Elydes

The glow of the enchanted crystals lit the sparring arena in stark contrast to the rainy weather outside.
Kai angled his sword to deflect the downward strike. His opponent shifted his grip, smoothly redirecting the blade into a horizontal slash, pressing the assault with a chain of strikes meant to overwhelm him.
It didn’t work.
The patrician’s face stiffened in forced concentration as his blows failed to reach their targets. With each attack parried, deflected, or dodged entirely, the smug confidence the teen had displayed when demanding the duel crumbled a bit.
Shouts and jeers rose from the benches on Kai’s left, joining the cold clanking of the sparring blades.
“All that talk. And he just runs!”
“Finish him, Enrik!
“I knew he couldn’t back it up…”
A dozen students from Martial Studies spectated the duel, their cheers and oohs wishing for his defeat.
Kai didn’t mind the animated group vying for his downfall, nor that his own friends showed little interest in this bout. Sitting on the other end of the benches, Rain and Flynn laughed at jokes they told each other, while Rowan and Valela idly chatted, occasionally glancing his way to offer an encouraging smile.
How could he blame them when this was the
spar he’d been forced to accept this afternoon?
From the throwaway idea he used to fill the silence, he, Flynn and Rowan began weekly meet-ups to spar in the combat arena over the last month. A few precious hours to swing his sword and forget about classes. The group-ups only got better when Valela and Rain joined in; rare occasions that kept him sane through the droll time spent memorizing textbooks and practicing mind-numbing exercises for his exams.
Yesterday, he’d finally taken the last basic course—only waiting on the results to confirm his immaculate score. He’d been looking forward to this afternoon, just friendly sparring and chatting with his friends.
, he was forced to entertain a bunch of Martial students with an overinflated ego and half-decent skills—twice the number from the previous week.
Apparently, some nosy bastard spread rumors that Kai had boasted he could wipe the floor with every new intake from Martial Studies. With each retelling, the story picked up more sneers and silly claims. Being a mage student fueled the rivalries.
His line hadn’t been nearly so stiff or serious; he’d only meant it as an innocent jab to Flynn.
Trying to clear the misunderstanding hadn’t helped—and neither had fighting the claimants. The more challengers he beat, the more their numbers seemed to swell. Kai had hoped it’d be over when they went to a different arena this week. The peace only lasted a few minutes before the first group came to ‘put him in his place’, ‘defend their honor’, or other such nonsense.
The brief lull between the exams and the midterm Trials had left the students with too much time on their hands. Flynn told him the top first-years showed no interest in the rumors. So he’d had to battle a sequence of middling fighters, because only fools would believe such slander—the fact that nearly all of them had been patricians didn’t help.
Despite the snickering crowd, his opponent—seemingly called Enrik—had lost his smirk. Sweat dripped from his pale face, though his dark eyes remained unblinking, focused on his swings and his obvious attempt to corner him on the paved ring.
The combat halls opened to first-years were the smallest in the Martial grounds, closer to very large rooms in size. Still, the enchanted arena offered space to maneuver one-on-one—if he was wise in his dodges.
Kai jerked to raise his guard before he overextended himself too far. The real blow didn’t wait to arrive. Metal flashed. The blade struck with all of Enrik’s Strength behind gritted teeth. Mana and adrenaline surged through Kai’s veins. Sparks flew, but he held on, his sword quivering from the power of the clash.
Ignoring the aching protests in his arms, Kai redirected the attack away from him and created distance to get a breather.
One breath.
Kai made it last long enough. When the next swing came, he had recovered his stance, firmly holding the hilt of his sword and ready to keep thwarting the assault.
His predictions became more accurate after every exchange—without the aid of whispered warnings.
Since he’d started sparring with Flynn and Rowan weeks ago, he made a habit of muting Hallowed Intuition to better train his Swordsmanship. He’d never quite realized how reliant on Hallowed Intuition he was against opponents close to his level. The skill turned every fight trivial. More so when the sparring arenas available to first-years permitted no magic and minimal skill usage.
Kai immersed himself in the flow of the blades and ignored the growing pain in his arms from absorbing the repeated clashes.
His opponent was the strongest he’d faced today, with higher Strength and better technique than him.
Even more surprising, Enrik appeared to catch on that the fight was slipping away from him, though his attempts to regain momentum only made his attacks more predictable. Face clenched in frustration, the pale patrician abandoned feints for power and speed. His every move was like watching a student practice the kata his master taught him. The flawless execution couldn’t make up for the choreographed attacks.
Kai estimated the teen’s Swordsmanship had ten levels on him, yet he’d barely felt the pressure.
The last few weeks solidified the idea that skills meant little without the knowledge to use them. It was like a kid clad in the best gear money could buy, using his tools like crutches instead of mastering them.
Kai suddenly grew the urge to taunt him. The patrician had been so smug when he imposed this umpteenth duel. Where was the smirk now?
