The mediator rushed to Khersis as soon as he fell. He started the countdown and signaled for Aeneas to move to the other side of the arena.
When the mediator's voice reached the number one, Khersis stood. His eyes were still spinning as his body staggered. Yet, he forced through and managed to assume his stance even though his knees were bent much lower than he wanted to.
Aeneas felt worried. Most of his worries stem from the fact that he might still lose, and some of it was towards Khersis who was woozy from the two blows he connected to his head. Although Khersis's past actions still irked him, Aeneas didn't feel great seeing him in his current state when he was the one who put him there.
The mediator was about to announce the continuation of the match when someone from the crowd shouted,
"Khersis used magic! He already lost the battle, if not, he should be disqualified!"
Khersis felt that the voice of the person who shouted those words was familiar to him. But his ears were still buzzing, and before he could pinpoint the location from where it came, a domino effect already started, the man's voice resonated with the others who either saw the bits of flames around Khersis but didn't want to speak out, or didn't notice it but just went with everyone. The crowd began shouting, 'Disqualify!' over and over again.
The commentator told the crowd to wait as they would talk with the facilitators regarding the continuation or conclusion of the match.
On the stands, Tiriara turned to Donos, "So magic is not allowed?" she asked.
Donos explained that there is a rule in the tournaments that states the prohibition of casting magic of any sort. Since magic is inherent to people who bear a Zeal, the rule serves to make Zeal-less people have the chance to participate in a more even ground. The Panteran government also believes that a warrior should be strong even without magic.
Tiriara tilted her head. She was deep in thought before staring back at Donos.
"But we're still allowed to use our Zeal? How is that fair?"
The renowned knight smiled, "What is a Zeal, young lady?" he asked.
"It's a mark from the proud Lion—or any of the Gods." Tiriara had a smile, she expected the knight to give her praise for her answer.
"That is correct," Donos paused, he aligned his thoughts to say the next words in a way that the young girl would understand, "And, it is also true that a Zeal is a part of the bearer's body."
"But it has powers in it. Isn't it still unfair for the bomans?"
Konon cleared his throat which caught the attention of Tiriara, "You mean Zeal-less people, young lady?" he said.
Tiriara told him that it was the same and that he shouldn't have disturbed their conversation as it was becoming more interesting for her. Then, she returned her gaze towards Donos and asked him for his answer.
Donos answered with a question, "Say you have a tail, and in a match, they asked you to tie it and not allow you to use it, how would you feel?"
"Well… I think I'll be upset, but I don't have a tail."
Donos laughed, he thought of another way to explain it to the girl. The situation he comes up with is much simpler; a fight between someone superior in all physical aspects and someone thin and weak, but could also wield a sword. He said that there isn't a fixed definition of fairness in a fight, and unlike magic which needs to be summoned, the power within a Zeal is viewed as similar to having a superior body. The fact that other people also argued that magic should be seen the same way as a Zeal's power was included in Donos's explanation. But, he said that the decision was still up to those who had the authority. And they've decided to at least prohibit the use of magic in the tournaments.
"I see," the girl muttered, "It's still unfair," she said.
"You could say that," Donos said with a chuckle.
Pressured by their viewers, the facilitators of the current tournament have agreed to the disqualification of Khersis. Although he didn't use magic for a long period and didn't manage to attack Aeneas with it, the fact of the matter was that he still cast one.
Unsatisfied with their decision, Khersis glared at the mediator who announced his disqualification, "I did not use magic!" he turned his scowl towards the audience, "Shut up and let me fight, I can continue!" The Zeal on his chest glowed its brightest, "I won't accept defeat against a boman!" Khersis shouted at the top of his lungs.
Someone from the stands leaped into the arena. He stood at the center. A lot of people knew who the man was. Mnesus Dimilis, a knight who although isn't known throughout the entirety of Pantera like Arsen or even Donos, was still popular in the region of Arsida.
Mnesus stared at his brother. His face lacked any kind of emotion.
The angered expression of Khersis diminished. He looked at his older brother, "I—I could still fight," he said, this time he made sure to control his tone to not show Mnesus any disrespect.
Without uttering a word, Mnesus walked closer to Khersis. He stopped when he reached around an arm's reach from him.
"I was the one who asked for your disqualification. Didn't you recognize my voice?"
Khersis bit his lip, and his eyes and nose started twitching, "Why… Brother I—I could still fight," he said.
Mnesus stared at him, although his expression didn't change, Khersis could feel the rage from his piercing stare, "Stop disgracing our name," he said with a taut voice.
The glow of the young Panteran's Zeal vanished. He stared at the ground, and couldn't meet the eyes of his brother after hearing what he said. Then, he dropped the wooden sword he was holding.
Mnesus started walking past him, "Stop standing there like a fool, follow me," he said. Khersis did what he was told and walked behind Mnesus while still staring at the ground.
As they left the arena, the mediator approached Aeneas, he raised his hand and announced him as the winner. People cheered and clapped for Aeneas's victory. It was the loudest cheer for the day. For the first time since the Coliseum of Pergis was built, a 'boman' won against someone who bears a Zeal.
"Ro Predo, Aenie!" Shouted Tiriara. She stood up and her voice forced its way on top of the others. An amazing feat that everyone in the coliseum found hilarious. Including the fact that the girl was wrong with the old term. Konon whispered the correct one to her, "It's 'Reo Preda', young lady," he said.
Aeneas stared at their location. Aside from Konon trying to calm Tiriara, He saw his older brother's face with a smile, nodding at him. His uncle Donos and Eluard were clapping with smiles that almost exceeded through their faces.
Tiriara corrected herself and shouted the old term again. People in the coliseum listened and laughter filled the place after. On the other hand, Aeneas felt embarrassed and started walking his way out of the arena. His heart was pounding, and he couldn't remove his silly-looking smile. A facilitator waited for him and he was guided to the infirmary to be checked by the healer.
The matches continued. Each of the two age brackets has sixteen participants so the preliminaries for each bracket have eight matches. It was custom for the bracket of thirteen to fifteen-year-old warriors to go first and the bracket for those aged sixteen to eighteen will go when there was a winner for the former.
One notable fight within the preliminaries in Aeneas's bracket was the last one. A fight between a girl with long white hair bearing the Zeal of the Envoy of Balance, Libra, against a Panteran boy that bears the Zeal of the proud Lion. It was an exhilarating match. The two appeared to be dancing as they attacked, parried, and dodged each other's attempts.
Then, the girl jumped, her opponent tried to attack her but missed as she floated higher in the air for a couple of seconds before dropping at great speed. The Zeal of Libra on the back of her neck made her white hair glistened.
On the stands, Tiriara jumped out of excitement, "She could fly?!" she exclaimed.
Donos told Tiriara that bearers of Libra's Zeal could control their weight. They could be lighter than a feather, or as heavy as a huge boulder.
Back in the arena, the girl landed at her opponent, pinning him down on the ground and knocking him out.
"We have a winner! Kynna, a visitor from Akrisia wins!" the commentator said.
The preliminaries ended with Kynna's victory. After five minutes of break, the quarterfinals will begin with the opening match of Aeneas versus the participant who has received the most bets under his name, Alistair.