Sovereign of The Abyss

Chapter 10

The stadium was in complete silence, the only sound the distant echo of the commentator’s voice still ringing in the air.

The crowd murmured in disbelief, their voices rising in volume, some in awe, others in confusion. The spectacle of a mage with two elements. They had always known Miko as the weakling with the Ash element, barely able to conjure a puff of smoke. Now, he had just summoned fire. Pure, blazing fire.

“Wait… did he just… use fire?” someone whispered, their voice trembling in disbelief.

“He’s an Ash mage… Ash, not fire!” another voice, filled with confusion, responded.

The murmurs grew louder, echoing through the stands, bouncing off the stone walls of the arena. Even the respected Professor Ryn was taken aback, his eyes wide in astonishment. He exchanged a glance with another professor sitting nearby, both of them still processing what had just happened.

“Impossible…” a voice from the back of the stands stuttered. “You need two separate affinities to use two elements… and… he was supposed to be—”

“Miko’s a failure,” another voice interrupted, a hint of nervousness in it. “No one expected him to have... fire.”

“It’s not possible,” someone else added, their voice shaking. “It can’t be—he was just Ash... just Ash...”

In the VIP section, Gerald Valen sat with his posture as stiff as ever, but his eyes were no longer calm. He had always seen Miko as nothing more than the boy he had taken in to fulfill a debt. A weakling, someone who had never once been a threat. But this… This was different. He leaned forward slightly, his lips tightening into a thin line, his gaze narrowing as he took in the scene before him.

Elena, sitting beside her team, had gone pale. She hadn’t expected this either. She had always seen Miko as a stain on her reputation, a weak link in a chain she had tried to break free from. And now... now, he was something else. Something far more dangerous.

“I’ve heard of such things…” Professor Ryn murmured, his voice a mix of awe and disbelief. “But this is… extraordinary. A double element? Only geniuses in the capital can achieve that.”

“That’s not possible,” Gerald’s voice was low, but laced with authority. He stood up, moving to the edge of the VIP section, his eyes still glued to the field. “He was nothing but a burden before. How… how could he—?”

“Miko,” Elena whispered, the shock still evident in her voice. “How... how did he…?”

“This boy,” Gerald muttered, his eyes still scanning the field, where Miko sat, completely unaffected by the astonished looks thrown his way. “I don’t know at all.”

Meanwhile, back on the field, Luna and Jace from Clan Solace stood frozen, their eyes locked on Miko. The fire had been brief but powerful, and now the air felt thick with tension. Miko’s gaze remained steady,

Luna was the first to snap out of her shock. Her eyes narrowed as she took a step forward. “What the hell was that?” she hissed, her wind magic swirling restlessly around her.

“I— I don’t know!” Jace shouted, his voice strained as he clenched his fists in disbelief. He was one of the Academy’s top fighters, But this... Miko’s power was something he couldn’t understand. He refused to believe it.

“No way,” Jace continued, his voice rising in anger. “You can’t have two elements! That’s… That’s impossible!” His fists clenched tighter, his nails digging into his palms. He refused to admit what was right in front of him. He would not be outshone by someone like Miko, someone who had always been nothing more than a joke.

Miko didn’t even flinch. He simply tilted his head slightly, meeting Jace’s enraged stare with a calm gaze. There was no fear in Miko’s eyes. Only… quiet certainty.

Luna stepped forward, her wind magic flickering. “You really think you can win this? With just that trick?” she scoffed. “We’re Clan Solace. We don’t lose.”

Jace’s anger flared even more. “Enough talking,” he growled, his voice seething with frustration. He drew his sword, its blade gleaming in the sunlight. “Let’s finish this. Once and for all.”

Miko remained where he was, his stance steady, his hands loose at his sides. His eyes never wavered as Jace charged toward him. The audience’s murmurs grew louder, the tension palpable.

Jace’s blade swung down, aiming for Miko’s head. But Miko didn’t move. Instead, as the blade came down, he raised one hand, effortlessly swiping the air in front of him. And then, it happened. The fire from earlier surged back, crackling around Miko’s fingers, forming a wall of flame between him and Jace.

Jace’s eyes widened, but he was already committed. He swung his sword at the barrier, the flames licking the steel, but they didn’t falter. The fire seemed to dance, swirling around as though it were alive, as if the flames themselves were responding to Miko’s control.

“Impossible…” Jace muttered under his breath, stepping back, his eyes darting between Miko’s composed face and the fire that surged with unnatural strength.

Miko’s voice was calm, almost mocking. “You want to fight me? Fine. But I suggest you stop playing with fire.”

Luna gritted her teeth and charged forward as well, her wind magic intensifying. She summoned a powerful gust to tear through the flames, trying to blow Miko off balance. But Miko remained unmoved. The flames swirled, encircling him, as though they were responding to his will.

Jace lunged forward again, his sword aimed for Miko’s chest. But Miko was faster. With a sudden burst of fire, he rushed forward, the flames trailing behind him like a living creature. He slammed his fist into Jace’s chest, sending him flying back, crashing into the ground with a brutal impact.

The crowd gasped. Even Luna stepped back, eyes wide with shock.

Miko stood over Jace, his cloak billowing around him like a shadow. He didn’t say a word, just stared down at the defeated fighter. And with one final, effortless wave of his hand, the fire around him dissipated, leaving nothing but silence.

The commentator, struggling to regain his composure, finally found his voice.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, his voice cracking with awe, “I... I think we’ve just witnessed something incredible. A double element user... and a stage two mage. This... this changes everything!”

The stadium remained in stunned silence.