From Mortal To Mystic

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From what seemed to be a monitoring room, glowing screens floated in midair, projecting live footage of the participants as they navigated through the trial. The transmission magic occasionally flickered but remained stable enough to provide a clear view of every movement and action. At the center of the room stood Lucian and Valtos, their gazes locked onto the image of Damian, following his every step.

The room wasn't empty. Along the walls stood other mages in bright yellow uniforms, recovery specialists prepared for any emergency. Their hands hovered over glowing magical sigils etched into the walls, their focus unwavering. They were ready to step in and save anyone whose trial ended in failure—or worse.

"Well, I must say, the little runt has some talent. Am I right, Lucian?" Valtos remarked, his voice filled with curiosity and surprise as he observed Damian's progress.

"Indeed," Lucian replied, his tone even, his eyes never leaving the projection. "It seems he has an innate talent for it."

"Hmm…" Valtos mused, his curiosity sharpening. He turned to Lucian with a glint in his eye. "Well then, would you mind telling me where he's from?"

Lucian leaned back slightly, his expression unreadable. "I don't know," he said in a casual tone. "He just popped up in my backyard."

"Come on, old man. After all these years, you're still holding out on me?" Valtos retorted, his skepticism evident.

Lucian sighed, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. "You're right. As a matter of fact, I think he's just like you when you first got here."

Valtos's expression darkened, a mix of regret and pity crossing his face. "Trust me, old man, no one's like me… Let's just hope he doesn't end up like me."

---

The strong magic region was alive, pulsing with untamed energy. The very air buzzed with a thick, charged presence that seemed to hum in harmony with the land itself. Twisted trees glowed faintly, their leaves shifting between vibrant hues as if alive. Crystals jutted from the ground, some floating midair and pulsing with an eerie rhythm. Overhead, the sky was alive with movement—auroras danced alongside flashes of multicolored lightning that cracked without sound.

Even the lake nearby wasn't untouched; its surface shimmered unnaturally, reflecting not just the surroundings but glimpses of places that shouldn't exist. The creatures inhabiting this land were equally strange—a stag with antlers of light, a bird whose feathers shimmered like gemstones. The region wasn't just a place; it was alive, watching, testing, and ready to pounce on intruders unworthy of its secrets.

So far, Damian and Noelle had managed to progress without incident, carefully avoiding trap glyphs that activated when disturbed. The pair had made steady progress deeper into the glowing forest, but the tension in the air grew thicker with each step.

"Wait," Noelle suddenly said, her voice low but firm. She stopped mid-step, her eyes narrowing as she glanced ahead. "I sense something up ahead. Strong mana—too strong to belong to the other participants."

Damian slowed down, frowning as he tried to sense it himself. While his control over magic was exceptional, he lacked Noelle's keen awareness. "What kind of something? A person? A creature?"

"I don't know," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "But it's close. Let's move in and—"

"Absolutely not." Damian cut her off, shaking his head. "Rushing in blind is how people end up dead." His tone was sharp, carrying the weight of experience. "We wait. Watch and see what happens first."

Noelle hesitated but eventually nodded, stepping back to hide with Damian behind a cluster of glowing crystals. Minutes ticked by in silence before the sound of footsteps broke through the hum of the forest.

A group of five contestants appeared, moving cautiously as they entered the area. Their leader, a boy wielding earth magic, stepped forward, summoning a boulder to shield his team as they advanced. They had clearly noticed the strange mana presence but seemed determined to press on regardless.

Damian and Noelle remained hidden, watching intently as the group moved forward. For a moment, all was still. Then the ground shook violently.

A massive rock golem burst forth from the earth, towering over the group. Its body was made entirely of stone, with glowing cracks along its surface, its eyes burning with a fiery light. The golem let out a guttural roar that echoed through the forest as it charged at the group.

The contestants sprang into action. The earth mage threw up barriers to shield his team, while another cast ice spells, trying to freeze the golem's movements. A third member attempted binding magic, wrapping glowing chains of light around the creature.

