Lucian did not sleep.
Not truly.
Ever since Kael returned from the arms of death…
How is he back?
What if he reveals the truth?
What does he want?
Why is he stronger than before?
Outwardly, Lucian Dephlien remained flawless.
Polite.
Composed.
A genius.
But inside?
Cracks spread quietly.....
He clenched the paper in front of him. The parchment crumpled in his grip as his teeth ground together. His head lowered, shadows covering his eyes.
A knock...
A student stepped inside.
"Sir Lucian… Kael Dravenheart has requested a duel."
Silence spread.
Then,
Lucian smiled.
"Good."
Calm. Elegant.
But Inside,
I'll prove it.
I'll prove I'm superior.
He repeated it again and again like a madman.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The academy's public grounds were reinforced with magically strengthened tiles, designed to withstand high-tier spell combat.
Teachers did not intervene. After all, it was the Dephlien family's star who insisted the duel take place publicly. Students gathered. Council members watched from a distance.
Lucian stepped forward.
In his right hand, a refined blade adorned with golden patterns along the hilt. A crimson line ran through the length of the silver steel, glowing faintly.
Opposite him,
Kael.
Silent.
At his side, a newly forged sword. His personal weapon which was forged just for him had arrived right in time.
it was beautiful.. almost captivating Silver.
Yet tinted black, as if shadow had seeped into the metal itself. The blade did not reflect light, It consumed it.
Lucian moved first.
|Spatial Steps|
He vanished.
Reappeared behind Kael.
Clang.
Blocked instantly.
Lucian teleported again.
And again.
Fast.
Precise.
Unpredictable.
He attacked in relentless barrages.
"Feel the difference, you fool!" Lucian shouted as if he had lost all of his sanity, his once noble demeanor had vanished.
"This is the prowess of a genius!" He continued to shout.
The crowd gasped.
But Kael did not panic.
He observed.
Measured.
Counted.
Two meters....
Limited displacement.
He's bound to a short radius.
As Lucian vanished Kael moved to different spot. Never staying in the same spot redirecting Lucian's mana filled sword towards the ground creating craters and cracks where the sword landed. Lucian consumed by pride shouted, "You coward!!you dare run away, where is your honor you talk so much?? about fight me!!"
Kael blocking smugly replied, "I'd much rather rephrase it as strategic retreat rather than running away."
Lucian loosing his temper even more shouted and attacked, faster in speed, more distructive in power than before.
But the next time Lucian vanished, Kael smirked and stepped forward. Right into the range of Lucian's teleportation. Lucian reappeared exactly where Kael had predicted,
Their blades collided mid-teleport.
Lucian's eyes widened.
Impossible,
Kael smirked, he had created irregularities all-over the ground to avoid teleportation and made a two meter area where Lucian could teleport only to select spaces and limited spots without losing balance or killing the momentum. "You're predictable," Kael said quietly.
Lucian's composure cracked...
Mana erupted violently.
"Then try surviving this!"
Dephlien Signature Art
|Heaven Slaying Blade|
Mana gathered.
Compressed.
Layer upon layer of spatial pressure folded inward around Lucian's blade.
The air warped.
The edge shrank,
Condensed,
Until it vibrated with terrifying density.
Even at thirty percent of its true capability, the distortion twisted space itself.
The reinforced tiles beneath Lucian started to tear and fracture.
Kael inhaled.
He knew, a half-hearted attempt meant death.
He closed his eyes calmed his breath, he felt as if the time had stopped.
And then,
A memory resurfaced.
A battlefield.
A dragon so massive it dwarfed mountains when compared. Fire everywhere, where all Knights and soldiers had given up. The Patriarch of the Dravenheart household walking forward alone with a smile at that without fear and, when hope had already died.
That slash.....
That impossible slash.
Dravenheart Advanced Art
|Dragon Execution|
Kael channeled what little mana he possessed.
Only twenty-seven percent of its true form, a shadow of the true technique, the same art that slayed the true dragon once.
Tho his body was not strong enough.
His reserves were shallow.
But his technique,
It was flawless.
Silver aura enveloped the black-tinted blade.
