Duel in the High Palace

”He was fatigued just minutes ago,” Scuti said as she stood beside Kristel. Katherine’s arm was still around her shoulder and it was getting a little heavy. She tried to pry it away, but the Lady ignored her.

“Stay with me until the duel’s over, Scuti,” she said. “We don’t know what might happen, and out of all of us here, you need my protection the most.”

“Listen to her, Scuti,” Kristel said, but her eyes were focused on Frein. She clicked her tongue. “How in Brymeia’s name can he do that?”

“I resuscitated him a while ago,” Katherine explained.

“But that only clears some fatigue,” Frill said, standing behind the First Princess. “That doesn’t explain how he’s able to use six-meiyal again.”

Scuti’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Six?” she exclaimed. “Did I hear you right?”

“Now that’s a surprise,” Monarch Denis whispered, joining their group. Everyone suddenly turned and made their salute. Xiv bowed in addition to his own nation’s salutation. The Monarch nodded at them. “At ease. Explain the Visitor’s six-meiyal.”

Scuti was about to tell her father about the faunel, but Katherine’s sudden grip told her to stay silent. The First Princess spoke instead.

“The Visitor can consume Nightmare cores to increase his meiyal count. Supposedly he has ten-meiyal now, which we all agreed to call decimeiyal, but he can’t Mill it all. He can utilize six instead.”

“Ten?” Scuti exclaimed in greater disbelief, and even when Kristel, Frill, Xiv, and Katherine nodded to her, she still couldn’t comprehend it.

She knew all these were pieces of information that they were willing to reveal to anyone and everyone. Elizzel was their hidden card, and they would rather have people believe the Visitor had eight meiyal-charged materials or Nightmare cores than tell anyone he’s been Tethered with the Faunel of Freedom and Consequences this whole time.

Monarch Denis rubbed his beard inquisitively as always. “I see. No wonder he was so confident to take on all of us.”

“He didn’t mean anything like that, Monarch Denis,” Katherine said.

“Oh, don’t start with me, Lady Katherine,” he said, laughing heartily. “Arrogance and confidence often mix with each other, but your man can clearly distinguish the two from one another. Which reminds me, you still have no plans for a wedding yet?”

Scuti was so shocked from the sudden question that she almost missed Frein maneuvering Tryvinal to the floor in the same way he had done to her during their little sparring. Is the Iristan Fighting Style really that predictable?

In any case, the Second Princess observed Katherine open her mouth and blush at the same time. They did both hear Frein mention something about preparing for a marriage proposal.

“He hasn’t proposed yet, Your Majesty.”

“Mmm…” Monarch Denis’ attention returned to the fight. “Make sure to send an invitation to me when you’ve settled on a date. Either me or Kristel will give you a Monarch’s Blessing.”

“You make it sound like Sis will be Monarch whether Frein wins or loses,” Scuti said, making her implications obvious.

“Yes. Unlike everyone else, I think Frein and Katherine here understood my scheme the most. But I will reveal more after this duel.”

Scuti looked to her sister, and was surprised to see her sat on the floor, Milling and ignoring the discussions around her. “What’s going on?”

Everyone else looked at each other and smiled, as if all of them except for her had come to a singular conclusion. She turned to her father.

“Frein proposed this duel on a golden platter, Scuti. He had taken the initiative from me, from everyone else. All his words, irritating and taunting as they are, culminate to a singular thing.” Denis lifted a finger to emphasize his point.

“For him, the only person who can wound him within thirty minutes, is the only person worthy enough to be the next Monarch.” He laughed. “Now, I don’t know where he got the impression that we’ll follow his idea, but I see no harm in letting Kristel have an honest try.”

“That’s part of it,” Kristel said, her eyes closed and her Milling heavy that reality around her bent, forming a heat haze. She opened one eye. “But I also want to fight.”

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With a quick and precise arm movement, Frein caught Tryvinal’s overhead slash. The Guard Knight had a sword in one hand—his right, and seemingly his dominant hand—while he held a dagger in his off-hand.

