Stellar Echo: Heart of the Myst

"THAT COWARDLY OLD MAN, HOW DARE HE LEAVE MY LITTLE ALDEN WITH THIS OUTRAGE!!!"

Upon hearing her beloved little brother's sorrowful words, the woman burst into a fit of anger and indignation, shouting aloud, her murderous intentions seemingly causing the world around her to tremble violently. However, she quickly calmed herself, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"Don't worry, my little Alden. Your sister will take care of this. Although it's true that Seraphina is a tough nut to crack, and it's not easy to mess with the Arcane Order, it's not like nothing can be done. It'll just be costly and complicated, but allow me a year to organize everything. For now, if you'd like, you can take a mission from the university and leave the planet, we'll come back to settle the score later."

"Sister, actually, I originally wanted to take care of that bastard by using a duel. I hired a mercenary to get rid of him, and everything was going well. I even managed to set the duel for next month. But when Father found out, he forbade me from doing anything and told me I had to endure the humiliation because that 'Seraphina' was protecting the bastard."

Upon hearing his sister's response, Alden panicked a little but quickly regained his composure and commented, his voice sad and disappointed. Meanwhile, the women by his side felt increasingly uncomfortable seeing their “husband” behave in such a way. Although they had seen it a few times, it was still hard for them to accept this kind of demeanor.

"Mmm, that's a bit complicated, my little Alden. Seraphina is not someone easy to deal with, and the Arcane Order is even less so. In less than a month, it's practically impossible to do anything that could catch her by surprise, not to mention the Order..."

The woman brought her hand to her jaw as she spoke, thinking at the same time. But when she noticed her brother's expression becoming sadder, melancholic, and defeated the more she talked, her heart clenched with pain. She threw caution to the wind and declared loudly.

"Don't worry, your sister will take care of it!!!"

"Thank you so much, sister; I knew I could count on you!!!" Alden jumped with joy, looking at his sister with gratitude, which melted the heart of the beautiful woman reflected in the mirror, who quickly replied lovingly.

"Of course, my little Alden. Your sister will always be here for you. Leave it all to me..."

...

...

...

Around a public square with a beautiful platform at its center, made of intricately carved marble slabs glowing softly with runes, a large crowd had gathered, nearly blocking any passage through. Several bleachers and preferential seating areas could be seen throughout the square, offering prime views of the event about to unfold.

At the center of the platform stood two young men in stark contrast to one another. One had an elegant and refined bearing, wearing a white, sporty-looking robe embroidered with gold and silver threads and adorned with an emblem on the left side of his chest. The design allowed for great freedom of movement.

This young man possessed a breathtaking beauty, with jet-black hair speckled with what appeared to be stars and galaxies, giving the impression that a piece of the starry sky adorned his head. His fair, porcelain-like skin highlighted his mesmerizing green eyes, which resembled a calm, tranquil sea of emeralds.

In contrast, the other young man wore a set of leather armor over black clothing, giving him a heroic and battle-ready appearance. His brown hair, dark eyes, and healthy bronzed skin harmonized perfectly, making him look striking. Though his face was unremarkable, he exuded a confident and rebellious aura that attracted several women in the crowd.

A little later, a man with black hair and gray eyes, appearing to be in his 30s, stepped onto the platform. He wore the typical white robe of the university, and as he stood on the edge of the platform, he spoke in a calm and measured tone. Somehow, his voice reached the ears of everyone present.

"Today, the official duel between the direct disciple Erik and the student Percival will take place."

Upon hearing the man, all the spectators exclaimed with excitement as the two young men on the platform moved to opposite ends. At that moment, the man continued.

"I, Gareth Everglow, will be the judge of this match. The rules will be as usual: no lethal attacks are allowed, and the duel will be stopped when one of the contestants runs out of mana, sustains a serious injury, or surrenders. Any questions?"

Gareth looked at the two young men on the platform, who quickly shook their heads, prompting him to nod in satisfaction before continuing.

