The air buzzed with anticipation, the scent of battle and magic thickening with each passing second. The arena’s sands bore the marks of previous clashes—footprints etched deep, magic burns staining the ground, and the remnants of shattered weapons scattered like forgotten relics.

  At the center of the battlefield, Aeris Voss stood motionless, her energy swirling around her like a living entity. A Codebender, her reputation was legendary, a woman who wielded code and magic in tandem—as if the two were always meant to be one.

  Her enchanted tome hovered beside her, pages flickering with cryptic runes, while in her other hand, a crystalline blue staff pulsed with energy.

  Facing her were two monstrous opponents—Brakk Stonewell and Gorran "Ironjaw" Mercer. Both were towering figures of brute strength, veterans of the warrior circuit, known for leaving wreckage in their wake. Brakk twirled his massive war hammer, muscles flexing, while Gorran cracked his knuckles, the spiked gauntlets on his fists glinting under the arena’s torches.

  The crowd roared as the bell rang. DING!

  Byte: "Yo, Codebender versus two walking mountains. Anyone taking bets?"

  Shiro: "Bet? Nah, bro. Aeris has already won. These dudes just don’t know it yet."

  Hexa: "I wouldn’t be so sure. Strength builds can wreck magic users if they get close. Aeris has zero room for error here."

  Dani: "Wait, before we get too deep—Vessa, explain to me why she counts as two players in a 2v2?"

  Vessa: "Simple. The replication effect. Aeris isn’t just using a water-based duplicate—she’s splitting her consciousness between two roles. Hydration Mage controls her staff, while the Code Mage writes scripts in real time. That means they have to treat her as two players because she literally is."

  Byte: "Okay, yeah, that’s broken. Ban Codebenders."

  Vessa: "You could, but good luck coding a ban algorithm for that ability without screwing over every duplication mechanic in the game."

  Dani: "So, if they kill one, the other can still fight?"

  Vessa: "Exactly. But if they take down the Code Mage, she won’t be able to adjust spells mid-battle. That’s the play."

  Aeris stepped back, eyes flashing blue as she raised her tome. With a flick of her wrist, the pages glowed, and a wave of blue mist erupted. The arena gasped as her body split in two—one holding the tome, the other gripping the staff.

  Brakk barked out a laugh.

  Brakk (World Chat): "So that’s your trick? Two of you? Makes it easier to break you both."

  Gorran didn’t wait for conversation. He lunged forward, swinging a crushing fist toward the Hydration Mage Aeris, expecting her to dodge. She didn’t move.

  Instead, she raised her staff, and a whirlpool of water erupted beneath Gorran’s feet. His charge slowed, his movements dragged down as the sand beneath him liquefied, turning into a marsh of thickened water.

  Hydration Mage Aeris (World Chat): "Didn’t see that coming, did you?"

  Shiro: "Ohh, she’s filthy with it."

  Byte: "The water slowdown script is old-school, but it still slaps. That’s seconds of lag on Gorran’s end."

  Hexa: "Brakk isn’t waiting, though. Watch him!"

  Brakk, not one to waste time, lifted his war hammer high above his head and brought it crashing down toward the Code Mage Aeris, the one still scripting. But her fingers traced a final line of glowing text in the air. A barrier of pure arcane force erupted before her, shattering Brakk’s attack into harmless sparks.

  Brakk snarled.

  Brakk (World Chat): "I hate magic."

  Gorran, meanwhile, roared in frustration, flexing his iron-clad arms. With sheer brute force, he broke free from the water prison. A mist of steam rose as his rage boiled away the spell’s effects. He charged again—but this time, he wasn’t aiming for the Hydration Mage.

  He was going for the Code Mage.

  Shiro (Private Chat): "Smart play. Go for the one writing the code, cut off the support."

  Vessa: "Yeah, but that assumes Aeris isn’t five steps ahead of them."

  As Gorran lunged, a single line of code burned bright on the tome’s page.

  Code Mage Aeris (World Chat): Subroutine Frostbite Execution = Active

  A storm of ice shards and slicing winds burst from the tome, forcing the bruisers back. Brakk lifted his hammer to block, but frost quickly crept up the metal, making it sluggish in his grip. Gorran, however, kept moving. Spikes of ice sliced into his skin, but his rage-fueled charge refused to slow.

  Dani: "He’s still coming?"

