Aetheric Chronicles: Reborn As An Extra

"You-!"

With a roar, Cedric unleashed another series of wind and fire-based attacks, layering his spells with an intensity that caused the air to shimmer and burn. Cyclonic blasts tore across the arena, ripping up chunks of the ground as they spiraled toward the Masked Man.

But his opponent was already moving, weaving through the flame tempest with calculated precision. Cedric's strikes barely grazed him as the Masked Man closed the distance in the blink of an eye.

Clang!

The prince's sword was knocked aside with a force that reverberated through his arms, leaving him open. A swift kick to his midsection sent him sprawling backward, his body skidding across the dirt.

The crowd gasped. Cedric's armor was now marred with scratches and dirt, his composed expression replaced with one of raw frustration.

"Stop dodging!" Cedric barked, his voice cracking under the strain. "Fight me like a real man!"

The Masked Man didn't respond with words.

Instead, he delivered a punishing strike that sent Cedric flying once again. This time, the prince crashed into the barrier at the edge of the arena, drawing a collective wince from the audience.

Cedric staggered to his feet, his vision swimming. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, glaring daggers at his opponent. The Masked Man stood in the center of the battlefield, unyielding, waiting for him to rise.

"Why…why are you doing this?" Cedric growled, his voice low and venomous.

The Masked Man's grip on his sword tightened. "Humiliation doesn't feel good, does it?"

The prince's eyes widened in realization. "You're doing this for that weakling knight, aren't you?"

That struck a nerve.

The Masked Man's strikes became heavier, each swing of his blade now infused with a palpable sense of anger. Cedric was helplessly thrown backward again and again, his weak defense fully exposed, his vaunted offense rendered useless.

Cedric roared in frustration, his composure shattering completely. "Stop playing with me!" he bellowed, his voice raw with fury.

Suddenly, the air around him began to ripple. A vortex of flames and wind erupted from his body, swirling upward in a violent maelstrom. The arena was bathed in a searing light as the heat intensified, forcing the audience to shield their eyes.

The cyclone engulfed the battlefield, its sheer power overwhelming.

The Masked Man's calm demeanor finally cracked as he was caught off guard. The force of the Stellar Inferno Cyclone sent him hurtling through the air. His robes and mask were ripped away, burning and tattered as he hit the ground, rolling to a stop near the center of the arena.

Cedric floated above the swirling inferno, his figure framed by the raging flames. His chest heaved with exertion, but his eyes blazed with unrestrained killing intent as he stared down at his opponent.

"This is the difference between us," Cedric declared, his voice carrying over the roar of the cyclone. "I am stronger. You are a powerless weakling."

The Masked Man groaned, pushing himself to his feet. The remnants of his mask crumbled away, revealing his face to the stunned audience.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Whispers of disbelief spread like wildfire.

"Is that…?"

"No way! It can't be him!"

Cedric's own bravado faltered as he stared at the figure before him. His confidence gave way to shock, his eyes wide and disbelieving.

"Y-y-you…" he stammered, taking an involuntary step back.

The Masked Man—no longer masked—fixed Cedric with a cold, unyielding gaze. His identity now laid bare for all to see.

Aurelius.

The name hung unspoken in the charged air, but its weight was unmistakable.

Aurelius dusted himself off, his movements calm and deliberate. He cracked his neck, his expression unreadable.

"So," Aurelius said, his voice steady and cutting, "do you still think I'm nothing..."

"....brother?"

The arena fell into a deafening silence. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath as everyone struggled to process what they were witnessing. The revelation of the Masked Man's identity had struck them all like a physical blow, leaving them frozen in disbelief.

The once sickly Crown Prince stood tall and proud in the center of the arena, his presence commanding in a way that seemed impossible given what they remembered of him. Gone was the frail figure who needed support just to walk through the palace corridors. Gone was the young man who could barely lift a training sword without his arms trembling.

Murmurs began to ripple through the crowd, growing louder as the shock began to wear off:

"That can't be Prince Aurelius..."

"But wasn't he in Eldoria just last week?"

"Look at how he moves... it's like watching a different person entirely!"

The whispers carried questions that everyone was asking themselves. How could someone change so dramatically in the span of a single year? The Aurelius they remembered couldn't even attend formal functions without frequent breaks to catch his breath. Yet here he stood, having just demonstrated swordplay that would make master swordsmen envious.

His body, once gaunt and sickly, now radiated vitality. His stance spoke of countless hours of rigorous training, his movements displaying a grace and power that seemed almost overpowered. Even his eyes held a sharp, focused intensity that was completely at odds with the distant, tired gaze they all remembered.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

From his vantage point at the side of the arena, Adrian leaned back with a knowing smirk playing across his lips. He watched as confusion and disbelief painted themselves across every face in the crowd, exactly as he had anticipated. Cedric's desperate move with the Stellar Inferno Cyclone had forced Aurelius's hand, just as he aniticipated.

A quiet chuckle escaped Adrian's lips as he observed the scene unfolding before him.

The political implications alone were delicious – two princes locked in combat, their battle now transformed into an impromptu succession dispute in the eyes of the nobles present. The irony wasn't lost on him; Aurelius had probably never cared less about the throne than he did now, yet here he was, inadvertently making the strongest claim to it through sheer martial prowess.

"You've grown quite a bit, haven't you?" Adrian mused quietly to himself, his eyes softening slightly as he recalled the young man he had seen after that fateful incident not long ago.

The transformation before him wasn't just physical – there was a steel in Aurelius's gaze now, a resolve that had been forged in that period.

In the arena, Aurelius stood unflinching as his silver hair caught the sunlight, a physical manifestation of his metamorphosis. The nobles in attendance whispered frantically among themselves, their political minds already racing to adjust their allegiances in light of this unexpected development. Their carefully laid plans and assumptions about the succession were crumbling before their eyes.

The most striking change, however, wasn't in Aurelius's appearance or his newfound strength. It was in his bearing, the quiet confidence with which he faced his stepbrother.

He wasn't the timid, apologetic crown prince who used to shrink from confrontation.

He was a man who knew exactly who he was and what he stood for right at this moment.

As the tension in the arena reached a fever pitch, Adrian's smile widened slightly. The real show was just beginning. After all, few things were more entertaining than watching carefully constructed worldviews shatter in an instant. And judging by the look on Cedric's face, his entire world had just been turned upside down.

He stood frozen, his previous bravado evaporating like morning dew under the sun. His mouth opened and closed several times, but no words came out. What could he say? How could he accept the brother he had always looked down upon as the powerful warrior who stood before him now?

'Well, the answer is...'