Isla was still completely submerged in the terrifying, suffocating depths of her traumatic past-life memories when Kavien suddenly marched up to her.
Radiating pure arrogance and an overwhelming, suffocating ego, he sneered down at her trembling form, his voice dripping with venomous condescension.
"Look at this pathetic sight," Kavien mocked harshly.
"Is this the fragile little girl who dreams of becoming a master swordsman?
If you cannot even maintain a single shred of focus during basic training, what kind of absolute joke of a warrior will you be?"
Before Isla could even snap out of her haze to formulate a response to his blatant disrespect, Kavien's piercing gaze shifted away from her and landed directly on Dorian.
The very second his sharp eyes registered Dorian's plain, worn clothes and distinct lack of noble aura, Kavien's predatory yellow eyes seemed to ignite with a blazing, uncontrollable fury.
Recognizing him instantly as a person of low birth, Kavien's face twisted into a terrifying mask of pure disgust as he roared,
"What in the world is a filthy, lowly commoner doing standing among the sacred ranks of royals?!"
Dorian violently flinched, instinctively taking a terrified step backward as he stuttered in pure panic,
"I-I... I am..."
But before Dorian or Isla could utter another syllable in his defense, Kavien mercilessly swung his massive, incredibly heavy broadsword, launching a lethal, unprovoked attack aimed straight at the defenseless boy's chest.
However, a collective gasp of pure, unadulterated shock ripped through the crowd of noble students when the deafening, violent clash of metal abruptly echoed across the courtyard.
The devastating blow had been flawlessly blocked—by none other than Prince Lucier!
The entire academy stood paralyzed in sheer disbelief, their minds completely unable to comprehend the bizarre reality unfolding before them.
'Why is he doing this?' the students whispered frantically to themselves.
'The arrogant Prince who, just yesterday, looked upon this very commoner with absolute, murderous hatred, is now risking his own life and limb to protect him?!'
Isla, who was already trapped in a paralyzing vortex of traumatic flashbacks regarding the snake sword, felt the chaotic reality of the situation completely slipping through her fingers.
'This makes no sense... Lucier is saving him?' she thought, her mind completely short-circuiting as she watched the impossible scene unfold before her blank, terrified eyes.
Lucier locked his fierce blue eyes with Kavien's furious yellow ones, pushing back against the heavy blade with a surprisingly immense strength as his voice rang out, steady and dangerously dark.
"If you are so incredibly desperate for a fight, Kavien... then pick on someone your own size."
With those defiant words, a tremendously serious, ferociously intense battle erupted between the two young prodigies.
Their gleaming blades moved as terrifying blurs of deadly steel, striking and parrying with lethal intent, while Isla remained entirely frozen on the spot, as rigid and fragile as an ice statue.
Just as their swords clashed again with a blinding shower of dangerous sparks, the strict Snake Kingdom trainer stormed through the parted crowd, his booming, thunderous voice shaking the very dirt beneath their feet.
"Kavien!
What is the meaning of this absolute madness?!" he roared, demanding an immediate halt to the brutal bloodshed.
Kavien reluctantly lowered his massive blade, panting heavily as he pointed an accusing, trembling finger at Dorian.
"Sir!
This absolute rat is a commoner! What possible business does a filthy peasant have breathing the exact same air as the royals in this sacred academy?!"
That loud, demanding question finally shattered the thick glass of Isla's traumatic trance.
Snapping out of her paralyzing flashbacks, the fierce, protective princess immediately stepped boldly forward, placing herself squarely between Dorian and Kavien.
Her blue eyes blazed with an unyielding, undeniable royal authority as she declared loudly for the entire courtyard to hear,
"He is standing here because he was explicitly granted official permission to attend this academy by my father... the absolute ruler and King of the Elephant Kingdom himself!"
As Isla boldly stood her ground, ready to defend Dorian from Kavien's wrath, the strict trainer stepped forward, firmly intervening before the situation could escalate into a bloodbath.
"Kavien, stand down," the trainer commanded, his booming voice echoing across the tense courtyard.
"This is exactly the Princess I was telling you about... the very same girl who fought with the ferocity of a seasoned warrior and claimed absolute victory yesterday, even after her blade was shattered in half."
Kavien paused, lowering his massive sword slightly.
His predatory yellow eyes slowly swept over Isla from head to toe, visibly sizing up her delicate, youthful frame with deep, unfiltered skepticism.
A cold, highly mocking smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Is that so?" he challenged, his voice dripping with condescending arrogance.
"If you are truly such a grand, invincible warrior, then prove it to me.
Defeat me."
Isla barely suppressed the overwhelming urge to groan out loud, her eye twitching slightly in pure annoyance.
'What on earth is wrong with these people?!' she thought, utterly exasperated.
'I literally just came here to attend a basic class and learn how to hold a damn sword, but every single one of these idiotic, hormone-driven boys insists on treating me like some kind of gladiator!
But... if I refuse this red-headed jerk now, he will instantly label me as weak, and I will lose all the respect I just earned.
Ugh, what do I do? It looks like I really have no choice but to fight him.'
Taking a deep, steadying breath, she squared her shoulders and met his intimidating gaze head-on.
"Fine," she declared confidently.
"Tell me when and where you want this duel."
"We fight today," Kavien replied instantly, his yellow eyes gleaming with a dark, battle-hungry thrill.
"But not here in this crowded, pathetic courtyard. We will fight somewhere else."
"Somewhere else?
Where exactly?"
"Just come with me," he demanded, turning his back as if fully expecting her to blindly obey his every command.
He paused, glancing over his shoulder with a taunting, vicious glint in his eyes.
"What? Are you backing down already?
Are you scared of me, Princess?"
'What the actual fuck...' Isla thought, her initial annoyance instantly igniting into pure, unadulterated fiery sass.
'In my past life, I didn't flinch or back down from my fat, bald, rhino of a boss when I had absolutely zero magic and zero power!
Why the hell would I ever be terrified of an edgy teenager now that I am practically a walking magical bomb?'
"I am not scared of you in the slightest, Kavien," Isla stated, her voice completely unfazed and dangerously calm.
"Lead the way. However, there is one non-negotiable condition."
She stepped closer, her tone slicing through the heavy air like a perfectly sharpened blade.
"If I win this duel, you will swallow your massive, inflated ego and publicly apologize to Dorian."
Kavien stopped walking entirely.
He slowly turned back to face her, a dark, deeply competitive aura flaring around him like a raging fire.
"Very well. But if I win... this filthy commoner packs his pathetic little bags and leaves this academy forever.
Do we have a deal?"
Isla didn't hesitate for a single fraction of a second.
She stared right past the danger in his predatory eyes and confidently sealed their high-stakes pact.
"Deal."