Nyx and Luminar walked silently toward the arena entrance, their steps steady but their expressions tense. By the door, Maraxis leaned casually against the frame, his imposing figure casting a long shadow. As they approached, he straightened up, his bandaged head a reminder of their earlier victory.

  “You know,” Maraxis began, his tone almost light, “if it wasn’t for you two coming in and breaking my streak, it would have ended tonight anyway.” He crossed his arms and smirked. “Amarysol always shows up to keep me humbled. Be ready.”

  Nyx and Luminar nodded, exchanging a glance before continuing into the arena. Maraxis’s words lingered in the air behind them.

  In the stands, Vitaros stood next to Prism, his skeletal frame blending into the shadows as his glowing blue eyes scanned the arena. “Have they ever gone up against one of their own before?” he asked, his voice low.

  Prism’s grin faltered slightly. She folded her arms, her emerald eyes focused on her friends below. “They have,” she said, “but never one of their fused elders. They’re basically going up against their future.”

  “And?” Vitaros pressed.

  Prism exhaled, her tail flicking. “The bond of a fused Chromati will always be stronger than the unfused. But I’m sure my friends can pull this off...” Her voice wavered slightly before she added with forced confidence, “Somehow.”

  The announcer’s voice boomed through the arena, hyping the crowd into a frenzy.

  “And now, our final match of the night! In one corner, the underdogs who have taken this arena by storm. The Chromati Duo Nyx and Luminar! And in the other corner, a force to be reckoned with… the fused Chromati, Amarysol!”

  The crowd erupted, voices rising in cheers and wagers being thrown around like wildfire.

  From the far end of the arena, Amarysol emerged. Their presence commanded attention, every movement fluid, effortless, and powerful. Their skin was a dazzling blend of violet and yellow, swirling in intricate patterns that glowed faintly under the arena lights. As they stepped, liquid silver transmuted from the floor, coiled up their limbs, creating bangles that clinked softly as they walked. There was an unnatural smoothness to the motion, as if they weren’t bound by the same physical weight as everyone else.

  They stepped into their corner with ease, their expression calm, too calm. They didn’t offer Nyx and Luminar the same tension or wary readiness. Instead, they gave a faint, almost amused smile before turning away, rolling their shoulders as if this were just another routine match.

  Nyx and Luminar held their ground, silent, focused. They didn’t need to speak. They could feel it, this fight wouldn’t be like the others.

  The air in the arena thickened, the weight of expectation settling. The cheers dimmed slightly, the anticipation almost unbearable.

  The bell rang.

  Nyx exploded forward, circling to flank Amarysol. Luminar’s stance was steady, her arm locked and aimed, two fingers pointing directly at their opponent.

  “Peace Lily Maker!” she called, firing a piercing light bullet at Amarysol.

  It never reached them.

  With fluid precision, one of Amarysol’s silver bangles liquefied, spreading across their palm in a mirror-smooth surface. The moment the bullet struck, it rebounded, perfectly aligned back toward Nyx.

  Nyx barely had time to react. The projectile struck his legs, sending him crashing to the ground with a sharp grunt.

  “Nyx!” Luminar shouted, but before she could move, Amarysol was already closing in.

  Their silver-encased fists crackled with electricity as they leapt high, descending like a bolt of living lightning.

  Nyx and Luminar barely dodged, the impact leaving a crater where they had stood just moments before. Chunks of stone flew, skidding across the arena floor. Amarysol didn’t slow down. They pivoted, charging again, electricity snapping violently across the silver bands on their arms and legs.

  Luminar pushed back with sheer radiance, her entire body flaring with light, forcing Amarysol into an overexposed haze.

  It didn’t work.

  Amarysol didn’t stop. They ran straight through the blinding glow, unfazed, their stance still calm, assured.

  Nyx’s instincts kicked in, and he lunged toward Luminar, shoving her aside just as Amarysol barreled past. The two of them narrowly dodged, rolling to the center of the arena.

  But something was wrong.

  Amarysol didn’t pursue immediately. Instead, they walked back to their corner, slow, deliberate steps. And with each step, silver footprints remained imprinted in the ground.

  Nyx’s sharp eyes tracked them, his mind racing. His pulse quickened as realization clicked.

  “Lumi, move!” he yelled. “It’s a trap!”

