Duel of Destinies

As Aleric stepped forward, preparing for his inaugural fight, the air around the academy tensed with anticipation. The professors outlined two distinct formats for the duel. The first option was a combat within a magical barrier, enclosed within the tower's walls, where the fight would continue until a judge declared a winner. The second option promised a more dynamic setting—a wild expanse that could morph into forests, deserts, prairies, or even a cityscape, simulating a real battle. Though this option ensured no fatal injuries would occur, with any potentially lethal blow causing the combatants to be teleported back to the starting point, it promised a victor through simulation of death.

Before Aleric could weigh his preference, his opponent—a brash and arrogant youth—boisterously chose the second option, declaring his intention to end the fight "quickly and easily" with his name and family's honor at stake.

"I'll finish this idiot swiftly, just as sure as my name is Marcus Delavega of the esteemed Delavega family," he proclaimed, his voice echoing off the ancient stone of the surrounding towers.

The setting chosen, the arena transformed before their eyes, morphing into a dense, shadowy forest, reminiscent of the wilds where Aleric had honed his skills and instincts amidst the bandits. The familiar environment did little to ease the tension; instead, it sharpened his focus, reminding him of the stakes at hand.

Marcus, with a smirk betraying his confidence, stepped into the simulation, the landscape shifting in response to his presence. Aleric followed suit, his expression unreadable, yet a storm of strategy brewing within.

As the duel commenced, it became evident that Marcus had underestimated Aleric. The latter's movements, honed by years of survival and skirmishes, were precise and calculated. Marcus's spells, although powerful, were predictable, allowing Aleric to evade and counter with agility and finesse.

Marcus, driven by frustration and perhaps a sense of his waning advantage, taunted Aleric, hoping to provoke him into a reckless mistake. "Is that all you've got?" he sneered, his voice echoing through the trees, a stark contrast to Aleric's silent, unwavering focus.

However, the taunt seemed to act as a catalyst for what was to come. Without a word, Aleric let loose the power he had been holding in reserve. The forest around Marcus became a witness to Aleric's true capabilities as lightning danced at his command, not with the fanfare of magic often seen in duels but with a precision and intensity that spoke of deadly intent.

With each lightning strike, trees exploded into splinters, creating a spectacle of destruction that left Marcus and onlookers alike in awe. Marcus, now stripped of his arrogance, found himself in the midst of a maelstrom, his earlier confidence shattered as easily as the trees that now lay broken around him.

With every ounce of strength, he screamed, "I surrender!" His voice, fueled by his desperation, cut through the tension of the ongoing simulation like a knife. It was a loud, clear declaration of defeat, meant to be heard by Aleric and anyone else within earshot.

However, the simulation, designed to mimic real battle conditions as closely as possible without allowing fatal injuries, had not been programmed to halt for a mere verbal surrender. Its parameters required a decisive end to the conflict, either through a knockout or an evident inability to continue, but not a vocal submission. Consequently, despite Marcus's loud proclamation, the magical environment around them remained unchanged, continuing to pose a threat with its shifting terrains and latent dangers.