Duel Part 1

"You made it. Wonderful!"

Kellie briskly made her way to stand guard beside the Headmaster's chair on the high seats without any response. She faced the arena below and held an indifferent expression with hands firmly on her back. He watched her and smiled knowingly.

"It's starting soon," Headmaster Verkel grinned as he propped his elbow on the side and leaned in.

Silence answered him. But of course, he was used to it.

"Just look at her! What a nervous wreck," he chuckled. Even though they're on the opposite side of the ring, they could see Adeleine pacing back and forth from the dug-out entrance, breathing heavily and calming herself down.

He glanced back to inspect her reaction. None. Well, as expected. But knowing her, Kellie was feeling the same as her pupil, she's just that damn good at hiding it. Boring, he smiled, but makes it more interesting trying to crack her.

"You've grown attached to that girl," a sly smile hid behind his fist. Still, he got no reaction. "She does look similar, you've admitted it yourself."

For a split second, he saw her lips twitched down. His shoulders shook from suppressing his laughter. How does he know? He knew that Kellie already had an idea of the answer, as you can tell from her slightly furrowed eyebrows.

Kellie knew how the gears in his head turn with all the years she served under him—the reason why he kept her that long, and another was that the lady was full of surprising things that kept him entertained.

"Aren't you the one closest to her? I have to admit your reaction is priceless." This time Headmaster Verkel didn't hold back his laughter.

"You speak as if she wasn't your sister."

He hummed raising his eyebrow, amused. "There you go! It was getting dull with no responses. And wear a smile! People today don't know how to appreciate a wonderful blessing."

"How is it wonderful with you existing?" she monotonously asked.

Headmaster Verkel paused and looked at her with surprise. A grin later broke his face and patted the tall lady on the back. "I didn't know you could crack a joke! Marvelous!" he laughed. "Although it needs work."

"I meant what I said."

"Now, now, don't be salty just because I listened in to your conversation. You're passing it over to the young lady, she doesn't like me anymore, you see." He faked a troubled expression.

"I'll be surprised if someone did."

"Let's just enjoy this momentous occasion!" He signaled the announcer to start the duel.

~~

Adeleine marched to the center and faced her opponent. She measured up Hera, who looked different from their last encounter. Unlike her bun, the blonde had her short hair secured in a tight ponytail, revealing a sharp jawline and faint scars running down to her neck. Their body heavily guarded with light metal armor and a weapon of choice strapped on the waist.

The freckles dusted across her cheeks and her light peachy skin didn't match the contemptuous glint in her teal eyes. It's almost as if she harbored great disdain to people like Adeleine if the letherian girl didn't know any better.

"Scared?" she sneered.

Weird, Adeleine thought. Hera's breaths were uneven as if she exerted physical energy. For her to train right before their match, she's looking down too much on the letherian girl.

Instead of wasting her energy on Hera's remark, she directed her gaze to the referee carrying a red flag with the academy's insignia sewn, presented with pride and glory. There's no point in retaliating here. It would bring more satisfaction to see Hera's enraged face if it ended up her on top in the end.

"Duelist, recite the pledge."

"I pledge to bear sincerity..." Hera started.

Adeleine raised her brows in surprise. She didn't know this and followed along blindly, her tongue fumbling the words. "I swear to bear sincerity."

"To the Heloire flag and the academy, protector of the nation..."

"To the Heloire flag and the academy, protector of the nation."

"And allegiance to the Adhelis Empire..."

"And allegiance to the Adhelis Empire,"

"And to the virtues it stands."

"And to the virtues it stands."

The referee tilted the flag in between them. "Combatants, pay your respects."

Adeleine breathed a sigh of relief once the pledge was over, feeling warmness creeping up her cheeks. She wished no one noticed her lip-syncing.

Seeing Hera bow, she got taken aback and hurriedly returned it to avoid further embarrassing herself, realizing that it's part of the traditions she wasn't aware of. Hera would never bow to her, not any day.

"Take your places."

The two competitors turned their backs and began walking, putting a great distance between them. Adeleine closed her eyes, readying herself as she recalls the bits of the beating lesson. Feet apart, bend knees, stabilized balance, and steady breathing—it was what Kellie hammered down in her body in a span of two days.

"Let the battle—" with a wave of a flag, the referee sliced it down in thin air, marking the start of their duel— "Commence!"

She blinked. A grave mistake. Hera forced her sword downward for a strike. She instantaneously brought her own up to receive the blow by nearly missing a beat, feeling the shocking vibrations of the metal objects colliding through her arms. Her shoulders almost gave up a moment there.

She didn't even saw Hera closing the distance between them. All she could get a glimpse of was Hera's shadow before she disappeared.

Her sword turned instead of pushing through, Hera aimed for the lower leg. Adeleine heard it whistled. A warning of impeccable precision she has.

Adeleine shifted her leg back. It was unnecessary to go at her calves. This made Hera vulnerable at the torso. Kellie never went low unless it was to tip her balance off.

What she thought was an opening, instantly turned to surprise when Hera twisted the hilt between her fingers, going for a swift upward strike.

Caught in Hera's fast pace, she stumbled back, dodging it instinctively with the tip nearly missing her chin. If she hadn't undergone Kellie's inhuman speed then she would have gotten her face sliced seconds ago.

