Instructor Devon felt conflicted, his curiosity about Sol kept interfering with his reasoning and made it hard for him to decide. His gaze shifted to Kevin who was standing next to Sol with a nervous look on his face, but just before he could call out Kevin, Sol raised his hand.
"If the Instructor doesn't mind, I want to fight," Sol said, attracting everyone's attention. "I'm curious to see what I can do with this body."
Sol's words sounded strange to everyone and even Kevin couldn't help but look at him in astonishment, but they all assumed he wanted to see the limitations of his body with the seal.
Instructor Devon broke character for a moment, stunned by Sol's words. His respect for the son of the former Kahi'k of the sixth tribe improved, especially since Sol did not use his condition as an excuse to avoid spars. However, unknown to everyone, Sol wasn't acting on his own accord.
[New task acquired]
[Should the host avoid this sparring session, rumors of him using his condition to hide his weakness will spread. This will lower the host's prestige in the eyes of his people and the entire Aetheria. However, should you volunteer to fight, not only will you earn the respect of many, but even in defeat, no one will look down on you. Your courage is all they will see]
[Reward: Unknown]
[Bonus Reward condition: Win!]
[Bonus Reward: Unknown]
Sol understood the point the system was trying to make however, he didn't like he would have to enter a fight without fully understanding how his powers worked. Regardless, he had no choice but to volunteer since a reward was attached to the mission.
"Are you sure?" Instructor Devon was still dazed as he watched Sol walking towards the stage.
"I wish to fight as well!" A cold voice rang from another corner of the crowd, pulling everyone's attention.
It was Aurelius, the son of the sorcerer supreme!
Gasps could be heard everywhere, and even Instructor Devon couldn't help but frown. Aurelius's sister was Sol's mother, which made the two related by blood, and everyone knew why he requested to fight.
They knew the witch race hated Sol and his deceased father since they blamed them for what happened a year ago. They felt like Sol's existence was a stain on their pride, that's why they placed the seal on him in hopes that he would die, but somehow he was alive and kicking. He even went as far as to belittle the seal and the strength of the witch race.
This was the only way he could regain some of their lost honor, while also using this as an opportunity to let out some bottled-up resentment.
Before Instructor Devon could say a thing, Aurelius was already walking up to the arena, and this made him feel helpless. The status of these two was high, so he couldn't just reject their proposals without a concrete reason. Refusing would also attract resentment from the Ark and Witch races, especially since Sol did not refuse.
'I can only stand by and make sure they don't take things too far.' He sighed helplessly while watching the two climb up the stage.
They moved to the center of the arena, standing some meters away from each other.
'Isn't this guy supposed to be blind?' Sol was confused.
Aurelius's eyes were covered, but he walked without anyone's support, and from the looks of it, no one here was stunned by it. Sol knew there was no time to ponder on irrelevant things like this, so he pushed the thought aside. All that mattered was that Aurelius was able to see somehow even if it was not the conventional way, if not he won't be able to walk up this stage without support.
"Begin!" Instructor Devon screamed as he backed away but neither Sol nor Aurelius moved.
They remained rooted to their spots, glaring at each other in silence. While Sol was still trying to understand the words behind Instructor Devon's words concerning the release of their powers, Aurelius had other reasons for not moving.
"I finally get the chance to redeem the honor of my race." Aurelius said slowly.
The tension in the air was building and everyone felt anxious as to what may follow next, however, only Sol was confused by what was going on.
"Who the fuck are you?" Sol asked with a raised eyebrow, his words turning the entire training ground into a graveyard.
Was he fucking with them?
Even Aurelius's cold face flickered with doubt and confusion. He could tell Sol was actually oblivious to his identity, and that was when he realized this must have been one of the effects of the blood seal.
"You act and speak like you are perfectly fine, but it seems the seal dealt more damage than you show. Internally." Aurelius said with a satisfied smile on his face.
Realizing that Sol did not go completely unharmed gave him some sort of satisfaction. His words soon made everyone realize Sol's condition and finally understood why he asked that question. His memory was messed up by the seal and this led them to wonder what else was wrong with him.
Meanwhile, Sol felt offended by those words. Hearing him say the word 'internally' reminded him of his inability to procreate due to the seal. It had become his biggest shame and insecurity since entering this world, he felt like a Eunuch.
"Hak!" Sol snarled.
Buzz!
He felt something strange like his body reacting to those words, which made it warm up. His blood was boiling, and the right side of his chest seemed to act as the source of this unusual warmth!
Buzz!
Fierce flames erupted around his fists, burning violently and lightning up the arena even though it was daytime. His pupils turned orange while his hair fluttered wildly, but that was not all. The environment seemed to be heating up, making everyone feel like the sun's rays were directly pinned on them.
'Is… he?' Instructor Devon stuttered with a look of disbelief on his face.