"So Allen, are you ready for your match against the prince?," Thomas asked, while Allen, Cecily and him were all walking towards the training room after class.
"I believe so, though I don't know how skilled August is," Allen admitted.
"Well, just know I will be rooting for you!," Thomas smiled as he gave him a thumbs up.
"Thanks"
They arrived at the training room, where everyone else was already there.
August was in the middle of swinging his sword, while Alice watched from a distance. She seemed to be curiously eyeing his movements.
Stephen was sitting on the side in the bleachers, talking to no other than Rose herself. It seems she finally decided to come back to the training room with everyone, though Allen wasn't sure if it was a coincidence she decided to come back on the day he would be dueling against August.
Stephen stopped talking for a moment to turn and wave to the three of them. Rose noticed his change in attention, and looked over and saw them. Once she saw Allen, she quickly looked away.
"Oh, Rose actually came today," Thomas pointed out.
"Yeah, she did," Allen said awkwardly, once again remembering what happened between Rose and himself.
Once August had noticed Allen had arrived, he quickly made his way over to him.
"Ah, you're finally here," August nodded.
"Our classes are all the way in the back, so it's a bit of a track to get over here," Allen laughed.
"I see," August nodded. "Ah, and I see you brought your friends as well with you. Are they also your club members as well?"
"Yeah, they are. I'm sure Stephen probably filled you in," Allen responded.
"Thomas, and Cecily, right?," he politely asked.
"Yes sir!," Thomas grinned.
"Ah, I haven't introduced myself. I am the First Prince of England, August Lionheart. But you both can call me August. A pleasure to meet both of you," he smiled.
"Pleased to meet you," Cecily respectfully nodded.
"Yeah, nice to meet you as well," Thomas awkwardly said. He probably wasn't sure how to do formalities.
"Well now, Allen. Should we start our duel?"
"I'm ready whenever you are"
"Good to hear. I have been waiting patiently," he grinned, with a determined look on his face.
The two of them went into the center of the room, preparing themselves. They had selected Stephen to oversee the duel, as he knew both of them and everyone decided he would be the best person to oversee it. Everyone else was in the stands together, eagerly waiting for the duel to happen.
Allen once again glanced over at Rose. However, she did her best not to make eye contact with him. Guess he will have to try talking to her later, if she is ready.
"So, how will this duel work? What rules are you two wanting to set?," Stephen asked, watching both of them prepare themselves.
"I know I requested this duel, but I hope you can let me set the rules for this duel?," August asked politely.
"No, I don't mind. What were you thinking, August?," Allen asked.
"I would like to have a duel, without the use of magic," August declared.
"August, you want to have a magic duel… without magic?," Stephen asked, confused.
Stephen wasn't the only one that was confused. Everyone else in the room seemed to be, including Allen. Why would he want to do a duel without the use of magic?
"Precisely. Both of us use swords, so I would like to see how Allen fights with a sword, without the use of magic," he explained.
He wants to know how I fight with just a sword?, Allen asked. The idea both confused and intrigued him.
Allen has always used a sword to make up for what he cannot do with his magic. Also due to how he uses his mana, it boosts his speed overall, which makes winning a lot easier. He can increase his overall speed while being able to cut through magic with his sword.
"So let me get this straight. You want to duel Allen, just with your swords?," Stephen asked, still seeming to try to wrap his head around what August suggested.
"Correct. You can think of this as a regular duel, you know, one without magic. A non-magic duel," he elaborated.
"Why would you want to know how I fight with a sword?," Allen asked.
"Since you and I are one of the only few at this academy to actually fight with a sword, I only wish to see what you are capable of without using your magic to help you," he elaborated.
Interesting. So he wants to see how well I fight with a sword, without using my magic to help me, Allen thought. I am definitely interested in this duel now.
"But why would you want to see what he is capable of with just his sword? Wouldn't it make sense to also allow magic so you can see his full capabilities?," Stephen asked. "Because from my understanding, Allen uses both magic and sword in order to give himself an edge in a duel"
"Good point, but for me personally it would be easier to study his fighting style if he is not using magic at the same time," August answered.
Just what is he planning?, Allen thought. Surely there's more to this?
"Well, if you want a duel without the use of magic, then I'll agree to it," Allen said, readying himself with his sword. "Just don't complain when I win"
"Allen, I think you underestimate the true capabilities of a weapon," August answered, smirking.
True capabilities?, Allen thought. Just what does he mean?
"Alright then, any sort of attacks that do serious harm to your opponent, are of course forbidden. The match ends when someone steps out of the boundary zone, admits defeat, or goes unconscious. Do both of you agree?"
Wow, Stephen could be a great duel referee in the future, Allen thought as he chuckled to himself.
"I am," Allen said while doing one final stretch.
"Of course," August nodded, getting into some sort of stance.
