I dodged the Cinthara-shaped outline made of essence as she lunged at me, but she must have gotten close because I could feel the wind from the speed of her weapon right on my cheek. Before I could pass out from the increase in pain that my roll had caused, I took in about two-thirds of the blue essence lines surrounding Cinthara. I directed them to every inch of my armor, leaving a small percentage to course through my spear.

I leaped up and backed away as far as I could, but my back impacted a squishy surface. One of the obstacle towers. I felt around the obstacle with my shoulder and maneuvered myself behind it. My essence-enhanced armor had already begun to increase my speed and strength, and I noticed that even my pain began to ebb. I blinked rapidly, relieved to see that I could start making out shapes within my surroundings again.

I had no time to wallow in my anger about how Cinthara had tried to sabotage me with some deceptive healing spell–and before our duel had even started. Instead, I searched for more essence streams, and there were a lot hovering over the blurry heads of the audience members. I took in as much as I could, feeling my Soul about to burst as I took in almost more than my body could handle.

I ran a steady course of essence through my equipment and started Nic’s and my plan. I dodged and weaved behind every obstacle in the arena as quickly as I could. Cinthara threw herself toward me at an impressive speed, getting closer and closer to striking me with her rapier with every attack. The only thing that kept me from an unfortunate hit from her blade against my armor was my use of essence.

I shouldn’t have, but once my vision returned to full capacity and the pain had decreased to a dull ache, I caught myself glancing at the seconds left on the timer. But before I could read the numbers on the screen, a flash of glowing green that emitted from Cinthara’s thin blade flew over my eyes, and then a blow that knocked the wind from my lungs struck my ribs before I could do anything about it.

I heard a collective gasp from the crowd that engulfed the sound of my pained groan. But I did not allow my knees to buckle underneath me. I stood my ground, though I knew her strike had broken more than one rib. I pointed the tip of my spear toward her chest and stared her down.

Cinthara poised her rapier above her head and spun her fingers in circles around the hilt. She was casting a spell. I knew it because of the eruption of blue essence flaring up around her in hoards. I couldn’t copy and use her spell; she was a Tier 4, but I could take her essence.

I took as much as I could, instinctively outstretching a gauntleted hand toward the blue lines, but I could feel my Soul almost creaking like an overloaded wagon. But what I took was not enough to stop her spell. The soft green glow emanating from her blade blazed even brighter. She spun the rapier in circles in front of her face as if showing off her magic.

The essence I’d taken from her was only enough to ease the pain of my broken ribs. Granted, my essence-enhanced armor could only mask the pain by offering me temporary increased strength. Still, masking symptoms of pain is better than feeling said pain during a fight.

Cinthara seemed to come at me in slow motion. I didn’t hear a call for the timer’s end or the headmaster saying I’d lasted 60 seconds. All I saw was the red in Cinthara’s sweaty face as she came at me with teeth clenched and hands gripped tightly around the hilt of her green sword.

But then, something within my Soul ignited. I knew I had enough essence to…

“Dex! Is it at all possible for me to Tier up right here and within two or three seconds?”

“It’s very dangerous, Rayden.”

“But it’s possible!”

Dex paused, and Cinthara got even closer. “You would have to let me take over. And if you want it done quickly, I need to be the one to allocate your statistics.”

I rolled away from another swing of Cinthara’s blade, but it still hit. I winced at the cut that started to bleed on my cheek, but I bolted as far away from my opponent as I could.

I didn’t have time to argue with Dex about what statistics I wanted him to increase. But any extra strength would help me immensely.

“Do it!” I commanded Codex.

My limbs froze as Dex gained control over my body, and I couldn’t even turn my head to see where Cinthara had gone. But I prayed to anyone who would listen that Codex could cultivate my essence before she attacked again.

A warm, tingling sensation blossomed in my gut, then spread throughout my entire body. But suddenly, the pleasant warmth transformed into an agonizing heat that seemed to burn my insides. My body wanted to double over, but I still couldn’t move. My eyes watered from the pain, and I could hear the confused chatter of the audience: “Why isn’t he moving? She’s going to get to him!”

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Dex had said allowing him to cultivate for me would be dangerous. I’d thought he’d just meant dangerous because I wouldn’t be able to defend myself against Cinthara. But this… burning… it felt like I was dying! Even my essence-enhanced armor failed to conceal the pain from my nerves. Something must have been wrong internally… Or with my Soul and core itself.

At least two seconds must have passed since Codex had taken control of me–Cinthara had to be close. But then, the beautiful ding that accompanied a leveling-up screen sounded in my head.

STATUS

NAME: CLONE #52

TIER: 3

LEVEL: 2

My head pounded and hurt too much, making it impossible for me to focus on the words describing my Tier 3 Skill, and, believe it or not, there were more pressing issues at hand anyway. But what I could make out was the number of my free stat points: 21.