Before the words could rise in his throat, he suppressed them. Among the spars that bloody rumor caused, this hadn’t been bad, and Enrik had been relatively courteous aside from his initial swagger. No, snapping at him would hardly be mature—especially in front of Valela.
His annoyance was at having his afternoon plans derailed rather than on the individual fighters themselves.
Kai returned to the present when a sharp thrust nearly wrenched his sword from his hands.
Each strike he’d parried hadn’t passed without a price; the burning in his wrists and hands had ceded way to numbness. Kai forced himself to steady his grip. The patrician student had swung like a bull without relent; his profession must lean heavier toward physical attributes.
“C’mon, Enrik. Finish him! Show him who’s better!”
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“Put that bumpkin in his place!”
Kai pushed the jeers into the background and dodged back, narrowly evading the next strike to give rest to his wrists.
Getting underestimated had always been his trump card; he wouldn’t allow himself to fall into the same trapping. After he anticipated ten more strikes, he knew he’d learned everything he could from this spar.
Waiting for the intermission between two textbook chains of blows, Kai created his opening. He dodged into Enrik’s guard when the teen expected him to move away, crossing their swords and forcing them both into an awkward position that only one of them was prepared to face.
Having spent the entire duel on the offensive, his opponent wasn’t prepared for such an unorthodox move. An instant of clumsy hesitation and two sharp jabs sent Enrik’s sword flying through the air. The next strike would have pierced the patrician’s heart and lungs if the enchantments of the arena didn’t stop the blade at contact with his chest.
The teen fell on the gray pavement stones, eyes wide with shock as his sword clattered a few meters away.
Panting slightly, Kai looked at his blade. The runes engraved along its length glowed green to signify an undisputed victory. He passed the sword between his hands, slowly clenching and unclenching his fingers as pain and feeling returned to him.
He’d realized the
of a professional skill that required him to get hurt to train too late. Not that he’d ever want to discard it.
On the benches, Flynn, Rain, Valela and Rowan clapped and cheered with a readiness that put a smile on his face, while the other students looked dazed at the scene.
"That's my boy! I taught him everything he knows!” Flynn said, proudly drying a tear from under his eye.
Kai mirrored Valela’s amused shake of the head. He enjoyed sharing a smile with her before returning his attention to the arena to face the other boy. This was often the most annoying part.
“How?” Enrik stuttered. He remained sitting on the ground, looking blankly at his fallen sword, trying to understand how he’d lost. After a moment, he simply nodded in acceptance and stood up. His brown eyes intently studied him. “Did I at least cause you some difficulty?”
Kai opened his mouth soundlessly. That wasn’t the question he’d expected. Usually, Patricians accused him of cheating, demanded a rematch, or made up excuses for why they lost—if not all three.
He gave Enrik another glance. A lie might work better, but he decided to answer truthfully. “No,” he said, then added to soften the blow. “Your Swordsmanship’s higher level than mine, so I prolonged the duel to see what I could learn.”
Noticing Enrik appear thoughtful, Kai walked out of the ring before he could receive another question or someone else came to challenge him. He headed toward his friends. A flick of magic got rid of the sweat drenching his clothes, though he still felt a little sticky and in need of a bath. With the thrill of the fight leaving him, his body felt sore and heavy.
“Great duel. I almost thought you’d lose this one.” Valela smiled, offering him a metal glass of water with a citrusy smell.
“Thank you,” Kai accepted and drank it gratefully. “That guy was a good swordsman, so I kept it going a little longer. I could have closed it earlier.”
Valela watched him with an amused look. “I was skeptical when you told me you trained with a sword, but you’re almost as good as you’ve told me.”
“
?” He gaped in mock indignation.
Valela just grinned back. “From some of your stories, yes.”
Before he could come up with a snappy retort, the rest of his friends joined him, leaving an argument with the other spectators.
“Here is our undefeated champion!" Flynn greeted him with a clap on his back and raised his fist in triumph. “Good job on the last one. You made it look close, but I knew you’d pull through!”
Kai didn’t miss the jiggle of coins in his pockets—probably done on purpose. His eyes narrowed on him. “Did you bet on my duel?”
“Of course, I did!” Flynn grinned proudly. “How is that even a question? You know I always bet on you, even to beat death! They were practically begging me to. Patricians are easy to bait. It’s free money. Really, anyone sensible would have bet on all nine duels," he said, going between Rain and Rowan to rest his arms on their shoulders.
Kai shifted his gaze between them. “You too?”
“He does have a point.” Rowan shrugged, speaking with her usual terseness. “It was easy gold.”
Rain was the only one who looked the least bit apologetic. “Sorry, Mat. Flynn said it’d be a waste not to. I always wanted to try betting with other students. Money’s really easy to make.”
“Yeah, glad I helped,” Kai said dryly.
“Here’s your cut.” Flynn tossed a small purse to Valela, the round edge of the mesars stood out on the stretched velvet of the bag.
She swiftly pocketed it before looking up to meet his gaze with a slight blush. “It was free money,” she said with a practical tone. “It would have been silly not to. I knew you’d beat them.”
