Still Standing

Still Standing

Cheers echoed through the Colosseum, rolling beneath the stone arches and across the crowded tiers. The sun hung high overhead, its light washing over the arena and making the pale sand shimmer.

Thomas, who had been lounging against his seat, suddenly sat up.

“Huh? Zio?”

His father glanced at him.

“You know him?”

Thomas kept his eyes on the figure emerging from the stone corridor, as if making sure he wasn't mistaken.

“He's one of the guests staying at the inn.”

Albert, seated beside them, recognized the face as well.

“He worked at my warehouse too.”

Thomas frowned.

“Didn't expect him to actually join the Guild.”

Albert continued watching the arena.

“But why is he representing the Guild in an event like this?”

Thomas gave a small shrug.

“Maybe Selene asked him.”

Albert lowered his voice, his gaze never leaving the arena.

“That girl of mine…”

The crowd erupted once more as Dominic stepped onto the opposite side of the arena, drawing an even louder wave of applause.

In another section of the stands, Teodor fell silent.

Rask noticed.

“What is it, Teodor?”

Without taking his eyes off the arena, Teodor answered, “That name… it sounds like the boy the late Trod once raised.”

Rask frowned.

“You think it's him?”

“There aren't many people named Zio in this city,” Teodor said quietly.

A light breeze swept across the upper tiers, stirring coats and loose strands of hair. Nearby, Elyn turned toward them.

Leon raised a brow.

“What about it?”

Teodor let out a slow breath.

“It's nothing.”

His jaw tightened ever so slightly.

***

Behind the cool stone walls, the roar of the crowd pressed steadily through the air.

Zio sat on a wooden bench in the waiting room. Light from the corridor stretched across the floor, cutting a narrow line between the shadows.

“...I'm the one they called?”

Nyssa smiled.

“Yeah. You. Unless there's another Zio here.”

Zio fell quiet. For a few seconds, his name still echoed faintly in his ears.

“Why me?”

Nyssa reached over and took his hand. Her grip was warm and steady.

“Because you're Zio.”

The door swung open.

An attendant stood at the entrance.

“Please follow me, sir.”

Nyssa let go of his hand and gave him a gentle pat on the back.

“Go on. I'll hold onto your blade.”

Zio rose and followed the attendant down the stone corridor. The light ahead grew brighter with every step.

The cheers swelled as he neared the exit.

Nyssa watched him disappear into the light, then turned and hurried back toward the stands.

***

When Zio stepped out of the corridor, the cheers that greeted him were tinged with curiosity and uncertainty.

Teodor rose halfway from his seat before he realized it.

Rask glanced at him.

“What is it?”

Teodor kept his eyes on the young man below. The face had grown older, the shoulders broader, yet something about him hadn't changed.

“It's him... the boy Trod raised.”

Rask fell silent.

“Since when did he join the Guild?”

“I don't know. I've never seen him there.”

Elsewhere in the stands, Elyn was already on her feet, her eyes fixed on the arena.

Leon looked at her.

“What?”

“That's the young man I saw passing the Guild before,” Elyn said, never taking her eyes off Zio.

Teodor and Rask both looked at her.

Leon folded his arms, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“If even Elyn recognizes him, this might get interesting.”

Rask shifted his gaze to Dominic, waiting across from Zio.

“Isn't this too soon for him?” he murmured. “He's facing Thorne's younger brother. Their family is famous for lightning magic.”

Leon shrugged.

“Let's watch. He'll either become another Mark... or prove he's nothing like him.”

A breeze drifted across the arena, stirring the sand between them.

Zio stood calmly, unarmed, facing Dominic.

Above them, the sky over Solcarys stretched wide, indifferent to everything below.

The cheers gradually faded, leaving only the tension hanging over the arena.

***

In the upper tribune, where the General and the Commanders were seated, Commander Lucas narrowed his eyes at the arena.

“Is this another one of Alex's jokes?”

“Why are they sending that foreign kid out there?”

Commander Bryan let out a quiet scoff.

“I suppose this duel won't last long.”

Vice General Eren kept his gaze on Zio below.

“Enough. Just watch.”

