Nico's eyelids fluttered open slowly. He groggily rubbed his eyes and sat up, the blanket sliding down to his legs. It took him a moment to realise where he was after the usual nightmare.
Once he did, however, Nico instantly rushed out of bed. Urgency in his steps.
Today was the day of the Duels!
However, that wasn't what made him so frantic.
Shifting his gaze to the window, Nico saw the glass tinted in the fiery colour of dawn.
'Not good. I only have a minute or two at most.'
Scrambling around, he quickly tidied up the place. Henry and Leon were still in the throes of deep sleep.
The only reason Nico wasn't like them, enjoying the peaceful embrace of a good slumber, was that he had trained himself to wake up a few minutes before William's routine loud awakening.
Usually, he, Henry, and Leon would have made the hut look presentable before they went to sleep, to save themselves from frantically cleaning, or even worse getting a low evaluation from their devil of an instructor.
Unfortunately, however, the duo had tired themselves out with the card game and consecutive heavy discussions the night before and continued sleeping.
So now, it fell on Nico's shoulders to make sure hut number three was neat and tidy.
Otherwise, who knew what kind of horrifying punishment William could cook up if he saw the state of their disorderly cabin?
'I wonder if I'll need to use the Reaper of Shadows during any of the duels.'
While he was tidying the place, Nico thought of the progress he had made in the Spear Art. The day before, Phantom had finally allowed him to practice the first form.
Originally, from an outsider's view, it seemed the difficulty of executing such a move was easy. That was what Nico had thought, anyway.
He, however, quickly realised how foolish he was to make such an assumption.
Sure, the first form was relatively simple in that it contained the principle of a quick dash, and.. relatively simple because it was also the very first attack in the sequence. It wouldn't contain any insights that were too complicated.
That, however, did not mean that Nico didn't struggle with it. In fact, maybe because it was too simple, that was the reason he was having some difficulty executing it.
Going back to what he had thought a few days prior, only now when he had a chance of experiencing the strike first-hand, did Nico gain a glimpse of its deeper intricacies and facets.
There were multiple things he had to consider, including but not limited to being light on his feet, gripping the shaft of the spear correctly, and utilising the synchronisation method.
Finished with his musing, Nico quickly tucked in the last of the wooden chairs that were sprawled out from the night before.
He also made sure the surface of the mottled oak table was spotless before he heard a loud bellow stream into the hut.
"WAKE UP! RISE AND SHINE!"
Henry and Leon instantly jolted upward, their eyes wide awake. They gazed around the room in a daze for a moment, before snapping into alertness.
Noticing the state of the room, the duo sent a grateful glance to their friend, to which Nico nodded in return.
'That's what friends are for, are they not?' he chuckled to himself.
With accustomed movements, the trio of trainees exited the door and joined the throng of their peers who stood outside, all wearing groggy faces.
By now, one would think the trainees would have gotten used to William's morning roll call. Especially after having experienced it for two weeks straight.
Reality, however, differed from expectation. Nico pondered to himself as he studied the rest of his peers.
Most of them had wild bed hair and circles under their drooping eyes. The females had their hair in a tangled mess, small individual strands flying away in many chaotic directions.
They had long given up caring about that fact, though.
Besides, the other trainees were only thinking about themselves at the moment, wondering if their preparations for William's inspection proved up to scratch.
Once the white-haired man entered the first hut, a crackle of tension spread through the young trainees' ranks. They sent wary glances to each other, particularly to those who hailed from a prestigious background.
They didn't forget the fact that the Duels were to take place today.
Nico, Henry, and Leon didn't bother with the antics of their jittery peers.
They amicably made some small talk as the raven-haired boy cracked a few jokes, eliciting a few chuckles from his two companions.
Soon, the trio's turn came, and they entered the hut alongside their stern instructor.
"Hmm… not bad," William spoke as he rubbed his chin, his eyes taking in the cabin's state. The trainees' beds were tidy, the chairs tucked in, and no notable disarray or clutter was present throughout the room.
"I will give you an eight out of ten. Good work."
Nico, Henry, and Leon heaved a silent sigh of relief. They witnessed their instructor's lips curl up slightly, his scar twinging menacingly.
"Go on and freshen up for some breakfast. You're going to need it. After all, the Duels await." William's smile widened; a hint of glee sparkled in his brown pupils.
The two humans and half-dwarf shivered, before a chorus of exclamations, including but not limited to 'Yes, sir!' rang out. They gladly escaped the man's company.
William chuckled, a satisfied smirk on his face. He hummed cheerfully as he made his way out of the hut, clipboard in hand.
Today was going to be a good day.
***
After the morning inspection came to a close, the trainees quickly freshened up and made their way over to the Cafeteria.