A sidestep, a pivot, and a twist all in a relaxed, flowing motion. The next moment, the Visitor had flipped his opponent, slamming him on the floor. Tryvinal winced in pain but he refused to let go of his meiyal sword. In response, Frein added more pressure on the Guard Knight’s wrist and dislocated it completely.

The man, who was once filled with ambition, screamed at the top of his lungs. He lashed out with his left hand in a pathetic attempt to escape. Frein easily pulled him out of balance and stomped on it instead. The crushing sound of bones crumbling underneath his foot quickly lost its novelty. The Visitor found no joy in it. He let go of those broken hands with a disappointed sigh.

Tryvinal’s screams had turned to wails. He knelt on the ground, looking at his hands with teary eyes. His right limped in an awkward way, unresponsive to his desperate attempts to shake it awake. His left was flattened, with bits of bone protruding from his skin and blood dripping from his fingernails.

Frein found it odd. Why does this pathetic show for a knight possess Monarch’s Law? He turned to Monarch Denis.

“Are you sure this guy is a Guard Knight?”

“Yes,” the Monarch replied simply.

“He can’t even recover from shock.”

“You crushed his hands.”

Frein shrugged, returning to the Guard Knight. “I’ve fought new graduates more competent than you, Tryvinal. At least when I stab them, they use Samesia right away.”

When Tryvinal refused to take any other action than cry and stare at his broken hands, it irritated Frein. He pulled the Guard Knight up by the collar of his meiyal battle gear.

“Why do you want to be a Monarch, Tryvinal?” he asked directly. “What are you hiding? Are you really that stupid as to rely on Monarch’s Law?”

No response, only cries of pain.

Frein let go in anger, shoving the wailing man away. Tryvinal didn’t even try to recover his balance, falling on the floor as he broke down in more tears.

He had completely given up.

The Visitor kept his distance. There was still about five minutes left in their duel, and he wasn’t one to put down his guard in front of his opponent. Even if that opponent turned out to be a total disappointment. For all he knew, this might just be an act. Something that even Katherine’s Heart’s Will could possibly miss for some vague reason or another.

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Frein didn’t want to rely on any Blessing. They were too vague, too unknown, therefore, unpredictable. But he didn’t need one to see how this Guard Knight in front of him had completely withdrawn into himself.

It pulled on his guilt, but he completely ignored it. Whatever role Tryvinal had to play in all this, whether he was actually in cahoots with the real enemy or just a random man with potential that abused his opportunity, Frein believed he deserved what had happened and would be happening to him from this point onwards.

In the end, Tryvinal never healed himself. So when the duel ended, Frein did it for him, holding his hands and Drawing Samesia. The Guard Knight was silent the entire time. When the Visitor turned to leave, however, he started talking.

“I thought it was my destiny,” he said, not even trying to stand. “When I discovered my Blessing, my words started to hold weight. People followed my commands. I—”

Frein turned. “Discovered? Not granted?”

Tryvinal was puzzled. “Grant? Who could grant such things? Brymeia? You think just because they’re named after our world, it’s the one that grants them? The records in those books, they’re for children. Fairytales and myths meant to deceive and distract. No. I discovered it on my own. Saved a child from a couple of muggers.”

“You told them to kill themselves?”

“No, no matter how strong my Blessing is, it’s not the Law of the First Monarch. I told them to leave.”

Frein crossed his arms. He had heard this variant of the Blessing multiple times already, and just assumed that it was a more powerful version of Monarch’s Law. To think it would be possible to command people to kill themselves…

“Well, whatever the case, you lost the duel.”

“Yes…” Tryvinal’s passion had completely dissipated. He kept his head down, unintentionally pointing his spiky hair at the Visitor. “It’s my defeat. Thank you for healing my hands.”

