Dueling... Might be Fun

"Harry."

"Noah."

The two nodded to themselves as if expecting to see each other so soon; it had only been twenty minutes since the moment Noah left to get the Valentine from all the way back in the outskirts.

Although a little surprised by how fast he returned, it didn't seem like an uncommon thing as the guards let them through, not without sending strange stares in Valentine's direction, who had given up on escaping long ago.

However, their long gazes also lingered on the woman trailing behind them, her face eerily still as she navigated her way forward without ever moving her eyelids.

I can barely breathe... Valentine thought, wheezing.

The whole way he was held over Noah's shoulder, his steel pauldron was digging deeper into his chest, squeezing him like a half-empty tube of toothpaste.

Letting out a faint Tsk, his whole body shuddered all of a sudden, feeling something cold akin to water brush past his skin. But as he raised his head, all he could see was a heavy stone doorway around them and a thin, translucent veil that disappeared before he had a chance to see it.

A sudden change had occurred all around them, not only in the air, but also within the three guests. Both the temperature and the smell had changed drastically; the lingering stench of sweat and old meat was suddenly replaced by fresh mountain air that didn't feel cold despite blowing in their faces from god knows where.

"Where are we?" He asked while actively trying to turn around despite half of his body being numb from his blood flow being restricted.

"Is this some sort of headquarters?"

Chuckling to himself, the knight looked at the boy on his shoulder before - albeit hesitantly - putting him down.

Caught off-guard by this reaction, Valentine had yet to adjust to standing on his feet, wobbling for a moment before clumsily falling on his butt and letting out a short yelp.

Feeling a pair of eyes trying to drill a hole through his skull, Noah answered his question with visible pride.

"This, Valentine, is a Preceptory belonging to my Knight Order, the Sky Rose Knights, which you should be quite familiar with by now."

"Yeah, yeah, now help me stand up, you nutjob; you basically disabled me."

With a sigh, Valentine held onto the hand he was given and shakily stood up, feeling his body come back to life.

He looked up from his legs, his eyes slightly widening before closing, a tear almost rolling down his cheek.

Why is it me that has to live in a dump...

The place was clean, almost pure compared to the streets of the Cradle, enough even to count as art in the eyes of Valentine.

The entrance itself seemed grand, with tall walls made of carved stone and a marbled floor that reflected their colors. In front, a multitude of corridors opened from left to right, with armoured knights walking around, either carrying something or chatting with each other about their day and the tasks they were given.

There were no exaggerated smells, nor any loud noises that tried to distract you from your thoughts.

The place seemed to bring peace and comfort, a sense of order, and, of course, esteem.

"Are you crying?" Snapping him from his daydreaming, Noah tried to shake Valentine, but instead got his hand slapped away with surprising force.

"Shut up, don't ever talk to me again."

"Why?"

"Jump off a cliff, you bastard."

"Alright...?"

Although a bit offended and confused, Noah gestured for the two to follow him into the building, letting Valentine explore some parts on his own and even partially learn how he lived.

In the process, his hatred had cooled down partially, mostly because the place was not what he expected.

It was something more like a campus rather than a grand mansion for knights to live in, with regular people doing normal work such as farming in smaller quantities, or craftsmanship of clothing, furniture, tools, and, to no one's surprise, weaponry.

Huh...

Valentine snorted as he passed another corridor, somehow being at the front of their little group.

His steps soon slowed, reaching the end of the marbled path in front of him.

A small field appeared within his view, a flattened square of grass and gravel that stood in the middle of the preceptory. A stone fence was built around it so as to not disturb the hallways around it and to separate the people standing inside it from the rest.

The sound of wood clanging echoed above as the open ceiling let the warm sun peek from above the clouds.

Before he could ask, Noah appeared beside him, leaning on the stone fence and looking at the people inside with a smile.

"Let's watch them for a while."

"Yeah..." Valentine agreed as if in a trance, his eyes unblinking at the sparring match happening in front of him.

As the sound of clanging grew, so did his interest.

He found himself unable to stop watching colors flash through the air, cutting through the wind before landing on one another and repeating.

It was his first time spectating something like this, and yet it was as if he understood how it worked.

A short girl stood on one side, with blonde hair tied in a bun and sharp eyes that seemed to see everything in front of her. In her hands was a wooden longsword almost as tall as her that she held with two hands above her head, blocking an incoming strike and redirecting it into the gravel with a smirk.

