19

Rebello laughs loudly and uninhibitedly. He continues on with his explanation of the tournament, the drunkenness clear in his voice.

“Let me explain before you start to cheer! I looked over all your test results, and I chose the eight of you I think it would be most fun to watch fight! Take a look, and rejoice if you see your name!” Rebello, with a slight theatrical flair, pulls a cloth from the large board he placed in the courtyard, revealing his bracket.

Meanwhile, Headmaster Mirus and Linea watch Rebello reveal his tournament. Linea is confused, shocked, and most of all, upset.

“Huh? Master, there wasn’t a tournament planned, was there?” Headmaster Mirus laughs slightly, seemingly unfazed by Rebello’s sudden actions.

“Not at all. We rejected it, actually. We didn’t think it would make for a good schedule.”

“Then shouldn’t we stop him?”

“If he’s done it then he’s done it. I believe in my deputy.”

“It’s been two years, but he’s still acting in the same foolish ways. You need to reprimand him eventually, Master.”

“Perhaps so. But right now, isn’t he performing his role admirably?”

“He’s drunk. How is an educator meant to be respectable if he’s this drunk all the time?”

“That’s not the role I meant. And I suppose his drinking may be a problem, but it stirs him to action and does not hinder his abilities, so it too, I suppose, is an aspect of his role.

“Master, he’s improper.” Headmaster Mirus laughs again.

“You may very well be right, but even still, I choose to believe that he will lead this to success, even if he decided it so suddenly and has so little planning.” Linea sighs.

The bracket is unveiled, revealing the eight students Rebello took an interest in. Sion, Scima, Eva, and Anima look it over. In the third match are Eva and Tenka. In the fourth match are Scima and Uro. Scima looks overjoyed at his side of the bracket.

“How fun. First I get to mess up that annoying little lord, then me and Tenka will get our duel. Sorry, Lady Eva, but I’ll need you to lose to him.” Eva smiles.

“Alright. I don’t quite want to fight in this tournament anyway, especially not when my opponents might be you three physical monsters. However, Scima, don’t get so overconfident you lose. Don’t shame us with arrogance.” Scima doesn’t stop smiling.

“Of course!”

The other side of the bracket is Sion alone with three others that nobody recognizes. Scima looks at Sion, still with a wide smile on his face.

“Sion, we don’t know what you’ll be up against, but don’t you dare lose until the finals!”

“I won’t.”

Rebello addresses the entire courtyard once more.

“If our eight fighters could please join me!” Sion, Scima, and Eva leave Anima to join Rebello. Once they’ve gathered, Rebello looks at Sion and clicks his tongue. “It’s you. So you were a student too, huh?” Sion greets him, making good on Rebello’s request to hear his name at a later time.

“Rebello Faegen, my name is Sion.” Rebello clicks his tongue again, even louder, seemingly sobering up a bit.

“I don’t wanna hear it, you’re still just a little kid.” Rebello takes a long drink from his flask then turns his attention back to the courtyard. “These are the eight competitors I selected, so if everyone will follow me to the arena!”

Everyone starts moving in a large procession, following after Rebello. Right behind him are the eight students he wants to fight, followed by the mass of the rest of the incoming students. Linea walks at the back of the procession, still slightly annoyed, helping Headmaster Mirus along.

They soon arrive at a stadium on the academy grounds. There are several rows of raised seats surrounding a small white platform made of stone. The four entrances each lead both towards the platform with a stone-paved path or break away to lead up into the seating area. Rebello leads the eight students behind him into the arena, while workers who seem only partially aware of what’s happening guide everyone else into the stands. Once everyone is in their place, Rebello begins to explain the tournament.

“Alright everybody! As you saw, this will only be a short tournament, to celebrate the strongest among you! Each match can be won in four ways! The first is a knockout! The second is surrender! The third is by getting the opponent off of the platform! The fourth, and I’d prefer if it never came to it, is by my decision. With that out of the way, let’s start the show! The first round, Glenten vs Flan!”

As they walk towards the raised platform, Sion shuffles towards Scima and Eva. He looks at them.

