by TurtleMe
Nico ignored me as his eyes darted around the room. It was obvious that the past few months had not been easy for him; his face was thin, his lips cracked, and his hair disheveled. He clearly hadn’t been taking care of himself.
“We don’t have much time before your match against Cecilia,” he said, fumbling through the sanitation cart before pulling out a palm-sized device. “I need you to listen to this right now.”
I pushed the device away. “What is going on, Nico? I know you’re worried about Cecilia, but you’ve been ignoring me for the past four months and now you march in here right before my match and distract me like this? What are you trying to do?”
“Please,” he asked, desperation evident in his voice. “Just listen.”
I knew I shouldn’t. Nico had been my friend—my best friend—but he was also madly in love with Cecilia, who I was going to duel in less than an hour. But I took one earbud from him and put it in my ear. Nico copied me with the second earbud. He pressed play on his device.
“Is this… Lady Vera?” I asked, hearing her voice through the small speaker in my ear.
He urged me to continue listening and so I did. As the audio clips continued, it became harder and harder to keep listening.
“Bullshit,” I spat, pulling the earbud from my ear. “Plans to capture Cecilia during this tournament? What sort of sick joke is this? What are you playing at, Nico?”
“It’s not a joke—how could I ever joke about Cecilia?” he asked, tears shining in his tired eyes. “I know Lady Vera has been good to you, but this is why. Everything was for this day.”
“What have you been doing these past few months? Have you gone crazy?”
Nico pulled up his sleeves and pant legs, showing deep red scars that ran around his wrists and ankles. “This is where I’ve been these past few months, Grey. I’ve been locked up by our own government, because I was trying to break her out of the facility she’s been held in. I’ve been starved and tortured—but I escaped. Since then I’ve been gathering evidence around Vera Warbridge to—to get you to help me.”
My eyes widened and I shook my head. “No. No, you’re lying. It makes no sense. First of all, why would Lady Vera need to take Cecilia? Trayden and Etharia are allies!”
“She’s so strong now, Grey. Whoever has control over Cecilia—or what the Traydens refer to as ‘the legacy’—would be able to exert incredible pressure on both governments.”
I was shaken by the familiar term: the legacy. That man had called Cecilia the legacy as he was torturing me. But I never told Nico that.
“Okay, then how do I play into this? Why would Lady Vera need me specifically, rather than any other candidate for king? The Warbridges have sponsored a bunch of other candidates from powerful families.”
“The Etharian government has been confining Cecilia for her own protection. The only time she appears in public is during the tournaments,” he responded immediately. “Lady Vera needed you because you’re an orphan. There are strict rules as to who is allowed into the King’s Crown tournaments, especially in the final rounds. Lady Vera was only allowed in here because she’s your legal guardian.”
I mulled over his words for a moment, lost in thought. It was true that there weren’t many spectators at these events, and Lady Vera had needed to go outside to meet with this business partner. Could any of it be real?
A sudden knock on the door made both of us jump.
“Candidate Grey? I’m one of the facilitators here. Lady Vera Warbridge has asked for me to check up on you,” a gruff voice said from the other side of the door.
I looked at Nico. He looked back with wide eyes, his entire body trembling.
“I’m fine. Please let her know that I don’t want to be disturbed until it’s time for the duel,” I replied loudly.
The facilitator acknowledged my words and dismissed himself, but Nico and I waited a few more minutes before moving. I peeked out the door to make sure no one was outside before turning back to Nico. “Look, it’s obvious you’ve been through a lot. I’m not going to turn you in, but I can’t believe you. You need to get out of here.”
“Grey,” Nico said, making my name sound like a prayer, “I’m begging you. I’ve got a plan in motion, but I need your help if we’re going to escape with Cecilia!”
“Escape with Cecilia?” I echoed. “Do you even hear yourself right now? We’re competing against each other for the King’s Crown! You’re telling me to throw that all away because you think there’s some sort of crazy conspiracy going on right now? I saw Cecilia’s last fight; she’s completely fine and healthy!”