"Perfect, then let the duel begin!"

After Gareth’s words, an imposing black spear appeared in Percival's hands, seemingly made entirely of metal, with several runes engraved on its surface that glowed softly. At the same time, the young warrior took his battle stance.

Meanwhile, two beautiful golden-bladed machetes appeared in Erik's hands. Although they seemed finely crafted, unlike the spear, they had no engraved runes, making them appear not only like ordinary tools but also far inferior to Percival's spear.

"Isn't it a bit sad for the great first disciple of Master Eldurdóttir to have such poor-quality machetes? They're not even magical artifacts. Maybe your master doesn't value you much? Or could it be she can't afford anything better?"

Seeing Erik's machetes, Percival couldn't help but mock him derisively. However, the young man with starry hair only smiled gently and spoke in a calm, measured tone, which somehow gave the impression of a debate between a scholar and a soldier.

"And I'm supposed to be the country bumpkin? This is called humility, and it's to let you show what you've got. If I went all out from the start, you wouldn't stand a chance."

Hearing Erik's words, Percival's expression visibly twisted, and he shouted angrily with murderous intent.

"You'll regret this, you bastard!"

With a powerful stomp, Percival shot towards Erik with his spear raised, almost instantly arriving in front of him and launching a powerful thrust. Erik managed to deflect it with one of his machetes without much difficulty, standing firm in place.

Erik's deflection seemed to anger Percival, who began delivering a series of rapid strikes. The starry-haired boy responded in kind, starting a furious exchange of blows at great speed. While dodging and blocking, both studied their opponent.

Outside the platform, the crowd roared with excitement as they watched the thrilling exchange. Meanwhile, Seraphina, who was near the dueling platform in a cordoned-off area, made a few subtle gestures to what seemed to be mansion workers, who quickly and discreetly left the area.

...

In one of the bleachers around the platform, there was an exclusive section where Alden sat, accompanied by his two wives seated on either side of him. Several young men dressed in university robes surrounded him like a small entourage.

"Sir Blackthorn, what do you think of the boy's skills?" one of the young men, with brown hair and lavender-colored eyes, asked respectfully, to which Alden replied with little interest.

"I don't see anything extraordinary for now, though it is a bit surprising that he chose to engage in close combat against a knight."

"Hahaha, maybe he still doesn't know how a mage is supposed to fight," another young man with black hair and a chubby body commented disdainfully, his eyes filled with sarcasm as he watched the fight on the platform.

Not far from there was a section that could only be described as VIP, separated from the rest by beautiful ornamental fences. These guarded what appeared to be a large tent in the center. Although it seemed to be made of some type of fabric, it looked incredibly sturdy, not even fluttering in the wind, resembling an immovable fortress.

Inside the tent was a spacious, well-decorated area with beautiful tables and chairs, almost like a café or a social lounge, where several students were seated, served by elegant waiters dressed in the typical black uniform of the university staff.

At a particularly special table sat three beautiful young ladies, one with black hair, another with blonde hair, and the last with brown hair. They were all sipping tea from intricately designed porcelain cups while watching the fight on the platform, as the view from inside the tent allowed them to see the outside as if the fences and the tent didn’t exist.

"He's really handsome and monstrously talented too... Is he really only 25 years old?"

With a dreamy look and her pupils almost turning into hearts. The black-haired, blue-eyed young woman commented as she gazed at the starry-haired boy, who seemed to handle his opponent with ease, even though the opponent was not only stronger but also older and more experienced.

"Yes... he truly is an impressive genius, definitely worthy of being Master Eldurdóttir's disciple." The usual energetic attitude of the blonde girl was nowhere to be seen as she spoke, almost hypnotized, watching the fight.

"Please, stop exaggerating. It's just starting, and the knight is barely testing him. It's not that big of a deal." Liliana couldn't help but softly interject, occasionally glancing at the fight, though it was clear she was far more focused on her tea than anything else.