## Liam''s Perspective


    Dudley Lowell pushed himself up from the ground, wiping blood from his chin with the back of his hand. His eyes had changed. The fear was gone, reced by cold calction.


    "You''ve had your fun, Knight," he spat. "Now it''s my turn."


    Frederick stepped beside me, his stance defensive. "Be careful. He''s nning something."


    I nodded. "Let him try."


    The air around us thickened as Dudley gathered his dark energy. It swirled around him like a living shroud, hungrier and more intense than before.


    "You''re not the only one who knows mind games," Dudley said with a smirk.


    He moved with sudden speed,unching himself not at me, but at Frederick. Before either of us could react, Dudley''s hand shot out, pressing against Frederick''s forehead.


    "What the—" Frederick started.


    Then his eyes went nk.


    "Frederick!" I shouted, lunging forward.


    Toote. Dudley''s dark energy had already enveloped Frederick''s head like a crown of shadows. Frederick''s body went rigid, then began to tremble.


    "What are you doing to him?" I demanded.


    Dudley''s smile widened. "Just having a little chat with his subconscious."


    Frederick''s face contorted with anguish. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he sank to his knees, his hands clutching his head.


    "Mother?" he whispered, his voice that of a frightened child. "Is that really you?"


    My stomach twisted. Dudley was using Frederick''s memories against him.


    "Yes, my son," Dudley spoke in a soft, feminine voice that wasn''t his own. "I''vee back for you."


    Frederick reached out with trembling hands. "I missed you so much..."


    "I know, sweetheart," Dudley continued in that stolen voice. "But I''m so disappointed in you. Helping the man who will destroy everything we worked for."


    Frederick''s face crumpled. "No, Mother, I—"


    "Shh," Dudley cut him off, cing a gentle hand on Frederick''s cheek. "It''s not toote. Kill Liam Knight for me. Make me proud."


    "Stop it!" I charged at Dudley, golden energy ring around my fist.


    Dudley sidestepped, keeping his hand on Frederick. "One more step and I''ll shatter his mindpletely."


    I froze, forced to watch as Frederick copsed inward emotionally.


    "Mother, I can''t..." Frederick sobbed. "Please don''t ask me to..."


    "Then you''re no son of mine," Dudley hissed, still in that woman''s voice.


    Frederick screamed, a raw sound of pure anguish that echoed through the arena. His body went limp as he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.


    Dudley turned to me, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. "Your turn."


    "You''ll pay for that," I promised, my voice deadly calm.


    "Will I?" Dudley cocked his head. "Let''s see what fears lurk in your mind, Knight."


    He rushed me, his hand outstretched for my forehead just as he''d done with Frederick. I was ready, raising my golden energy as a shield.


    But Dudley wasn''t aiming for a direct hit. His dark energy split around my defenses, trying to find a crack, a weakness.


    "You can''t keep me out forever," he taunted.


    He was right. Maintaining my shield was draining me rapidly. I needed another approach.


    "I don''t need to," I replied.


    I dropped my shield and did something unexpected—I projected my own divine sense outward, meeting his attack head-on.


    Our energies collided in a blinding sh. I felt Dudley''s probe trying to snake into my mind, searching for my darkest fears. But instead of fighting it, I guided it, showing him exactly what I wanted him to see.


    An image of myself, standing tall and confident.


    Dudley''s eyes widened in confusion. "What is this?"


    "Keep looking," I said through gritted teeth.


    The image shifted, expanding to show more of my memories—my rise from nothing, my victories against impossible odds, my unwavering determination.


    "No," Dudley muttered, trying to pull back. "This isn''t right."


    But our energies were locked together now. He couldn''t escape without seeing what I was showing him.


    "You want to know my fears?" I pushed harder, forcing the connection deeper. "Let me show you yours instead."


    I flipped the connection, sending my divine sense into his mind. His defenses crumbled under the unexpected reversal.


    And there it was—Dudley Lowell''s greatest fear, exposed for all to see as our mental battle projected images into the air around us.


    It was me. Liam Knight, standing over him victorious.


    Gasps echoed through the arena as spectators witnessed his deepest fear materialized. Dudley''s face turned ashen.


    "No!" he screamed, severing our connection with a burst of desperate energy.


    I staggered back, breathing hard but smiling. "Not what you expected, was it?"


    Humiliation burned in Dudley''s eyes. "This changes nothing!"


    He attacked in blind rage, abandoning finesse for brute force. His dark energyshed out like panicked tendrils.


    I sidestepped easily, catching his arm and twisting it behind his back. "It changes everything. They''ve all seen it now."