  Byte: "This man woke up and chose violence."

  Vessa: "Rage builds are dangerous. They take damage to fuel their strength."

  Hexa: "If he lands a hit, she’s done."

  Gorran reached her. Aeris had seconds to react. She did the only thing she could. She split again. A third Aeris shimmered into existence, this one made entirely of ice. Gorran’s fist collided—not with the Code Mage—but with the newly summoned Ice Clone.

  The clone shattered instantly, sending shards of razor-thin frost exploding outward. Gorran stumbled, his movements faltering. It was all the opening Aeris needed. The Hydration Mage lifted her staff—

  Hydration Mage Aeris (World Chat): "Execute Cascade Slam!"

  And a geyser of water erupted beneath Gorran, launching him sky-high. Before he could react, a secondary wave of frost shot up after him, freezing him mid-air. The audience held its breath. Then—Gorran crashed into the arena floor, encased in ice.

  Shiro: "Oh shit."

  Byte: "She sent this man to the shadow realm."

  Dani: "That was… actually terrifying."

  Vessa: "I told you. Codebenders don’t fight fair. They fight smart."

  Brakk, however, was still standing. And he was angry. Seeing his partner KO’d, he roared in frustration. Brakk’s grip tightened on his hammer as his veins pulsed with raw fury.

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  Brakk (World Chat): "You think you’re clever?"

  He spat, his breath coming out in ragged, white wisps as the frost clung to his armor.

  Brakk (World Chat): "Magic won’t save you from this."

  He slammed his foot into the ground, cracking the frozen earth, and surged forward like a wrecking ball of muscle and steel. Aeris barely had time to react. The Hydration Mage lifted her staff, readying a counter-spell, but Brakk was too fast.

  With a monstrous swing of his hammer, he shattered the icy barrier, and the force of the blow sent Aeris flying across the arena. The crowd erupted in gasps as she skidded to a halt, her staff rolling away in the dust. The Code Mage Aeris, however, still stood. Still writing. Still coding.

  Brakk turned toward her, lifting his hammer as he rushed toward the Code Mage. He swung wildly, slamming his hammer into the Code Mage’s barrier again and again. Aeris didn’t flinch. She turned one page of her tome. A single line of text glowed.

  Code Mage Aeris (World Chat): “Torrent Lock! Subroutine Tsunami = Execute.”

  A wall of water—towering, devastating—crashed down upon Brakk. The warrior disappeared beneath the wave. And when the waters receded—He was gone.

  SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: Winner Aeris Voss!

  The crowd erupted.

  Byte (Private Chat): "Ayo, I’m gonna say it."

  Shiro: "Say it."

  Byte: "Nerf Codebenders."

  Dani simply stared at the battlefield, her heart still racing.

  Aeris had dominated.

  The arena buzzed with tension as the next battle prepared to unfold. The sand, still damp from Aeris Voss’s previous fight, bore the scars of elemental fury, now awaiting the next storm. She had won Round One. But this was different. This time, she faced two of the deadliest warriors in this ranking.

  On her left stood The Heavy Tank, Drevan Cole, a mountain of iron and muscle, his black-iron plate armor gleaming under the torchlight. A towering greatsword rested on his shoulder like it weighed nothing, a testament to his brute strength. On her right, lurking in the shadows, was Sickblade Dawson.

  His name alone sent shivers down the spines of those who had faced him. Dressed in obsidian leather, his face concealed beneath a dark hood, his bladed gauntlets pulsed with a sickly green glow. This wasn’t just a fight. This was an execution.

  The bell rang. DING!

  Byte: "Oh hell, this is gonna be a bloodbath."

  Shiro: "Codebender barely made it out of the first round. Can she even handle this?"

  Hexa: "Depends. Drevan’s a tank, but Dawson’s an assassin. He’s built to counter magic."

  Dani: "Vessa, tell me straight. What are her chances?"

  Vessa: "Slim. If she can keep them off her, she has a shot. But one hit? She’s done."

  Drevan charged. His greatsword came crashing down, aiming to cleave Aeris in two. She barely rolled aside, the shockwave of impact sending sand and debris flying. But she had no time to recover. Sickblade Dawson was already there.

  A blur of obsidian and steel—a flash of poisoned gauntlets. Aeris raised her staff to block— But the moment their weapons connected, pain shot through her body. Her muscles locked up. Her veins burned.

