"Thirty-two of you will be competing. Go warm up. We'll start in around fifteen." Kyus took the other 12 students to the spectator area. They either had a supporting Motif or had no combat mastery and control of Echo Energy whatsoever.
Luciel went to the armory nearby and grabbed a sword. Light and balanced, perfect for a sparring duel. He smiled at the sight of this wonderful smithing because only a master blacksmith could create something so simple yet so perfect. He had been entranced by the way of the sword since he was small, so this perfect sword inspirited him to beat up those punks who dared to gossip behind his back.
"Hi." A voice reached Luciel from the side. Luciel turned his head, his eyes widened slightly. It was the girl he sat next to in class. It seemed she wanted to get to know him.
"Hello. You are?" Luciel asked.
"Oh. My name is Violet." She smiled. And Luciel melted. That smile was from the heavens. Her cheeks flushed. Her lips red and plump. Her teeth white as pearls. Her brunette hair created a mystical feel around her, and to top it off, her blue eyes containing the depth of the oceans.
Luciel did in fact melted, but not because of her beauty. It was the sharp aura of a swordsman that only one could feel when reached a certain a level. She was so excellent that Luciel wanted to battle it out with her immediately, but obvious that was a no-go. He would get whooped by Kyus.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he returned a smile. "Instructor already publicized my name already... but well, Luciel Gulova. Nice to meet you."
Luciel brought out his hand to offer a handshake. Violet looked down and grabbed his hand. Their hands shook. However, Violet lingered on and held his hand without letting go.
'Is she feeling my hand right now?' Luciel found the situation funny. He didn't release his hand because he knew that Violet was interested in his calluses. For many years, Luna insisted that these should be healed, but he rejected the offer because he wanted to look back at his hard work and the journey he had been through.
Swordsmen could determine whether someone was training diligently or not just by feeling and seeing a person's hands. Luciel could feel Violet's rough and calloused hand. He smiled upon knowing that she had been training rigorously also.
This was a sentimental conversation between one swordsman to another.
"I guess I'll see you in the finals, Violet." Luciel finally retracted his hand. He chuckled a bit after seeing her hand reaching out the moment he let go. She was adorable in her own way.
Violet nodded. "Confident... I like it." Her voice low and steady, borderline monotone but still contained softness. She then walked away to her spot and swung her sword fervently.
Luciel could only smile after seeing an interesting character like that. Elina once advised Luciel that finding comrades would go a long way in this journey. Violet practiced the sword and seemed genuine about it, so a comrade like her would be beneficial for him.
He looked at other contestants while getting used to a new sword. To tell the truth, all of them were child's play for him, but that was because their talents hadn't blossomed. This tournament meant nothing but a cash grab for Luciel. And so after fifteen minutes, the first duel commenced.
Luciel versus Ryas. They exchanged pleasantries and readied their fighting stance. Ryas had no weapon, so Luciel couldn't deduce what abilities that guy would bring.
The whistle then blew.
Luciel felt heavy all of the sudden. The weight of earth was trying to press him down. His knees bent slightly at the sudden change of gravity. He then realized that it was Ryas' Motif. The realization was rather late as Ryas had appeared right in front of his face, ready to throw what felt like a punch weighing hundred tons.
'Isn't this Gravity Manipulation?'
But Luciel easily dodged it. 'No. This is Weight Amplification. It feels different and inferior.' The essence was similar to Elina's Motif, though, so he had an easy time dismantling Ryas' moves.
His feet had not even moved, only his head slightly turned. Fast as lightning, the pommel of the sword hit Ryas' abdomen, sending him to the ground.
The match ended within three seconds.
The cadets cheered.
From then on, every match Luciel participated ended in under five seconds at most, and he didn't even use his flame. He reached the finale walking on cakes. The cadets gossiped again. "Is this the might of a Gulova?"
"I—I want to marry him."
'Huh? Did I hear that right?' Luciel moved his eyes to see where that ridiculous statement came from.
"Me too. Let's all surround him during lunch!"
'Goddamn woman! I'm not from the North where the nobles send their children to marry whenever they want!' Luciel furiously proclaimed in his head. Decided to ignore that, he focused on Violet, who was preparing for the semi-final match against a guy named Hans. He was a skilled fire-type Resonator who used long-range fire projectiles to attack.
The whistle blew again. Violet closed the gap in a heartbeat to not let Hans take advantage of long-range abilities. Her sword fast approached Hans' neck when two large fire hands crashed into each other in the middle of them, making the two retreat. Hans was proficient with controlling his fire, but that was it.
Violet kept pouncing on Hans nonstop, not unleashing her Motif yet just like Luciel. She had superior speed and was able to capture Hans' weak spot and knocked him down. It was all skill and no special abilities. Her flow of the sword was too daunting, cutting through the flames with ease.
Violet looked at Luciel and smiled gently. It was provocation. Luciel answered with the same smile. He thought that it would be fun to teach her a lesson.
"Violet and Luciel! Drink this and get ready in five." Instructor Kyus gave them each a bottle to recover from fatigue. It was a bitter potion, but the effects were great. The other cadets drank a different potion because they used Echo Energy.
Luciel walked up to Violet, who was sitting on the ground and asked, "Not using your Motif until the end?"
Violet locked eyes with Luciel, her expression dull but her eyes glittered. "I'm saving the best for last." She lowered her head and playfully traced her weathered fingers on the silvery sheen of the sword. Her insignificant actions mesmerized Luciel. Her mysterious figure and untold stories made his heart fluster.
'What's wrong with me?' Luciel slapped himself in his imaginary world to calm down his mind. It was normal to be intrigued by such an interesting person. He was jailed in house for all his life, after all.
Luciel sat down next to Violet because he had nothing better to do than just rest. However, he didn't know what to say. His social skills were trash. Beyond trash! Still, it was a drastic improvement from when he had to depend on his own in a cold world. Elina taught him many things, but the one thing she repeated the most was to love the world.
He understood where she was coming from, but he doubted that the world would be that easy-going.
"When did you start learning the sword?" Violet sparked a conversation first.
Luciel felt embarrassed but waved it off. "Since I was ten? It was right after my birthday. What about you?"
Violet turned her gazed upward, looking at the blue sky through the glass dome. "Me? I watched stuff when I was a kid. Um... so maybe around six?" Violet sighed. "I treasure it."
"I do too. I was also like you, reading and watching people wielding the sword, but I wasn't allowed until my sister told me that it was time."
"That's sweet." Violet smiled, but this time, it seemed bitter. Luciel's heart wrenched for some reason, but he didn't dare ask.
"Violet! Luciel!" Kyus shouted. "Come here now!" He gestured them to come, so both of them hurriedly came at Kyus' discretion.
The stage was set for them to perform. Violet gracefully walked toward the spotlight and stole the boys' hearts with her unparalleled beauty. Luciel also made an appearance and captured the girls' souls away. It seemed the heavens favored them.
The two greeted each other with their eyes, no words. The whistle then blew, and the two clashed in an instant.
Powerful waves of wind produced from the impact of clashing swords. Neither backed down, trying to feel their opponents out. Their swordsmanship was phenomenal and masterful. They were on par with each other. Everyone was in awe and watched in silence.
The harmony of swords stopped after one minute with both taking a step back. "Should we start the show?" Luciel pointed his sword at Violet.
Violet raised her sword and unleashed her Motif. The world suddenly froze over. A chilling cold washed over the cadets. "Show's starting," Violet declared.