It wasn't enough. The golem smashed through their defenses with terrifying ease, its massive fists pulverizing the earth mage's boulder into dust. The ice spells barely slowed it down, and the binding magic snapped as if it were thread.

Within minutes, the team lay defeated on the ground, battered and broken. Their dreams of advancing to the Warrior Mages of Elyndor were crushed.

The recovery mages acted swiftly, their magic flaring to life as they teleported the injured participants out of the trial.

Damian and Noelle exchanged a glance, the weight of the challenge ahead sinking in.

"Well," Damian muttered, breaking the tense silence. "Guess it's our turn now."

From behind a cluster of glowing crystals, Damian and Noelle observed the massive rock golem as it stood, its towering form exuding an aura of immense strength. The golem's stony body pulsed with faint cracks of mana, its movements slow but deliberate. A behemoth, with legs like thick columns and arms large enough to crush anything in its path.

Damian clenched his fists, his mind racing as he quickly assessed the situation. "We can't just charge in like the others did," he muttered. "We need a plan."

Noelle was already deep in thought, her eyes narrowing on the golem. "It's a construct," she said, her voice calm but filled with certainty. "It doesn't think like a living creature—it just follows commands. It's slow, but the damage it deals is massive. If we try to fight it head-on, we'll be crushed."

Damian scanned the golem once more. "So, we need to target its core?"

"Yes," Noelle confirmed, her eyes flicking to the glowing cracks in the golem's chest. "The core is likely where the mana flows—the source of its power. If we can destroy it, the golem will fall."

"Sounds easy enough," Damian said, cracking his knuckles. "But how the hell do we get close to it without getting turned to rubble?"

Noelle glanced at him. "I'll use my wind magic to distract it. The golem isn't quick, so I can lead it around and keep it off you long enough for you to get in close. Your fire magic should be able to do the job."

Damian gave her a sidelong glance. "You think your wind magic is enough to make it focus on you?"

"It'll have to be," Noelle said firmly. "I can't take it head-on either. But if I keep it moving, maybe I can get it to ignore you long enough for you to strike."

Damian grinned. "Fire's the perfect option. The rock golem's mana is held together by its stony body. If I hit it with enough fire, I can destabilize it—get its mana flowing wildly. Then it'll focus on me, and that's when we make our move."

Noelle hesitated for only a second before nodding. "Alright, it's risky. But we don't have much choice."

Damian's smirk widened. "Risky? I don't do anything that isn't."

"I'll keep it distracted," Noelle said. "Once it's locked onto you, you'll have to finish it."

"Leave it to me," Damian replied, his eyes blazing with confidence.

The two of them exchanged a final look before springing into action. Noelle's wind magic flared as she stepped forward, her body surrounded by gusts that picked up the loose earth beneath her. The golem turned slowly toward her, sensing the disturbance, but its movements were sluggish—just as Damian had predicted.

Damian, already focusing on his fire magic, took a step back, his palms igniting with blazing flames. The air around him grew warmer, the heat radiating off his hands as he prepared to launch a fireball at the golem. The distraction worked perfectly—Noelle zipped around the golem, taunting it with her agile movements, her wind magic making her seem like she was everywhere at once.

"Now!" Damian muttered under his breath. With a swift motion, he threw a concentrated fireball at the golem's chest, striking the cracks in its rocky form. The fire hit with explosive force, the golem's mana cracking and spiking in every direction. Its movements faltered as it staggered back, clearly enraged.

The golem roared, a low rumbling sound that echoed through the strong magic region, and charged toward Damian, completely ignoring Noelle. Damian's grin stretched wide. "Just like we planned," he thought.

Noelle took advantage of the opening, using her wind magic to create a barrier of powerful gusts that kept the golem from turning back to her. With its focus entirely on Damian, the golem lunged. Damian dodged, but the sheer force of the golem's swing caused the ground beneath him to crack.

