Chapter 66: Intermission
The endless void flew through the air, drawing in the surrounding light. It seemed like time had slowed down as the black dagger drew closer and closer to his face. Tendrils of dark smoke wriggled from the dull surface, reaching toward him.
Tidus remained completely still, even as the dagger approached. It was as though he had become frozen, but his eyes followed the movements at every step. Just as it arrived right in front of him, he opened his mouth. From inside, a blinding white light emerged. The flash was so bright that it drained the color from the atmosphere itself. In this grayscale-toned painting, a bolt of white lightning emerged from within his throat and clashed against the black dagger.
The moment they made contact, the two opposing forces twisted and turned as they grappled for dominance. Though initially they seemed on par, the tide turned very quickly. The white light from the lightning drowned out the darkness of the dagger as it let out a high-pitched shriek. The lightning buzzed loudly as it melted through it, breaking it down. It disappeared into the air as wisps of black smoke.
Unlike the destroyed dagger, the arc of crackling lightning remained flickering in the same spot as it let out a whine that sounded almost like a battle cry. Tidus remained unfazed by everything.
“Come,” He commanded the lightning, upon which it returned, flying around Tidus once before entering his mouth. Afterward, he looked at Nox with narrowed eyes and pointed at him with a finger. A thin strand of purple lightning shot out and landed on Nox’s chest before he had the chance to move.
“Argh!” Nox screamed as he fell over, the lightning inundating his body in a bright net. The muscles in his entire body contracted, causing him to spasm and even expel the contents of his breakfast onto the platform.
The spectators, including the other contestants, were silent as they watched Nox being tortured. Though some of them wanted to yell out in pleasure at the sight, everyone knew that this action could come with some consequences.
A minute passed as Nox continued to scream and convulse on the stage. His voice became hoarse from the constant shrieking, yet Tidus showed no sign of stopping. As Nox’s robes began melting where the net of electricity bound him, a voice rang out from the private room.
“That’s enough! You’ve made your point!” The shrill voice screeched.
However, Tidus did not stop. He turned to face the private room with a half-smile. “I clearly warned him before the commencement of the duel. Don’t worry, this is just a light punishment. I will make sure not to leave him with any irreparable damage.”
“You!” Agatha flew out from the private box and hovered mid-air while pointing down at Tidus. However, she did not even attempt to get in his way. “I will report this to Senior Vaelor immediately! You will regret this!”
Tidus just smiled genially at her, as though they were exchanging pleasantries. This caused Agatha to turn bright red, which contrasted pleasantly with her pure white robes. She pulled out a communication disc and placed an essence stone within before whispering into it.
Silence returned to the arena as nothing happened immediately. Seconds passed, though it felt like hours to Nox, who was currently suffering through more pain than he had ever experienced in his entire life. After another minute, a change finally occurred.
Right in front of Tidus, a shimmering verdant sigil materialized, the same symbol as the Assembly’s insignia. From the sigil, an authoritative voice spoke out in a calm tone. “Tidus, that should be enough of a punishment now. Please release him and allow him to be taken to the infirmary.”
“Yes, Senior Blight.” Tidus bowed slightly before retracting the net of lightning covering Nox. He then turned to the floating sigil and opened his mouth. “However…”
“We will discuss it later.” Kaspar interrupted him, and then the sigil vanished into thin air.
Atop the tiled platform, Nox lay curled up in a ball, trails of smoke rising from his scorched robes. His arms shielded his face, yet bloodshot eyes glared at Tidus from within. Tidus took no notice of the Initiate’s murderous fury and instead ordered the Lunarsol Tower’s group to come up and take Nox to the infirmary, and for some Assembly attendants to clean up the stage.
Even as he was being carried off, Nox’s glare did not leave Tidus for even a second. “I’ll kill you one day, old man.” He hissed as he exited the arena.
“That’s the last duel of the day. Thank you for coming.” Tidus concluded the quarter-finals with two short sentences and flew away.