"Then let the duel begin!," Stephen announced.
With the duel beginning, Allen began to watch August closely. However, just like Allen, August hasn't moved an inch yet. It seemed August was doing the same thing, trying to get a reading on Allen.
"Well August? Aren't you going to attack?"
"I'll let you have the first move," August answered, a confident look on his face.
He really wants me to make the first move? Well then, guess I better not disappoint him.
Without magic, Allen won't be able to move as quickly as he would like, but that isn't too much of an issue. He had training with Rose early in the year so he could increase his overall capabilities while limiting the use of his magic.
However, he won't be able to use any of his magic at all. But, this also means August can't use any of his magic either. Just what will August do?
Either way, Allen needed to make a move, as he is just standing there while August is waiting for him.
He began to rush in towards him, ready to land his first strike on August. August seemed to be waiting for him, the confident look still on his face. As he landed his strike, however, August easily blocked.
"Nice try, but you're going to have to do better," he told him as he pushed with enough force to push Allen back.
Just what is he up to; just what is he planning?, Allen thought again.
He couldn't read his movements at all. Granted, the duel just started, but August seemed completely unreadable.
Allen decided to go in for more strikes repeatedly, but August easily blocked each one. Even with the force Allen was applying while trying to move forward, August didn't even move an inch backwards and kept Allen off of him.
"Your strikes are very quick, but don't have any sort of flow to them. It's almost as if you are striking randomly wherever you may see an opening," August lectured him.
Was he really going to tell me what I am apparently doing wrong in the middle of our duel?, Allen thought, still trying to figure out where August was going with this. Is he that confident enough to hold his own against me while also giving me some pointers?
Allen backed up a bit to give himself some room and time to try to read August's movements again. But no matter how much he tried to study him, he couldn't get anything.
Then there was his defense. Each time Allen struck, he easily defended. Not only that, but he blocked as if he had been doing this his entire life. He seemed to waste no movement whatsoever each time he moved. Allen had to admit, he was really good. But could he still win?
"You seem to be confused on how I defended," August said out loud, as if he was reading Allen's thoughts. "But now that you've seen my defense, it's time for you to see my offense"
His offense?, he thought.
However, Allen had no more time to think before August quickly went in to strike back. Allen began to have a difficult time defending each strike.
Once again, it seemed he wasted no movement whatsoever. And with each strike, he was managing to push Allen back, slowly pushing him out of the boundary zone. At this point he was either going to lose by stepping outside the zone, or August making an attack that Allen could not defend.
August seemed to notice Allen's nervousness, and began to use that to his advantage. He began to push harder, leading Allen to seconds before defeat.
I have to do something fast! I need to find an opening!, Allen thought hard, trying to find a quick way to turn things around before he lost.
Just right before he was about to step outside the boundary zone, he found an opening. He went straight for it, as quick as he could. However, it seemed August had planned for this, as he suddenly had a grin on his face.
"Got you," he said as he suddenly turned things around and hit Allen's sword in a way where it began to fly out of his hand and into the air.
"Wha-," Allen began to say as he realized what was happening.
His sword began to make its way back to the ground, but August caught it before it had fallen. He pointed his own sword at Allen.
"I admit defeat," Allen announced, realizing he was completely out of options.
"Allen admitted defeat, so the duel is August's win," Stephen announced out loud.
Everyone that was watching was in awe as to the outcome of the battle. They were probably used to Allen winning, or at least putting up a good fight, so him suddenly losing completely was probably unexpected.
Either way, it was his loss. August had completely bested him. And Allen couldn't help but admire August's fighting style.
"Guess that makes it my win," he nodded.
"Mind if I have my sword back?," Allen asked, since it was still being held by August.
"Yeah sure, I was just looking at it for a second," he said as he examined the blade.
He was about to give it back, but suddenly he had a weird look on his face, as if he had gotten punched in the gut or something similar. His eyes became wide as he looked at the blade for the last time, and then quickly handed it back to Allen.
"What's wrong?," Allen asked, confused at August's sudden reaction.
"Nothing," he said as he looked like he was thinking to himself.
"Alright then," Allen gave him a confused look as he sheathed his blade away.
"Allen, do you mind if I ask where you got your sword?," he asked as he sheathed away his own sword.
"No, I don't mind. I had gotten it from my mentor after the end of my training a few years ago. Apparently it was my mother's beforehand," Allen explained.
"Oh right, I had heard something like the Head Director was your mentor or something"
"He was. He had handed it to me, but refused to tell me who my mother was"
"Ah, so you don't know who your mother is, then," he replied as he continued to look like he was thinking about something.
"Yeah, I've been wondering this entire time," Allen awkwardly responded.
"Ah, I see"
While August and Allen were talking, Thomas and Stephen made their way over to them.
