I accepted Hikaru's challenge. I really shouldn't have. Because Hikaru was strong.
But I came up with this excuse:
"Maybe today, luck will be on my side."
And so… one of the most epic and ridiculous battles of my life began.
---
Battlefield: The Backyard – Basically a Kids' War Zone
A small crowd gathered around us. Eris sat on a rock like she was watching from the stands. My mom was watching from a distance, but she had that terrifying "If you lose, don't bother coming home" look on her face.
Hikaru: "The rules are simple. First one to fall loses."
I nodded. Sounds easy, but I knew he was going to pull something.
Hikaru: "Let's begin!"
I immediately fired a fireball! But Hikaru dodged effortlessly.
Hikaru: "Oh wow, so scary! Of course, I'm going to dodge your fireball!"
I gritted my teeth. His smug attitude was infuriating!
I quickly tried another spell. "Fire Cage!"
I formed a ring of flames to trap Hikaru, but…
Hikaru: "Puff."
…With just a small breeze, he dispersed the flames.
Wait… WHAT?!
HOLD ON, HOLD ON, HOLD ON.
He didn't even say anything while casting that!
That was… WORDLESS MAGIC!
My brain short-circuited. Hikaru can also use wordless magic?!
Before I could recover from the shock, he suddenly appeared in front of me. I had no idea how he moved that fast, but I hurriedly cast a shield to defend myself.
Me: "Protective Shield!"
But Hikaru—without saying a single word—pierced through my shield with a gust of wind and sent me flying backward.
Eris: "OOOH LORIEN, WATCH OUT, YOU'RE ABOUT TO CRASH!"
And I crashed.
Hikaru: "That was fun."
Hikaru reached out a hand to me. He had this casual grin on his face, as if to say, "You've got a long way to go before you can beat me."
But at that moment, something stirred inside me. Something… felt different.
I had lost before, but this time, it wasn't the same. Because for the first time… I actually felt strong.
And despite losing, I found myself asking a question I had never considered before:
"Do I really need to be special?"
Maybe… maybe I just need to work harder.
As I stood up, I made a decision.
One day, I will defeat you, Hikaru. One day… definitely.
---
And just like that, the duel was over.
I lost.
Hikaru can use wordless magic.
Eris now has even more material to tease me with.
And my mom… "Lorien, today you're training twice as hard."
Sigh… One day, I'll become a legend!
…But not today.