“Have you two already come up with a plan?” Scima answers.

“I have. Lady Eva, I’ll tell you about Tenk—” Rebello starts to clap.

“Incredible move! The first match is done, just like that! Round two, Toh vs Sion…” He seems dejected to have to say Sion’s name.

Sion and the other boy walk onto the platform. Once the fight begins, Sion begins to run forward towards Toh. The platform shakes as the stone tiles begin to shift. They form together around Toh to create a sort of armor. Toh raises an arm. Sion can see magic begin to fill the ground beneath him.

As the tile beneath him begins to flip over, Sion jumps. Having evaded the first attempt to trip him, Sion lands, and the tile begins to give, tilting him back. Sion regains his balance quickly and keeps moving. As he steps off the tile, stone juts out of the platform, quickly approaching his stomach. Sion grabs the end of the stone and snaps it, then keeps moving.

As Sion keeps moving regardless of what gets thrown at him, Toh changes plans. He forms the platform around him into walls, considerably taller than Sion. Sion can tell that whatever magic was filling the platform was used up for the walls, meaning there won’t be any more tricks to slow him down. He runs at the wall at full speed.

Sion jumps, vaulting over the wall in a single smooth movement. Toh, although fully covered by stone armor, seems to recoil in surprise. As Sion approaches him, Toh begins to try and strike him, but Sion stops any attempt at attacks with ease. He reaches Toh and grabs his head.

Toh struggles against Sion’s grip as he drags him towards the wall. Sion slams Toh against the wall, breaking it apart. As Toh gets pushed through the wall, Sion follows after him. Seeing the edge of the platform so close now, Sion throws Toh off, proving himself victorious. Rebello responds quickly, though more sullen than for the first round.

“How irritating… Round three, Tenka vs Her Highness Princess Evangelina, go!”

The two of them walk towards the platform. Sion rushes back to Scima.

“Anyway, did you see what happened during the first round?” Scima grabs the back of his head.

“No, it was too sudden. I’m ashamed, really.”

“That’s fine. I’ll go find Anima and ask her.”

Tenka and Eva step onto the platform for their match. Tenka places a hand on his sword and smiles politely at Eva.

“Your Highness, it seems you do not share the same fire as Scima does. I doubt you are thinking that you will be able to win the entire tournament, especially if it comes time for you to fight Scima. Would you like to just surrender now?” Eva smiles back at him.

“What a kind offer. However, I must refuse. It does not matter if I am the one to win, I have three horses in this race after all, but I refuse to look weak for the sake of convenience.”

Flames start to race around Eva on the ground, growing higher and higher with each rotation. Tenka waits patiently, not willing to take a risk against an unknown combatant. The flames then shoot off the ground, flying towards Tenka in one large force. Tenka stands perfectly still, his hand readied on the hilt of his blade.

The flames come into Tenka’s range. He can feel the heat on his skin already. Tenka draws his blade, cutting the fire in front of him. The mass of flames comes apart easily, becoming two equal halves. Each half then begins to swirl around Tenka, a spinning cage of flame. Tenka watches as Eva begins to charge up a stronger spell, one that might give her the victory. Tenka makes dozens of small cuts through the ring entrapping him, dissipating the fire enough for him to escape.

Tenka rushes towards Eva, his sword at the ready. The large ball of fire shrinks down slightly. Flames flicker in the air right in front of Tenka. Although he only had the tiniest moment, Tenka reacts, and makes a small jump backwards. The space in front of him, where he would be had he not jumped, bursts into flames. Rather than the large sustained fires Eva prefers to use, they are small short-lived bursts of flame that disappear just as quickly.

With the trap seen through, Tenka continues on towards Eva. He moves too quickly for her, and she cannot cast another spell fast enough. He reaches her and begins to swing his sword.

“I surrender.”

Tenka stops his blade at her words. The ball of fire held above her breaks apart. A massive flock of flaming birds fly out, and dissipate in the air. Tenka looks at her as he resheaths his sword.

“If you were like Scima, Your Highness, how do you think that would have went?”