She caught Hera's smirk.

But how did she do it? Adeleine thought her opponent was reckless, but it seems like she needed to put more credit to the blonde. Hera wasn't just all bark and no bite, nor did she rely on her gift for affinity; she got something to back it up.

Adeleine gritted her teeth. Victory wasn't going to be as easy as she thought it would be.

"Huh?" Her eyes widened when she tripped on her leg and fell on her back.

"Footwork." She could virtually hear Kellie scold her when it happened more than a dozen times in practice.

Hera did not let this opportunity slide and lunged at her. Adeleine rolled out just as the blade plunged deep within the sand at where her head used to be. Her heart leaped. A shudder ran down her spine, staring at it wide-eyed.

Wait, this was supposed to be some friendly sparring. Why does it look like Hera's out to get her? Wait, what if Hera's actually planning to kill her?!

Adeleine frantically scanned the crowd and met eyes with the one she was searching for, but all he did was smiled and gave her a wink of good luck.

That snake! A vein popped on her forehead.

"Don't get too cocky. Eyes on me!" Hera, once again, delivered a downward strike, this time pushing her back. Hera's clearly superior when it comes to strength, Adeleine admitted.

She locked eyes with her. All Adeleine could see in them was burning fury and the desire to crush her. It looked like winning this duel wouldn't suffice Hera's thirst for blood. She thought twice if she had ever done Hera wrong.

Hera redirected her blade while Adeleine parried it. Hera's movements grew wilder and turned into a barrage of attacks that she had no choice but to either block or evade. She was backed to a corner.

Hera's unrefined movements were no match to what nirvana Adeleine went through with Kellie's years of experience. Despite having no control, her opponent dominated the fight with innate talent. Adeleine, on the other hand, was lacking in both experience and talent to rival her opponent. She's the one who drew the short end of the stick.

Unlucky, she thought.

"I must say," he started, eyes locked down at the fight and lips accommodated an amused smile, "she's holding out quite well. I expected nothing less from a great mentor."

"Give the girl the credit she deserves."

He laughed. "Then would you want me to reward her if she wins then?" He half-jokingly offered but there's a glint in his eyes that challenged her. "What would it be?"

"The girl deserves answers."

He hummed in apprehension, deep in thought as he leaned back on his chair, his fingers interlacing.

"You seem confident with her skills."

"I doubt she would have stood a chance," Kellie flatly replied.

The headmaster threw his head back, bursting in a fit of laughter. "That's quite cruel of you. Doubting your student like that."

"The girl isn't built for fighting. I see no point in sugarcoating it."

It was no good. Adeleine got pushed back.

The moment Hera made the first move, she gave no chance for Adeleine to counter. She controlled the fight from then on.

Adeleine gritted her teeth. The edges of their swords sparked in great intensity. She could feel goosebumps on her skin as she took a step back to breathe. But Hera wasn't the one to take the cue, even more so, she took advantage of it.

She instinctively brought her sword up to meet her opponent's incoming blade. Her palms numbed and accidentally loosened her grip.

Oh no! She panicked. Desperate, she quickly tried to regain control of her weapon and swung her sword to return the favor, but a blunt vibration at the side of her chest threw off her balance. Her body trembled.

She staggered to the side and took a glance. Hera made a light dent in her armor.

She drew sharp breaths. Thank Astrea it missed a few centimeters above her waist, or she would receive a critical wound. Taking this into account, she concluded that Hera doesn't particularly go for critical points unlike Kellie; she was blindly going for any opening.

Hera grabbed Adeleine's hair and forcefully dragged her head. She loomed over Adeleine, who pathetically tried to pry her hands off from her vulnerable position. It's just like how they first met.

Wow, how nostalgic. Adeleine sarcastically remarked in her thoughts.

Hera shifted her sword. The sharp blade glared Adeleine a warning. Sweat made the few loose strands stick the sides of the blonde's face. She was, as well, breathing heavily as she eyed her down.

"Demon," she spoke between gasps, "you don't belong here."

Catching her breath, Adeleine exhaled. "Save your breath." She gripped the hilt of her sword and winced, feeling the cuts and splinters numbing her hands. Her arms were aching, begging her to stop. It felt like her arms could barely hold the sword anymore, but she still didn't want to give up. "I didn't even wish to be here."

Her words caused Hera to snap. She grabbed her by the neck and strangled her. "Then what are you doing here?" she snarled.

She clawed Hera's arms like a desperate mouse, struggling to break free, her face slowly turning blue. Black spots gradually swarmed her vision, words caught in her throat. She blindly searched the sand for the sword with her hands, but the pressure in her neck tightened.

It's no use. She couldn't find it. She's going to pass out at this point.

Her hands balled to fist, grabbing anything underneath. If anything, she wanted to win, but first, she needs to escape.

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦'𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶?"

𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥, "𝘍𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘯."

"𝘐𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘵," 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥.

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘵?" 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘳𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵.

"𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯." 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵. "𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵."

She threw it forward directly at Hera's face, spraying grains of sand that caught her off guard. She followed it with a quick punch on her side.

"𝘐𝘯 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦, 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰𝘱."

All she needs to do is to outwit her opponent.