Aurelius’ blade dancer senses screamed at him as he deftly rolled under the swing that would have taken his head off. The crowd roared with approval, and as he took a couple of steps back, Aurelius reassessed his situation.

This was his fourth, and probably final, duel for the day. True to his promise, Aurelius had decided to capitalize on the experience gained from dueling. He had headed straight to the dueling coliseums as soon as he woke up.

Throughout the day, he engaged in as many duels as possible, though they only amounted to four. Surprisingly, Aurelius faced a shortage of gold-ranked combatants. There simply weren’t enough gold-ranked combatants, who were dueling on a Saturday, for Aurelius to continuously duel throughout the day. 

However, despite the fact that Aurelius had only partaken in 4 fights, the fights proved to be draining, not just physically but also mentally. Even with Aurelius being accustomed to extended physical exercise due to his academy classes and duels, the constant mental focus required to fight opponents, temper his power to avoid revealing too much, refrain from using mana, all while performing under the watchful eyes of a crowd often numbering in the hundreds, was taking its toll.

Refocusing on the current duel, Aurelius had to once again deftly dodge another blade swinging towards him. As he looked up, he saw his opponent recentering his balance. This fourth-year student was a dual swords wielder, adept at using wind magic to accelerate the speed of his movements and blades. Occasionally, he would throw his weapons, employing wind magic to guide them towards their target. However, apart from those instances, he used wind magic sparingly.

Both Aurelius and his opponent took a step back, and the opponent yelled out in frustration, "How are you this fast? It should be impossible for you to be this quick as a mundane swordsman. I am literally using wind magic, and yet at times, I'm having a hard time keeping up with you."

Aurelius wasn’t about to reveal that he was the Chosen and had attributes to augment his abilities, so he just stayed quiet. 

The fourth-year let out a frustrated groan and charged at Aurelius, launching a flurry of attacks with his weapons.

Aurelius focused intently, doing his best to dodge and deflect the flurry of blades. He knew that, given the speed of the swings, even one wrong step could be detrimental. However, all Aurelius needed was a small opening. He was currently winning this fight, two strikes to one. If he could get a swing under the opponents guard, the round would be over.

The crowd watched with bated breath as Aurelius danced around his opponent's attacks. His mind raced, analyzing every move, searching for that elusive opening. It was a high-stakes moment, and he couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

As the dual swords wielder swung his blades once again, Aurelius saw his chance. With lightning speed, he sidestepped and used his own sword to redirect one of the incoming blades, causing it to graze the ground harmlessly. He used the momentum from the deflection to close the distance between them.

With a swift and precise strike, Aurelius aimed for the small gap between his opponent's guard. The blade whistled through the air, and just before it could make contact, the dual swords wielder reacted, parrying the strike with both his blades.

The impact sent shockwaves through Aurelius' arms, but he didn't relent. He continued to press on, relentlessly attacking with calculated precision. He noticed his opponent's movements starting to slow slightly, likely due to fatigue from the prolonged duel.

With a clever feint, Aurelius shifted his weight to one side, tricking his opponent into believing he was going for a leg sweep. As his opponent prepared to counter the perceived attack, Aurelius swiftly changed direction, delivering a powerful thrust towards the chest.

His opponent managed to block the thrust, but the force behind it caused him to stagger backward. Sensing an opportunity, Aurelius followed up with a swift kick to the knee, temporarily incapacitating his opponent and leaving him vulnerable.

Seeing the opening, Aurelius moved in for the final strike. With a fluid motion, he disarmed his opponent, sending one of the swords flying. The dual swords wielder stumbled, trying to regain his balance, but Aurelius capitalized on the moment and lightly tapped the blade against his opponent's chest, signaling the victory.

As Aurelius stepped back he could feel his heart still pounding from the intense battle. Looking around, Aurelius expected to see part of the crowd cheering, or at least reacting to the outcome of the duel. However, as he looked, Aurleius noticed the stands emptying quickly, some of the students whispering in hushed tones towards each other. Shrugging, Aurelius looked back at his opponent. The fourth-year student, though frustrated with the outcome, extended a hand in respect, acknowledging Aurelius' skill.

"You're not just a mundane swordsman. There's something else about you," the opponent said, a mix of admiration and curiosity in his eyes.

Aurelius simply smiled, tilting his head to the side and shaking his opponent's hand. Striding from the coliseum Aurelius planned to make his way back to his dorm room, trying to take a much needed reset. Whatever had caused the reaction in the crowd, Aurelius would figure that out later. 

However, just as Aurelius stepped outside of the coliseum he was met with Valen, who looked uncharacteristically anxious. His hands were moving frantically, gripping the outsides of his academy uniform.

“Valen?” Aurelius asked, concerned. “Did you come watch the duel? I didn’t know you were here.” 

Valen looked up at the sound of Aurelius’ voice, a small smile gracing his face. However, Aurelius still noticed the hollow look in his eyes.

“I heard you won. Congratulations! Of course, I expected it.” Valen said, seemingly ignoring Aurelius’ question.

“What’s wrong Valen?” Aurelius said, becoming serious. Whatever it was, Aurelius knew Valen well enough to notice that something was different, something was wrong.

“Look..” Valen said, his hands beginning to move even more frantically. “Did you hear the news?”

Aurelius gave Valen a flat look, which was probably unwarranted. “No, but let’s talk about it as we head back to our dorm room.”

Valen nodded a couple times, waiting a bit before he continued. “So, word just reached the capital, however the news has already spread like a wildfire,” Valen said motioning towards a pair of students whispering along the side of the walkway path.

Aurelius nodded, motioning Valen to continue. 

“Apparently, the Dark Elves have managed to capture the city of Silverhaven.”

“What?” Aurelius yelled involuntarily, his eyebrows raising in surprise. “When? How?”

“Only a couple days ago. As for how, no one really knows yet. But there are rumors that the Dark Elf Chosen was there, along with an army, to capture it.”

Aurelius froze.

Shit…

Some of Aurelius’ worst fears were beginning to be made manifest. 

“I know,” Valen nodded, seeing Aurelius’ expression but likely misinterpreting it. 

“Chaos has already started to spread throughout some cities who fear that the Dark Elf Chosen will continue to spread throughout the continent.” Valen said.

“What is the empire doing about it?” Aurelius asked hurriedly. 

“It seems like they are mobilizing the third and fourth army towards the north, in hopes that they can stop the advance of the Dark Elves. However, some worry that with our Chosen still missing, it won’t be enough.”

Shit.. Shit..

“Surely if we mobilize our mages, they’ll be able to fight the Dark Elf Chosen, right? It’s happened many times throughout history,” Aurelius questioned.

Valen nodded. “That is true. But it’s likely the Dark Elf Chosen will also have his own army of mages and won’t be caught out alone. It would be difficult to say the least, and we would have to get rather lucky for that strategy to work.”

Aurelius groaned, still lost in thought.

“Look,” Valen said, turning to Aurelius. “The real reason I am worried is that I have family within Silverhaven. Or I had family there. I don’t know what happened to them, and I am afraid I will never know.”

Shit.. Shit.. Shit..

Aurelius felt so close, yet so far. He had just started to see serious growth in his abilities as a Chosen, and yet, it seemed like it still wouldn't be enough. Despite Aurelius being a chronomage and having slight control over time, it seemed like he always needed more of it. 

"I only need a little more time," Aurelius told himself. "A little more…"

Four days later, Aurelius realized that he had run out of time. Looking at the smoke billowing in the distant corner of the city, hearing some of the shouts, screams, and sirens, Aurelius knew he had no more time left. He couldn't hide anymore.