“If I were like Scima? I would have let you cut into me and burnt us both alive. Or something like that.”

As they step off the platform, Rebello starts applauding.

“Bravo! You put on a good show, especially with the birds at the end! Now then, round four, Uro vs Scima, go!”

Scima and Uro walk into the arena. Uro forms two tendrils of water and keeps them poised to strike. Scima starts walking forward, not even touching his sword.

“Commoner, surrender now, don’t even bother. Allow me to pass and redeem Lady Evangelina’s honor.” Scima can’t hold back his laughter, and he makes no attempt to.

“‘Redeem her honor?’ A man like you? You have no connection with her beyond an unlucky acquaintanceship. You don’t have any role like that. And if anyone did, shouldn’t it be her knight? I am her sword and her shield, and I alone will defend her honor and bring her glory. Don’t fool yourself. And besides, you’re a weakling. You’re so pathetically weak compared to her, and infinitely weaker than me.” Uro gets angry and begins to shoot his tendrils forward towards Scima.

“How dare a man like you speak to me like that! I’ll teach you how to show respect!” Scima dashes forward and ducks under the tendrils, then continues to laugh.

“You're the one teaching me? You don’t even pretend to respect the person you pretend to champion!”

As Scima walks, spikes shoot across the ground from the shadows of the tendrils. They pierce through Scima’s own shadow. He feels the sharp pain throughout his body. He can no longer move, as though he were attached to the ground.

The two water tendrils quickly approach Scima from behind. They meet and form together behind Scima, completely unbeknownst to him. As the large tendril moves to blast into Scima’s back, he begins to glow. He glows brightly, banishing the shadows.

As the shadows binding him disappear, Scima regains control of his body. In that instant, he draws his sword. He spins around to cut all around him, stopping the tendril before it can reach him. He repeatedly cuts through the tendrils, splashing the water onto the ground. He keeps walking forward, shining, as he walks towards Uro. He keeps cutting apart the tendrils, leaving Uro no way to attack or defend himself.

When he reaches Uro, Scima sheaths his sword and slams his fist into Uro’s face. As Uro recoils from the blow, Scima grabs his face and drags him to the ground. He smashes Uro down, cracking the tiles. Uro starts to speak between gasps.

“How… dare you… I am a noble… I’ll tell… my father… how poorly behaved… you Dracabanans are…” Scima lifts Uro’s head once more and slams it down again.

“Tell him what? That you’re weak so you got beaten black and blue during a school event? Come now, my lord, that’s unbefitting a man of your caliber. Don’t surrender, don’t pass out, don’t give up on victory, that’s how you’ll get strong, isn’t it? Now, on your feet, my lord.”

Scima drags Uro back up roughly. He keeps wailing on Uro unimpeded, hitting him over and over. He keeps attacking until he feels his raised arm being held in place.

Rebello pours out the contents of his flask onto Scima’s head. He twist Scima’s arm back as he holds him in place.

“You’re ruining the taste of my drink, you brat. You win, so go chill out.”

Rebello whips his arm around and throws Scima off the platform. Scima bounces off the stone pathway, then skids across the grass. Rebello picks up Uro and leaves to find a healer.

Scima sits up, shaking the dirt off of himself. Sion comes rushing towards Scima. Scima smiles at him and raises a fist.

“I won!” Sion does not match his energy.

“Scima, why did you do that!?” Scima stays light-hearted.

“I really don’t see the problem.” Sion gets angry.

“Of course it’s a problem. You went way too far. You could have won at any time, but you—” Rebello returns and stares at Sion, his voice still obviously irate.

“Sorry to have to stop you, brat, but go fight your match.” Sion walks towards the platform in a huff, gently slapping the sides of his face to try to fix his mood. Rebello doesn’t look at Scima at all as he returns to his place.

Eva approaches Scima before Sion’s match begins. She speaks to him, her voice cold and distant.

“Scima, I would have thought General Shard taught you better than this.” Her coldness hurts him and makes him quiet and ashamed.

“Sorry. I’ll never do it again.”