Adrian walked away from the stage, still thinking about what happened. As he walked, memories came back to him. He remembered a time when someone wanted revenge against him. It was a tough memory, like scars from the past. The air felt heavy as he thought about it, reliving the pain he had just seen in the arena.
In his mind, he saw the angry face of a son that found him out of nowhere. Their eyes burned with hatred, just like Lucas's. And the feeling of guilt ate into him as he recalled the day he murdered that boy’s parents for the sake of his mission. In the past, I would have killed him without thinking twice about it, but his eyes… The way he looked at me, I just couldn’t.This is what Elara would have wanted. Adrian quietly agreed with his choice as he wrestled with the weight of the choices he made in the past, all thanks to Vance, his beloved mentor. The Trials of Unity, he realized, were not just to be battles of strength but also tests of character and cAdrian saw his death coming.It wasn't a vision or some mystical premonition. No, it was a gut feeling, a gnawing certainty that whispered in the darkest corners of his mind. He knew he had to ignore it. With the life he'd known, there was no escaping the inescapable march of karma. And right now, he had a mission to complete. The night is particularly dark, Adrian Steele thought, as he crept through the estate grounds like a ghost. The estate grounds were big and silent, with tall trees, long shadows, and a mansion in the middle.His movements were quiet and, dressed in his signature attire for covert operations, he blended well into the shadows. He wore a form-fitting, black tactical suit designed for stealth and agility. The suit was equipped with various pockets and compartments to carry essential tools and weapons discreetly. Adrian's attire included black gloves, a dagger resting by his right hip, black boots designed for silent movement, with rubber soles that minimized noise
Adrian woke up, surprised. I just died! He winced at the thought but the last thing he remembered was Kael shooting him with a smile on his face! He shot me, Adrian thought bitterly remembering his own murder. Yet, here I am. His eyes fluttered open to an entirely unfamiliar sight. He was no longer on the rain-soaked streets of Corvus, the city that had shaped him into the ruthless figure known as the Steel Reaper. Instead, he found himself in a place that defied comprehension—a vast hall lined with enormous statues and pillars that were illuminated by ethereal light. In contrast to the stuffy environment of his past existence, the air was crisp.Adrian pushed himself up, his mind racing to make sense of the surreal surroundings. Noticing a dagger tucked into his waist, and dressed only in a gray shirt, and trousers, he looked around. He wasn't alone. He was surrounded by a diverse group of people, each of them had their distinct looks of confusion."Where...?" he began, his voice b
Adrian deftly avoided a fiery tendril closing in on his face. Heat licked at his neck as another tendril grazed past.He moved gracefully, but the next tendril singed his arm. Taking it as a signal to retreat, Adrian moved, only to hit his back against the wall. "Damn it," he muttered, as he realized the portal had vanished.Five tendrils homed in on him, each attacking from a different angle. His body flowed with a natural rhythm as he pondered the true nature of this elemental. Its entire body was made of flames, with tendrils hovering around it. It looks like an extension of the main body, Adrian keenly observed the tendrils which Lucas and Elara had evaded, leaving Adrian to bear the brunt of the assault. The relentless flames were heating the arena, and the smoke blurred his vision. Adrian needed a way out. My dagger was useless against the fire, and my mysterious arrival didn’t provide me with any other weapons. He avoided another lash, his body moving instinctively while he
The aftermath of the elemental's destruction left the chamber filled with a deafening silence. The flames had vanished, leaving only the lingering scent of burnt air. Adrian's breaths came in ragged, painful gasps as he clutched the burns on his body."Is everyone okay?" Elara's voice, echoing with exhaustion, broke the silence. “You took the brunt of that last blast, Adrian. Are you alright?"Lucas nodded, his glasses askew but his expression relieved. "We're alive, thanks to Adrian's quick thinking."Adrian managed a weak grin, his body still trembling from the fight. "Well, I didn't want to become a pile of ashes in the Tower's first challenge." Their clothes were tattered, and their bodies bore the marks of a fierce battle. Adrian, in particular, was injured, his once-pristine robe stained with dirt and sweat. Several burn marks covered his arms and part of his chest. Malik approached, his eyes filled with a curious mixture of interest and appraisal. "Impressive teamwork, all of
Elara created swirling currents of water in the air, forming a protective barrier around her companions just as three boulders crashed against the watery shield, shattering into harmless fragments. Lucas’s demeanor gave way to a fierce determination, knelt down to examine the earth beneath their feet.He had a deep understanding of the earth's properties, and thus was searching for weak points in the elemental's rocky form as it spat out smaller disfigured golems made entirely of stone. Their eyes, hollow with two huge arms and small legs to move around.Guess these things are its arms and legs, Adrian surmised, bringing out his dagger, he watched how they moved. Now on his feet looking directly at the giant monster, Lucas, with his characteristic quirkiness, piped up, "I dare say, that green glow in its chest is where the source of energy is coming from, my friends."Adrian clenched his fists, gripping his dagger in his left hand, and tapping into his gift. He leaped into the air, d
As the Earth Elemental crumbled, Adrian landed on the ground, his body still infused with the power of his gift. He watched as the shards of green energy filled the air, quickly dissipating. Elara's icicles had found their mark, shattering the elemental's core and ultimately defeating it.The ground beneath their feet stopped trembling, and the earth creature was reduced to nothing more than a pile of rubble. It was over.Adrian turned to face his companions. He was amazed at how quickly they came together during the battle. Lucas adjusted his glasses, a mix of relief and satisfaction in his eyes. Elara, still holding her hand in the air, slowly lowered it, the icy shards dissipating into the air. "That... was intense," she managed to say between gasps for air.Lucas had returned to his glasses-wearing, scholarly demeanor, his fascination with the elemental clearly undiminished. "Incredible. We managed to defeat it," he mused, his eyes still locked on the now lifeless pile of rocks.
The group stood there. Their initial cheers of victory were now swallowed by the growing uncertainty of what to do next. Usually, shattering the elementals’ cores worked, but this time the Air Elemental continued to reform itself. It gathered its scattered currents of air back together, using the energy to regenerate its body. Its eyes, once filled with pain, now looked at them with an angry determination.Lucas, spoke with a sense of awe, as he analyzed the slowly regenerating elemental, "I've never seen anything like this. This elemental may have an inherent ability to reform when defeated. We have to find a way to disrupt its core permanently."Great Adrian thought, as he asked with a sense of urgency, “How do we find out for sure?”“I’m not entirely sure yet,” Lucas replied.As the Wyrm continued to rebuild itself, the tension in the air grew. Adrian, his mind racing, knew that they couldn't rely on their previous tactics. He had an idea, but it was a dangerous one. He turned to h
The group's cheers of victory still echoed in the chamber as they caught their breath. The defeated Tempest Wyrm had disintegrated into the air, and the battle seemed to have ended. But the portal that appeared in the air was a stark reminder that their trials were far from over.Adrian, still lying on his back, watched the swirling water portal with a sense of trepidation. "What now?" he mumbled, half to himself.Lucas, his scholarly demeanor returning, adjusted his glasses and gazed at the portal thoughtfully. "It seems the Tower has another challenge in store for us. Brace yourselves, everyone."As the portal expanded, a rush of water burst forth, engulfing the chamber and drenching the group. They stumbled backward, their clothes clinging to their bodies. The water's surface seemed to ripple and shift, and from its depths emerged a monstrous form—a Water Elemental.The creature materialized before their eyes into a towering colossus made of water. Its liquid form shifted and flowe