Chapter Twelve
Taking a seat at the table, I glance down at Aaron, Scott, and Emily, who all give me different gestures of approval. Sitting down across from me, Joey is grinning from ear to ear as Ayden sits at my side.
Placing both his hands on my shoulders and shaking me, Ayden emphatically proclaims as he hands me a napkin, “Who knew you were a badass?”
“I’ve always been a badass,” I reply, wiping the potatoes off my face.
Sliding his plate of food across the table, I tell Joey, “No, you eat.”
"You’re kidding, right?” says Joey. “You’re the one with a duel tonight, and after that, you earned this food. Now, eat up. You’ll need the fuel.”
Ayden slides his plate over, too, and I open my mouth to protest, but Ayden gives me a firm shake of the head, and I take the hint.
But still, I ask, “Won’t you guys get hungry?”
Ayden replies, “Yeah, but we’ve been hungry before. We’ll be fine, so eat.”
As I start with the lukewarm chicken casserole on Joey’s plate, Joey says, “While you eat, just listen. The classes of iris are all different; you saw that today. You might think one class is stronger than the rest, but that’s not the case. Even with your ability, you don’t have an advantage over ours. It’s simply in a different class.”
I swallow, “Okay, where are you going with this?”
“The three classes are balanced, as are the seven categories. However, there are instances where one category has an advantage over another, specifically in the external class.”
“The external class has three categories,” I say, my mouth full of food. “So, is it like rock-paper-scissors?”
“Precisely. Elemental powers can be produced at any time by a Tochi wielder, regardless of the environment. So a Tochi wielder would be at an advantage against a Resu wielder, as their realm wouldn’t negatively affect the Tochi wielder that much. As for Resu wielders, they have an advantage over Ano wielders. Because Ano wielders require something with matter to use their ability, being forced to fight in a realm where they don’t know their surroundings is restricting. Lastly, Ano wielders have the upper hand against Tochi wielders. Some Tochi wielders use earth or ice, elements of matter that can be manipulated by an Ano wielder. I’m sure there are variances for both types of categories, but you get the idea. Pretty tough to beat somebody who can nullify your main weapon.”
“That means Russ would be weak against a Tochi wielder. My flames kind of make me one,” I say, some food on my fork.
“Yes. I’m saying these things to put you at ease. I can tell you’re… a bit nervous,” says Joey. “As for the internal and mythic classes, they each only have two categories. In both cases, the categories are evenly balanced, so there’s nothing to be concerned about. We don’t know what Russ’s other ability is, but we do know that it isn’t from the mythic class, so you don’t have to be worried about going toe to toe with a Kadil ability.”
Taking another bite of my food, I try to relax.
“So… when is the duel?”
“In a few minutes, you’ll be taken by the guards to the right. You don’t have to do anything. Just follow their instructions. The duels typically start anywhere between six and eight. We’ll be watching the whole time from the skybox from one end… Sorel and the warden will be on the other.”
“How many… duels have you been to?”
“Only a few, but word travels fast about this stuff. Don’t worry, Mateo, we’ll be able to talk more after the duel.”
“What makes you so sure I’ll survive?” I blurt out, surprising even myself for asking that.
Ayden grins, “Tch, where’s that cocky prick we’ve grown to love? We don’t think you’ll survive…”
Joey finishes Ayden’s sentence, “We think you’ll win.”
***
As I finish my food, a pair of guards approach and instruct me to follow them just as Joey said they would. As I am escorted out of the mess hall behind Russ, I watch the steps of my own feet, wanting to avoid eye contact with anybody else.
Walking through the block toward the right half of the prison, Makani pops out from the back of a pillar ahead of us after Russ passes by without noticing her.
As we near her, she checks over her shoulder before asking, “Can I have a minute with him?”
The guards are hesitant, so Makani pushes her sleeve to the side, showing she has her armor on. Whether that is the action that makes them decide, I don’t know, but they allow her to speak with me.
“You’re wasting your own time,” a female guard says to me as she moves out of the way.
Makani approaches me and says, “This won’t take long.”
I cock a brow, “Do you need something?”
“The ring he wears is the key to one of his powers. If he tosses it in the air, he’s activating his realm. That’s… all I know.”
In shock by her inclination to help, I quickly adjust my expression from bewilderment to gratitude. Reaching into my pocket, I give Makani the mitered square. Stealing the air from her lungs, Makani’s jaw drops as she stares at the mitered square.
“Thanks,” I tap my fist to the center of my chest twice. “I’ll be sure to give him hell, for both you and Taylor.”
“Mateo, I can’t take this…” she says, trying to hand my token back.
I smile, “You will. Keep it safe. I want it back after the duel.”
Continuing past her with the guards into the right, my doubts about the duel are gone, replaced with an unwavering belief that I will walk away as the victor tonight.
It was only once Makani thought I was out of earshot of her that she broke down.
Wiping at her face, she says, “No… thank you, Mateo.”
***
Arriving at one of many doors, Sorel is standing inside another similar-looking medical room.
“Welcome back,” says Sorel, turning away to hide his amped spirit. “Have a seat, Mateo.”
“You’re not about to cut into my forehead again, right?”
Sorel laughs, “No, just need to run some tests before your duel. You sure had quite a first day, didn’t you?”
The machinery above me positions itself as I reply, “I guess, but it’s not over yet.”
He chuckles again, “I take it they told you everything you need to know?”
Looking over at Sorel, he meets my eye.
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I look away, focusing on the red light, “Yeah, they did.”
As the machine scans me, Sorel asks, “Well, do you want to ask me anything?”
Pondering about his question, I watch the machine start to rise toward the ceiling.
“No, nothing.”
