fire, Solreth unfolded his golden wings.
The wings shined brilliantly.
The flames crashed against them.
Yet the wings endured.
When the fire finally faded, Solreth lowered them.
'Shine Shot'.
Multiple rays of concentrated light shot toward Drakar.
The attacks moved with incredible speed.
Drakar immediately raised his axe.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
He deflected each beam away.
But he could feel it.
The weight behind those attacks.
The power contained within every single ray of light.
Meanwhile, Solreth stood there calmly.
As if he had no idea who Drakar was.
As if he had never seen him before.
As if that tragic day had meant nothing to him.
Drakar had already guessed it.
Solreth didn't recognize him.
Not at all.
That realization only made the frustration inside him grow stronger.
Even when he tried calming himself, he couldn't completely suppress it.
The anger kept building.
The memories kept resurfacing.
Drakar raised his hand.
'Inferno Blast'!
A massive sphere of molten lava formed above him.
The sheer heat distorted the air around it.
Without hesitation, Drakar launched it toward Solreth.
The giant sphere tore through the battlefield.
Solreth didn't move.
He remained standing exactly where he was.
Then he swung his scythe.
'Radiant Reap'.
A crescent of condensed light shot forward.
The light blade met the lava sphere.
And sliced straight through it.
The sphere split into two halves.
A moment later... BOOM!
Both halves exploded on either side of Solreth.
The ground burned.
Molten rock spread everywhere.
Smoke filled the battlefield.
Yet when the flames settled, Solreth remained standing.
Untouched.
Unharmed.
Not even his clothes were damaged.
He stood between the destruction as if it meant nothing.
Then he spoke once more. "It seems your emotions have better control over you than your mind."
Drakar remained silent.
Solreth continued. "You can give up right now."
His voice remained calm. "There is no need for you to fight when you're clearly not prepared."
Then he added "Your brother, was it? The thunder dragonkind."
Drakar's eyes narrowed.
"He gave me a much better fight than you have until now."
The words struck deeply. "So should I expect more from you?"
Solreth raised his scythe slightly. "Or should I finish you right now?"
Rage.
Wrath.
Revenge.
All three emotions erupted within Drakar.
His eyes glowed red.
His fists clenched tightly.
The veins on his arms became visible.
But then... Something changed.
Suddenly, he felt calmer than ever before.
The anger was still there.
The hatred was still there.
But neither controlled him anymore.
Because he had found something stronger.
A purpose greater than revenge.
He wanted to prove Solreth wrong.
He wanted Solreth to regret what he had done.
He wanted him to understand.
That would be his revenge.
Not blind anger.
Not hatred.
Proof.
Drakar looked directly at Solreth.
Then finally replied. "Right here." His voice was calm. "Right now."
The flames around him flickered. "I shall prove you wrong."
The temperature around him slowly began rising. "I shall not just defeat you."
His eyes never left Solreth. "I will crush your purpose."
For the first time, Solreth looked confused.
He studied Drakar carefully.
Then spoke. "I don't know what you're trying to say."
He slowly adjusted his grip on his scythe. "But so be it."
A smile appeared on his face.
"Let the audience get the spectacular display between two Dragonkinds they have been looking forward to."
Silence followed.
Neither spoke another word.
Neither moved.
The entire arena held its breath.
On one side, the temperature began rising rapidly.
The ground cracked beneath intense heat.
On the other side, brilliant magical energy gathered around shining wings.
The air itself trembled.
Then both spoke simultaneously.
"Overheat."
"Overflare."
The battlefield erupted with power.
And the fight continued.