  Dani: "Shit, she’s poisoned!"

  Hexa: "That’s Dawson’s thing. He doesn’t go for one-hit kills—he plays the long game."

  Shiro: "Meanwhile, Drevan’s out here trying to break the whole damn arena."

  Vessa: "She needs space. Fast."

  Aeris flicked open her tome.

  Code Input: Water Surge → Vector: 180° Radius

  A massive wave exploded from her, sending both warriors staggering backward. She took the brief opening and retreated. The crowd roared. But she knew. This was just the beginning. Sickblade Dawson vanished.

  Sickblade: Shadowstep

  Aeris cursed under her breath, spinning around wildly, trying to track him. But Drevan wasn’t about to give her the chance. He was already moving. A massive swing—wide, brutal arcs. She had to keep dodging. Then—she felt it.

  A whisper of movement behind her. A dagger sliding between her ribs. She gasped. Pain exploded through her side. Sickblade reappeared behind her, his gauntlet buried deep.

  Sickblade (World Chat): "Got you."

  The crowd gasped. Aeris was done. But— She wasn’t finished yet.

  Byte: "NOPE. THAT'S IT. GG."

  Shiro: "She’s still moving."

  Hexa: "Dawson played her perfectly. This is checkmate."

  Dani: "Come on, Aeris…"

  Her fingers flew across her tome.

  Code Mage Aeris (World Chat): Execute Rip Current Proximity Immediate

  A violent surge of water erupted from her wound, knocking Sickblade backward. She spun on her heel, swinging her staff with everything she had. It connected. Sickblade went flying across the arena, slamming into the stone wall. But Drevan was already on her.

  She barely had time to react before his greatsword carved through her staff, shattering it into splinters. The force sent her sprawling across the sand, blood trickling down her arm. Her staff was gone. Now, it was just her, her tome… and two killers.

  Aeris struggled to her feet. Her breath was ragged. Her vision blurred. Her tome trembled in her hands, its pages glowing erratic and unstable. She had one move left. She had to make it count.

  Dani: "This is it. She’s out of options."

  Vessa: "If she’s going down, she’s taking them with her."

  Drevan charged. His greatsword raised. Sickblade vanished again, preparing his final strike. Aeris moved. Her fingers flew across the tome, typing faster than ever before.

  Code Input: Absolute Hydration Lock

  Code Mage Aeris (World Chat): Full Area Freeze!

  For a split second, time seemed to slow. Then—A thunderous explosion of ice erupted from her tome. The air cracked with frost. The moisture in the air solidified instantly. Drevan staggered, his armor coated in frost, his movements slowing.

  Sickblade reappeared mid-attack—but his blade stopped inches from her throat, his entire body encased in ice. The crowd gasped. She had stopped them. But— Her vision darkened. Her tome flickered. The poison burned through her body, and her ice began to crack.

  Drevan was the first to break free. With a roar, he shattered the frost, swinging his greatsword one final time. Aeris couldn’t move. Her body refused to obey. She had used everything. She was spent. And in that moment—The blade sliced through her torso.

  She didn’t even feel it. Her body crumbled into shimmering code, disintegrating into the air. The crowd erupted.

  SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT: Winners – Sickblade Dawson and Drevan Cole!

  Byte: "Bruh…"

  Shiro: "She almost had them."

  Hexa: "Damn good fight. But in the end? A mage can’t outlast a tank and an assassin working together."

  Dani: "She fought like hell."

  Vessa: "And that’s why she’s legendary."

  As her avatar dissipated, her real body reappeared outside the arena, breathless, exhausted—but smiling. She had fought well. But now, the preliminary tournament belonged to Sickblade Dawson and Drevan Cole.

  And next—the main tournament would begin. Drevan Cole versus Sickblade Dawson. Dani glanced at the tournament rankings, her pulse quickening. She had been anticipating this moment, but as the reality settled in, so did the weight of what came next. The winner of this fight would be her next opponent.

  Am I really ready?

  She pauses, and she quickly shakes her head from side to side.

  What am I saying? Yes! I am ready!

  This is part of a series of stories that have lived solely in my head for many years, and I’ve finally started writing them as serialized fiction books. If you think the story sucks, feel free to tell me—it’s all part of the process. That said, I’m also looking for constructive criticism, so any suggestions are welcome and will be considered as I work to improve the series.