“You don’t know what the Warbridge family is going to do to Cecilia once they get their hands on her!” he cried desperately, starting to fumble through his pockets. “Look! I didn’t want to show you this but this has to prove it.”
I snatched the crumpled picture from his shaking hand, still skeptical of his words until I saw who was in the picture. While blurry and hastily taken, there was no doubt it was Lady Vera talking to a man with a scar running down his face.
“Do you remember him? He’s the one that tried to kidnap Cecilia!” Nico said, pointing frantically at the blurry, scarred man.
“That can’t be… no, it’s not. Listen, Nico, this is too blurry to tell. I won’t—I can’t discount everything Lady Vera has done for me because of one blurry photo,” I responded, handing the photo back to him. Despite my words, I knew the picture showed Lady Vera next to the man who had attempted to kidnap Cecilia. But saying it out loud would mean—what, exactly?
My hands trembled and my heart thrashed against my ribcage. I needed water.
I fumbled with the cap of the clear bottle and took a long drink. Instantly, I could feel myself calming down, feeling better—stronger, more clear-headed.
Lady Vera was right. I needed to take care of my body, to stay hydrated. Taking a deep breath, I turned to Nico. “If any of what you’ve said to me today is a lie, you could be sentenced to life in prison. If it’s true, and anyone finds out, then you’ll likely be killed instead. As a friend, I’ll pretend this never happened, but you’re out of your mind if you think I’m going to participate.”
Nico fell to his knees, looking up at me in desperation. “Grey! Please—”
“I’ll help you, Headmaster Wilbeck, and Cecilia by doing what I’ve been working for all this time—by becoming king.” I turned away, walking towards the door. “Now if you’ll excuse me, my match is about to start.”
The referee—a slim, middle-aged man with a well-trimmed gray beard—was dressed in a formal black suit. He kept his hands behind his back as he spoke. “Will the two finalists step up onto the stage?”
The sound of my footsteps seemed strangely amplified as I ascended the short stairway leading onto the square dueling platform, and I could hear her footsteps from the other side of the platform, just a half-step behind mine, like an echo. The limited audience allowed to be present had been quieted and were now anxiously waiting for the duel to begin.
Using a breathing technique that Lady Vera had taught me, I calmed myself as I stepped up onto the reinforced platform. However, watching as my opponent and old friend stepped onto the platform opposite me, I couldn’t help but shudder.
The very air around her seemed to be charged, and my skin tingled uncomfortably. I peered at her and realized there was a visible aura of pure ki around her. It was stunning. Could a weapon even penetrate ki condensed in such a way?
At that moment it became clear how outclassed I was. No one in this tournament ever had a chance to defeat her and become the next king. Cecilia seemed to know that; she absolutely radiated confidence. She was paler than the last time I’d seen her—more sickly—and the dark bags under her eyes hinted at how tired she was, but her demeanor was all arrogance.
“In honor of the competition, the two finalists will pay their respects to the reigning king of Etharia, King Ivan Craft,” the referee announced, gesturing towards the highest podium.
I bowed deeply in the traditional manner before turning back to my opponent. Cecilia, on the other hand, barely dipped her head before turning her gaze to me.
For a moment, time seemed to slow. Nico’s words echoed in my mind, shaking my already-diminished confidence. Nico had said from the beginning that Cecilia had been captured by our own government, but I couldn’t believe him. Cecilia looked as if she’d chosen to leave him in order to pursue the kingship—exactly like I had done.
The referee stepped between the two of us. “Finalists. Show your respects to one another.”
He walked back and I bowed in respect, as was traditional, but Cecilia kept her chin high and looked down at me. The referee ignored it and signaled for us to ready our weapons.
I unsheathed my weapon with a flourish, drawing confidence from the noise it made as it cut through the air around me, then stopped with its gleaming tip pointed directly at Cecilia. I readied my mind for battle, focusing all of my attention on her—she was just another opponent I had to defeat.