Frein found it unnatural for a person of such delusional pride to simply fold back like this. The Guard Knight was utterly hopeless now. As if…

As if he knows something about this defeat…

“Am I reading too much into this?” Frein delivered the thought through the Tether, asking Elizzel’s advice.

“You’re thinking he’s seen this part of his Destiny?” The faunel gave it serious thought. “It’s not impossible. People can be shown their Destiny as we’ve established with Frill and Kristel. But who would do…”

The realization hit the both of them at the same time.

“In line with this defeat,” Monarch Denis intervened before Frein could act, “you are hereby disqualified from my challenge. You are to release everyone you held within your Blessing’s suggestions, and you shall be detained for further investigations. In addition, you are relieved of your duties as Guard Knight.”

Frein observed as Tryvinal rekindled his flame. Darkened eyes glaring at the Monarch, face turned to a snarl, meiyal rushing like a torrent. In an instant, he kicked off the ground, brandishing a meiyal dagger in his hand.

“You liar!”

There was a moment where Frein considered interrupting Tryvinal. Unlike the Guard Knight, he could speed up his perception to such a degree that he could calculate exactly when and how to intervene. But in his peripheral view, someone else was surging with meiyal.

Kristel’s elbow crashed into Tryvinal’s chest, launching him into the air. Frein spared a hand and caught the Guard Knight. He was instantly knocked out.

Well… there goes my chance.

He passed the unconscious Tryvinal to a nearby Royal Knight, who carried him out of the hearing hall. Frein intended to return to his companions to begin discussing his theory, but Kristel’s Siffera challenged him. He stopped.

“Thirty minutes, Frein,” Kristel said, Displaying her Exhibit and Drawing a Sandai-Kaimera in its compressed form. Space shifted around her as the weapon manifested in reality. Oohs and ahs echoed from the impressed Royal Knights and the Advisors that watched them. “Let me earn that crown.”

Frein spared a glance over to Katherine, who simply nodded. Frill and Xiv were just as worried as Scuti. And then finally, there was Monarch Denis. He gracefully raised a hand, a gesture for them to proceed.

“I’m curious as to how much my daughter has grown,” he explained. “This display of power alone should suffice, but if you’re willing, Frein Nivan, allow her to show me more.”

“Well, then…” Frein activated his fourteen meiyal marks and emphasized his Siffera to its Nidai-level. He raised an arm to his side and Displayed his own Exhibit. The Blood Moon Fulgurblade manifested in his open hand, surging black and red lightning meiyal all around him.

There was only one small problem. Frein’s meiyal system began to ache from the amount of meiyal he was constantly Milling and Drawing. He had just recently recovered from Art fatigue, and here he was exerting himself once again.

A problem? Frein smiled as he considered the thought. This is the actual challenge I need right now.

“Get ready, Frein,” Elizzel said from within the Tether.

Kristel dashed in a blur, slashing down with her meiyal sword. Frein placed one foot forward and brought his Fulgurblade upwards. Meiyal on meiyal clashed, resulting in a singularity of power that ripped away all the colors in reality.

“Looks like we’re pretty even,” Frein said through a struggling grin.

“Even?” Kristel repeated. “Stop joking around. You’re practically smoking already!”

Frein emphasized his Siffera and pushed harder, forcing Kristel to withdraw. She was right; he was already on the verge of Art fatigue. But he kept smiling.

“If you think that’s your best chance to win, you better rethink your strategy.” Frein sheathed the Fulgurblade within the Shinemoon Scabbard and placed it on his side. He delivered his intentions well. It was pretty obvious to anyone with a sense of using observation Meiyal Art that he wouldn’t last thirty minutes.

Kristel realized and responded in kind, pouring all she could muster in her Kaimera. It was truly a beauty, looking at how much she had changed after bonding herself with Evanclad’s Destiny. She wasn’t leaving a single drop of meiyal behind. The aura around her meiyal sword brimmed with power, despite the Art’s limitations.

