“Oh, this isn’t good,” Eri muttered.The boy was currently crouched over the rafters of Castle Elathion's eastern halls. Beside him, Dulcina studied the scene with focused eyes, while Cedric nervously twitched, his skin clammy and sick.Below them, chaos reigned.Bursts of blue lightning, fire, and magic missiles were flying all over the floor as Lord Draevan duelled against the Sapphire-Core Chosen known as Maelric Halsworn. The power of their Artes triumphed over any Eri had seen in his current life thus far, save perhaps for his own Bloodflame Artes.A single stray shot would disintegrate him in an instant. The floor below was littered with melted stone and azure-burning rubble.Both of the duellists were Magi — Chosens who manipulated their mana into long-ranged spells rather than martial Artes. At a glance, they looked to be equally matched, but Dulcina’s discerning eye caught the shifting balance.“Father is stronger and the better duelist by far, but Maelric is being heavily aided,” the Heiress snarled. “The fool just fires his spells with no aim or control, yet they still manage to hit Father with full force. There’s an outside influence empowering them.”The source of that empowerment was obvious. Beyond the chaos of destruction, there was a melodic and haunting song in the air.The roar of clashing spells and their thunderous impact could not distract Eri from her — A lone red-headed woman framed by azure flames and lightning. Her lute glimmered in the heat as her fingers plucked a sonorous and beautiful melody, each note twisting into threads of magic that rippled and blended (...)