If there was one thing about Marco Flores that even his harshest critics had to admit, it was that he was a smart person.
It wasn't just that he was exceptionally well-read for a commoner. He had a way of conceiving uncanny solutions to problems. Those who went to the Dyon Academy with Marco, like Leo, remembered this from their studies. Reina had seen it in the Elder Tree. Even Marco, for all of the self-confidence he lacked, could tell that he was able to piece things together in a way others couldn't.
So as Marco stood face-to-face with Leo in a clash of blades, he was already figuring out how the Everlasting Flame had changed him. More importantly, he had worked out why the flame was doing it.
"Leo," he said. "From the first day we met, you've talked down to me. You never gave me a chance to prove myself!"
He quickly withdrew his sword and moved back, slamming the butt of it into Leo's stomach. As the blonde-haired Hero was sent stumbling back, Marco continued.
"You were always telling me I wasn't fast enough, wasn't strong enough. Well, look at me now!"
He turned his sword and struck down, attempting to hit Leo with the flat part of his blade. Despite his anger, he only meant to knock Leo out, not kill him. Leo hastily tried to roll out of the way, but it ended up being more of a clumsy fall. Either way, he barely dodged Marco's strike.
"For too long, you've acted like you're better than me. All of you nobles do! Why? Because you know what's best? No! Because you've got the shiniest armor and the richest parents. Well I'm tired of being treated like dirt just because I'm a commoner. This is my justice!"
Marco made it a point to use that final word as he swung the flat of his blade with all his might. In his estimation, the flame lent him strength whenever he felt he was right. And for his whole life, he had felt the struggle of being a scrawny commoner in a world full of bigger, stronger, and wealthier people. Now, with the flame's power, he could strike down Leo Baldew, the man that embodied all of things society constantly compared him to and made him feel inferior to.
Just as his saber, full of passion as it was, bore down on Leo, it met black steel. Leo's shield intercepted the blade and pushed it aside.
Marco only had time to raise his buckler weakly as Leo jumped up and tackled him. The force of it was actually enough to make Marco roll several feet back. Luckily, he held onto his saber and buckler, meaning the match wasn't over yet.
"Are you quite finished?" Leo asked through labored breaths and gritted teeth. He didn't give Marco a chance to answer as he was still flat on the ground. "I will never understand you Marco. You speak of justice, yet you are the one who manipulated our princess. You are the one who deceives and schemes like a villain. My family may be of noble heritage, but that has no bearing on whether they taught me right and wrong. Perhaps if your parents did the same you would be a better man."
The fire inside Marco's chest blazed once more. Even as his body was still reeling from the shock of having Leo smash into it, his mind raced with memories of his parents. His mother reading stories to him at night, his father teaching him to whittle.
"Don't you dare–"
And he was down again. He had jumped up to attack, but Leo saw it coming and shield-smacked him.
"Don't YOU dare!" bellowed Leo. "The royal and noble families built this kingdom! Your father wouldn't even have docks to work at if the nobles didn't fund sea trade. Princess Reina should've had you arrested for treason the moment she met you, you coward!"
That word again. Up Marco went. And down he went again.
Blind with rage, Marco continued to get up. And with pure skill, Leo put him back down every time.
Marco let the anger take him. He was sure that was what the Everlasting Flame wanted. He could feel it burning inside him. It only got hotter every time Leo knocked him down.
The shiny arsehole praised the nobility for all they "built." But it was the commoners that did the actual building. People like Marco's father almost, and sometimes did, broke their backs so that the nobles could have foreign gems or special fruits or whatever they fancied shipping from overseas. And how were they repaid? A barely livable wage, enough to afford a hut in a crime-ridden slum while Reina got a whole room for her dresses.
Then there was Marco himself. So uncommonly smart for a commoner. Even as his family barely scraped by he worked hard, studied harder, and saved his coins, all to become a Hero. To move up in the world. And what did the nobles do? Called him a coward and denied him every opportunity they had handed to them on a silver platter.
