Temporal Dominion

The dueling grounds of Aurelian Academy were among the most sacred spaces in the institution—where status, skill, and power were truly determined.

It wasn't about words or reputation here.

It was about who stood at the end of a fight.

By the time Lucian arrived, the arena was already packed with students eager to watch the spectacle. The news had spread faster than he expected—Lucian Vale, the powerless nobody, had challenged Ethan Marell, a Silver-Tier combatant.

In their eyes, it was a joke.

But Lucian wasn't here to entertain them.

He stepped onto the reinforced dueling platform, its surface marked by countless past battles. The air buzzed with excitement, students whispering and making bets on how fast he'd lose.

Ethan stood across from him, stretching his arms with a cocky grin.

"Didn't expect you to actually show up," he said, rolling his shoulders. "You sure about this? It's not too late to back out."

Lucian met his gaze without hesitation. "Let's get this over with."

The third-year referee stepped between them, his expression neutral.

"The rules are simple," he said. "The duel lasts until one of you is knocked out, forced out of the boundary, or concedes. No lethal attacks."

He raised his hand.

"Begin!"

The moment the word left the referee's mouth, Ethan vanished.

Lucian's eyes widened.

Then—a blur of movement.

Ethan reappeared right in front of him, fist already swinging.

Lucian barely had time to register the attack before—

Impact.

A sudden shockwave erupted as Ethan's punch connected with Lucian's chest. The force lifted him off the ground, sending him skidding backward across the arena.

The crowd roared in excitement.

"Hah! One hit and he's down!"

"Pathetic! He's not even in the same league!"

Lucian coughed, struggling to push himself up. His ribs burned from the impact. Ethan's kinetic augmentation had made him absurdly fast and powerful—his movements were nearly impossible to track.

If Lucian had been even a second slower, he would have already lost.

But…

He had seen it.

A fraction of a second before the attack landed, he had seen it.

It was faint—almost imperceptible—but his mind had reacted before his body did.

Like a whisper of the future.

Chronokinesis.

Lucian gritted his teeth.

He had something now. Something no one else in the academy had.

And this was the perfect moment to test it.

Ethan cracked his knuckles. "That all you got? Maybe I should go easy on you—"

Lucian moved.

Ethan's expression flickered as Lucian suddenly lunged forward.

The crowd gasped.

But Ethan was still faster.

He twisted his body, his foot slamming forward in a powerful roundhouse kick.

Lucian saw it.

For a brief moment, time seemed to slow.

The angle of Ethan's kick, the shift in his weight—Lucian's mind processed it before it even happened.

Lucian sidestepped at the last second, the kick whistling past his face by inches.

Ethan's eyes widened.

Lucian struck.

He twisted his body and drove his fist into Ethan's ribs.

A clean hit.

The force sent Ethan staggering backward, his expression stunned.

The crowd's cheers stopped.

For the first time in the fight, Ethan wasn't smiling anymore.

Lucian exhaled, his heart pounding.

His power… it wasn't just visions of the future.

It was more than that.

He could feel time—bend around him.

This duel had just begun.