To think Cerila would actually unleash Grandpa's Holy Artifact, Hubris…not only that, but in such a public place.
Grandpa once told me that the Holy Kingdom would stop at nothing to retrieve that sword. That war was basically a guarantee the moment they located it. That was why Grandpa hid himself away, deep in the jungle, and never left until he was old and gray.
I'm not sure why Cerila chose now of all times. Was it some type of honor she felt as Grandpa's disciple facing off against their arch-rival? A hubris-filled statement to the world, showing the new owner of the Holy Artifact? I wasn't certain, but I did know that I would be having a conversation with her once the match was over.
The crowd began to mumble amongst each other, all of them confirming what they already knew to be true. I wasn't a follower of Amon-Ra's region, but I did know that Holy Artifacts were items that were revered in the religion. Seeing them depicted in scripture or on church grounds was expected, which was even more apparent considering Hubris was the most famous of the Holy Artifacts, the one blade wielded by the first War God and the man who apparently slayed Talgan, Tyldiur.
Ren hesitated at the sight of the weapon as the crowd's collective voice rose. But that was silenced as the clash of blades commenced once again. Not much had changed from before. It didn't appear that Hubris gave Cerila some kind of enhanced strength like Ren's sword, or at least that's how it appeared. Yet, for some reason, it felt as if Ren was on her back foot more in each exchange.
Is she nervous? Was she overwhelmed by the power and fame of that sword? But I heard that her sword was on par with a Holy Artifact, and of all the things to shake up Ren, I don't believe that would be enough.
Cerila's swipe connected with immense force, crunching Ren's attempt at a block. It looked as if Cerila intended to end the fight within the next strike, but mist bellowed out of Ren's blade, followed by a huge purple crystal sprouting out from the ground.
Cerila was forced back, but she answered the expanding crystal magic with her own. The temperature in the stadium took a noticeable nosedive as, in a flash, what could only be described as a field of ice spikes came into existence. The beautiful ice magic and the purple crystals fought against each other for supremacy. But even that did not last long, as Ren's crystals began to shatter under the force of Cerila's magic.
Ren is supposed to use her sword's power sparingly for the time being. That was an order from me, even if it was a handicap. With only a week to practice, she can use the sword's power two more times safely.
After all, this fight is meaningless if any one of them dies.
The display of powerful magic was over, and like it never happened, the two swordswomen began to attack each other with reinvigorated swings. But Ren had done something I had not anticipated. Instead of using the sword twice and sparingly, she absorbed a lot of ambient mana in one go. Which was not ideal for her health, but…she seemed fine for the time being.
The two of them were a blur as they moved across the stadium floor, kicking up clouds of blue ice and shards of broken purple crystal. I had to lean forward and really pay attention now. The two of them were moving at speeds that paled in comparison to what they were moving at before. One dark gray blur and another white swung furiously at each other.
Ren, who had been on the back foot since Hubris's reveal, was now evenly matched with Cerila. Within a minute of trading blows, the two began to collect a substantial amount of shallow wounds across their arms, legs, and even their faces. Fresh blood dripped down from Ren's early wounds, and Cerila sported a new sizable gash just above her eyebrow.
Cerila launched a swathe of sharp icicles at Ren from the tip of her sword, which the latter cut down with a single swipe of her katana. The shards of blue ice exploded into a fine powder as Ren burst through the cloud, sword at the ready. Cerila brought up the greatsword and blocked the strike, followed by a quick thrust.
Ren parried the blow, sending the tip of Cerila's blade down toward the ground. Ren followed it up with a swift elbow to Cerila's chin, but instead of being surprised or stunned by it. Cerila launched a close-range blast of ice magic, which Ren tried to block with her arms.
The ice formed quickly around Ren's arms. Her metal gauntlets cracked under the magic as it seemed she was caught in Cerila's trap. Cerila kicked forward with all her might and hit Ren in her frozen arms, sending her flying through the air. But as Ren was about to crash into her own crystal, it warped and swallowed the flying princess whole.
Cerila sliced at where Ren had been consumed, but just like with Malachi, it was a feint. Ren exploded out from the crystal with her sword already mid-swing, connecting directly with Cerila's chest plate, taking a chunk of metal and flesh with it. It was the most severe wound Cerila had received yet, but it wasn't nearly enough to stop her.
The two of them continued to fight at the level of War Gods, or at the very least, right below it. If it were me down there in place of either one of them, I would struggle to maintain that power and speed. I might not even be able to compete with either of them in a blow-versus-blow scenario directly.
