Nous Chapter 02
For some unfathomable reason, the mention of a weapon caused his friend to brighten considerably. His eyes were much brighter as he turned toward the stairs, inaudibly telling his friend to come along.
“Don’t worry about that. It’ll all be explained when we get up there.”
“You’re so specific,” Leliel commented.
This secrecy act was really starting to grate on his nerves. Leliel figured that Asha was somewhat aware of how unhappy he was but he was always unable to convey his displeasure to his friend. It was strange, especially since Leliel had a straightforward temperament. There was just something about Asha. Perhaps he sensed that even if he were to give his friend a hard time for the grief he constantly caused him, it would sort of just bounce off of Asha anyway. Futility usually stilled his tongue but this time Leliel really was on the brink.
They walked in silence to avoid, on Leliel’s part, further venturing into all this secrecy “I can’t tell you” conversation. Asha didn’t seem to mind. The nearer they got to the ‘arena’ the more his pace quickened, making him almost break out into a run on his shorter legs.
All too soon they arrived at the foot of the clock tower. It was five minutes before the start of this promised duel. Asha crossed his arms and stopped right in front of the small underpass that led to the gated elevator.
“You go first…you know, just to make sure that the pin works. Besides, it’s your first time…”
“You’re too kind…” Leliel said, giving his friend an odd look as he passed him by and passed under the archway. The gate sprung to life of its own accord then, making an ill-suited tinkle followed immediately by the groaning of the machinery. The exterior doors opened to reveal an elevator that was really more of a platform.
Asha smiled knowingly as he followed Leliel onto the platform. The moment they were both onboard, the gates closed and the lift started up. Leliel started as what was once a solid building suddenly turned into concrete and metal art all around them broken up by the sight of the buildings and the sky.
“How…?” he started.
Asha laughed. “It’s an optical illusion. This tower appears to be solid concrete from the outside but inside in the elevator like this you get to see how it really looks.”
Leliel’s attention was drawn again by the entrance to the elevator where he could see a strange pattern emerging as they went up. It appeared to first be some sort of leaf, then an egg, then the metal mostly went away to show a strangely detailed caterpillar. It moved about in a circle before the metal closed around it again in its cocoon.
“It’s…growing.”
Asha merely smiled.
The elevator seemed to speed up as they neared the top and the metal seemed to shatter, revealing a red and white rendering of a butterfly with its wings spread wide.
The doors opened just as the lift went as high as it could. The first thing Lelial saw then was a short, narrow column of stairs that led to yet another archway. He could see the sideways pillars that jutted out from the side of the high arena but he knew that the top wasn’t situated right on the top of the building like he thought he had seen from below but was, rather, set partially away from it, toward the rest of campus.
“Come on. They’re waiting.”
Asha didn’t pause at the narrow stairs but fearlessly started to climb. Leliel followed a bit more slowly, keeping his arms close to his body as he put his foot down on the first stair.
“It doesn’t bother you?” he asked, ascending right after Asha at least four steps below.
“What doesn’t?”
“These stairs don’t have rails. Aren’t you worried about going up so fast and…you know…falling to your death?”
Asha laughed and he ran up a few more steps before turning on the spot to demonstrate his obviously excellent balance.
“I fear nothing!”
“…Must be easy…being so close to the ground,” Leliel commented offhandedly.
That deflated Asha slightly but he clearly figured the best course of action was revenge because in the next instant he was racing right up to the top of the stairs.
Leliel took his time. He wasn’t too fond of heights but he could usually take it as long as he didn’t sense that he was capable of falling. The stairs to the arena itself were narrow and didn’t provide any sort of comfort so, predictably, he didn’t hurry.
The archway that divided the long stairs from the top of the dueling arena also had the shape of a butterfly as ornate as the last he had seen on the elevator gates. He started as he stepped onto the area floor and suddenly saw a mirror image of himself.
The arena itself seemed to be like a strange sort of mirror. The surface was reflective to the point where his own image was almost too eerie below his feet yet the arena’s surface wasn’t slick at all. There were also black lines languidly making some sort of pattern on the surface, breaking up the reflections. It seemed to make some sort of flower, a lily or something like that.
