Chapter 50: Crucible Convergence Begins

  A hoarse cry rang out from within the center of the massive throng of people. The frantic yelling came from the muscular man impaled by black, tenuous spears on one end of the arena platform. The spears emerged from the man’s shadow and transfixed him in place.

  Standing opposite him was a young man with a pointed chin and sharp nose. His thin mouth stretched into a smirk as he chuckled while watching his pointlessly struggling opponent. The match had ended right as it started.

  From the side of the platform, Claire glared daggers at the young man with bloodshot eyes. Her jaw was set with her mouth pursed into a thin line. She suddenly dropped low, crouching in preparation to jump. Damon attempted to grab her arm, but he was too late. A powerful blast of air rippled from her in every direction and pushed all the nearby apprentices backward, eliciting numerous surprised exclamations and curses.

  Claire leapt two dozen feet into the air before drifting down beside the muscular man. With her palm straight, she chopped toward the shadow on the ground with her right arm. A blade of wind materialized from the edge of her opened hand and cut through the base of the shadow spears.

  The shadow spears turned into black mist the moment they were severed, before dispersing into the surrounding atmosphere. The young man watched Claire save his opponent with a smirk. Although her back was turned away from his line of sight, he had already recognized her.

  “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Little Miss Princess Assembly. You’re Claire Dumont, aren’t you? I saw your name on the list of participants. I’ve been looking forward to fighting with you.” The young man’s smirk turned into a vicious grin, his eyes glinting with a dangerous light. “Oh, by the way, I heard from my Senior about your older brother. Such a shame, what happened to him. I heard you never even found the ones responsible, either. Pity.”

  The young man laughed boisterously and was quickly joined by the line of black and white robed cultivators standing behind him.

  As the uproarious laughter rang out, Claire didn’t turn around and instead assisted the injured man by pouring some healing potions over his wounds. This only made him scream harder. While this was happening, the atmosphere around the arena turned gloomy. The scattered clouds in the sky gathered overhead, blocking the sun. The gentle breeze ramped up until everyone’s clothes and hair whipped around from the force of the gale.

  Before long, some of the injured man’s friends came up to carry him away to be treated. Finally, Claire turned around and faced the young man. Her pale face had turned dark, as though a shadow had covered her. With a deadpan face, she pointed at the young man in black and white robes.

  “You. From the Lunarsol Tower. What is your name?” Claire spat out the words with a venomous tone.

  “Why? Is it because I’m so handsome that you were immediately smitten by me?” The roaring laughter from the Lunarsol cultivators only grew more raucous.

  “No. It is so I know where I can send my condolences once you die.”

  The moment she finished speaking, the howling winds gathering in the area sprang to life as they circled Claire. She punched toward the young man on the opposite side, and the wind funneled into a spiral, drilling toward her target.

  The young man snorted as he heaved his palms up before pushing them in Claire’s direction. From his shadow, long black spikes of inconsistent thickness surfaced and jabbed toward her.

  Just as the dark spikes and the wind drill were about to clash, two figures appeared between them, back to back. A large middle-aged man with shaggy blonde hair punched toward the black spikes, emitting a shockwave that shattered them into pieces. The broken spikes dispersed into the atmosphere as a black gas.

  On the other side, Damon brought his hands together by his waist, making a sphere with his curved fingers. He then pushed out with both his hands while opening up his fingers. From the center of his palms, a powerful torrent of water surged forth, meeting the incoming wind drill head-on. The wind managed to pierce through the initial burst of water, but soon disappeared under the weight of the stream.

  The middle-aged man glanced at Damon standing behind him with a raised eyebrow. He jumped in, prepared to stop both spells, but found this Initiate had moved before he had even acted.

  “Stop, both of you. I am the Adjudicator responsible for overseeing this arena. You are both participants in the upcoming Crucible Convergence, so you are not allowed to duel before its conclusion.” The adjudicator looked toward the apprentices from the Lunarsol Tower and said, “Also, to maintain the friendship between all parties, we will be closing off the arena during the span of the tournament. Everyone, please leave and go back to your regular schedules. For our honored guests, please return to your guest quarters.”

  After he finished, the Adjudicator jumped over the stands in one leap, disappearing from view.

  Claire continued glowering at the young man from the Lunarsol Tower as he turned around to leave with his entourage. As he was stepping down from the platform, he looked back at Claire with a smirk and said, “Let’s finish this at the Convergence, Claire. Just so you know, my name is Nox. Nox Vaelor.”

  Nox then turned his gaze toward Damon, his eyes glinting with a curious light. However, he did not say anything and vanished into the dispersing crowd.

  Damon only glanced at Nox once before placing all his attention on Claire. Soon, they were the only ones remaining within the area, excluding an awkward Dylan waiting near the exit. Damon approached her before gently clasping her shoulder and looking directly into her eyes.