The pressure thickened. The mana sorrounding the blade danced fiercely making it's presence known. It felt as though the blade's sharpness had increased a thousandfold.
For a fleeting moment,
The silhouette of the former patriarch overlapped with Kael's stance.
Then....
The two techniques collided.
The impact shattered the reinforced ground.
Stone exploded outward. The shockwave blasted spectators backwards.
The fragments bursted out everywhere, it cut through flesh and skin of both Kael and Lucian. But before the fragments could reach the two student reporters who were near Kael and Lucian trying to capture the 'perfect shot', spectating the fight but before those fragments could even make contact with the student reporters it hit a mana barrier.
It was from, Ms. Sylmira Amberheart the magical faculty's barrier study professor, who stood with clear irritation across her face.
A massive mana barrier shimmered around the arena.
The barrier expanded outward.
Ms. Sylmira Amberheart stood at the edge of the shattered arena, irritation clear across her face.
A massive mana barrier shimmered, freezing debris mid-air before it could strike the other spectators.
Her eyes twitched.
"Tch… troublesome children."
But as she maintained the barrier,
A memory surfaced.
Flashback — One Week Earlier...
A long table.
A meeting room swallowed in shadow.
Only faint candlelight illuminated the faces seated around it.
At the center of the room stood Sylmira.
Arms crossed.
Irritated.
"Why do I have to be the one?" she asked sharply. "Why not reject the duel request outright?"
A figure seated at the head of the table spoke calmly.
"We cannot reject it."
Another voice followed.
"Especially not when the Dephlien family's star is involved."
Sylmira clicked her tongue.
"So we bend because of nobility now?, are the bars that low?"
Silence screamed.
Then..
"You are the perfect person for this."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Oh? And why is that?"
"Your barrier control is the most refined among the faculty. If something goes wrong, only you can contain it without casualties."
She stared at them.
"I won't do it."
The candlelight flickered tension forming.
"What are you going to do? Fire me?"
A pause.
"No."
One of the shadowed figures leaned forward slightly.
"But if you agree…"
A small pouch was placed on the table.
"Five hundred gold coins."
Silence filled the room.
Sylmira stared at the pouch.
Five hundred.
Enough to fund three years of independent research.
Enough to expand her mana studies.
Enough to ignore the politics.
She sighed heavily.
"You people are insufferable."
Another pause.
"…Fine."
Now — In The Present
Debris struck against it and dissolved into dust.
Sylmira exhaled.
"Five hundred gold coins…" she muttered under her breath.
Her eyes flicked toward Kael and Lucian.
"…This better be worth it."
She maintained the barrier until the collision ended and the dust settled.
Only then did she lower her hand.
The shield dissolved.
Her expression returned to its usual mild annoyance.
No one watching would have guessed she had almost refused to be here.
And no one knew...
This duel would become one of the most consequential events in the academy's recent history.
When the dust settled..
Both were still standing.
Breathing heavily.
Lucian trembled.
Then..
He smiled.
Madness flickered in his eyes.
"You think that was all?"
|Law Breaker|
The mana around Kael distorted.
Dissipated.
Broken apart.
Kael felt it instantly.
So this is his final card.
Lucian laughed weakly.
"Without aura… what are you?, you can't perform those fancy tricks now, can you?"
Kael lifted his blade.
"I respect your talent it is truely grat."
He stepped forward.
"But even without the aura…"
Steel clashed.
No mana.
No reinforcement.
Just skill.
Lucian attempted
|Spatial Steps|
Too slow.
Mana backlash struck him.
Overexertion crippled his control.
Kael moved once.
Clean strike.
Lucian's sword flew away.
On the second strike.
Lucian collapsed.
Kael's blade hovered between his eyes.
"I am better."
Blood trickled from Kael's forehead as he stood over him.
Lucian's vision blurred.
The world spun.
Darkness swallowed him.
A genius...
Defeated lying on the ground, unconscious.
Suddenly, the Imperial Guards entered the grounds.
Behind them...
One of Student Council's pillars.
And the Magic Faculty representative.
Lyra Valecrest.
Her voice was cold and unwavering.