  Amarysol slammed their hands onto two of the silver footprints, and instantly, bars of silver shot out of the remaining foot prints, up from the ground, closing into a cage around Nyx.

  The structure hummed with energy, the silver glowing as arcs of plasma crackled between the bars. Nyx whirled in an attempt to escape, but the moment he reached out, electricity surged through him, locking his muscles in place.

  “Nyx!” Luminar’s voice cut through the arena, raw with desperation.

  Amarysol stepped forward, bending the bars aside as they entered the cage of their own making. Their hand reached out, gripping Nyx’s throat, their fingers cold as forged steel.

  With one effortless motion, they slammed him into the electrified bars.

  The charge ripped through his body, his breath stolen in a sharp, agonized gasp.

  Luminar felt her chest tighten, a mixture of rage and panic burning behind her ribs.

  “No!” she screamed.

  Her light solidified into a rod, and she swung with all her strength, but the strike bent harmlessly around the mirrored silver of the cage.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Falling to her knees, despair overtook her. Amarysol bent the bars open once more and stepped out of the cage. Slowly, they approached Luminar. She looked up, her tear-streaked face reflected in the silver sphere encasing Amarysol’s hand. The electricity arcing across its surface was the last thing she saw before it struck her, sending her into unconsciousness.

  The arena fell silent, the tension thick in the air as the crowd processed what they had just witnessed.

  Darkness.

  The Prismara Official Arena loomed ahead, its towering facet-cut structure refracting the morning light into shifting ribbons of color. The air buzzed with energy, a mixture of voices, the hum of floating display screens, and the anticipation that always preceded an official match.

  Nyx stood with his classmates, his dark, swirling eyes taking in the grandeur of the place. Their school group from Halcyon Vale had traveled here under the guidance of one of their fused elders, a towering Chromati with patterns of deep indigo and gold flowing across their skin like living constellations. The elder’s voice carried the weight of wisdom, yet it was laced with the gentle patience of someone who had guided countless young ones before.

  “Remember where the free viewing area is,” the elder instructed, their golden irises glinting under the arena lights. “Get your food, take in the sights, but hurry back before the match starts. This is a privilege, witnessing combat in its purest form. See how those before you fight, so you may learn what it means to wield your Affinity with mastery.”

  The students dispersed, the excitement of the city-like arena drawing them into its neon-lit halls and food stalls. Nyx didn’t wait, he took off into the crowd, weaving through the massive flow of people with ease. The smell of sizzling food filled the air, mingling with the distant roar of an earlier match in progress. He dodged between adults, moving quickly, his mind set on finding something good to eat before heading back.

  But then.

  Impact.

  Nyx collided with someone moving just as fast as he was, and in an instant, both of them went tumbling to the ground.

  He groaned, pushing himself up, blinking away the brief dizziness of the fall. In front of him, a girl was already rising to her knees, her silver-white hair slightly ruffled, her sharp golden-blue eyes narrowed as she looked up at him.

  Nyx reached out instinctively, offering his hand.

  And the moment their hands touched.

  Contrast.

  Swirling, shifting, bleeding into each other like ink dropped into water. The deep obsidian black of his skin flowed into her porcelain white, their Affinities reacting, recognizing. The colors curled and twisted, fractals forming at the meeting point of their hands, blending but never merging.

  In that moment, everything else disappeared.

  The sounds of the arena faded, the movement of the crowd slowed. The only thing that existed was this moment.

  Nyx looked into her eyes.

  She looked into his.

  And as if pulled from memory neither of them knew they had, their voices spoke.

  “Nyx.”

  “Luminar.”

  Nyx’s eyes fluttered open, the sterile glow of the med bay’s overhead lights glaring down at him. His body ached, his muscles stiff, but the pain was manageable, just another bruise, just another fight. He exhaled slowly, letting himself adjust before he turned his head, searching.

  “Lumi?”

  His voice was rough, a little strained, but clear. His gaze landed on the bed next to him, and relief settled in his chest when he saw her there, still, quiet, but breathing steadily. A bandage wrapped around her head, stark against her porcelain-white skin, but otherwise, she looked intact.

  A voice broke through his thoughts.