Cecilia’s expression remained unchanged as she raised an empty hand in a simple, elegant gesture. The ki weapon that formed was flawless in detail, and its manifestation had been near-instant.
There was a chorus of stifled gasps and murmurs from the audience. I didn’t blame them; it was impressive as hell. The referee maintained his professionalism, though, displaying no change in attitude as he signaled the technicians to raise the ki barrier.
As soon as the translucent dome fully encased the arena, the referee swung down his hand. “Let the duel commence!”
Throwing aside the hesitation clouding my mind, I burst forward, brandishing my ki-clad sword, but jerked to a halt mid-dash. Every fiber in my body screamed at me not to get any closer to Cecilia, though she remained unmoving.
I switched tactics, choosing instead to carefully circle around her. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of my face.
Two things happened near-instantaneously. First, a grimace crossed Cecilia’s pale face. Second, she released a flurry of piercing ki strikes with one stroke.
My eyes widened in shock. Whether by luck or instinct, I managed to weave through Cecilia’s casual onslaught as scores of piercing strikes were projected from her ki weapon, inching closer with every parry and dodge, until I was in range to strike.
I feinted with a downward cut before pivoting and spinning behind her, catching Cecilia across the back of her knees with a wide slash. The attack should have caused her legs to buckle, but instead a sharp wave of pain ran down my arm.
“Weak,” Cecilia muttered under her breath.
I refused to let her goad me into doing something stupid. Repositioning myself, I struck Cecilia with a quick series of sweeping attacks faster than the eye could follow.
But I couldn’t pierce the thick shroud of ki enveloping her tiny body.
Cecilia responded, stabbing her translucent rapier down at my feet.
Though I dodged her rapier easily enough, I wasn’t ready for the reinforced ground to shatter from the impact of Cecilia’s strike, sending tremors through the floor and throwing up a cloud of dust all around us. Before I could react, her hand grabbed my wrist and anchored me in place with a strength that seemed impossible for such a small body.
“I had expected more from you, Grey,” Cecilia said with an air of disappointment. “I know how hard you’ve trained, what you’ve sacrificed. It’s not enough.”
“Shut it!” I spat, jerking my hand free from her grasp. Nico’s statements about Cecilia being held against her will and being forced to compete seemed like total bullshit at this point. Her attitude was just like those self-important candidates from affluent families, except she had more ki in her little toe than most of the other candidates had in their whole bodies.
I moved away from the dissipating cloud of dust just in time to duck under a blast of pure ki. The barrier surrounding the dueling arena trembled from the impact, and the referee’s eyes went wide in surprise.
Moments later, Cecilia shot forward, both hands gripping her ki weapon, poised to strike. I dodged the thrust, but the aura surrounding her ki weapon was sharp enough to leave a deep cut across the side of my neck, drawing blood.
Cecilia moved in a flurry, her glowing blade turning into an indistinguishable blur of light as she recklessly attacked me.
Each time I parried her ki weapon, sparks flew and chips appeared along the length of my blade, even though I was reinforcing it with ki. I knew I couldn’t keep that up forever, or my weapon would disintegrate in my hand, so I relied on my own body to avoid her blows instead. I ducked, spun, weaved, and pivoted at a speed that only I could pull off with such accuracy and timing. Her attacks were monstrously strong and fast, but her swordplay wasn’t on the same level as mine.
Suddenly, Cecilia’s weapon blinked out of sight as she positioned her now-empty palm directly in my face.
Once again, my body screamed at me that I was in danger, and I reacted by grabbing her outstretched arm and pulling it away while leveraging it to position myself to her side.
A cone of glowing energy was released from Cecilia’s open palm, right where I once stood.
“You’ve gotten fast, I’ll admit,” she said, her tone casual, as if this were merely a training bout.
Cecilia’s ki-clad elbow struck directly at my sternum, launching me several feet backwards and knocking the wind out of me.
While I was still lying flat on my back, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as I tried desperately to suck in air, Cecilia came sprinting towards me with a newly-formed ki weapon in her hand.