I would be forced to utilize magic and keep them at bay for as long as possible, tiring them out before striking when it was most advantageous for me. But in three, or no, even two years' time…would I be able to beat Cerila? She's grown much more powerful since we last fought. Even Ren as she was now, I wouldn't lose to her. But given enough time…I might not be so confident.
This limit of having the potential to become the best of the best was quite annoying. I haven't managed to figure out how to change that, even with my soul merging with a Dragon's. I might never be able to change that fact about me.
Even so, I can't be left behind. I won't give up so easily or let some predetermined measurement determine my fate. After all, there are other ways to bridge the gap.
Either way, the fight between Cerila and Ren was coming to an anticlimactic close. Cerila was tired. There was no way swinging around that sword, no matter how special it was, wouldn't sap one's energy, especially when coupled with heavy mana usage.
However, Ren was in much worse condition on account of not pumping herself full of ambient mana. As the powers of Ren's blade wavered as she used the ambient mana she absorbed, her moves became more sluggish. The blinding speed she demonstrated before disappeared slowly. Her beautiful, well-thought-out responses to Cerila's strike became withered with fatigue.
It was unfortunate, but it was simply the difference in their strength. Cerila had more real-world experience than Ren. She had also been training rigorously for a long time as well. Also, Ren could not yet control the mighty sword she was given, and if she continued to abuse the power of her weapon without practice, she risked crippling herself or worse.
To put it simply, Ren was handicapped. Cerila was not. And in a fight with them giving it their all, it was evident who would win if things were dragged out.
Cerila rushed forward with another thrust, but right before she reached Ren, Cerila forced her blade up directly into Ren's oncoming defensive move. Ren's arms were blown up, and she tried bringing them back down for an overhead blow, but it was too late.
Cerila had stopped her blade, resting it against Ren's throat. If it were a real life-or-death fight, Ren would be dead. Ren quickly surrendered afterward, and the match ended with a dazed response from the crowd. Even with the announcer's ever-enthusiastic voice, it wasn't enough to get the people going.
—
I made my way into the depths of the stadium alone and immediately noticed a heavy increase in the amount of guards on Luminar's side. The amount of Praetorian Guards had doubled on top of regular city guards as well as a bunch of patrolling soldiers. It was the most amount of security personnel I had seen so far, even eclipsing when King Maxwell made his rousing speech to us before the start of the official tournament.
This…there is no way this wasn't planned.
Captain Fairchild stood with five guards at the entrance to our barracks. He gave me a courteous bow, and I was able to walk through with no hassle, as usual. The teachers and staff that were bustling around in the back areas had been significantly lessened, and in their place were armed and armored soldiers or guards.
It didn't take me long to reach the medical area. I opened the door and found Cerila conversing with the king and queen using her tablet, wearing a comfy set of clothes. Perhaps she smelled me coming because she didn't seem surprised to see me at all and instead just waved me in.
"So you did know about it?" I asked the two royals.
"Absolutely! She is my student, after all!" King Maxwell chuckled with a toothy grin. "You were right, after all, Kaladin! She just needed a little help!"
The queen sighed and then said, "Of course, Cerila asked for our permission. Not that it would have matted if we said no," Queen Maxwell said with a shrug.
"Don't you think this was too much? How could—"
"How could we what, exactly?" Queen Maxwell interrupted. "What does it matter to you, Sir Shadowheart? You are not this woman's husband or keeper, so what does it matter what she decides for herself? We did not force Cerila to do anything she didn't want to."
I looked at Cerila with serious intentions to see if she had been tricked. But she nodded confidently in agreement with the queen's words.
"There must have been a better way to do this…" I said, somewhat defeated.
"And so what if there was? It's all done now. The decisions were made long ago, and we are prepared to meet the demands to keep Cerila and her weapon safe," Queen Maxwell stated confidently.
"Besides, this is a good thing for us. Being on the righteous side of faith has its perks, as apparently…those who are not worthy can not wield Hubris…or so that silly little book says," the queen said with a grin.
I looked to Cerila again, and she sent me a sharp glare and signed,
Cerila smiled at the last part, but it quickly turned into a frown as she set her eyebrows and looked me directly in the eyes.
Cerila stood up, sent her tablet into her ring, and stopped just in front of me.
"Ouch, that doesn't look goo—ouch…hey," King Maxwell winced after the queen smacked him over the head.
"Keep those comments to yourself and try to be a bit more tactful…" the queen said with a sigh as she stood up and followed Cerila.