"Dang, that was a crazy duel, how did that even happen?," Thomas asked excitedly.
"You mean how Allen absolutely lost?," Stephen laughed.
"Oh, shut up," Allen stared at him.
"I think Allen did very well, but now I see…"
"See what?," the three of them asked at the same time.
"Allen's overall technique," August answered.
"My… technique?," he asked, curious.
"While I can tell you possess innate talent with a blade, your technique is unrefined," August elaborated.
"My technique… is unrefined?," he asked.
He wasn't entirely sure what August was talking about, but after dueling with him, he has a better idea of it than if he hadn't dueled him.
When it comes to fighting with a sword, Allen figures he's somewhat good, and it definitely gives him an edge in battle against other mages, as most mages don't use a sword or another weapon.
When he fought Rose, her way of fighting was very skilled, and Allen could tell she trained hard to get where she is today.
However, after dueling August, his skill level with a sword far surpasses both Rose and Allen. Allen could never land a strike, and had a hard time defending against August's own strikes. The way he carried himself, and the way he dueled flowed so well, it was almost as if it was an art of its own.
"You see, there's more to fighting with a sword, or a weapon for that matter, than just hacking, slashing and striking. But you probably knew part of that"
"Yeah I figured, especially after my training with Rose. But now I have a better understanding after dueling against you," Allen scratched the back of his head.
"But after dueling against you, I can safely say that in due time, you will no doubt be formidable with a sword," August nodded.
"Wow, the prince himself is complimenting you, Allen. You should be honored," Stephen grinned. Allen just gave him a small glare.
"Anyways, thank you," Allen smiled.
"No problem," August smiled back. "Oh, and by the way, care for a second duel?"
"A second duel?," Allen, Thomas and Stephen asked at the same time.
"You didn't mishear me," August grinned.
August then explains how for this second and final duel, they will both be permitted to use magic. Essentially a regular magic duel, unlike the first one.
"I want to see for myself if you really are this supposed 'Weakest Mage' that everyone seems to call you," August eyed him curiously.
Now he wants a duel where I can use my magic too. Will he still beat me? Well, I can at least try.
"Alright, then I'll show you what I am fully capable of," Allen grinned as he swung around his blade a little.
"Good, then let's get ready for our second duel," he said as he pulled out another sword, a different one from the sword he used first.
Well, this one was not quite a sword. It was more of just a handle and a hilt. There wasn't a blade at all. Allen began to wonder what the purpose of a sword like that would be if there isn't a blade to it.
"Wait, what kind of sword is that? Is that even a sword?," Allen asked, eyeing whatever it was.
"Good point, what kind of weapon is that?," Stephen asked, also confused.
"It's my second sword," he explained while casting a spell.
"Wait, what are you doing-"
After he cast his elemental circle, the blade began to form on his sword. However, it was made out of his own earth magic.
"Woah, that's so cool! How did you do that?," Thomas asked giddily.
"Wow, you need a good amount of control to be able to do that with your magic," Stephen said, amused.
"It's a bit of an experiment or a work-in-progress for me, but I intend to improve it," he explained. "My other sword is my main sword, and has no magical properties whatsoever"
"Ah, is your sword some sort of royal sword?" Stephen asked.
"Indeed it is. It's my family's sword, and has been passed down generation after generation," he answered as he motioned to his sheathed blade.
Now that Allen had a better look at it, it was gray and purple in color. Sort of a royal purple kind of color, almost the same color as the prince's eyes.
"Well, should we get on with our second duel?," he asked, while Stephen and Thomas were still admiring his earth magic sword.
Both of them once again got into their positions, but this time they both began to prepare using their magic.
Allen didn't know what other ways August could use his magic, but if he could utilize it to create a sword, he figured he had good control over it.
He also wasn't sure how well August knew of his own magic. Did he know he had to use mana instead of magic?
Guess the only way to find out is through this duel, Allen thought.
Either way, he still had to deal with August's excellent sword skills. Allen had to utilize his mana well if he wanted to win.
"Are you both ready?," Stephen asked, looking at each of them.
"Yeah"
"Of course"
"Then let the second duel between Allen and August begin!," Stephen announced with the motion of his hand.
While August cautiously watched Allen, Allen had made no effort to waste any time. He decided to concentrate on the fluctuation of his mana, condensing it in his legs, so he could move quickly.
August eyed him suspiciously as he watched Allen. He probably didn't know what he was doing, but he was most likely interested in whatever Allen was trying to achieve.
Before August could realize what he was doing, Allen was already rushing towards him. Allen made sure to condense as much mana to his legs as he could, as he would need to use speed in this duel if he wanted to beat August.
August finally got into position to defend, as Allen already closed half of the distance between them.
Before Allen went in to strike, he quickly redirected his mana to condense in his sword arm, so he could quickly move it to strike.