This was the justice that made Marco get up over and over again. He wanted a world where no one was automatically considered better than anyone else. Where anyone could advance. He wanted it so badly that tears welled up in his eyes as he charged at Leo again and again.
Unfortunately, tenacity alone was not enough. On one attack run Leo managed to hit Marco hard on the head with the pommel of his sword. He stayed down.
In between deep breaths, Leo turned to Reina. "He's finished."
But Leo was surprised to see that Reina looked...saddened? Even though Marco was holding her hostage, her reaction to his defeat seemed to be one of pity.
"I...suppose he is."
Slowly, somewhat reluctantly, she raised her hand to call an end to the match.
"No!"
Somehow, with excruciating effort, Marco began propping himself up on his sword.
"Why?" He looked at Leo. "What are you fighting for?"
"To protect my kingdom."
The response came without hesitation. It actually made Marco burst into laughter.
Leo turned red upon seeing this. Raising his sword, he ran at Marco.
"Enough of this mockery! I shall end this once and for all!"
Of course, Leo couldn't know that there was no mockery. Marco was laughing at himself. He was so wrapped up in his rage that he had forgotten Leo also had the blessing of the Everlasting Flame. And, just like Marco, Leo had his own sense of justice. Whether or not Marco agreed with it, it still drove Leo into battle and made him one of the kingdom's most celebrated Heroes.
It was an odd state to be in. Leo was charging at him, fully intending to beat him half to death, and yet Marco was having an epiphany. Then again, epiphanies rarely happen in completely peaceful circumstances.
Marco realized he still wanted to defeat Leo. Only now it wasn't out of hatred. Leo was right about some things. Marco's relationship with Reina had been anything but forthright. He did regret it, but had also convinced himself that it was a necessary evil.
For all his talk of wanting to be a Hero, Marco hadn't really saved anyone. Not since the battle of Monument Tower. He had been too wrapped up in just having the title that he never really thought about what it meant.
Even so, Marco did want to be better. He wanted it with all his heart. Maybe it was because he wanted to prove people like Leo wrong. Maybe it was because he wanted to give his parents a better life. Or maybe he just wanted to be a legendary Hero like in the stories. Whatever it was, it was his greatest desire.
That's when things got even stranger. Time seemed to slow for Marco. Leo was still coming at him, but no longer at the unbelievable speeds they had been fighting at. Marco could actually see Leo's path, as if he himself had attacked someone the same way before. In fact, his mind flashed with the image of an old swordsmanship manual from the academy. A picture clear as if the book was in front of him, and he realized the memory depicted the exact manner in which Leo was attacking him. Not just that, another image flashed that showed him how to counter it.
Marco didn't need to think more after that. The fire within him burned once more, giving him a burst of strength just as Leo was in front of him.
This time, Leo attacked with a sword thrust. Marco ducked and held his buckler above his head, causing the thrust to continue gliding over him. Continuing his movement, he grabbed Leo's sword arm and got to his feet as he leaned forward. This let him use Leo's momentum against him to throw him to the ground.
But that wasn't all. A new mental image showed another page of the manual. Following it, he twisted Leo's arm, being sure to put pressure on the wrist. Sure enough, Leo cried out in pain and loosened his grip. Marco grinned.
He was going to win!
He gave the arm one last, excruciating twist. Then he heard Leo's anguished cry before something smashed into his face.
His left eye went dark as his right eye saw the ground approach. After several bewildered moments, he sat up to a massive headache.
The first thing he saw was Leo, who was crouched in an awkward position with his leg out. Marco took a few seconds to realize that he was just kicked. He put his hand to his face to rub it and see if it was swollen. When he did, he remembered that he was supposed to be holding a sword.
"No!"
He looked at Leo, who looked back at him with a mix of bitterness and surprise. His hands were empty too!
Before Marco could ask, Reina's voice came from far away.
"The match is over!"
Marco's gaze shifted to her. Along the way, he saw the utter shock on the faces of everyone in the crowd.
"It's...a draw."