"Come on, you rockhead," Damian taunted, fire dancing around his hands. He knew he had to stay on the move—if he stayed still, he'd be flattened. The golem's movements were slow, but every swing was devastating.

Damian launched another fireball, this time aiming for the cracks near its chest. The golem staggered again, but the fire wasn't enough to take it down just yet. Damian felt the air growing hotter, his magic coursing through his body. He needed more power—more speed.

With a grunt of effort, he pushed more of his mana into the flames. His hands erupted in a burst of fire, a massive stream that shot toward the golem's chest. The fire swirled around the golem's torso, its cracks glowing brighter as the mana destabilized, the stone itself beginning to warp under the intense heat.

The golem's movements grew erratic, its body cracking more and more with every passing second. Finally, with one last explosion of magic, the core of the golem burst, and the creature collapsed into a heap of rubble, its energy dissipating in the air.

Damian stood, breathing heavily, his flames dying out as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He glanced at Noelle, who was already approaching him with a grin.

"Not bad," she said. "You actually pulled it off."

Damian smirked. "I told you I don't miss."

Understood. Here's the scene as you requested:

---

Damian wiped the sweat from his brow, watching the remains of the rock golem crumble to dust. The earth beneath him trembled from the final burst of energy, and the air was thick with the scent of scorched stone and dissipating mana.

Noelle, her breath still coming in heavy gasps, lowered her hands as the winds around her calmed. She flashed Damian a grin, her eyes gleaming with admiration. "Well, I must admit, I didn't think you could pull that off."

Damian wiped his hands on his pants, his smirk returning. "Told you, I don't miss."

Damian wiped the sweat off his forehead, the weight of the fight still fresh in his body. The rock golem had crumbled before him, its massive form reduced to rubble. The smell of scorched stone hung in the air, the scent of magic fading into the thick atmosphere. He stood tall, his hands still crackling with remnants of the fire magic he'd just unleashed.

Noelle stood next to him, breathing heavily but steady. She flashed him a look, her eyes glinting with a mix of exhaustion and respect. "I didn't expect you to take it down so quickly."

Damian grinned, the adrenaline still pumping through his veins. "I told you, I don't miss."

They took a moment, letting the rush of battle settle as the last echoes of the golem's destruction faded into the distance. The silence around them felt almost peaceful, like the calm after a storm.

Then, everything changed.

A sudden pulse of raw magical energy surged through the air. The ground trembled beneath them, the earth shifting as if the very world around them was alive. Damian's eyes snapped open, his senses on high alert, his body already preparing for whatever was coming next. The air grew thick, a hum of magic vibrating through every particle, like the world was holding its breath.

Then, a voice rang out—clear, commanding, and filled with power. It resonated through the atmosphere, almost as if it was pulling the words directly from the fabric of reality itself. It was the transmission magic.

"Attention all remaining participants," the voice boomed, sending a chill down Damian's spine. It wasn't just a voice—it was an authority that felt like it could crush him with a mere thought. "The trial has entered its final phase. Only fifty contestants remain."

Damian's heart skipped a beat. Fifty?

Noelle glanced at him, her expression unreadable. "Fifty…?"

The voice continued, unaffected by their confusion, its tone cold and final. "A duel will now take place between all remaining participants. The chosen combatants will be selected at random. You will be transported to a designated arena where your strength will be tested one last time."

Damian's eyes narrowed. A duel?

The air seemed to pulse with power, thickening as if the world itself was tightening around them. Magic crackled in the space between them, and just as Damian opened his mouth to speak, he felt it—a strange, tingling sensation running through his body. It was like being pulled from the inside out, the world warping around him as spatial magic tore at the very fabric of reality.

Noelle's form flickered beside him, her face reflecting the same shock. Neither of them had time to react before the ground beneath their feet cracked, and the world twisted violently.

In an instant, everything went white.