“... Yes, so that’s it for the day, everyone! Thank you for attending, and I hope you enjoyed this explosive round! The semi-finals will be held in one week. There will be an unfortunate but exciting match between two participants from the Academy. The favorite, Claire, against the incredible dark horse, Damon! Look forward to it!” Wesley lightened the atmosphere with his closing remarks, causing the restrained crowd to grow lively again. They exited the Colosseum as they excitedly discussed the day’s duels and made predictions for the semi-finals.
Wesley took his hand off the crystal orb and turned around toward Alan. “Hey Alan, did you want to go grab a drink…”
By the time he turned around, Alan had disappeared from his spot. He was nowhere to be seen.
“Where did that guy run off to, so quickly?”
Lilith trudged out of the Colosseum with her shoulders drooped so low that she looked like a hunchback.
“Cheer up, Lilith. That was a good match.” Claire said as she smacked Lilith on the back.
Lilith straightened up as she glared at Claire. “Tsk. Don’t talk such a big game just because you got a measly second seed as your opponent.”
Claire stuck her tongue out at Lilith and skipped over to Thomas, who also looked as dispirited as Lilith.
“Why do YOU look so depressed?” She asked Thomas. “If you had to lose to anyone, losing to Damon is only second to losing to me!”
With a stupefied expression, Thomas stared at Claire. “What? Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
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“Yeah! I’m obviously the strongest in this tournament, and Damon is second. So you only lost to the second strongest, so you can keep your head up high!” Claire grinned innocently as she playfully threw a punch at Thomas’s arm.
Thomas just shook his head and walked ahead at a faster pace. Claire followed right on his heels as she continued to spout nonsense. Though her words were annoying, Thomas’s expression softened slightly.
At the back, Damon walked alongside the quiet Nolan and the fuming Lilith. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “You guys, could you meet me tomorrow at my villa? Just the two of you.”
Up ahead, Thomas and Claire were not far enough to be out of earshot of the others. Claire stopped rattling on, and her smile faded. This sudden change surprised Thomas, as he had not seen her this serious on many occasions.
“Thomas. Can you help me prepare during this coming week?”
“Prepare? For what?”
“For my duel with Damon. He is… More formidable than I expected.” Claire glanced back at Damon, who was conversing with Nolan and Lilith.
After everyone had departed the Colosseum on their boats and ships, peace and quiet returned to the arena. Deep within the intricate tunnels running through the structure, a group of people gathered in a cramped space dimly lit by a single ray of sunlight streaming in from a hole in a wall. They all looked toward one side, where three figures stood behind a long table, completely obscured by thick, heavy hooded cloaks.
The throng of people gathered in this underground space was lined up, walking up to the table one at a time to exchange items with the three figures. Currently, there was a man covered in patches of colorful stains, smelling like a mixture of bitter ale and sweet fruits, at the very front. As he handed in a wooden slip, the silent crowd began murmuring as they parted in the middle.
Once a path opened up, a single man walked through with his hands clasped behind his upright back. His head was held high, and an arrogant smirk graced his face.
“That’s the guy?”
“Yeah, that’s him.”
“He’s said to have made a killing throughout the entire Crucible Convergence, just by betting on Damon from day one.”
“That’s crazy. How did he know to bet on the dark horse before he became known?”
“Damn it, I should have bet on Damon earlier as well.”
“I only placed small bets because I was too afraid of the risk. Just how much did that guy bet?”
The whispered conversations echoed within the quiet chamber, allowing everyone to hear them as clearly as if they had been shouted.
The man at the center of attention arrived at the desk, and the person covered in drinks stumbled back from the pure pressure being emanated by the new arrival. Though he had made a considerable sum with his bets today, he was nothing but a flickering candle compared to the roaring flames that stood before him.
The man calmly, yet confidently, placed a wooden slip on the table. The cloaked figure in the middle reached out to grab it with trembling hands before dropping a storage pouch in its place. Though the pouch could reduce the weight of its contents to almost nothing, it seemed to make a resounding thud as it landed. Or at least, everyone currently in the room imagined the sound of the massive winnings hitting the table, along with the clinking of the essence stones contained within. Everyone gulped as they watched the smirking man grab the pouch before turning around to leave.