I desperately tried to reach for my sword, but it was a few inches out of reach. I clawed at the ground, trying to drag my aching body to my only chance at coming out of this alive, but it was already too late. Cecilia’s shadow swept over me and I could see the glimmer of her weapon.
There was nothing more I could do except close my eyes and wait for the blow that would end the match—perhaps even end my life.
But the pain never came. Cecilia’s ki-sword buried itself into the ground inches away from my face, and the impact once again destroyed the reinforced flooring beneath me, sending a shockwave of pain through my body.
Cecilia’s hard eyes peered into my own. “That’s once that you would’ve died.”
“Enough!” I yelled. I threw a ki-infused punch at her knee, which she dodged, but the force of my blow had thrown her off balance and carried me far enough to grab my sword. With one hand, I shoved myself away from the ground, turning and using the momentum to deliver a back-hand strike to Cecilia’s waist, channeling every ounce of ki I could muster. My blade couldn’t cut through the protective shroud of ki wrapped around her, but the force did manage to knock her aside.
Cecilia twisted her body, pirouetting back into her ready stance with a confident smirk. It was a look I’d never seen on her kindly face before. Nico really was delusional if he thought everything had been forced onto her by the government.
I gripped the sword in my right hand, withdrawing the ki that had been protecting my body. If I wanted to defeat her, I wouldn’t be able to do so by wasting my precious ki on defense.
Noticing this, Cecilia withdrew her weapon, letting the glowing rapier fizzle out of existence.
She settled into an offensive stance and gestured for me to come. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t need to. She didn’t even see me as a threat, igniting in me an anger and newfound determination to defeat her at all cost.
Letting out a roar, I imbued ki to my legs in explosive pulses, matching it to my stride. I reached her in three steps at a speed that caught even her by surprise. I swung my sword upward, hoping to at least throw her off balance, but Cecilia stood still and let her ki barrier soak up the brunt of my attack.
Her hand, coated in a thick layer of ki, clamped down on the sharp edges of my reinforced blade.
She pulled on the sword, pulling me along with it, and slapped me across the face with
the back of her hand.
I had managed to protect my face at the last second, but I was still sent tumbling to the ground. Getting back up on my feet, I was immediately met with a barrage of attacks from Cecilia as she swung my own sword at me.
“We’ve both worked for this,” Cecilia said, her voice low and distant, “but I’m just the better contender. If I have to leave you and Nico behind to achieve my goal, I will.”
The mention of Nico’s name brought forth another explosive wave of anger. Despite how crazy his conclusions had been, he had done everything because he cared about Cecilia—loved her even.
“Shut up!” I roared. Enveloping my hand in ki, I sidestepped her next downward slash—the end of her attack pattern—and parried the blade so it would get buried in the ground.
Even with my chipped sword, the ki she had imbued around it was a strong enough attack to split the reinforced flooring and get stuck.
I immediately followed up with a powerful punch across her jaw and another just below her ribs.
My knuckles felt like they had hit a concrete wall, but the blow made Cecilia stagger for just an instant, which was enough time for me to wrench my sword free of the ground.
At that exact moment, an explosion rocked the arena, surrounding the entire dueling platform in clouds of dust and debris. The translucent barrier surrounding the dueling arena quivered, flickered, then disappeared. A chorus of screams and shouts washed over me, followed by the cloud of dust.
The referee, momentarily distracted by the commotion, turned to us, waving at us to stop the duel.
I stood still for a moment, confused, but a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye drew my attention back to Cecilia.
“This duel isn’t over!” she cried out as she dashed towards me.
She let loose with a flurry of swings and thrusts with her newly-formed ki weapon, unleashing sharp crescents of energy that bombarded the ground around me, gouging divots into the floor and causing even more dust and debris to fly into the air.
Gripping my sword with both hands, I infused the remaining ki I had left into its blade and prayed for it to endure one more attack. Within the smokescreen of dust obscuring my vision, I saw only Cecilia’s faint shadow, leaping through the air.
