Black snow. Apocalypse

The crowd roared as Kaen stepped onto the stage, his footsteps steady but his mind shaken by the tension with Josh. Across the field stood his opponent—Drake, the illusionist prodigy of the academy. Tall, graceful, and always carrying an eerie calm in his eyes, Drake slowly raised his wand and transformed it into a thin black blade that hummed with magical resonance.

Kaen followed, his own wand flicking downward and materializing into a gleaming sword crackling faintly with static. There was no time to hesitate.

"Begin!" the formless figure announced, and like two streaks of light, they collided.

Steel clashed. Sparks flew. The crowd fell into awed silence as Kaen and Drake danced across the stage with unmatched precision—one fueled by elemental lightning, the other by trickery and deceit.

Suddenly, Drake backed away, smiling.

"Let's end this quickly," he muttered.

His eyes flickered—first red, then blue… green… yellow… until a kaleidoscope of glowing colors whirled within them. Kaen's pupils dilated. His hands froze. His blade trembled.

Illusion.

He was no longer on the battlefield.

Kaen found himself in a strange void—black waves crashing around him. He was submerged, suffocating. He could hear Josh's voice—cold, broken, angry.

"Why did you lie to me, Kaen?"

The voice echoed, drowning him in guilt and regret.

"You were like a brother. Now you're just a stranger…"

Kaen gasped for breath, the weight of betrayal pressing on his chest. But as he sank deeper into the illusion, the darkness parted—and there, floating within a green light, stood the mysterious man from his dreams, wrapped in glowing emerald arrays.

The man's voice was calm, but powerful.

"Not yet, Kaen. It is not your time. The moon hasn't turned green…"

Then—BOOM!

A bolt of green lightning struck the void. The illusion cracked. Kaen's eyes snapped open—now glowing emerald green.

Back on the battlefield, Drake grinned wickedly. He hadn't noticed Kaen had returned. With both hands on his sword, he conjured a cyclone of fire and wind, a spiraling inferno that twisted violently around him.

With a cry, Drake pulled the cyclone into his blade—his final move.

"Flame Cyclone Slash!"

He surged forward, his sword blazing with apocalyptic energy, and just as it was about to land—

Kaen vanished.

WHOOSH!

In less than a blink, he reappeared behind Drake. The wind howled as the force of Kaen's movement disrupted the cyclone. Drake sensed it too late—he spun, eyes wide—but Kaen was already there.

Drake shouted and engulfed himself in fire as a desperate shield.

The crowd gasped.

But Kaen… walked into the fire.

The flames licked at him, but did not burn. His eyes glowed brighter, his steps unwavering.

With a burst of green lightning, Kaen kicked Drake clean out of his own flames, sending him skidding across the ground like a ragdoll.

Drake tried to get up—panting, scorched, dazed.

But Kaen wasn't done.

He raised his hand, and a crackling emerald array formed in the air.

"Don't…" Drake murmured, eyes full of fear.

But it was already over.

ZAP!!!

A massive bolt of green lightning struck just in front of Drake, exploding with enough force to blast him back against the stage wall.

Smoke rose. Drake coughed, bruised and burned.

The crowd erupted in awe.

The formless figure stepped forward, voice calm but clear:

"And the winner is… Kaen!"

As the noise swelled around him, Kaen's glowing eyes slowly faded back to their usual deep brown.

But his heart… was not calm.

He turned briefly toward the stands—toward Josh.

Their eyes met. Josh gave a soft nod, as if to say well done.

Kaen didn't return it.

Not yet.

He turned away.

Because deep inside, he knew.

There's something he's hiding. And he's terrified of what will happen… when Josh finds out.