Page 72 of House Ignis

A massive tentacle wrapped around his torso and constricted.

Fire flickered around him.

Across the ring, Zorian's eyes flared brighter, veins illuminated faintly along his neck as he pulled more through his core.

The Ring hummed.

Strained.

He was tearing at his own limits.

And I was running out of air.

"AVA!" Ember screamed.

"Stand down, Tideris!" Aldara thundered.

Through the blur at the edges of my vision, I saw students slamming against the barrier, magic sparking uselessly as the wards flared brighter, runes blazing in protest.

Zorian looked at me.

And smiled.

The water around my throat tightened.

Cold pressure crushed inward, merciless.

My vision blurred. Black crept in from the edges. My lungs burned. Aether's pain lashed through the bond.

Voices blurred—panicked, furious, calling my name—but the world narrowed into this single moment. The crushing pressure. The helplessness.

Then—

A deep, unnatural crack tore through the arena.

The wards screamed.

The shield shuddered violently.

And the arena plunged into darkness.

Gasps.

Screams.

Chaos.

The water around my throat vanished.

I collapsed forward, air ripping into my lungs in a ragged inhale.

Somewhere in the dark, I heard Zorian swear.

He didn't sound smug anymore.

Boots thundered across stone—guards, shouting orders.

Magic flared wildly beyond the ring.