Flemi announced the next match:
"Young Lord Abel Whitestone versus the common villager Vesper Nine!" Her voice boomed through the arena. "A match we've all been waiting for—two weapon masters, set to wield the shifting gems at their fullest potential, if they even have what it takes." She glanced down at me and Abel with a smirk, as if looking down on us.
"Let's all pray for Vesper," Flemi joked,
drawing laughter from the crowd.
I didn't mind the joke, though; I wasn't brimming with confidence myself. Magic had never been my strong suit. I'd always felt… empty somehow, with just enough mana to sense those around me, to read the auras they couldn't see. But even if I told them, I doubted they'd believe me.
As I stepped into the ring, Abel grinned, clearly eager to beat me to a pulp. A thought crossed my mind: He planned this.
I spotted Henry near the stairs, casually flirting with the girl mages, but he looked over and approached me.
"Good luck getting pulped, my friend," he said, clapping my back.
"I'm nervous," I admitted.
"Just relax—you're not gonna die. It's a friendly match between us" he replied.
"Sure, it's fine if I lose…right?" I said, but deep down, I didn't want to lose. I wanted to win. I wanted to understand more about myself and my capabilities.
As I climbed into the ring, Abel was already waiting, wearing few armor to protect his joints. My hands were shaking, so I slid one into my pocket, gripping the shifting gem to steady myself.
" I won't even need my gem against you. You're not worth the challenge," Abel taunted, his eyes fixed on me, cold and confident. The crowd roared at his mockery.
I shook my head, feeling something spark in me. "I'll make sure you regret saying that." As I glare back at him.
Bailee stepped between us, and as I looked at her, I noticed her emerald eyes sparkling in the light. She glanced at me and smiled back, and I couldn't help but smirk a little.
"Is this your way of flirting?" Abel sneered, disgusted.
"Enough!" Bailee interrupted. "I'll explain the rules." She ran through the guidelines, but I barely heard her; my heart was pounding with excitement.
I jumped to warm up, and Abel scoffed. "Fighting me with no armor? What guts," he sneered.
"I want to see how far I can go tonight with you," I said, and instantly regretted it.
I could hear Henry's laughter from the sidelines. Bailee chuckled softly as well, and I felt my face flush. "That's not what I meant," I muttered, but she only shook her head as she left the ring.
"You may begin, boys," Bailee announced.
Abel drew a standard sword at first, swinging it in a show of confidence as we circled each other, each waiting for a mistake.
"Come on, we don't have all day!" someone shouted, breaking the tension, and the crowd laughed, pressing us to begin.
I shifted my gem into a spear, and the crowd cheered at the transformation.
"Go, Vesper!" Ivy's voice rang out, boosting my courage.
Then I felt it—Abel's intent to strike. I moved instinctively, dodging left as his blade narrowly missed me, and the crowd gasped in response.
Abel's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed with a grin as he swung his sword toward my neck, no hint of restraint in his movements. He wasn't playing around.
I blocked his sword with my spear, shoving him back. He aimed a kick at my dominant leg the right one, trying to throw me off balance, but I shifted to his left, using the end of my spear to push him backward. He stumbled but quickly recovered, his aura beginning to flicker—white and fierce, pouring off him like a storm. He's strong, I thought.
Our weapons clashed again, and his strikes came faster, harder, as if the world had sped up around us. I struggled to keep up. I almost lost my footing at the edge of the ring, managing to jump back just in time, but Abel seized the opportunity, landing a blow to my back.
Clank! Clank!
His sword snapped in two, and the crowd gasped in amazement. I fell to my knees, the impact more like a heavy stick hitting me than a blade. Gathering myself, I stood up, but Abel was eyeing me with an intensity that made me pause. His aura grew turbulent, almost feral. He raised his hand, and his gem shifted into various weapon, ready for my counter attack.
I glanced down at the broken sword beside me. He hit me with that sword, and it snapped in two?
"Time out!" Flemi called, halting the match.
"Vesper, are you alright?" Ivy's voice rang out from the stands, her concern breaking through the crowd's murmurs.
Henry, usually carefree, stood silent, his usual smile replaced by a serious gaze.
"Can you keep going, Vesper?" Flemi asked from the edge of the ring.
"Yes," I replied firmly, standing tall as if unfazed. My torn tunic clung loosely to me, so I tore it off, revealing my upper torso. The crowd erupted in cheers probably cheering for my body.
"A'ight, but don't regret it!" Flemi warned, stepping back. "Resume the match!"
Abel shifted his gem, cycling through different weapons as if weighing his options. "You damn monster," he muttered, his voice barely audible over the noise. "Is that why they took you in?"
"Not sure myself," I replied. "But my strength increases at night. Seems now I figure same goes to my durability too." I readied my stance.
"You ready?"
"Bring it on!" he taunted, his voice a growl.
I shifted my spear into a chain whip and swung it at him, the metal links slicing through the air. He dodged my strikes with quick precision, then, in a sudden move, he seized the chain and yanked it. I stumbled, losing my balance—and in that heartbeat, he shifted his gem into a spear and hurled straight at me.
It reminded me of that night, the night he fought with Felix. I wanted to dodge but I was distracted.
Suddenly among the crowd I felt a strange aura watching me intensely which was similar to my mother.