Her opponent was a taller man with a chillingly calm gaze; his eyes and slicked-back hair seemed lazy, but he moved just as professionally as the girl. His strikes were honest and precise, sending shivers down Valentine's spine each time he raised it and cut through the air in a splitting arc.

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It looked as if the girl was only defending from the man's endless barrage of slashes, managing to parry and deflect but not counter-attack.

But the man's slashes could not touch her; his every move was seen through each time, always coming but never reaching.

Another strike came, this time from the side.

The girl shifted her stance and, with a dull clang, predicted his strike with the side of her blade.

However, instead of being blocked, the man's blade passed through her block and landed at her side, making some of the spectators gasp.

"Phantom," Noah said from the side, his eyes burning with intensity. "That's the nickname he earned after gaining his Ignis."

"Ignis?"

"The special power one gets after having been blessed by Victoria's flames. That's the name they were given."

As his sword struck her side, the girl's body froze for a moment, her teeth clenching.

So that's what this thing is called.

Checking his palm with his vision, the white sparks returned, covering him whole.

Stealing a glance at Noah, the knight was once again covered in strange electric sparks that glowed with a blue hue.

His eyes blinked, turning the vision off before his eyes started hurting.

Cool...

He resumed watching the spar, his eyes staying on the girl as the sword in her hands faltered for a brief moment.

Not wasting his opportunity, the man nicknamed Phantom sent another strike her way, aiming for her left leg.

Just like before, the sound of swords clashing rang out, but right after, his weapon landed right on her calf.

The spar instantly became a one-sided onslaught of blunt slashes that could not be blocked no matter how much the girl wanted to defend; her perfect defense was rendered useless in seconds, and it seemed that there was no way for her to come out on top.

Yet despite being on the losing end, she stood her ground, steady, focused, and with a smirk that never went away as she took hits that would have rendered normal people immobile.

What is she doing?

Valentine thought to himself quietly, watching her get beaten up with a grimace.

Noah didn't comment on it, instead watching it with a determined gaze that lingered on the spots she was struck.

The boy's eyes widened in realization.

She hasn't shown her own power yet!

And just as he thought that, the moment for her to strike back appeared.

Growing bored of how easy it was, the Phantom's attacks grew in intensity, becoming stronger and faster as if intending to finish it sooner. But his precision fell; he couldn't land them as consistently, only managing to scrape the gravel as the girl dodged them right before he thought of his next move.

Her grip over her longsword visibly strengthened as the handle almost shattered in her hands, barely holding itself together from turning into a pile of splinters.

What happened next could not be seen by human eyes.

It was like time was skipped a second into the future, changing the frame from one to another.

In one second, the girl was standing with her sword in front of her, watching the phantom's blade fly toward her neck.

In another, it whistled past the place where she stood, catching nothing but dust left behind in her stead.

His calm facade finally broke as his expression fell into panic, his head trying to turn around and find her.

But it was already too late.

- Thunk!

With a loud, empty thunk, her longsword met the back of his head, knocking him out cold.

The man's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he soon fell onto the gravel, losing consciousness.

Everyone became quiet, not uttering a word.

The girl stood over the body, breathing heavily, her broken training sword thrown aside.

"It was a good match." She said before bowing her head and walking away as if nothing had happened.

The crowd that had gathered was also silent; no one cheered, no one cursed at the winner or the loser.

It was simply a sparring match, nothing more and nothing less; of course, people wouldn't react too much to it.

But for Valentine? It was a completely alien experience.

W-What was that?

He couldn't believe what he was seeing, or rather, didn't want to understand it.

He'd seen many things this world had to offer, but the longer he stayed here, the more he understood that maybe what he knew was just a single drop of the ocean.

"How was it?"

Noah suddenly asked from the side, his bright smile as frustrating as ever.

Right now, he wanted nothing more than to bash him in the head like that girl and walk away happy.

But...

"It was... fun."

He decided to postpone it for later; there would always be a chance to do it in the future.

The knight seemed happy with the answer, only looking back at the girl sitting down with her back leaning on the stone fence.

Only now could they notice that they weren't the only people practicing there, but their spar alone made everyone freeze up in place and watch it until the very end, as if not to disturb their focus.

"It's a good thing we came here," Noah said as he pointed at the group of people walking up to the girl. "Everyone's already here."

Before Valentine could ask, the knight went toward the group in long strides.

Don't leave without explaining things!

Valentine followed up right behind him, not trying to get left behind.