He moved his eyes from the surface of the arena to the female students standing near the end. They weren’t wearing the usual knee-length skirts that accompanied their version of the uniform but, rather, black pants under their jackets. Each girl had the same butterfly pin taking the place of the generic Alighieri brooch.
The closer girl was the taller of the two and she had a lean, athletic body offset by her long blue hair. Her companion was a few inches shorter in stature, she was noticeably thin, and her black hair fell in short layers around her face.
“Finally. Had you come up one minute later then you would forfeit by default,” the farther girl said.
Leliel barely heard her. His attention diverted again toward his surroundings. Suddenly, inexplicably, it was all so familiar. It was nagging at the back of his mind. What was it?
“Hey! Beginner. Stop gawking and pay attention. I wan to get this over with as soon as possible,” the forward student said.
Asha stood right in the center of the arena and beckoned the closer girl, Milan, and Leliel forward.
“Leliel…”
His words barely skimmed the surface of Leliel’s brain but he did give his friend a spare glance. Asha clucked his tongue and spread his arms wide, acting almost like he was trying to direct a plane to land on his own.
“Lelieeeeeel. Come over here before it really is too late. You can daydream later.”
They were apparently quite strict with their schedule. Leliel sighed and tore his attention away from the breakthrough he was certain he was about to make and he joined his friend near the center. They were closer to the Eastern end of the arena, a little too close to the edge for Leliel’s taste.
“Hey, Nabia, you get over here too. Milan’s your potential Duelist, after all,” Asha said. Milan had her arms crossed and she nodded at Nabia. It was only when she received clearance from her friend that Nabia took the arduous journey to the center of the arena. She clearly seemed to be in charge between the two of them, despite the fact that she was the one being tested.
“Now that we’re all here we can finally get started. Things are just a bit slow since it’s your first time but…well whichever one of you makes it to the next round,” he looked meaningfully at Leliel. “You’ll be expected to do this on your own. Now. Both of you shake hands.”
Asha moved aside and motioned between Leliel and Milan. The potential Duelist gave his friend a suspicious glance but, wanting to get this over with, held his hand out toward Milan. She gave him a slightly tense frown that revealed her own nerves and reluctantly clasped hands with him.
The arena started to shake slightly and all eyes moved to the right where, suddenly, a white and black figure rose out of the very floor of the arena. It was some sort of human figure. He couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman since the body of the stature was enclosed in vividly bright butterfly wings.
Leliel’s hand suddenly felt cold and he looked down to see their joined hands. Soft white light enveloped their clasped hands. Milan’s fingers groped at his but some unseen force was forcing them apart. The light converged between them and then Leliel and Milan both stumbled backwards, each with a sword in hand.
“What was that?” Milan asked, half in surprise, half in worry.
Leliel felt she voiced his sympathies exactly. He turned his wrist, inspecting the weapon that had literally appeared out of nowhere. The blade glowed quietly from the hilt to the tip of the blade. He couldn’t recall the exact type of sword it was since his Uncle had also neglected that portion of his education but it was a straight, narrow blade. There were small, swirling designs carved at the base of the blade and on the handguard but they were so subtle that he could only see them when the sword was close. It was cold yet Leliel couldn’t sense that his fingers were losing their warmth.
Milan was looking at her new weapon as well. It was one of those silly, flexible and skinny swords that Leliel usually saw the fencing club using in their exhibition bouts. Hers had its own glow, far brighter than Leliel’s and it was bright blue in color.
“Great. Now you’re ready to fight,” Asha said, moving in beside Leliel to inspect his new weapon. He nodded his approval and ran his own hand down the length of the blade. Leliel was surprised it didn’t cut him but Asha’s hand came back clean and unharmed.
“Nice. Your sword is fully manifested. You’re a natural at this after all.”
“What do you mean?” Leliel asked.
“It’s obvious, really. The swords are magic like the rest of this place…it really helps since you fight without armor or padding. They don’t cut like a real one would.”
He said that yet the cool silver weapon in Leliel’s hand felt terribly real.
“So how do we do this?” Milan asked. Leliel studied her figure as she limbered up and glanced appraisingly at him. If his blade was well formed than her sword must have been exceptional. He could see the individual violets on the large hand guard that covered her hand.
“Just look over there,” Nabia started. Her voice didn’t raise above a murmur.