Before I could even think about where the 21 stat points should go, the screen flickered, then went from 21 free stat points to zero.

“I have just allocated all of your free statistic points, Rayden. You may look at them if you like.”

“No time,” I answered Dex.

Suddenly, I could move again, and the burning sensation disappeared. I felt my armor adjust to accommodate the slight increase of my muscles from my increased stats. Feeling energized, I whirled around myself, searching for Cinthara, but I failed to catch sight of her before the butt of her rapier slammed into my stomach.

Though my breath rushed out of my lungs, the pummel of the hilt in my abdomen couldn’t compete against the essence still coursing through my armor. I barely felt it.

I rolled away from Cinthara again and, now thinking even quicker than before, thanks to my new stats, waved my hands over my nose in the same way Priest Kane had when he’d first summoned his water sword. Long streams of water flew out of the buckets tucked behind the weapons rack and soared over Cinthara’s head. The water then snapped together above me and formed into a large, transparent water hammer. Casting the spell had taken a lot out of me, though, and I had channeled some of the essence from my armor into the spell to ensure I could assemble the water hammer quickly.

With the last ounce of my strength, I sent the hammer crashing down over Cinthara’s head in a splash. She crumpled to the floor under the impact, but not before the blunt end of her rapier slammed into my shoulder.

I couldn’t tell who fell to the ground first, and I didn’t have the sturdiness to allow myself to pay attention.

But just before my knee hit the hard floor, Headmaster Bohin called, “Time! Congratulations, Rayden Grim, you endured the 60 seconds.”

“Just barely,” I heard Cinthara grumble from her own kneeling position.

Her breathing was heavy, and she was drenched from my disassembled water hammer. Pieces of her very blond, almost white, hair fell over her face in frizzy damp curls. Her cheeks were red, and her perfect armor had scuff marks along the greaves and vambraces.

The essence coursing through my armor had worn off even more, meaning the pain it masked started to grow stronger again. But I forced my arm forward through the pain and outstretched it, offering to shake her hand.

“Well played,” I said.

She shoved my hand away and pushed herself off the ground.

“You won’t be so lucky next time,” she growled. And with that, she stormed away from me and toward the double-doored exit.

Next time?

I watched her go with my brows furrowed, and my lips pursed. I did not understand that girl. And then I remembered the problem with my jaw right when the duel had started. I was sure her healing spell from before had been the culprit.

I rose from the ground and wiped bits of dust off my armor. Cinthara looked back at me for a split second, violet eyes turning darker as she glared, before she escaped behind the doors and away from my sight.

Her healing spell had been deceptive… A lie. Something she said would heal me but, in fact, made my injury worse in the end. It made me think of Lady Euridice and her deceptive Skills and spells she’d used against Solomon in their battle to the death.

Cinthara was so similar to the goddess. Too similar. But I didn’t think she was Euridice. Maybe… I felt the blood drain from my face.

“Did your scans say anything about Cinthara’s DNA?” I asked Dex as the headmaster jumped down from his seat and headed toward me with outstretched arms, ignoring that Cinthara had taken her leave without a dismissal.

“I did not do a scan that deep into her composition, Rayden,” Dex responded. “Would you like me to?”

Jaeke reached me and patted the shoulder Cinthara had struck with a firm hand, but I was so distracted I didn’t even wince.

“Yes! Do it quickly!” I answered. “I think… I think she is a clone of Lady Euridice.”

“Congratulations, Rayden Grim!” The headmaster gripped both of my shoulders and turned me to face him. “I’d like to officially welcome you as a student at Solomon’s Realm Academy!”

He whirled me around to face the larger part of the audience in the circular arena, ignoring the pained grimace I made as he forcefully maneuvered my body to where he wanted it. Half-hearted applause rippled through the battle room–no one seemed to care all that much. But, regardless of that and my questions about Cinthara, I felt a sense of pride swell within my chest.

I did it! I thought. I can learn and train at the academy!

A flash of light glinted off a smooth, shiny surface in the left corner of my eye. I peered in that direction and found Nic, helmet and all, standing a few rows from the front of the audience. He kept himself partially hidden in a secluded corner, but I thought I saw him give me a subtle nod, which was all the approval I needed. Even amid sabotage and against someone two Tiers (now just one) above me, I had succeeded in the plan we’d made the night before.

“Rayden, I have finished my DNA scans of Cinthara Damaris. Her DNA matches that of Lady Euridice’s perfectly.”

Everything around me faded away, as if everyone in existence and the sounds surrounding me diminished and went sort of blurry.

Euridice had found me, and she did it by copying Lord Solomon Rohn’s methods. She had found a way to reach me on this planet that blocked those above Tier 15 by sending an essentially weaker version of herself. Was this a part of her experiment? Had she sent Cinthara to kill me?

All of the pride and glory from my triumph melted away, and all sentiments I’d had prior to feeling safe here went away with them.