Once there, they treated themselves to a hearty meal, busying themselves with enjoying the taste of the food, hoping to quell the nervous anticipation that surged through their veins.
This was it. It was their chance to shine.
…A chance to prove to Instructor William that they could look after themselves and that their training was bearing fruit.
Several of the more skittish trainees nearly choked on their food multiple times, thoughts of the Duel occupying the entirety of their minds.
For the nobles, however, it was the complete opposite.
They were so laid back that to a casual observer; it looked like they were just about to undertake a leisurely stroll in the woods, rather than a one-on-one duel.
A few of them even had the thought to send a trademark sneer toward the commoners.
Once finished, the large group of youths then made their way over to the Exercise square - the area where morning practice took place - with Nico and his roommates in tow.
"Nervous?" Henry whispered to no one. It seemed he had aimed that question at himself though, based on his trembling hands.
"Nah," Nico replied, looking out the corner of his eye.
The half-blood shook his head with an expressionless face, his thoughts a mystery to the two humans.
Finally, the youngsters reached their destination.
Rather than the large area being empty, as the trainees were used to, it had transformed into three partitioned sections, thin vertical grooves in the ground dissecting the boundary of where each duel would take place.
Multiple chairs were set down on the western end of the square, providing the spectators - trainees whose turn had not yet come - a place to sit down and relax before their fight.
The large throng then simultaneously turned their heads toward the centre. Reflected in their gazes was the sight of their Instructor standing in the middle of the square, holding onto a single piece of paper.
A dark smile on his face.
A few trainees involuntarily took a step back.
"Welcome! My dear students, the time has come for you to show your skill, mettle, and worth. I expect all of you to put up a good fight, to increase my entertainment. If anyone loses within the first five seconds, I will have a word with you privately…" William stressed the last word greatly.
The sharp look in his eyes served as a silent reminder for the trainees to heed his words.
"Now, listen closely. I will explain how this whole thing will go down," the Head instructor paused, a small breeze ruffling his chalky hair.
With this gust of wind, Nico noticed the grey and gloomy clouds above for the first time.
'Looks like we're back to gloomy weather today.'
"Each of you will take part in three Duels. You need to win at least win one duel and draw in another to pass. Then I will deem you as able to hold your own in a basic fight. I have brought some additional help to oversee the three duels that'll be occurring at the same time. I will be responsible for one, Phantom for another, and Nix for the last one." William nodded to the eastern side of the square.
The trainee's heads turned curiously. Reflected in their eyes were two males standing side by side, one tall, the other small.
They were both garbed in similar dark attire, the only difference to the clothing the trainees wore, being the overall quality and the insignia of a silver owl on their chests.
The shorter male had short-trimmed silver hair, bulging muscles, and mild light-gray eyes that swept through the aspiring youths curtly. A large sledgehammer was strapped to his back.
Many trainees wrote the man off as unassuming, purposefully ignoring the large hammer in his possession before shifting their gaze, the only exception being Leon, who waved excitedly in his instructor's direction.
Nix's stern expression softened. A large grin broke out on his face as he waved back to his favourite pupil.
Most of the trainees missed this short interaction between instructor and student, their attention captured entirely by something else.
As the object of the gazes of fifty people, Phantom puffed out his chest proudly, his nose rising in the air. It was as if he was urging the young teenagers to ogle him some more… and eye him more they did.
From his eyepatch to his thick beard, black as-night hair, sharp, piercing aura, and icy-blue good eye, he most definetly stood out. The Spear instructor's appearance entranced some trainees.
The spell that mesmerised them, however, soon broke when they felt Phantom's gaze sweep through them. Several girls shrank back, covering their bodies as best they could with disgusted expressions that screamed 'pervert!'.
Even some males, shivered and took a step back under the dark-haired instructor's eccentric gaze.
'Eh? Do I have something on my face? Why are they all backing away?' Phantom thought innocently, unaware of the sly grin that covered his face.
'I'm only searching for that brat. Honestly, kids. They're so full of themselves these days.' the Spear instructor scoffed inwardly, increasing the intensity of the search for his little hen, much to the horror of the young apprentices.
Nico, who was hiding behind Leon's large frame, nervously sweated. 'Please, don't find me! Please, don't find me!'
William's voice reverberated through the square again, bringing the trainee's attention back to him. "The last thing I will cover is the rules. There will be no blows to the head, genitals, or any other sensitive area. To win, all you need to do is disarm your opponent, or… hold them at your mercy. Attacks with malicious intent seeking to deliver harm on purpose to your opponent are banned and any such case will result in your immediate disqualification."
The white-haired instructor glanced pointedly at the nobles - especially Lucas - before he continued speaking in an unhurried tone.
"If you do not complete a Duel within the time limit of two minutes, we will deem it as a draw. Now, come and pick up the weapons you will be using. It is nigh time for these Duels to begin."