Leliel and Milan turned their attention back toward the strange statue and he noticed that there were floating orbs on either side of it. The ones to the left were bright blue and those on the right were a soft white.
“Everyone has their own unique color. I’m not sure how they’re assigned but there’s never any confusion there,” Asha explained.
“You see, these duels are done by the hit. If you score a hit on your opponent, then one of their orbs will go out. The first to get five hits in wins the duel. It’s as simple as that.”
Nabia narrowed her eyes. “Well that’s a bit too simplified…”
“It’s enough for them to know right now. Oh…”
He stopped at the sound of a bell tolling. The vibrations from below caused the floor of the arena to shift just a bit as the bells rang out a long, mournful series of tones. Asha pulled on Leliel’s arm, dragging him away from his opponent by a few more steps. Nabia quietly spoke to Milan who also moved back.
“You’re taller and stronger than Milan. I mean sure, she’s got skill and speed on her side but I know you can be faster. Just trust in beginner’s luck and I’m sure you’ll be fine. When the toll reaches ten the duel officially starts.”
Leliel opened his mouth, wanting to voice his confusion since he hadn’t actually started counting the tolls but after the next they suddenly ceased. Asha moved back just as Milan grinned and rushed expertly at her opponent. Leliel cursed mentally and tried to evade her but the young woman soon was right upon him, slashing firmly at his midsection.
The student’s eyes widened slightly as her blade struck him near his hip. He felt it, but unexpectedly. Instead of a center of concentrated pain, a dull ache jarred his entire body spreading out from the point of contact. Her sword didn’t cut his clothes at all.
“One!” Nabia started softly.
Leliel couldn’t help but take his eyes away from Milan for a moment to glance back toward the statue curiously. The farthest orb had gone out already, leaving only four on the right.
“Gee, great start Leliel. Pay attention!” Asha urged.
He moved his eyes back to the battle and managed to block Milan’s next attempt. Leliel frowned and pushed her away with his other hand so she couldn’t just furiously slash at him at such a close range. She smiled and ran in for another attack, clearly hoping to catch him off guard again. The young man’s muscle memory from all those horrible years ago kicked in and he sidestepped as she came in to attack. Milan made a sound of surprise while she rushed past, leaving Leliel to quickly slash at her back, hitting her right below her shoulder blade.
“Yeah! One!” Ashavan shouted.
Milan started to grab for her back but her entire body seized in pain. She quickly recovered and turned, regarding her fellow Duelist with wide eyes.
“This is-” she started
“Strange,” Leliel replied.
It became even stranger as she recovered and they met again near the center of the arena. She ducked under his first blow but Leliel had expected this somehow and he deflected her blade with his own before countering her attack with one of his own. He hit Milan lightly on the shoulder but she still reeled in temporary pain.
“Two!”
“What are you doing, Milan? He’s just a beginner!”
It was too familiar. Lelien was now certain he had experienced this before. He suddenly remembered his dream from that morning in exquisite detail. Milan’s movements were just as he recalled. He struck her once more the same way he had executed it before.
“I wouldn’t recommend that…”
He narrowed his eyes, knowing that the end of their duel was near. She was going to rush at him in an attempt to just get one more hit in as he defeated her. Then it would be…the end? Would he fall as he had before? The memory was so vivid that he could feel it already playing in front of his eyes again.
Leliel moved directly out of Milan’s range, rendering both of their moves impossible. She stared at him in surprise but turned in and attempted to do so again.
“No…” Leliel said, bringing his sword down before she could have the chance to get a serious hit in.
The duel ended then and though he had tried to prevent it, they were in the exact same position as his dream.
“…Heh…pretty hopeless, huh?”
Leliel shook his head, feeling uncomfortable. He hadn’t said anything to her yet Milan said the same thing.
“No. That was really the only way to end it,” he stated.
Milan’s sword shattered and the fragments danced around her again before scattering to the winds. Leliel heard the bells again but instead of tolling ominously, they played a dignified melody, this one entirely unfamiliar to his ears.
“…Well, no hard feelings, right?”
Milan managed a smile and she held out her hand toward the victor. Leliel blinked, confused for a moment as this was already different than what he had envisioned. His feelings of dread subsided slightly as he reached forward with his free hand and shook hers once just as Asha ran up beside them.