Despite clearly seeing through her intent, Kai couldn’t help finding himself a little mollified, even catching himself smiling—
He froze the grin worming its way onto his face and stared at them. While he was stuck fending off an endless stream of challengers, his traitorous friends quietly cashed in on his efforts. Flattering as it may be, he wasn’t about to let them off that easily—especially not the ringleader behind the whole scheme.
“Hey, stop glaring. We also cut you a slice.” Flynn threw him a weighty leather pouch. “No need to thank me. It’s just what great friends do. It’s only a pity we ain’t got more duels,” he said with a dejected sigh. “The last ones seemed pretty upset. They’re probably gonna whine around. I doubt we’ll get any more challengers.”
“Thank you,” Kai said, weighing the punch in his hand. A few mesars would make little difference to him. He’d already paid his own tuition fee. “I’ll count this against what you owe me.”
“That’s not what I meant. You don’t have to—” Flynn started, then met his gaze and closed his mouth. “Well, thank you too.” He stood back on his feet and turned to look around the hall. “Hmm… anyone up for another bout? We still have the hall for another hour. Mat, you still owe me a rematch to break our tie. I’ll give you the first three moves since you’re tired.”
“Huh.” Kai checked his pocketwatch. Damn, the duels had taken longer than he expected. How was it so late? “Maybe next time. I’ve another appointment where I can’t be late. Sorry, I have to run. You guys have fun. I’ll see you tomorrow. Still got one day before the Trials.”
He hurriedly bid his goodbyes and made for the door, crossing a few hallways and racing to exit on the martial grounds. Running on the wet pavement outside, the downpour thoroughly drenched him in freezing water before a pulse of magic pushed it back. He snappily dried himself and channeled a spell to make the raindrops slide off his clothes.
His body was tired and battered and now shivering, but he didn’t let that slow him as he raced to his dorm. He needed to change his sweaty sparring clothes for something more proper. His eyes squinted to navigate paths between the domes of the buildings at the border of Martial Studies. Today was his last chance to meet with Professor Thornwyn before the midterm Trials. They had gotten more acquainted as he tested the basic elemental proficiency for Nature, Earth and Shadow. Only one more element yet to go.
Kai’d been debating whether he should show her his Space affinity for weeks. Honestly, he still hadn’t made up his mind, but he didn’t want to miss the appointment regardless. Her advice had always hit the mark, and she’d been the one to request this meeting.
Mana flooded his body, soothing his muscles and quickening his strides. Cobbles, stone, grass and ground blurred beneath him. He ran faster than was allowed or proper for the first-year mages, betting that no professor would be out to sanction him in this weather.
Using a shortcut through the woods that hug the dormitories, he spotted his building. The atrium was well-lit and empty. His ears barely caught any voices as he raced up the stairs. With the exams over, people were either celebrating in the Wing Aurae or shut in their rooms, crying or preparing for the Trials that no one knew anything about.
In front of his room door, he stopped to pant and checked his watch. Still had eighteen minutes to the appointment. Too little for a warm bath, but enough for a change of clothes.
The locks opened at a touch of his token. His eyes inspected the empty living room, taking stock of Rob’s strewn clothes and the washed porcelain plates that showed Alden had eaten here earlier. The dark-haired boy seemed to have gotten even more elusive and taciturn over the last few weeks.
Maybe he was anxious for the midterm Trials. Kai hadn’t had the time to inquire about that. As always, his eyes also looked for the sign of a letter or message of some kind. It had been a month since he’d visited the House of Echoes.
He clearly remembered walking into the back room of the bookshop and being led into a dark, paneled room with a table and a hard chair, where the masked broker waited. Every little detail of the visit was seared into his mind. He’d replayed them countless times to figure it he’d committed a blunder.
The broker hadn’t blinked or hesitated at his request. ‘The House will send word when we have the information you requested.’ A single sentence before he’d been on his way. Only later, Kai’d found out that that response was
unusual—especially not discussing the price.
That was a month ago. A whole month with no word.
If it wasn’t for Flynn and Valela insisting that the House of Echoes didn’t play tricks, he would have marched back there. But no, if the House had wished to refuse his request, they would have. He just had to wait till ‘they came for him’, possibly with a refusal or nothing.
Now wasn’t the time to curse those shady scammers.
Kai went to his bedroom to make himself presentable. Minutes later, he left the dorm in a fresh uniform and polished boots, heading toward the central cluster of towers.
He reached Jolene’s office with still seven minutes to spare, but waited to enter. The professor hated latecomers almost as much as students disrupting her schedule by arriving too early. A couple minutes was acceptable. Seven was far too much.
Weaving a flame through his fingers in a familiar exercise, Kai balanced on his feet and riffled through the contents of his ring. When was the last time he’d gotten a moment of empty time? It had gotten too easy to fill them.
An idle thought pulled up his status windows. Kai looked at the numbers and smiled.