"Lucian Dephlien, rising star of the Dephlien family, you are under arrest for kidnapping, torture, bullying, rendering student Jeena Katle incapacitated, and administering Mana Dispersion poison to Kael Dravenheart and Jeena Katle."
A pause.
"We cannot ignore such crimes. Not for talent. Not for genius."
Another pause.
"What a pity. You had potential."
Potential.
Not greatness.
Not genius.
Potential.
Half-conscious, Lucian heard it.
He was lifted and carried away.
Kael too swayed, the overexertion and execution of |Dragon Execution| had pushed his body to the limits, losing consciousness, he murmured faintly...
"Ahh now I remember, the Dephlien… they were the one who had sided with the enemy… despite once standing beside His Majesty."
The truth echoed in his mind....
He recalled the founder of the Dephlien family, who had once been a close friend of the Emperor of the Magnus Kingdom. A legendary magic swordsman.
Honorable.
Respected.
But after his death, his wife took over his estate and since then.
His descendants?...
Not the same.
They lacked honor
They lacked the guts
Kael had always respected Dephlien magic swordsmanship, it's intricate usage of mana circuis and the skills that required to activate Delphine Magic swordsmanship.
Tho, the people not so much after founder had passed away.
Only the swordsmanship, that had remained as the legacy of the Great founder.
He remembered those descendants and their cockiness, instead of earning one, they boasted their founder's name and title like their own. Kael had nothing but petty for founder, even more so when he remembered the struggles founder had to go through to establish his house and territory.
Then adrenaline faded.
As soon as he had come back form the memory lane.
Darkness took him.
He collapsed.
Three Days Later
Kael awoke in the academy's medical room. With Julian beside him whistling and peeling an apple.
His body ached. Yet he still wanted to go back to his room.
Julian noticed, he smiled and said, "Don't worry bro, I can carry you if you want to go some where"
Kael with a blank expression replied, "I haven't even said anything"
Julian smiled, "I know, but I had a feeling"
Kael sighed, "just get me something to go back to home on"
Julian lifted his thumbs up in agreement and ran out of the room. He came back with a chariot. Kael just sighed and rode it to go home. Julian offered Kael his help if needed, Kael refused. After much bantering Julian agreed and wished him good luck and went away.
As Kael was about to enter the room.
Beneath him Infront of the door.
A letter...
It was a mail, which judging form the seal was from Dravenheart family.
After entering his room.
He opened it.
Spatial magic was activated and a letter along with a bag of thirty gold coins popped out of the mail. Kael in confusion read the letter.
=========================
My dear son,
Don't worry about our territory too much everything is fine. Even if we are only a small barony now, we are still Dragon Slayers.
Focus on your studies. Do not overexert yourself.
We are proud of you.
I still remember your promise like yesterday, you had promised us to become the greatest knight in the world. Tho everyone thought of it as a child's statement.
I had no doubts, I believed that you would.
Your mother and siblings worry, but I know you are strong.
Here is some pocket money. There are thirty gold coins, it should last you for a while.
Also Remember son, we are always with you.
-sincerely, your father
========================
Kael's hands trembled.
"Family… huh…"
He recalled his past life, he remembered no such warmth, only the cold mud, grueling training and competition so intense it was a struggle just to even keep up.
In his previous life...
He had been an orphan.
No warmth.
No one waiting.
Now,
There were people who believed in him.... no in Kael Dravenheart.
Because of Lucian…
The original Kael had died.
That boy never got to shine even with such potential.
Never got to fulfill his promise.
A quiet fury settled within him.
Not chaotic.
Not wild.
Focused.
If this body belongs to me now..
Then I will fulfill that promise.
Not out of obligation.
But as a knigh it is my duty to help another knight after all a fellow knight is a family.
Using the pocket money sent by Kael's father, Kael purchased a small hill overlooking the academy, where cool breeze flew past. He planted a garden there, himself.
And at it's center.....
A tombstone.
Beneath it....
The original Kael's sword along with his diary was buried.
The tombstone engraving read:
"Here lies a star that never got to shine. We say cheers to a True Knight"
The wind moved softly across the hill.
Kael stood in silence.
Not the boy who died.
Not the orphan he once was.
But something in between.
A knight reborn.
And this time...
He would climb higher.