“…Yeah. I’m surprised that I won, to be honest.”
Milan’s smile turned into a genuine grin. “My heart wasn’t really in it. It was just something that I wanted to do for Nabia.”
Asha huffed at her as Leliel took back his hand.
“You mean you let him win? That’s not fair.”
The young lady didn’t confirm or deny with her body language. She merely smiled again and waved him off.
“That’s my business and anyway it doesn’t change the outcome. Still…you’re not bad yourself, er…what was it again?”
“Leliel Demir.”
“Demir then. I guess I’ll see you in class,” she said. Milan turned fully away from them and went to console her friend who looked quite crestfallen to see that her choice for the Dueling Game didn’t make it.
“Well that’s that. I guess she’s right in saying it really doesn’t matter so long as you’re the one who got it in the end,” Asha said. He looked down at Leliel’s sword, still clasped in his hand.
“You still have it? It should disappear soon after the duel ends.”
Leliel lifted his arm so that the sword was closer to his own body. It still felt as solid as ever but the moment he felt his grip loosen, finding it odd that it was still there since Asha had mentioned it, the entire sword dissipated in small orbs of white.
“Oh…”
“Heh. Guess that’s that,” Asha concluded.
He corralled Leliel back toward the elevator, talking far too quickly for Leliel to understand. He got that the basic message had to do with how impressed he was at how Leliel handled himself in battle but it was all mostly just nonsense.
“But this is great! Now you can be an official Duelist!”
Leliel smiled as Asha anxiously looked at him, wanting some sort of response from his friend. He had forgotten in the intense moment of the battle that he was playing for a permanent spot in this club, if it could even be called that. Leliel hadn’t intended to win, but now that he had he felt that he was truly stuck with this.
“Wait till you meet some more of the Duelists. Not all of them are really great people but they’re real interesting. You’ll be surprised…Oh! And next-”
Leliel glanced up at the sky, colored in hues of red, orange, purple, and black as the sun set far beyond where they stood. He felt so strangely close to it. The duel hadn’t ended the exact same way he had dreamed it and the arena wasn’t crumbling under his feet but he still felt that biting unease in his mind.
7,530 / 50,000
(15.1%)
“Don’t worry about that. It’ll all be explained when we get up there.”
“You’re so specific,” Leliel commented.
This secrecy act was really starting to grate on his nerves. Leliel figured that Asha was somewhat aware of how unhappy he was but he was always unable to convey his displeasure to his friend. It was strange, especially since Leliel had a straightforward temperament. There was just something about Asha. Perhaps he sensed that even if he were to give his friend a hard time for the grief he constantly caused him, it would sort of just bounce off of Asha anyway. Futility usually stilled his tongue but this time Leliel really was on the brink.
They walked in silence to avoid, on Leliel’s part, further venturing into all this secrecy “I can’t tell you” conversation. Asha didn’t seem to mind. The nearer they got to the ‘arena’ the more his pace quickened, making him almost break out into a run on his shorter legs.
All too soon they arrived at the foot of the clock tower. It was five minutes before the start of this promised duel. Asha crossed his arms and stopped right in front of the small underpass that led to the gated elevator.
“You go first…you know, just to make sure that the pin works. Besides, it’s your first time…”
“You’re too kind…” Leliel said, giving his friend an odd look as he passed him by and passed under the archway. The gate sprung to life of its own accord then, making an ill-suited tinkle followed immediately by the groaning of the machinery. The exterior doors opened to reveal an elevator that was really more of a platform.
Asha smiled knowingly as he followed Leliel onto the platform. The moment they were both onboard, the gates closed and the lift started up. Leliel started as what was once a solid building suddenly turned into concrete and metal art all around them broken up by the sight of the buildings and the sky.
“How…?” he started.
Asha laughed. “It’s an optical illusion. This tower appears to be solid concrete from the outside but inside in the elevator like this you get to see how it really looks.”
Leliel’s attention was drawn again by the entrance to the elevator where he could see a strange pattern emerging as they went up. It appeared to first be some sort of leaf, then an egg, then the metal mostly went away to show a strangely detailed caterpillar. It moved about in a circle before the metal closed around it again in its cocoon.
“It’s…growing.”
