Confidence

"I'm sorry for your loss." Nico bowed his head.

"Me too. My condolences." Henry declared. He felt terrible for making his companion relive those painful memories.

"Don't be. It's in the past," Leon wiped his eyes using his sleeve, removing any stray tears. "I've come to terms with it."

A heavy silence settled in the cabin after the half-dwarf's sorrowful account. The two humans weren't too sure how to act.

Henry continued absentmindedly shuffling the deck of cards. Once finished, he began handing them out face down. On the back of one card, a wizened being dressed in grey robes with a thick, rugged beard that fell down to their chest, stood with the help of a cane in-laid with sparkling gems.

The crest on their robe, a symbol of a half-open tome.

On the back of the other card, it depicted the portrait of a hooded being with a menacing curved scythe in their grip; the shadows attracted to their body.

A set of two red eyes peeked open under the cloak.

Five other cards depicted the images of an atrocious devil seated on a blood-red throne with a crown atop his horns, a stalwart Knight in full-plate armour gripping a lance, a monster with sprawling tentacles metres wide, a Griffin, and finally… an Angel bathed in dazzling rays of holy light with a golden halo floating atop her head.

When Henry completed distributing the playing cards, he held up his own set and spoke, "Do you guys know how to play? Or do you need a quick introduction?"

"I know how to play," Nico replied, turning his gaze to the burly boy seated beside him.

He had played this game often in his childhood, especially with 'him'.

Nico's eyes momentarily rippled, before returning to their placid state.

Leon shook his head. He had never received a chance to play such a game. He straightened up, the excitement of experiencing something new dispelled some of his previous gloom.

"Okay… the rules are quite simple. Everyone receives a set of seven cards," Henry gestured at his own deck, before continuing, "The one who gains the most points wins. How to win points goes as follows. At the count of three, each of us will place down a card and whoever places down the strongest card receives a point. The first to ten points wins."

"How do we know which one is stronger than the other?" Leon asked, his gaze shifting to the white and red cards in his hands.

"Good question. One which I was just about to explain." the raven-haired trainee grinned, his pearly white teeth glinted in the cabin's artificial light. He withdrew a card from the pile of spares he had left to the side if they ran out, and spoke leisurely, pointing to the old, bearded man.

"The Shaman is the strongest card, followed by the Grim Reaper, Devil, Angel, Knight, Griffin, and tentacled monster. If one of us plays the same card as the other, then that round will become a tie, with no one receiving any points. Understood?"

"Yes!" the half-blood nodded, his voice coming out more excited than he intended.

Nico and Henry hid the smiles that threatened to leak onto their faces before they shared a silent glance with each other.

Mirth was clear in their eyes.

"Okay, let's start!" the raven-haired trainee announced. "One… Two… Three!"

As soon as the count reached three, the trio of trainees immediately placed their cards down.

"Haha, yes! Let's go!" Henry shouted in joy, jumping out of his seat.

There, on the wooden surface of the rickety table, three cards depicting a wizened elder, a griffin, and Devil rested face-up, staring back at Nico.

Nico clicked his tongue. "Lucky."

He was the one who played the Devil card. His dwarven counterpart placed the Griffin.

A victorious smirk appeared on Henry's face. He stuck his tongue out gloatingly much to the bemusement of his brown-haired companion.

Leon sighed. He craned his neck and narrowed his eyes, a competitive flame igniting in its hazel depths.

"One… Two… Three!"

"Yes!"

The burly half-blood pumped his fist in the air.

Nico shook his head, lamenting his fortune. Although deep inside, he was happy for the muscular dwarf.

Henry followed Nico's example in the previous turn and clicked his tongue. "It's on!"

Several rounds followed, with Nico occasionally winning a turn. Still, the half-blood and farmer continued to amass point after point, eventually leaving him in the dust.

A quarter of an hour in, the game was nearing its end. Henry had reached nine points, with Leon close on his heels, with an impressive eight.

Only poor Nico had less, with an unremarkable five.

"Okay. Before we finish the game, I have another question for you guys if I may." Henry showed a nervous smile. Even he noticed how many questions he had asked by now.

The human and dwarf gestured for the green-eyed trainee to continue.

Henry nodded, a small smile gracing his lips. "How confident are you for the Duels tomorrow?"

Nico released a turbid breath, sending a few strands of his hair flying. He took a moment to contemplate before he responded in a smooth tone.

"I would say I'm somewhat confident. I have faith in my ability to not get wiped on the floor with. Yet, no guarantee to win if pitted against one of our better peers. But, no matter what, I will win! I will find a way!"

Sparks of determination ignited in his eyes.

Henry, who witnessed Nico's resolve, merely nodded, accepting his answer with a smile.

He turned to Leon. Under the human's intense stare, the half-blood took a moment to form his own answer.

"I am confident." He calmly declared. Just from those three words alone, the two humans sensed a deep and unmeasurable well of self-belief.

A never-before-seen solemn expression manifested onto Leon's features.

His shoulders straightened. If it came to winning, he would give it his all. He was tired of people constantly treating him like trash.

Leon would make a bold statement. He would teach them all a very important lesson.

… A lesson not to mess with half-bloods.

Eventually, the game resumed, and Henry was the winner. Nico shook his head at his friend's antics, after the enthusiastic boy fell over in his chair from celebrating too hard.

The three trainees bid each other good night and turned off the lights. Their sole focus, on what tomorrow would bring.

It was time for the Duels to commence.