    The crowd had indeed seen it—the fearsome Dudley Lowell, terrified of the man he''d sworn to destroy.


    "Let go of me!" he snarled, struggling against my grip.


    "With pleasure." I released him with a shove, sending him stumbling forward.


    Dudley regained his bnce and spun to face me, his chest heaving. "You think you''ve won? You''re nothing, Knight! Nothing!"


    "If I''m nothing," I asked calmly, "why am I the face of your nightmares?"


    With a howl of rage, Dudley charged. I met him head-on, my golden energy meeting his darkness in a sh of power. Each punch Inded drove him back, each block I made frustrated him further.


    Julian watched from the sidelines, his expression unreadable. Beside him, Dominic Ashworth whispered something in his ear.


    I didn''t have time to wonder what they were plotting. Dudley had recovered some of hisposure and was fighting more tactically now, looking for openings.


    I didn''t give him any. My training with Jackson had prepared me for opponents like him—skilled but predictable. Every move he made, I countered. Every attack heunched, I deflected.


    "Impossible," he gasped, blood trickling from his split lip. "You can''t be this strong."


    "I am," I said simply. "And you know it."


    I caught his next punch and twisted, forcing him to his knees. The fight was all but over. One more strike would end it.


    Then pain exploded in my wrists.


    White-hot agony shot up my arms as the silver bracelets—the ones Julian had insisted were merely "symbolic"—began to glow with an eerie light.


    "What—" I choked out, my strength evaporating like morning dew.


    From across the arena, Julian Radford made a subtle gesture with his hand. The bracelets tightened further, sending fresh waves of pain through my body. <em ss="ref-a28d8f">For a smoother reading experience, visit MV&LEMPYR.</em>


    Betrayal.


    Dudley''s eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in cruel delight as he realized what was happening. He rose slowly, flexing his fingers.


    "Well, well," he purred. "What perfect timing."


    I tried to raise my arms to defend myself, but they felt like lead weights. The golden energy that had flowed so freely moments ago was now barely a flicker.


    Dudley didn''t waste the opportunity. His fist connected with my jaw, snapping my head back. I staggered but couldn''t fall—the bracelets were somehow keeping me upright, forcing me to endure whatever came next.


    "Not so powerful now, are you?" Dudley crowed,nding another blow to my stomach.


    I doubled over, gasping. Through blurred vision, I saw Julian watching intently, his fingers subtly manipting the air. Controlling the bracelets.


    Dudley grabbed my hair, yanking my head up. "This is what happens to men who rise above their station."


    His knee drove into my chest. I heard ribs crack. Pain blossomed across my torso.


    "Stop," I managed to gasp out.


    "Stop?" Dudleyughed. "We''re just getting started."


    Each punch, each kicknded with devastating force. I couldn''t block. Couldn''t dodge. Could barely breathe through the agony.


    Dudley was relentless, unleashing all his pent-up rage and humiliation. Blood filled my mouth. My vision darkened at the edges.


    "Fight back!" Frederick had regained consciousness and was shouting from the edge of the arena. "Knight, fight back!"


    I wanted to. Gods, how I wanted to. But the bracelets drained every ounce of strength I tried to summon.


    Dudley leaned in close, his breath hot on my face. "Your little mind trick might have embarrassed me," he whispered, "but I''m going to break every bone in your body."


    He stepped back and channeled his dark energy into his fist. The blow hit like a sledgehammer, sending me crashing to the ground atst.


    Iy there, lungs fighting for air, as Dudley circled me like a predator.


    "Get up," he demanded. "I''m not finished with you yet."


    I tried. Every muscle screamed in protest as I pushed myself up on trembling arms. Blood dripped from my split lip, spattering on the stone floor.


    Dudley''s foot mmed into my ribs, sending me back down. "I said get up!"


    Julian stepped closer to the edge of the arena, his eyes cold and calcting. The bracelets pulsed with energy, each wave striking directly at my divine sense.


    I managed to raise my head, meeting Julian''s gaze. A small smile touched his lips.


    This had been the n all along.


    Dudley grabbed the front of my robe, hauling me to my feet. "Still think you''re better than me?" he snarled.


    I couldn''t answer. Could barely stay conscious as blood filled my mouth.


    He drove his fist into my stomach again. This time, I couldn''t hold it back.


    I spat blood onto the arena floor, my bodypletely drained of strength. The pain was beyond anything I''d experienced before—not just physical, but striking at my very core, my divine sense.


    As darkness crept into the edges of my vision, one thought remained crystal clear: I had been set up from the start.