Asha merely smiled.
The elevator seemed to speed up as they neared the top and the metal seemed to shatter, revealing a red and white rendering of a butterfly with its wings spread wide.
The doors opened just as the lift went as high as it could. The first thing Lelial saw then was a short, narrow column of stairs that led to yet another archway. He could see the sideways pillars that jutted out from the side of the high arena but he knew that the top wasn’t situated right on the top of the building like he thought he had seen from below but was, rather, set partially away from it, toward the rest of campus.
“Come on. They’re waiting.”
Asha didn’t pause at the narrow stairs but fearlessly started to climb. Leliel followed a bit more slowly, keeping his arms close to his body as he put his foot down on the first stair.
“It doesn’t bother you?” he asked, ascending right after Asha at least four steps below.
“What doesn’t?”
“These stairs don’t have rails. Aren’t you worried about going up so fast and…you know…falling to your death?”
Asha laughed and he ran up a few more steps before turning on the spot to demonstrate his obviously excellent balance.
“I fear nothing!”
“…Must be easy…being so close to the ground,” Leliel commented offhandedly.
That deflated Asha slightly but he clearly figured the best course of action was revenge because in the next instant he was racing right up to the top of the stairs.
Leliel took his time. He wasn’t too fond of heights but he could usually take it as long as he didn’t sense that he was capable of falling. The stairs to the arena itself were narrow and didn’t provide any sort of comfort so, predictably, he didn’t hurry.
The archway that divided the long stairs from the top of the dueling arena also had the shape of a butterfly as ornate as the last he had seen on the elevator gates. He started as he stepped onto the area floor and suddenly saw a mirror image of himself.
The arena itself seemed to be like a strange sort of mirror. The surface was reflective to the point where his own image was almost too eerie below his feet yet the arena’s surface wasn’t slick at all. There were also black lines languidly making some sort of pattern on the surface, breaking up the reflections. It seemed to make some sort of flower, a lily or something like that.
He moved his eyes from the surface of the arena to the female students standing near the end. They weren’t wearing the usual knee-length skirts that accompanied their version of the uniform but, rather, black pants under their jackets. Each girl had the same butterfly pin taking the place of the generic Alighieri brooch.
The closer girl was the taller of the two and she had a lean, athletic body offset by her long blue hair. Her companion was a few inches shorter in stature, she was noticeably thin, and her black hair fell in short layers around her face.
“Finally. Had you come up one minute later then you would forfeit by default,” the farther girl said.
Leliel barely heard her. His attention diverted again toward his surroundings. Suddenly, inexplicably, it was all so familiar. It was nagging at the back of his mind. What was it?
“Hey! Beginner. Stop gawking and pay attention. I wan to get this over with as soon as possible,” the forward student said.
Asha stood right in the center of the arena and beckoned the closer girl, Milan, and Leliel forward.
“Leliel…”
His words barely skimmed the surface of Leliel’s brain but he did give his friend a spare glance. Asha clucked his tongue and spread his arms wide, acting almost like he was trying to direct a plane to land on his own.
“Lelieeeeeel. Come over here before it really is too late. You can daydream later.”
They were apparently quite strict with their schedule. Leliel sighed and tore his attention away from the breakthrough he was certain he was about to make and he joined his friend near the center. They were closer to the Eastern end of the arena, a little too close to the edge for Leliel’s taste.
“Hey, Nabia, you get over here too. Milan’s your potential Duelist, after all,” Asha said. Milan had her arms crossed and she nodded at Nabia. It was only when she received clearance from her friend that Nabia took the arduous journey to the center of the arena. She clearly seemed to be in charge between the two of them, despite the fact that she was the one being tested.
“Now that we’re all here we can finally get started. Things are just a bit slow since it’s your first time but…well whichever one of you makes it to the next round,” he looked meaningfully at Leliel. “You’ll be expected to do this on your own. Now. Both of you shake hands.”
Asha moved aside and motioned between Leliel and Milan. The potential Duelist gave his friend a suspicious glance but, wanting to get this over with, held his hand out toward Milan. She gave him a slightly tense frown that revealed her own nerves and reluctantly clasped hands with him.
