18 - Fake Win

All this happened without either Lucian or Ava knowing about it. They just kept acting like they were in a tough battle, with Ava actively trying her hardest to miss all the spells she was casting.

While it might sound easy, it's actually the opposite. Lucian wasn't the greatest at dodging, which made things hard for Ava, who had to anticipate some of his movements.

"Psst! Should we end this soon… they're probably convinced by now, right?" Ava uttered as she swung her dagger up in the air.

"Yes, all right, just follow my lead…"

'Let's hope they were fooled…'

However, contrary to his expectations, everyone in the observation room had already noticed that he was a fraud from how he ran initially.

Ava lowered her guard in quite an obvious way, and Lucian went in for the final attack. He didn't want to actually hurt her, so he simply grabbed her and held his dagger right beneath her neck. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about hurting her or something similar.

'Even if I can't kill her, it's better if she stays healthy after this whole thing. I don't want her getting into a weakened state right away…'

Lucian took a step forward and grabbed her tightly by her neck. He looked up toward the observation room and was wondering why this fight hadn't finished yet.

'Is it not them that decide when this whole thing finishes?'

Lucian quickly realized this wasn't the case since they hadn't organized the duel in the first place… It was the system that had done so.

"Try surrendering, this isn't working…"

Lucian was a little panicked because he wasn't sure of what he needed to do. Would he need to hurt her so much that the system would consider this his win?

Lucian waited a few moments for Ava to speak, but it seemed she hadn't heard him.

Lucian looked at her, and he could see her breathing heavily over and over again. Her face was also completely red.

"Hey, you need to surrender… this… just doesn't seem to be working."

Ava seemed to come out of her bubble when she felt Lucian talk a little bit louder. She didn't look at him and muttered, "I-I surrender."

'Ahhh! We're so close!' Ava shouted in her mind.

While she seemed somewhat calm on the outside, she was panicking on the inside. Lucian had never held her so tightly, except maybe when Trevor had pushed the two of them, and they had landed on top of each other. But… apart from that, this was the first time and a lot longer than back then.

[Congrats! You have won the duel, even if it was rigged. I hope you feel bad.]

Lucian had become dull from the insults, and he decided that he would be the one to tease the system this time.

He put a smile on his face and said in his mind, 'I feel great about it, actually.'

Lucian couldn't care less that he had manipulated Ava into losing. In fact, it was a great feeling guiding someone into doing exactly what you want. It was one of the first times he had such a feeling, especially considering his past, where Trevor would just boss him around all day.

'Having the role reversed… really feels fucking great!'

Having the power over someone. Something that Lucian had never felt before in his life was amazing. He didn't think that he would have such a reaction to it. But, he slowly started to understand why Trevor liked abusing him so much… it's fun… being the one in control.

"Uh… Lucian, are you gonna let me go?"

Only then did Lucian realize that he was still holding onto Ava.

He acted all embarrassed as he slowly removed his arm from her neck.

"R-Right, sorry about that. I was just lost in thought…"

Lucian made sure that his act was believable as he checked if she was hurt anywhere, which Ava seemed to like very much. Lucian had already noticed it, but it was clear Ava truly liked receiving a bunch of attention from him.

'Well… we did almost kiss at one point... Though, that really isn't important right now.'

"Ava Taylor and Lucian Urias, please go into the stands and watch the rest of the fights. You will have a special meeting by the end of this."

'Ah shit, don't tell me that they figured out?'

Lucian was almost sure they had been put on the sidelines because they had acted this whole fight. However, he couldn't be more wrong. It was because of Ava's talent.

But something was weird. If it was because of Ava that all the family representatives had reacted… why was Lucian also on the sidelines?

Had one of the strongest families noticed something about him?

***

A few seconds later, Lucian and Ava were in the stands… and there wasn't any time to lose. Lucian opened the [Chrono Book]. He needed to find out about what would be happening next.

However, when he opened the book, it was the exact same as earlier… the letters were moving everywhere, and nothing inside the book was readable.

'That fucking skill… why is it working half the time and when I need it the most?'

Lucian was mad about it as he closed the book with a lot of vigor, making Ava, who was seated next to him, jump in reaction.

She even pouted at him as she said, "Ahh! You scared me, Luci… don't do that without telling me."

"Sorry, I-I didn't mean to."

'Ahh… acting really is tiring… Still, it's not like I have much of a choice.'

Then, he started hearing footsteps from the hallway they had come through earlier. He couldn't mistake them. They belonged to Ariel. It seemed that the next opponents had arrived… the only thing left was seeing them.

That's when Lucian saw a little bit of blonde hair through the darkness of the hallway… After spending a few hours together, Lucian couldn't mistake that hair with anyone…

'Show them how strong you are… that way, they'll beg to recruit you.'