  “Claire, why did you act up like that? Is it because of the Auron from the Military Academy? Is it someone you know? Or is it because he mentioned your brother? You should have just stayed on the side and waited for the Adjudicator to step in.”

  Claire’s rigid face relaxed slightly as she looked up at Damon. Her usual smile was still nowhere to be seen. Instead, a frown marred her face. After huffing and puffing through her flared nose for a bit, her tensed body loosened and her expression eased. However, her eyes still looked dim and glassy. She then looked down while pouting.

  “So you already know about my older brother, huh? Who told you? Actually, never mind. It doesn’t matter. It’s no excuse, but the reason I reacted like that wasn’t just because of his words or actions. His abilities were the same as the people who ambushed us back then… I have interrogated my Grandpa about the culprits, but he never revealed them to me. To think it was caused by the Lunarsol Tower…”

  A frightening scene played out in Damon’s mind. It was of Claire throwing a tantrum in front of a mighty Warden, who had his face planted in his palms while sighing incessantly. Blinking a few times, he managed to scatter away the thought. Looking down at the crestfallen Claire, he patted her shoulder a few times.

  “I’m very sorry for your loss, Claire. I understand better than anyone how it feels to lose the ones you care for most. Even if I don’t know exactly how you feel, I can understand why you reacted that way.” Damon paused for a moment as he gripped Claire’s shoulder a bit more tightly, causing her to wince as she looked up at him.

  “But I also know what it feels like to be powerless. I know what it feels like to almost die from carelessness due to being overcome with emotions. My advice to you is not to suppress your anger or hatred, but don’t let it cloud your mind. You are above that. The Claire I know wouldn’t give in to her fury. Don’t forget who you are.”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Claire stared at Damon for a while, as her dull eyes slowly returned to the usual brightness. Shining with a captivating luster, her eyes narrowed as the skin around them crinkled slightly. Below, her thin mouth spread out into a wide smile.

  “Thanks, Damon. I’ll place your words into my heart. My mind feels crystal clear now. It makes me look back and wonder how I had even lost myself to my emotions earlier. Strange, isn’t it?” A wave of fatigue and dizziness washed over her. She stumbled and almost fell, but was propped up by Damon’s grip.

  Smiling at his friend, Damon held her up until she had regained her balance. Her words made his smile widen slightly. What she felt was caused by his mental power flowing from his hand and through her body. After it circulated in her mind for a bit, he withdrew all his power to prevent her from noticing the abnormality later.

  “Let’s head back now. There are still two weeks left until the commencement of the tournament. We should prepare as thoroughly as possible so we can beat down all our opponents.”

  “Yeah! Let’s go!” Claire pointed toward the exit and sprinted off without waiting for Damon.

  With a shake of his head, Damon ran after her with a smile still gracing his face.

  In the center of an enormous underground cavern, Thomas stood absolutely still with his eyes closed. He had his hands gathered together in front of his chest, as though he were praying. The room was illuminated by floating lanterns scattered throughout the space. Tiny golden-green particles occasionally flickered in the air around him, similar to dust under bright sunlight.

  Drip. Drip. Drip.

  The only sound was the occasional drops of water falling from the stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Thomas abruptly opened his eyes wide as he roared in a deep voice, pushing his palms forward at the same time. Endless spores gushed out from his long sleeves, engulfing his immediate surroundings.

  The flood of spores converged in two positions beside him. They coalesced into two distinctive shapes. Thin vines covered in golden runes emerged from the two masses of spores, twisting and turning in on themselves. Soon, the writhing vines stopped moving and hardened in place. Where they had gathered stood two towering constructs that looked humanoid in shape, except they had four arms instead of two.

  “Phew. Good. I can form two Vine Golems now.”

  Thomas’s eyes glimmered with a confident light, his lips stretching into a satisfied smile.

  Within the gigantic castle situated on the island between East and West Tradehaven, there was a huge training room made from blocks of gray stone. Claire flew around within the room, throwing punches and kicks in a battle with a crimson-robed man with short blonde hair. He faced her in mid-air, also throwing his fists around. Claire’s attacks caused powerful bursts of wind, whereas the man’s attacks released blasts of flame. They were evenly matched.

  After several minutes of frenzied combat, they finally disengaged and drifted back down to the floor. The man stood unfazed, observing Claire with his shining blue eyes. Nearby, Claire had collapsed onto the ground, lying on her back as her chest rose and fell with every heavy breath.

  “Not bad, not bad. You’ve improved considerably in the last several months. I thought you had been running around to play, but it seems you haven’t been slacking off.” A prideful smile appeared on the man’s face as he nodded repeatedly with his arms crossed.

  “Come on, Dad, this is nothing. I am still too weak. In fact, I’m actually not very confident in claiming first place in this Crucible Convergence.” After catching her breath, Claire spoke toward the ceiling, deciding to remain lying flat on her back. She did not even bother looking at her father.