The arena started to shake slightly and all eyes moved to the right where, suddenly, a white and black figure rose out of the very floor of the arena. It was some sort of human figure. He couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman since the body of the stature was enclosed in vividly bright butterfly wings.
Leliel’s hand suddenly felt cold and he looked down to see their joined hands. Soft white light enveloped their clasped hands. Milan’s fingers groped at his but some unseen force was forcing them apart. The light converged between them and then Leliel and Milan both stumbled backwards, each with a sword in hand.
“What was that?” Milan asked, half in surprise, half in worry.
Leliel felt she voiced his sympathies exactly. He turned his wrist, inspecting the weapon that had literally appeared out of nowhere. The blade glowed quietly from the hilt to the tip of the blade. He couldn’t recall the exact type of sword it was since his Uncle had also neglected that portion of his education but it was a straight, narrow blade. There were small, swirling designs carved at the base of the blade and on the handguard but they were so subtle that he could only see them when the sword was close. It was cold yet Leliel couldn’t sense that his fingers were losing their warmth.
Milan was looking at her new weapon as well. It was one of those silly, flexible and skinny swords that Leliel usually saw the fencing club using in their exhibition bouts. Hers had its own glow, far brighter than Leliel’s and it was bright blue in color.
“Great. Now you’re ready to fight,” Asha said, moving in beside Leliel to inspect his new weapon. He nodded his approval and ran his own hand down the length of the blade. Leliel was surprised it didn’t cut him but Asha’s hand came back clean and unharmed.
“Nice. Your sword is fully manifested. You’re a natural at this after all.”
“What do you mean?” Leliel asked.
“It’s obvious, really. The swords are magic like the rest of this place…it really helps since you fight without armor or padding. They don’t cut like a real one would.”
He said that yet the cool silver weapon in Leliel’s hand felt terribly real.
“So how do we do this?” Milan asked. Leliel studied her figure as she limbered up and glanced appraisingly at him. If his blade was well formed than her sword must have been exceptional. He could see the individual violets on the large hand guard that covered her hand.
“Just look over there,” Nabia started. Her voice didn’t raise above a murmur.
Leliel and Milan turned their attention back toward the strange statue and he noticed that there were floating orbs on either side of it. The ones to the left were bright blue and those on the right were a soft white.
“Everyone has their own unique color. I’m not sure how they’re assigned but there’s never any confusion there,” Asha explained.
“You see, these duels are done by the hit. If you score a hit on your opponent, then one of their orbs will go out. The first to get five hits in wins the duel. It’s as simple as that.”
Nabia narrowed her eyes. “Well that’s a bit too simplified…”
“It’s enough for them to know right now. Oh…”
He stopped at the sound of a bell tolling. The vibrations from below caused the floor of the arena to shift just a bit as the bells rang out a long, mournful series of tones. Asha pulled on Leliel’s arm, dragging him away from his opponent by a few more steps. Nabia quietly spoke to Milan who also moved back.
“You’re taller and stronger than Milan. I mean sure, she’s got skill and speed on her side but I know you can be faster. Just trust in beginner’s luck and I’m sure you’ll be fine. When the toll reaches ten the duel officially starts.”
Leliel opened his mouth, wanting to voice his confusion since he hadn’t actually started counting the tolls but after the next they suddenly ceased. Asha moved back just as Milan grinned and rushed expertly at her opponent. Leliel cursed mentally and tried to evade her but the young woman soon was right upon him, slashing firmly at his midsection.
The student’s eyes widened slightly as her blade struck him near his hip. He felt it, but unexpectedly. Instead of a center of concentrated pain, a dull ache jarred his entire body spreading out from the point of contact. Her sword didn’t cut his clothes at all.
“One!” Nabia started softly.
Leliel couldn’t help but take his eyes away from Milan for a moment to glance back toward the statue curiously. The farthest orb had gone out already, leaving only four on the right.
“Gee, great start Leliel. Pay attention!” Asha urged.
He moved his eyes back to the battle and managed to block Milan’s next attempt. Leliel frowned and pushed her away with his other hand so she couldn’t just furiously slash at him at such a close range. She smiled and ran in for another attack, clearly hoping to catch him off guard again. The young man’s muscle memory from all those horrible years ago kicked in and he sidestepped as she came in to attack. Milan made a sound of surprise while she rushed past, leaving Leliel to quickly slash at her back, hitting her right below her shoulder blade.
