The place where the tournament would take place was Duskae's main plaza, located in the hearth of the city. It was a place that was easily accessible as it was connected to the 4 main gates of Duskae, located at the North, South, East and West, by its 4 main roads. As a matter of fact, St Gaia's Chapel is located in the North East of Duskae.
There were 18 square platforms. Each with a side of length 100 m , all of them surrounded by rows and rows of seats. Above the platforms lied 4 giant screens made of wind that transmitted the fights in different platforms live.
The only requirement for you to appear on them only being popularity.
Logan was not widely known as a person nor was the other orphans from any orphanage in Duskae.
So he was sure that he'd not appear in there at any moment.
Logan also had another reason for participating apart from battle experience. He wanted to see how his abilities was compared to his peers.
He'd never properly observed the other children in St. Gaia. He could not afford to lose more time than he'd already lost at the beginning. Logan had began his training a week after the others had. From his perspective, there was a large chasm between himself and his peers.
*Clang* *Clang* *Clang* *Clang*
The bell signified the finishing of the inauguration ceremony.
While Logan was deep in his thoughts, it had finished.
It was time to start the tournament.
- Ladies and Gentlemen! - all of a sudden a face appeared on all 4 screens. It was the face of a young man who could be said to be around 18 years old. His appearance average, his hair a faded red and his smile menial - Children and adults! Welcome once again to the annual Duskae tournament for the young! I'm your host Samuel Jamison and I'll be commenting on the following combats. But first of all, let's thank the primary sponsors of the tournament! The Feudal Lord of this city and his wife Count and Countess Wessex!!
The screens changed to showing Samuel to showing the couple. Count and Countess Wessex shook their hands in front of the camera. The couple looked like a prince and a princess from a fairy tale. The Count while in his 30's looked extremely handsome whilst the Countess in her 30's looked extremely gorgeous. These features coupled with their reputation made them extremely charismatic.
- Woooooo!!!! - the crowd cheered.
Logan smiled as if influenced by the atmosphere.
- Nervous? - Locus saw Logan's smile and asked with an understanding smile of her own.
- More excited than nervous. I am feeling butterflies in my stomach but the excitement won't die down.
- This is your first ever tournament so it's understandable - Locus gazed melancholically at the platforms in front of her.
- You do not seem nervous Loc. Any previous experience? Any tips that you could give me? - Locus was a spirit, but different from others, she had the appearance of a human. She was very mysterious. She had previously told Logan that she had some form of amnesia but had recently recovered some of her memories. Logan could not help but enquire about her past.
- I do not know exactly when or how, but I seem to have done some sort of tournaments. Sorry, it's not that I do not trust you Log but I need time to sort my thoughts. I'll tell you what's on my mind with time. So when it's time, will you listen to me?
- Of course. The same goes for you. When the time arrives, will you listen to me?
- Yes.
Words were not needed for Logan to understand what Locus was thinking. He knew by looking into her eyes that whatever was unlocked in her memories must have made her confused or even scared. Whenever a topic concerning her memory was mentioned, she always looked hurt or melancholic or both. He knew she needed time.
Locus felt the same looking at Logan. She knew that a transformation was happening inside his mind. She knew because in the rare occurrence that Logan sleeps, she always lends him her lap. Whenever Logan sleeps, he has visions of something. He mumbles things without a meaning and sometimes he end up in tears, sobbing even. She knew he needed time.
- Now, enough of this atmosphere. It's time for my debut - Logan tried to change the atmosphere by encouraging himself.
The tournament would last for 4 days, with an age group occupying a day each. The tournament would start with the 7-9 category first with the 2 sections of martial arts and martial arts and elemental combat occupying half of the stages each.
There were many participants so it was an elimination round throughout the tournament. In simple terms, you lose you're out.
Logan's first combat would be in the martial arts plus elemental control section and his first opponent was someone by the name Jonas Jones.
His platform was located in the inner section of the arena so someone would have to really focus to see the fight from the seats. This was advantageous for Logan as he wouldn't need to worry to much about exposing some of his abilities. To make it better, some other children from the same orphanage would be competing at the same time as he did so Sister Maria and Cloud would not put their attention on him.
But, just to be cautious, Locus would stay on the seats near the St Gaia's bunch, always having an eye on Maria or Cloud. Locus and Logan could communicate mentally at a distance thanks to the contract they made.
Before going on stage....
- Good luck Log.
- Thanks
Then the two friends fist bumped.
**********
Logan stepped into the platform. The boy, Jonas, was 90 m away from him. Logan could cover that distance in 5 seconds. He couldn't use elementals to fight the battle so he would need to fight Jonas with martial arts.
Jonas had traces of green in his originally ashen hair, so Logan knew he was a wind spirit user. The power of a spirit contractor of Gand was displayed by his or her hair, the brighter and the more vivid the colour was, the stronger the affinity with spirits that control that elemental is.