General Arthur leaned forward slightly as Zio took his place.

***

As Nyssa returned to the tribune, several spectators were already filing out of their seats.

“Let's just go home.”

“This is going to be boring.”

She slipped into a seat along a row that was now half empty.

Pulling her hood lower over her head, she fixed her gaze on Zio.

A faint bluish glow slowly bloomed within her silver eyes.

***

Dominic stood proudly across from Zio, not a trace of doubt on his face.

An official stepped between them and raised a hand.

The duel began.

Neither man moved.

Their eyes locked.

Dominic shifted his footing and smirked.

“Go ahead. Attack first. So this doesn't end too quickly.”

Zio said nothing. His shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.

“Hey. You hear me?”

Jeers rose from the stands.

“Finish him already!”

Dominic exhaled and settled into his stance. Thin streaks of lightning crawled across his body as his fists tightened.

He burst forward.

Zio's foot shifted almost imperceptibly. Just before the punch reached him, he slipped smoothly to the side.

The strike cut through empty air.

Dominic planted his foot, pivoted, and faced him again.

Across from him, Zio stood with a different posture now.

Ready.

His eyes followed every movement of Dominic's shoulders, hips, knees, and feet.

Calculating.

Dominic lunged again.

Faster this time.

Zio watched the attack unfold.

Faster than the bears of the northern mountains.

Still slower than Zyon.

He moved.

The punch skimmed past.

Too close.

Lightning cracked through the air. A faint scorch spread across the edge of his sleeve.

The arena fell quiet.

Dominic landed lightly, his eyes narrowing.

“…You're not even using Internal Reinforcement.”

He charged again.

Faster.

Sharper.

Punch.

Kick.

Step.

Zio evaded each attack with the smallest movement possible.

Yet the distance between them kept shrinking.

Step by step.

Zio yielded ground.

Only a little.

But enough for everyone to notice.

***

John leaned forward.

“That young man isn't using Internal Reinforcement to avoid Dominic's attacks?”

Alex gave a slight nod.

“Correct. That's pure physical ability.”

Selene glanced at Alex before looking back at the arena.

A faint smile touched her lips.

***

Dominic pressed harder.

Another strike.

Zio gave half a step.

Sand shifted beneath his heel.

A tiny adjustment.

But enough.

Dominic saw it.

A grin spread across his face.

“Got you.”

Lightning gathered in his palm.

He sprang forward.

A sphere of lightning burst from his hand.

The explosion swallowed the center of the arena.

Smoke and sand billowed upward before the wind slowly tore them apart.

As the dust settled, Zio was still standing.

His stance, however, had changed.

Lower.

More grounded.

Dominic's brow furrowed.

The lightning around him thickened, no longer thin streaks but dense arcs snapping through the air.

The pressure in the arena shifted.

Silence settled over the crowd.

Zio slowly raised his arms.

Burns covered patches of his skin.

Blackened.

Then faint orange smoke drifted from the wounds.

The charred flesh knit itself back together.

Clean.

Gone.

Dominic froze.

“…What?”

For the first time, uncertainty slipped into his voice.

***

In the upper tribune, Master Corvus leaned forward.

“That is no ordinary healing…” he murmured.

Leon frowned.

“What was that, Teodor?”

Teodor remained silent.

Rask's gaze hardened.

“That wasn't normal.”

Elyn spoke softly, her eyes never leaving the arena.

“His movements… they're too smooth…”

***

Dominic stared at Zio's arms.

Not a single mark remained.

Silence settled over the arena.

Zio took a step forward.

Just one.

The sound echoed across the sand.

Dominic's expression tightened.

Lightning gathered around his arm, denser than before, twisting into a condensed mass.

The air grew heavy.

The wind shifted.

A low rumble rolled beyond the colosseum walls.

No one spoke.

No one moved.

Zio lifted his gaze.

Calm.

Cold.

Unmoved.

Dominic thrust his arm forward.

The condensed lightning trembled.

The arena held its breath.

From the tribune, Nyssa's silver eyes continued to glow with a faint blue light.

“So my guess was right,” she whispered.

Her gaze never left Zio.

“He has two.”