  Zoltan’s face darkened immediately as he yelled, “You can’t give up already! You are the top seed from the Assembly! We can’t give up first place to the Towers. Since we established the tournament, we have never once lost the first-place spot. Where did your usual confidence go?”

  “Ha… Who said we were going to lose? I don’t doubt my ability to defeat the Towers.” Claire withdrew a waterskin from her storage pouch and took a swig. As she poured some water on her sweaty head, she said, “There’s someone else from the Academy that I’m expecting to win.”

  “From the Academy? Who? That boy Thomas? Even if his unique bloodline gives him an edge against others, there’s no way he can defeat you.”

  “No, not him. It’s Damon Fletcher, the only mid stage Initiate in the tournament. There’s something special about him. And before you start spouting nonsense, I have no romantic interest in him. It’s just… He seems like the type to always come out on top.”

  Upon hearing Claire’s words, Zoltan’s face darkened further, and he began stomping over to her. However, her following words calmed him down, and he stopped in his tracks. “Damon, huh? If I remember correctly… He was nominated by Alan. Alan is quite a powerful Disciple, nearly on par with early stage Adepts. I guess I need to keep an eye on this Damon boy.”

  Claire raised her upper body to look at Zoltan, leaning back on her elbows. “Dad, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask. The other day, an apprentice from the Lunarsol Tower was dueling at the arena before it was closed. His abilities… Resembled the abilities of the cultivators who killed Older Brother Raymond. Are they… the culprits?”

  At the mention of the Lunarsol Tower, Zoltan’s face darkened yet again. He remained silent as he brooded over the situation for a while. Eventually, he opened his mouth.

  “Yes. Your grandfather already suspected the Lunarsol Tower back then. We almost initiated a war due to it. The two other Wardens from the Assembly dissuaded him from acting upon it. Eventually, the matter was laid to rest without a satisfactory conclusion.”

  Claire lay back down and locked her hands above her chest. Her face remained expressionless as she stared at the ceiling. Zoltan watched her curiously. Claire had always reacted very emotionally whenever the topic of Raymond’s death had been brought up. However, she looked calm and steady now. She had finally grown up.

  “By the way, Claire, why do you only rely on your innate wind control techniques during combat? Not even once have you shown the signature fire mastery of House Dumont.”

  “Don’t worry, Dad. I haven’t been slacking off in my flame arts practice, either. It’s my trump card, you see.”

  A large grin formed on Claire’s small face.

  On the same training grounds Damon always practiced on, he stood upright at the center. The silken robes wrapped around him glistened under the sunlight. Soaked in his own sweat, he panted heavily as he looked around him. Large craters had formed in every direction, making the training ground unrecognizable from before.

  “Good. I’ve finally got the hang of it. I can cast it faster now, and it also places less burden on my Arcane Nodes. Now, what should I call it?”

  Damon closed his eyes and rubbed his chin for a while as he thought.

  “I’ve got it. I’ll call it… Shardburst.”

  The Great Mountainvein River, bisecting the two sides of Verdant Sigil Tradehaven, was usually vast enough to appear somewhat empty even with the countless ships and trade vessels sailing through it. However, it was a different story today. Not too far from the central island, vessels of all shapes and sizes floated atop the mighty river. The ships formed a ring shape around an empty patch of water.

  Damon stood at the bow of one of the ships floating right at the inner edge of this ring. Beside him were Claire, Thomas, Anton, and the other contestants he did not know yet. Damon glanced at Claire, who stood right beside him, and asked, “What are we doing here? What are we waiting for?”

  “Oh, right! You wouldn’t know about this since you’ve only entered the Academy recently. Hehe. Just wait and see. I don’t want to spoil the surprise!” Claire giggled to herself as she watched Damon with anticipation.

  Tilting his head while frowning, he glared at her. Unable to elicit a proper response and only receiving more giggles, he gave up and faced forward again.

  As his eyes landed on the water, he squinted to get a better look. It looked like there was something under the water. He walked forward and peeked over the railing. This was when he saw it. There definitely was something under the water. And it was rising rapidly.

  A dome of multicolored light emerged from the depths of the river, the water displacing before its colossal size. The surging waves caused by this displacement roared thunderously as they cascaded down the sides of the dome before crashing into the floating vessels. However, all the ships took on the force without any problem. Runes glowed on the hulls when the waves arrived, dispersing the water to the sides. The boat Damon stood atop did not even sway.

  The monumental structure continued rising until it blotted out half the sky. Damon breathed in the fishy air released by the large bubbles surfacing alongside the dome. He did not even notice the odor due to his fascination with the event.

  Soon, the dome finished its climb, and the dome slowly disappeared from the very top all the way down. Within was a gigantic sandstone amphitheater.

  From next to the stunned Damon, Claire watched him with a large smile.

  “This is the Verdant Sigil Colosseum. This will be our stage during the Crucible Convergence.”

  We've hit Chapter 50 everyone! Thank you for walking with me through my first writing journey!

  Nox Vaelor?

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