When he turned around, the ray of sunlight landed directly on him, revealing his features and lighting up his figure in a brilliant halo. It was Alan. His smirk only grew larger from the envious stares directed his way. Placing his hands behind his back once more, he strode out with large, confident steps.
The next day, Thomas and Claire met up within a vast training hall inside the Verdant Sigil Castle.
“So, how did you want me to help?” Thomas asked curiously. He had dueled Claire on multiple occasions throughout their lives. He did not think he could provide any proper assistance, as Claire’s abilities were almost a direct counter to his own.
“Well, the first thing I want to do is analyze Damon’s abilities with you. I’ve only watched him from the side. You faced him in a proper duel… So… what was it like?” Claire sat down cross-legged in the middle of the hall and motioned for Thomas to sit opposite her.
Sitting down on the dark gray stone floor facing Claire, Thomas rubbed his cheek as he fell into thought.
“Hmmm… Damon…” After thinking for a while, he could only blurt out one sentence. “He’s like an evil mastermind.”
“Pfft! What even is that?” Claire clutched her stomach as she fell on her side from laughing too hard.
“No, really… Well, he’s not evil. In fact, I think he’s a much kinder person than the average man. However, the way he schemes and strategizes… Maybe it’s more akin to a general of a mortal army. His weapons and spells are the soldiers.”
As Thomas clarified his thoughts, Claire stopped laughing and listened quite intently. It seemed like she was very serious about her duel with Damon.
“A general of a mortal army, huh? I guess that makes sense. His control abilities are just that incredible, after all.”
Thomas let out a heavy sigh. “Yep. Also, his tactics are just so cunning. That second swarm of ice shards completely fooled me. I thought he could cast a second Shardburst in quick succession. If that were possible, I don’t see any way of defending against it. Especially for you.”
“That’s what I’m worried about most.” Claire frowned as she fidgeted with her thumbs. “Do you think he can actually cast two Shardbursts? I can probably deflect one using the wind, but building up the gale again after a big explosion will be difficult.”
“I don’t think he can. He is still at the mid stage, so his pool of arcane power is not that deep yet. You probably don’t have to worry about it, unless he strains his node to forcefully cast it or something. But he wouldn’t do that in a friendly duel with you.”
“You’re right. I guess I just have to figure out a way to get past the first cast. After that, I should be able to defeat him.” Claire nodded to herself as her confidence began to grow.
Thomas glanced at her and asked, “By the way, why are you so determined to win? These duels aren’t a true indicator of strength. Surely it’s not because of something as fickle as pride, is it?”
Claire looked him in the eyes as she scowled. “It’s not like that. I don’t actually mind if Damon beats me. I think his strength is deserving of first place. My real goal is to fight Nox. I’m going to kill him if I can. If Nox gets to the finals, I can only do that if I defeat Damon.”
“Ah, I see.” A look of clarity passed Thomas’s face. However, he returned to his contemplative expression immediately after. “But you guys are in brackets one and two. So you’ll fight before Erik and Nox. How do you know if he’ll win?”
The moment she heard his question, Claire’s face completely blanked as it stupefied her. “But… That… You’re right…”
As she mumbled to herself, Thomas shook his head with an amused smile. “Don’t worry too much. Let me talk to my Grandfather. I’ll ask him to change the order of the duels for entertainment during the semi-finals.”
Claire’s eyes lit up as she jumped to her feet. “Thanks, Thomas! I knew it was worth keeping you around as a friend! Now, get up! Let’s have a few duels to warm up!”
Thomas’s jaw dropped. You kept ME around as a friend? Are you serious? It’s ME who allowed you to bask in the extraordinary presence of mine.
Even as he thought this, he reluctantly rose from his seated position in accordance with Claire's wishes. He had never been able to refuse her outrageous demands for some reason.
At the same time, in Damon’s villa, a completely different conversation was taking place. Lilith’s voice boomed out with enough force to shake the windows and cause dust to fall from the ceiling.
“What do you mean you are planning on losing to Claire?”
Thank you for reading!
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