The king rubbed his head with a frown. "I was just trying to lighten the mood a little…" The king looked up at me with an apologetic look. "I guess that wasn't the time, huh?"
"Yeah…probably not," I agreed.
"So, what did she tell you? I can't understand all those fast-moving hand things you are doing…are you really communicating that way?" King Maxwell asked me.
"Yes, we are communicating that way. And—"
I filled the king in with the gist of what Cerila told me, and he just nodded along. He put a finger to his chin and hummed while looking up at the ceiling.
"Mmm, yes, that's basically what she told me. I don't really get why you are so frustrated about all of this. Having someone who wants to protect you by any means should be a good thing, no?" he asked.
"I'm not angry…I'm just a little annoyed. And I don't want Cerila or anyone else sacrificing themselves for me. It defeats the purpose of everything I want, of everything I'm trying to achieve," I argued.
King Maxwell bounced his eyebrows up and down and nodded. "Mmm, I see. Well, then, what would you have Cerila do?"
"What? What do you mean?" I asked.
"It's simple, really…what do you want her to do? Or I guess you can ask yourself, what do you want her to do for you?" the king asked me.
"I—she doesn't have to do anything for me. I'm not in this for some kind of gain from her," I explained.
"Not good enough, Kaladin, sorry," the king said with a shrug. "I can think of at least ten things she wants from you and…probably a lot more she wants to do for you."
"What does that—I…yeah, I understand somewhat. I'm working on that…I really am," I said in my defense.
"Well then, don't be surprised that she is dissatisfied. You can't keep someone around and expect nothing of them. When you have no expectations for someone who wants to be around you, whether that's work or love, then two things will happen. One, they leave you behind for someone or something that wants them. Or two, they find some way to be around you. Nobody can just do nothing all their lives," King Maxwell said.
"Honestly, I think Cerila made a brave choice today. She knows full well what it means to wield that weapon in the public eye, even with all the support we will give her. And I don't think she would have done it a hundred years for selfish reasons, or that's what I understand from training with her."
"Yes, I agree…I don't think she made that choice lightly or out of hubris," I said.
The king laughed at that and smacked me on the shoulder as he stood up. "I think it's far more heartwarming and reassuring knowing that there is someone out there in this dark world who is willing to brave an insurmountable enemy with me, then turn and flee at the first sign of conflict. What do you think, Kaladin?"
"I…I do admit that when she said it was for my sake, it felt good. Not that I wanted her to do that for me…but yes, I know the feeling well…having that kind of person by your side is very special," I admitted honestly.
Yes, I get that same feeling with Sylvia. So…having Cerila feel that way to me as well isn't so bad.
The king let out another loud chuckle. "See? Then nothing to be worried about. It's like she told you earlier: there is already a target painted on you and those close to you. It's up to us to handle it and make sure that you aren't crushed by that weight, Kaladin."
"Dad! I was trying to sleep! Stop laughing so much!" Ren screamed from across the room.
The king flinched and chuckled weakly. "It appears that today is what some would call a difficult day to be a father…does Mila still enjoy being around you all the time?"
"Yes, she does," I said with a smile.
The king smiled and started to walk out and said, "Make sure you cherish those moments because one day, before you can even blink, they won't want to even sleep in the same building as you."
"Yeah…I'll continue to enjoy it," I said to his retreating back.
I let out a deep sigh. I had mixed feelings about all of this. I did feel relieved and even happy that Cerila did what she did for my sake. That she was firm in her resolve to assist me regardless of the obstacles. But I was also worried about what that might entail for the future because no matter what she or anyone else said or did, I didn't want them to be a sacrifice for me.
…this is complicated. Why can't the answer ever be as simple as 1+1?
I walked over to where Ren was trying to sleep, and she snapped at the sound of cloth moving. It looked as if she was ready to shout, as her eyes were red and puffy from crying. But that anger faded away into embarrassment as she ducked underneath her blankets.
"Ka—Kaldin! You can't just—walk in on me like that!" Ren shouted from her hiding spot.
"This is a public place that I'm allowed to be at, so I think I actually can…" I stated.
"No, no, this is different. You can't just—"
"It's okay, Ren. Crying is only natural after such a loss when you've put your heart and soul into it. You've worked hard, and you kept your promise to me and to your family. One day, when you learn to control your sword better, you should have another duel with Cerila. I'm positive you will do better," I told her reassuringly.
Ren didn't say anything back to me. I just heard her sniffle and cry a little more until, eventually, her breathing became rhythmic, and she fell asleep.