  “You’re awake sooner than I expected,” the Xyleari doctor said, stepping forward, her bark-textured hands adjusting the monitors beside him. Her glowing green veins pulsed softly beneath her skin as she checked his vitals. “You’ve only been out for about thirty minutes. You should be fine. So will she.” She nodded toward Luminar. “Though, she’ll probably want more rest.”

  Nyx let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Thanks, doc.”

  As he sat up, a figure shifted on the other side of the room. Nyx’s sharp eyes snapped toward them, his muscles instinctively tensing before he recognized the violet-and-yellow swirls of Amarysol, sitting comfortably in a chair near the door.

  “So,” Amarysol began, their voice calm but firm. “Have you figured it out yet?”

  Nyx blinked. “Figured what out?”

  Amarysol leaned forward, their dual colored irises gleaming. “You two rely on your two-person advantage too much. Tricks like that? They won’t work on seasoned fighters.”

  Nyx frowned. “We…”

  “You’re strong,” Amarysol cut him off, their voice unwavering. “But strength alone doesn’t make a Chromati great. Your bond does. And from where I was standing, you were too comfortable splitting off on your own and assuming she would have your back. That’s not how it works.”

  Nyx stayed silent, absorbing the words.

  “You may move like two,” Amarysol continued, tapping a silver-adorned finger against the armrest, “But your bond makes you one. Never forget that.”

  Nyx exhaled through his nose, arms crossing over his chest. “Then tell me this, if a Chromati’s bond is supposed to make them so strong, why isn’t a Chromati the number one champion in the official arenas?”

  A slow smirk curled at Amarysol’s lips as they stood. The weight of their presence was undeniable.

  “Chromati like us, who chose the life of a thrillseeker, are an enigma,” they said, moving toward the door, “Most Chromati want to live a safe cozy life, instead of risking their lives for coin.”

  Nyx opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, the door swung open, or rather, it was forced open as Prism and Vitaros crashed inside, tumbling forward in a tangled mess of limbs and pride.

  They scrambled to right themselves instantly, Prism flipping her hair back like she meant to do that, while Vitaros cleared his throat, straightening his jacket.

  “We weren’t eavesdropping,” Prism said immediately, far too fast.

  “Don’t care,” Amarysol said, barely sparing them a glance before stepping out, leaving the room in tense silence.

  Vitaros brushed off imaginary dust, trying to play it cool. “Not that I care, but that was an interesting conversation.”

  Prism ignored him, stepping up to Luminar’s bed. She tilted her head, her usual mischief momentarily replaced with something softer. She reached out, brushing a stray silver strand from Luminar’s face.

  “You did good, Lumi,” she murmured, voice light but genuine.

  She then turned to Nyx, her usual smirk snapping back into place. “How about you, big boy? Holding up?”

  Nyx smirked, rolling his shoulders. “I’m gold.”

  He eyed her suspiciously for a beat, then exhaled through his nose. “Prism… tell me you didn’t go all in on us.”

  Prism’s grin widened. “Nyx, I love you cova. But you know I’m not looking to go back to the welfare Cloud Coin life.”

  Nyx shook his head, but couldn’t help the smile creeping onto his lips.

  Vitaros crossed his arms, raising a brow at Prism. “I wish you gave me a heads-up on that before I went big on my company’s investments.”

  Nyx chuckled. "Thanks for believing in us."

  Vitaros rolled his eyes, then narrowed them slightly as something seemingly occurred to him. “You know… if being a fused pair makes your kind so much stronger, why haven’t you two just fused yet?”

  Nyx stiffened, his eyes widening slightly, caught completely off-guard by the question.

  “Well, you know…” he started, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

  Prism’s tail flicked as she shoulder-checked Vitaros. “You literally just asked him why they haven’t settled down and had babies yet,” she said flatly. “Do some Web research, everyone should be more culturally inclined, it’s 3034 cova.”

  Vitaros blinked, then tilted his head. “Huh.” He shrugged. “Didn’t realize it was that kind of thing.”

  Before Nyx could recover from the awkwardness, a soft sound came from the bed beside him.

  Luminar stirred.

  The group immediately turned, Prism practically bouncing onto the edge of the bed, her ears perking up with excitement.

  Nyx leaned forward. “Lumi?”

  Her eyes fluttered, the golden-blue irises still hazy as she slowly blinked awake, her gaze shifting toward him.

  The entire room held its breath.