August was not expecting the speed at which Allen would strike, and was not fully prepared to defend. However, since he is quite skilled, he managed to defend before the last second.
But as Allen struck, his sword cut through August's blade, destroying it. Allen had expected this to happen, considering his sword is able to cut through magic. However, August was not expecting this at all.
August had to quickly back up, in order to prevent getting cut. He quickly unsheathed his first sword and used it to block Allen's follow up attack.
"Well, you completely broke my magic I used to create my sword," August chuckled as he began to push Allen's sword off of his own.
"Weren't expecting that, were you?," Allen grinned.
"You're also very quick, are you using magic for that?," August asked after he put some distance between them "But I haven't seen you cast a single spell!"
"I don't know, you tell me," Allen grinned again, as he condensed his mana back to his legs.
With Allen once again going in to strike, August had to do his best to keep up with each of his attacks. While August has the upper hand when it comes to using a blade, Allen has the upperhand with his speed and magic.
August began to attack with spells, sending earth magic Allen's way whenever he could put distance between them. Allen however, kept cutting through or dodging each of them.
Each time he cut through his spells, he moved to close the gap, but wasn't able to get through August's defense.
August however, was running out of mana to use, and he could tell. He started to have to rely more on his own attacks with his sword.
Not too long after, Allen managed to find an opening in his defense, then used his speed to quickly maneuver and put his sword next to August's neck.
"You got me good, I admit defeat," August admitted.
"The duel is over, Allen wins!," Stephen announced.
"Well, I have to admit, you got me good with your magic," August smiled.
"I wasn't casting magic, I was using my innate mana," Allen explained.
"Innate mana?," August asked.
Allen filled him in on how he uses his mana. Since he cannot cast magic normally, like everyone else, he instead uses the very little mana he has to increase his overall speed. While he was explaining this to him, Stephen and Thomas once again made their way over to them.
"Interesting. I never would've suspected that you could use mana like that. How do you do that, anyways?," he asked, intrigued.
"Well, it's a bit hard to explain. You have to concentrate, and feel the mana flow within you, I suppose," Allen tried his best to explain.
"Hmm, I see. So if I were to be able to utilize the mana within me instead of casting a spell, I can do things like you do?," August asked, wanting to know more.
"I suppose so, but I don't fully understand it myself. It's, like an instinct, I suppose. But it requires a bit of concentration. I'm not really sure," Allen rubbed his temples, trying to find a reasonable explanation for him.
"So, it's something I have to figure out for myself, then?," August asked for clarification.
"Don't worry too much about it. The rest of us can't wrap our heads around it either," Stephen shrugged.
"Honestly, Allen confuses me too much," Thomas nodded his head.
"I'm not that weird, am I?," Allen exclaimed.
"Yes you are," Thomas and Stephen said at the same time.
"And you two aren't weird either?"
The three of them began to laugh while August was curious about their conversation.
"Anyways, thank you for the two duels Allen. I think I might learn a thing or two from that," August nodded.
"I certainly also could learn something too. I have a long way to go before I can get to your skill level that you showed me," Allen agreed.
"I wouldn't mind teaching you a thing or two about how to use a sword better"
"Yeah, if you don't mind, that would be great!"
"Why don't you just join our Training Club, then?," Stephen suggested. "Allen's the club president by the way"
"Why is that important?," Allen exclaimed while glaring at him a little.
"I wouldn't mind joining the club, if you guys would let me," August nodded. "I am rather curious as to how you all utilize your magic. I certainly want to get better at using my own magic"
"Sure, we'll just need to speak to my father first. We can stop by his office tomorrow," Stephen nodded.
"Sounds like a plan," August agreed.
"Before we leave, Prince August, do you mind showing me how you formed your sword using magic?," Thomas asked, getting excited.
"Sure, I can show you real quick before I leave. Also, you can just call me August"
"August it is!," Thomas exclaimed while the two of them went off to the side of the room.
"By the way Allen…," Stephen started to lean in towards Allen.
"What's up?," Allen asked, confused.
"You might want to go have a conversation with our Blue Rose over there," he suggested as he pointed over to her.
Rose noticed them looking at her, and she quickly looked away, her face getting red.
"See what I mean?"
"Uh- about what?," Allen asked, getting flustered. Stephen just had to indirectly remind him about what happened between Rose and himself.
"Well, I don't have any clue, but I can tell something is amiss between the two of you. It's been really obvious ever since we left the training camp"
"I see…," Allen said, looking at the floor.
"Just go talk to her. I'm pretty sure she is willing to talk, given she showed up today"
"Well, I-"
"Just go," he said as he sighed.
He pushed him in the direction of Rose, then gave him a pat on the shoulder before walking over to August and Thomas, where August was already in the middle of demonstrating his magic.
Well, it's now or never, Allen thought to himself as he built up the courage to go talk to her.