Both of them intended to end it in a single strike, to determine who would come out on top. One, grasping for miracles he didn’t need. The other, grasping for proofs she didn’t need. As if their thoughts were in unison, the two combatants dashed towards the center.

“Wait!”

Monarch Denis’ voice echoed with all the authority his title could afford him, but the two were already committed. To hesitate was to disrespect the other. They had poured all of their strength, all of their pride, in this single strike. And not one, not even a monarch, not even a princess, not even the retainers and council members, not even the Royal Knights, and not even a Lady of the Void could stop them now.

Black and red lightning collided with rippling prismatic meiyal. The resulting meiyal explosion that followed crashed on everyone and everything. A rippling wave reverberated throughout the hearing hall, causing cracks and craters. Frein pushed and Kristel responded in kind. Neither budged from where they stood.

They were perfectly even. So when the moment lasted a little longer, Frein’s Art fatigue kicked in. He refused to give up, but neither did the First Princess. She pushed, Gathering and Milling and Drawing all at the same time. He tried to do the same, but there was nothing.

Absolutely nothing left.

That was when the Emerald Guidance pulled the Azure Calm out of its container and forced an integration. The Guidance walked Elizzel through while Frein held on for dear life. It was almost instantaneous, the faunel had sped up everything within the Mind Palace.

The Azure Calm did exactly what it intended to do. It calmed down the fatigue effects inside Frein’s meiyal system, washing it with a refreshing blue. Aside from that, it did nothing else.

By then, it was already too late for Frein to take advantage of it. Kristel had gained ground, pushing his Fulgurblade down. It took all he had to defend against the follow up.

The split second it took for the First Princess’s face to shift from awe to realization told Frein how much she was aware of the sudden change. She committed to the strike. Frein’s Fulgurblade wouldn’t make it on time. Instead, he raised an arm, coating it with as much protective Siffera as he could muster.

Sandai-Kaimera pierce skin and muscle, but Frein’s bone stopped it completely. At that point, Kristel retracted her attack immediately.

“What was that?” she asked, not even caring enough to celebrate her victory. “The smoke around you just completely disappeared.”

“I got an Azure Calm back when we fought the Da’bloop,” Frein explained, healing his arm with Samesia. “I wasn’t integrated with it yet, but the Emerald Guidance just did it by itself. I guess the effect gets rid of my Art fatigue, but I have to research more about it to make sure.”

Frein reached out for a handshake. “Congratulations, by the way. Nice fight.”

“If you weren’t Art fatigued—”

“Take the victory, Kristel,” Frein insisted, urging with his hand. “Come on.”

The First Princess smiled. She took his hand with both of hers. “Alright. Thanks, Frein.”

“That was intense,” Katherine said as she and the rest of the group approached. “Thought I had to intervene at the last second. What happened, Frein? You don’t look fatigued at all.”

The Visitor spent the next minute repeating his explanation.

“That’s all well and good, but,” Monarch Denis gestured all over the hearing hall. “Not only are the doors broken, look what you two have done with the place.”

“Sorry…” Frein and Kristel said at the same time.

“Bah. I was kidding. It’s not a problem. Come, let’s celebrate and talk over dinner.”

Everyone followed, while Katherine and Frein walked last.

“You’re pretty sly, aren’t you?” she whispered.

“A loss is a loss, Kat,” he whispered back. She simply smiled and shrugged.

“You stopped treating it like a duel at the end there, Frein,” Elizzel said, her voice laced with disappointment. Not because they lost, but because Frein almost killed Kristel.

“I’ll be more careful next time…” Frein looked at his left arm, now completely healed. Then he looked at his right, remembering how much effort it took to keep it reigned in during that last moment. How easy it could’ve been to just let his instincts and muscle memory stab the Fulgurblade straight into the First Princess’s stomach and let the lightning explode from within.

“Did I stop it on my own?” he asked Elizzel. “Or was that the Azure Calm?”

“Thankfully, Frein, it was all you.”