“Yeah! One!” Ashavan shouted.
Milan started to grab for her back but her entire body seized in pain. She quickly recovered and turned, regarding her fellow Duelist with wide eyes.
“This is-” she started
“Strange,” Leliel replied.
It became even stranger as she recovered and they met again near the center of the arena. She ducked under his first blow but Leliel had expected this somehow and he deflected her blade with his own before countering her attack with one of his own. He hit Milan lightly on the shoulder but she still reeled in temporary pain.
“Two!”
“What are you doing, Milan? He’s just a beginner!”
It was too familiar. Lelien was now certain he had experienced this before. He suddenly remembered his dream from that morning in exquisite detail. Milan’s movements were just as he recalled. He struck her once more the same way he had executed it before.
“I wouldn’t recommend that…”
He narrowed his eyes, knowing that the end of their duel was near. She was going to rush at him in an attempt to just get one more hit in as he defeated her. Then it would be…the end? Would he fall as he had before? The memory was so vivid that he could feel it already playing in front of his eyes again.
Leliel moved directly out of Milan’s range, rendering both of their moves impossible. She stared at him in surprise but turned in and attempted to do so again.
“No…” Leliel said, bringing his sword down before she could have the chance to get a serious hit in.
The duel ended then and though he had tried to prevent it, they were in the exact same position as his dream.
“…Heh…pretty hopeless, huh?”
Leliel shook his head, feeling uncomfortable. He hadn’t said anything to her yet Milan said the same thing.
“No. That was really the only way to end it,” he stated.
Milan’s sword shattered and the fragments danced around her again before scattering to the winds. Leliel heard the bells again but instead of tolling ominously, they played a dignified melody, this one entirely unfamiliar to his ears.
“…Well, no hard feelings, right?”
Milan managed a smile and she held out her hand toward the victor. Leliel blinked, confused for a moment as this was already different than what he had envisioned. His feelings of dread subsided slightly as he reached forward with his free hand and shook hers once just as Asha ran up beside them.
“…Yeah. I’m surprised that I won, to be honest.”
Milan’s smile turned into a genuine grin. “My heart wasn’t really in it. It was just something that I wanted to do for Nabia.”
Asha huffed at her as Leliel took back his hand.
“You mean you let him win? That’s not fair.”
The young lady didn’t confirm or deny with her body language. She merely smiled again and waved him off.
“That’s my business and anyway it doesn’t change the outcome. Still…you’re not bad yourself, er…what was it again?”
“Leliel Demir.”
“Demir then. I guess I’ll see you in class,” she said. Milan turned fully away from them and went to console her friend who looked quite crestfallen to see that her choice for the Dueling Game didn’t make it.
“Well that’s that. I guess she’s right in saying it really doesn’t matter so long as you’re the one who got it in the end,” Asha said. He looked down at Leliel’s sword, still clasped in his hand.
“You still have it? It should disappear soon after the duel ends.”
Leliel lifted his arm so that the sword was closer to his own body. It still felt as solid as ever but the moment he felt his grip loosen, finding it odd that it was still there since Asha had mentioned it, the entire sword dissipated in small orbs of white.
“Oh…”
“Heh. Guess that’s that,” Asha concluded.
He corralled Leliel back toward the elevator, talking far too quickly for Leliel to understand. He got that the basic message had to do with how impressed he was at how Leliel handled himself in battle but it was all mostly just nonsense.
“But this is great! Now you can be an official Duelist!”
Leliel smiled as Asha anxiously looked at him, wanting some sort of response from his friend. He had forgotten in the intense moment of the battle that he was playing for a permanent spot in this club, if it could even be called that. Leliel hadn’t intended to win, but now that he had he felt that he was truly stuck with this.
“Wait till you meet some more of the Duelists. Not all of them are really great people but they’re real interesting. You’ll be surprised…Oh! And next-”
Leliel glanced up at the sky, colored in hues of red, orange, purple, and black as the sun set far beyond where they stood. He felt so strangely close to it. The duel hadn’t ended the exact same way he had dreamed it and the arena wasn’t crumbling under his feet but he still felt that biting unease in his mind.
7,530 / 50,000
(15.1%)