The air shimmered around Kiran as Calder’s power surged, a visible pulse of energy rippling through the arena. The ground beneath them cracked, sending small tremors that made the loose sand stir. Kiran’s gaze locked on Calder, who stood relaxed, exuding an unshakable confidence. The towering figure cracked his knuckles, the sound reverberating like a taunt.


    “Come on, first year,” Calder said, his grin stretching into a full smirk. “Show me if that fancy sand magic of yours can stand up to someone completely in their element.”


    Kiran’s grip on his wand tightened. The trial wasn’t over—it had only just begun.


    Closing his eyes briefly, Kiran steadied his breathing, letting his focus narrow. The tremors, Calder’s taunts, even the searing heat radiating from the man—all of it faded to the background. He exhaled slowly and flicked his wand, calling the sand to life. It spiraled upward in a fluid motion, surrounding him in a shimmering barrier that pulsed with latent energy.


    Calder chuckled. “Defensive already? Don’t disappoint me now.” With a thunderous stomp, he surged forward, his fist glowing with earthen power. The ground beneath his feet tore open as he launched a devastating punch, sending a tremendous shockwave toward Kiran.


    Kiran responded almost instantly, directing his barrier to absorb the impact. The sand thickened and hardened, shielding him as sparks flew upon contact. Though the shield held, the sheer force of the attack pushed Kiran back a few steps, his feet digging into the arena floor for balance.


    “Not bad,” Calder admitted, rolling his shoulders. “But you’ll need more than a wall to stop me.”


    Kiran didn’t waste energy on a retort. Instead, he manipulated the sand into sharp, needle-like projectiles that hovered ominously around him. With a deliberate motion, he sent them flying toward Calder.


    Calder didn’t flinch as the sand needles zipped toward him, his massive frame seemingly immune to hesitation. Instead of dodging, he charged directly into the attack, letting the needles strike against the dense, earthen armor that formed over his skin. A few grazed him, drawing thin lines of blood, but he didn’t falter.


    “That all you’ve got?” Calder called out, his voice full of derisive laughter. With a resounding stomp, he summoned massive pillars of stone that erupted from the ground, surrounding Kiran. The towering structures crashed inward, aiming to trap him in their crushing weight. Kiran moved quickly, summoning his sand into swirling tendrils that coiled around the pillars, pulling them apart with immense effort before they could converge.


    “Clever,” Calder said, his voice carrying an edge of approval. “But can you keep up?”


    With another stomp, the ground beneath Kiran liquefied, shifting into a turbulent sinkhole. Kiran leapt back, directing his sand to create solid footholds that floated above the churning earth. He wove his way through the shifting terrain, his sand swirling protectively around him as Calder charged forward, his arms encased in jagged rock.


    The impact of Calder’s punch sent shockwaves through the arena, but Kiran’s quick reflexes allowed him to redirect the force with a carefully placed wall of sand. He countered with a spiraling column of sand that shot upward, aiming for Calder’s chest. The man deflected the attack with a sweep of his arm, shattering the column into a fine mist.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Calder grinned. “You’ve got some skill, first year. You’re not taking control. You’re just reacting to me, scrambling to keep up. Sand can be unpredictable, but right now, yours is just scattered—no focus, no power. You’re ceding the upper hand without even realizing it.”


    Kiran’s jaw tightened. He shifted his focus, condensing the sand into a dense, spinning sphere. With a flick of his wand, he sent the sphere hurtling toward Calder, who didn’t sidestep or dodge, Instead, he surged forward, a hastily made stone shield raised high, and met the attack head-on. The resulting impact created a deafening boom, a thick cloud of dust and debris swirling outward.


    "The best defense is an impenetrable offense!" Calder''s voice rang out from within the debris. “When you’re up against someone like me, dodging is a waste of energy. It''s not about running away or scrambling to shield yourself—it’s about breaking through before the enemy even gets the chance.”


    Emerging from the cloud of dust, Calder’s voice rang out, steady and confident. “Let me show you something.” He stomped the ground again, summoning a massive boulder that hovered above him. With a sharp motion, he hurled it toward Kiran. The younger student raised his wand, splitting the sand into multiple streams that coiled around the boulder, slowing its descent before redirecting it back toward Calder.


    The upperclassman shattered the boulder with a single punch, the fragments scattering harmlessly across the arena. Calder’s smirk returned, his stance relaxed yet commanding. “You’re playing catch-up. Let me tell you something about sand, kid. It’s unpredictable, and that’s its strength above all else, just like earth, but If you want to win, you can''t settle on your defense being just your defense or your offense being just your offense.”


    Kiran frowned, his mind racing as he processed Calder’s words. The older student raised both hands, summoning twin waves of rock that surged toward Kiran. He responded instinctively, shaping his sand into a spiraling wall that deflected the waves. But Calder’s attack didn’t stop. The earth beneath Kiran’s feet erupted, forcing him to leap into the air.


    “See? You’re reacting,” Calder called out. “you have to make me react.”


    Landing with a controlled roll, Kiran planted his feet and drew the sand around him into a massive, undulating mass. It moved like a living creature, coiling and twisting as he directed it toward Calder. The upperclassman’s eyes narrowed, and he raised his arms to meet the attack head-on.


    The collision was explosive, sand and stone clashing in a chaotic dance of power. For a moment, it seemed like the two forces were evenly matched. But then Calder’s strength broke through, his stone smashing through Kiran’s defenses and sending the younger student skidding backward.


    Breathing heavily, Kiran pushed himself to his feet, his wand glowing faintly in his hand. Calder approached, his expression less mocking and more thoughtful now.


    “Sand can be more than just a shield, you know,” Calder said. “A flame will always burn its target, no matter what. Water will drown. But a rock? It can crush, it can build, it can support. Sand is the same. It’s only as useful as you make it.”


    Kiran’s gaze sharpened, his mind replaying the battle in rapid flashes. The way Calder had used the earth, not just as a weapon but as a tool, resonated with him.


    Calder stepped back, the arena’s magic flaring to signal the end of the trial. “You’ve got potential, kid. Just remember, sand—like stone—can shape itself to anything. At times, the best defense is an impenetrable offense, but it’s up to you to decide what form that takes.”


    With a final smirk, Calder vanished in a flash of light, leaving Kiran standing alone in the arena. Exhausted but contemplative, Kiran tightened his grip on his wand, the sand swirling faintly at his feet.


    “Impenetrable offense, huh?” he murmured to himself, a faint smile tugging at his lips as the arena’s magic whisked him away.