Sera stepped into the center of the arena, her silver hair catching the light from the runes still glowing faintly on the walls.
She stretched her arms, cracked her knuckles, and grinned.
> "Alright... let's see what I can do."
Kaela gave a sharp nod, her eyes cautious. "Whenever you're ready."
Sera brought her palms together.
> "Sky Dream: Phantom Storm Mirror."
A spiral of air and light circled around her, then—whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!
One. Two. Three. Four.
Suddenly the room was filled with clones—all Sera, all smirking in sync. Some were standing. Others were in mid-air, balancing on platforms of wind. A few leaned casually against the walls.
Zane, now relaxing on a chair made of shadow with Nyx on his shoulder, raised an eyebrow.
> "Wow... why didn't I think of that?"
> "Because your idea of strategy is 'slash first, think never.'"
Kaela narrowed her eyes. "Illusions... no, not quite. These have mass."
She raised her hand to summon a glyph—but six Sera clones tackled her at once.
> "Wha—?!" Kaela stumbled.
The real Sera zipped above them all, wings spread wide, and summoned a swirl of clouds around her.
> "Let's add some flair."
Lightning crackled in the air.
Rain began falling—not wet, but shimmering with prismatic light.
BAM! A bolt of lightning crashed down just inches from Kaela. Another clone swept past, narrowly dodging her counterattack.
Sera giggled from above.
> "Are you having fun yet, Professor?!"
Kaela waved her hand, obliterating three clones with a burst of bloodfire. "Your illusions are clever, but they won't hold me off forever!"
> "Good thing I've got more!"
Ten more clones popped into existence—one of them riding a floating wind chair holding a teacup.
Zane leaned forward. "Okay, that one's just showing off."
Kaela took a deep breath and then slammed her palms together, igniting the air with heat. "Enough."
She twisted, flames swirling around her in a vortex of erasure—but they couldn't reach Sera. The real Sera held her ground midair, arms crossed.
> "Sky Dream: Gale Lock."
The winds themselves bent around Kaela, slowing her movements slightly. Not a full paralysis—but enough.
A concentrated flash of light exploded around Kaela, blinding her momentarily. When her vision cleared, all the clones were gone—and Sera floated a few feet in front of her, arms glowing.
Kaela exhaled slowly, a faint smile twitching her lips.
> "I'm... impressed."
Zane clapped slowly from his shadow chair.
> "Alright, alright. That was flashy. I give it a seven out of ten."
> "Seven?!" Sera huffed, floating down. "That was at least a nine!"
Nyx rolled her eyes. "Seven-point-five. You lost points for the tea-drinking clone."
Sera crossed her arms. "That clone had class."
Kaela chuckled softly, the first time Zane had ever seen her genuinely amused.
> "You two are ridiculous... but also powerful. And the world isn't ready for either of you."