Logan's hands were sweaty, his heart rate was fast and his skin was boiling. The turmoil from around him entered his ears, it was almost deafening.
It was his first combat.
It was his first opponent.
Logan knew that there was no risk involved for they had a referee. The referee would intervene if he deemed the impact to be lethal.
Was this excitement or fear? Logan did not know. He pushed all the feelings deep inside him. He could not allow them to blur his purpose.
Logan would give his all. This was his opportunity to change what he had once been. To truly embed Locus's lecture into his body.
On the other hand, Jonas was feeling very confident. He'd been nervous like Logan at first but after seeing Logan's hair colour, his feeling changed. A disgusted grunt came out of his mouth.
He was the son of a very rich merchant so he'd been receiving 1 to 1 martial arts training since his 7th birthday. His affinity with the wind spirits was low but he was confident of his martial arts. Jonas was now feeling cocky, he thought that his high class born self mission was to punish this sinner in front of him, to show him where he truly belonged.
- So are the 2 of you ready? -asked the referee.
- Yes - said Logan and Jonas almost simultaneously.
- Ok. 3.....2.....1 - Logan's gaze had never left Jonas, his posture that of someone who's getting ready to run. Jonas did the same but his posture appeared to be more relaxed, as if emphasising that he was confronting trash. - Begin!
Logan dashed forward like a lion after his prey. Jonas spread his arms outward and a wind spirit elemental materialised behind him.
"3 seconds before contact" - Logan thought. Locus had taught him that the most important thing about martial arts overall was gauging one self's and the opponent's range of attack.
Logan estimated his opponent's elements to have a range of 50 m and his martial arts to have a range of 40 m. He also estimated the casting time to be 4 seconds by the way the wind elementals were attracted to Jonas's spirit.
Add in the time needed for aiming and it was too much. Either, Jonas underestimated him or it was a bluff. Either way, his opponent was inviting him inside and that's what Logan wanted.
"1 second before contact"
Jonas panicked in front of the speeding Logan and shot the wind spell rapidly towards the straight line Logan was tracing towards Jonas.
The advantage of wind elemental spells were their low visibility but Jonas didn't know how to make use of that.
Logan lightly side stepped to the side to avoid the spell and entered Jonas's range.
Jonas was suffering from the second long fatigue the spell gave him but he forced his body to deliver a punch with his right hand. His training showed as his wind spirit helped his punch to gain momentum and speed.
Logan's martial arts range was less than Jonas's for his height was lower. Logan needed to prode deeper into Jonas's formation.
He side stepped forward and kicked Jonas's knee from the side at the same time he used his left hand to grab Jonas's right arm with his left hand.
Logan made use of Jonas's momentum to pull Jonas nearer to himself. Jonas tumbled forward, with his posture made shambles, he entered Logan's killing zone.
Logan made use of Jonas's momentum and used his right elbow to hit him in the face.
Logan was surprised. His opponent's posture was easily crumbled and he did not defend against his elbow. At first he thought that the spell was a bluff for him enter his opponent's martial area, Logan had to enter anyway so he accepted with gusto. Locus used the same move against him once but who ended up being hit was Logan.
Logan had been cautious of this. But now he was just surprised. Jonas's last punch was made out of desperation and looked extremely amateurish in Logan's eyes.
But he could not let his guard down.
Jonas tumbled backward. Logan swept Jonas's feet off the floor. When Jonas lay in the middle of the air, Logan used both arms to shoot a double punch towards Jonas's abdomen.
A mouthful of blood came out of Jonas's mouth.
*Bang*
Jonas hit the floor. Logan pointed an upside down flat palm towards Jonas's neck.
- Do you give up? - Logan said as he tried to sound as terrifying as possible. He'd gotten this from Locus.
But he received no response. When he looked at his opponent's eyes, only their white remained. Foam was coming out of Jonas's mouth.
At this moment Logan knew he messed up. He'd displayed a bit too much. It was overkill.
- .....K.O! - the referee was flabbergasted but he quickly shouted the outcome of the battle - Logan of St. Gaia wins.
Only 10 seconds had passed since the beginning of the battle.
Logan looked around him. He knew he messed up, 10 seconds was too fast for a battle.
But he could not see anything. His vision was surrounded by red, blue, yellow, white... all kinds of colours.
The colours came from the different spells that were being casted by the different participants.
Logan was a bit relieved. He could not see the spectators. So he hoped the spectators could not see him. He hoped this could serve as a kind of smokescreen to hide himself.
That's when he realised something.
"The screens!" - he thought - "Loc! How is the situation out there?"
.....
.....
.....
Locus did not respond. Logan taught of the worse outcome.
- Log..... - finally, she answered - You have displayed too much.....
Logan took 3 seconds to process the information.
- What does that mean? - Logan started feeling cold sweat - Loc! What does that mean?!