“Then hop out of that chair,” says Sorel, thrilled that the scans show nothing wrong with my health. “Guards, take him to the prep room.”
As the guards usher me out of the room, Sorel leaves me with some last words, “I look forward to watching your duel. Good luck, Mateo.”
Tch, I don’t need your luck.
Turning down another hallway, we walk for another twenty seconds until we reach the end and enter through another door. This room is much smaller than the medical room we were just in, and there’s a door directly across from us.
Inside, the guards order me to take off my armor. Doing as they say, I note how planned out this all is. The room is too small to fight two guards by myself, and I don’t have the element of surprise either. If I try to escape through either end, I’m sure to be met with more waves of guards, and if I try to do anything to myself, they’ll easily be able to stop me.
Handing my armor to one of the guards, they wait for me to put my clothes back on before we advance into the next room.
This room is smaller than the one we trained in earlier, and guards are spaced along the perimeter. Toward the left is a small stand with a fruit bowl and water refreshments, which the guards inform me I am welcome to have.
Walking over to check out what fruit they got, somebody shouts from behind me that I have around twenty minutes until the duel starts, and how I use that time is up to me.
Approaching the bowl, I become ecstatic when I see some slices of mango. I quickly rush over and start devouring one slice after the other. Relishing their flavor, I start thinking about Russ as I eat the rest of the watermelon and blueberries in the bowl.
Makani said his ring is the key to activating his realm, kind of like Joey’s crozier. Luckily, I now know that he has to toss it in the air to use his realm, which helps. I’ll just have to stay defensive until I see his other ability.
After downing a small cup of water, I recall Ayden and Joey’s teachings and sit on the ground a few feet from the table. Getting into a meditation pose, I close my eyes.
Focus… on the gemcore…
Feeling the warm tingling of iris, I start to circulate iris into various regions of my body, remembering how it feels to do so.
As I meditate, the guards inside the room are astounded by the raw power displayed before their eyes. The tattoo on my forehead illuminates to a glistening peak before simmering back down, only to increase in brightness again a few seconds later.
After about ten minutes and feeling ready to move on, I open my eyes. Continuing to feel the flow of energy coursing through me, I channel a decent amount of iris into my arms. My arms burst into a beautiful blend of blue and white flames. The guards watch in awe, whispering to each other. Walking through a handful of movements I learned earlier, I repeat these movements until my time is up.
Powering down my flames and allowing my muscles to relax, I walk back to the table and drink another cup of water.
“Hands behind your back,” a guard says as I place the cup down.
Getting cuffed, I’m ushered out to the opposite end of the training room from which I had entered. After being led down a short hallway, we enter a large, oval-shaped room, which I assume is the arena.
Across the room, I make eye contact with Russ, who smirks with arrogance as guards escort him the same way they are me. Above and to my left, I spot Sorel and the warden watching over the arena through a curved glass wall. To my right, a large audience of inmates have already taken their seats, cheering like this is a sporting event. Among them, I find Ayden and Joey seated together, neither participating in the cheering. Also, I notice Makani has isolated herself as far right to the watching area as she can, seemingly hiding herself so I can’t see her.
Letting her think I haven’t, I turn my attention back to Russ.
Sorel’s voice boomed over the speakers above, “Just a reminder to both fighters that any attempt to attack the guards or each other before the duel begins will forfeit you. The duel will begin shortly.”
Stepping into a small, drawn circle across from Russ, I take in the enormous magnitude of the light-gray arena. Probably a hundred guards are standing along the outer wall, cameras are everywhere, and the crowd's roar continues to grow louder.
Being uncuffed, I rub my wrists as Russ jeers, gleefully staring at the crowd, “Guess I’ve got more fans than I thought!”
Russ’s gaze meets mine, deeply inhaling the air, “The air tonight is... light. Uninteresting. All those bastards up there came to watch your funeral, and yet, you’re just not worth it.”
Ignoring him, I eye the ring on his left hand and ponder what his realm might be like.
“Fighters, ready yourselves. The duel will start in fifteen seconds,” announces Sorel. “Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen…”
While Sorel counts down, I keep my eyes on Russ, preparing to go on the defensive early. On the other hand, Russ is not trying to conceal his motives. His stance is aggressive, his head lowered and his foot pawing the ground as he slides the ring off his finger.
“Three, two, one, begin!”
Immediately taking off his ring, Russ tosses it straight into the air. Watching the ring, I wait to see what realm will be created. While I’m distracted, Russ takes off toward me on all fours, his clothes ripping away as he transforms into a two-horned bull. Hearing the stomping rhythm of his hooves, my attention is pulled back to Russ, and I’m shocked to see how close he is.
The ring was a diversion!
Not having enough time to dodge, I quickly engulf my arms with flames and try to shoot a fireball at Russ. But with so little time, the fireball I create is uselessly weak. Charging right through my pathetic attack, Russ drives his horns right into my chest, sending me skipping along the ground.
Bellowing a bull’s roar, Russ stands up on his two hind legs and showboats in front of the crowd. Some of the crowd cheers, but most don’t. Over half are looking at me with concern, all probably wondering if the battle is already over.
But Joey and Ayden know better. In fact, Ayden is even smirking, and as Russ’s eyes take notice of that detail, he senses a massive influx of iris behind him. Whipping his head back, Russ sneers.
Sitting up and holding my right hand to my chest, my heavenly flames heal the wounds from Russ’s horns. Returning to my feet, my tattoo shines brightly as my eyes spark with blue and white flare.
With my flames commanding the attention of everyone watching, Sorel couldn’t look away if he tried. Standing beside him, the warden observes Sorel’s lack of self-control, his gaze narrowing.
Dumbfounded by my ability, Russ turns away from the crowd, “Wha– what kind of devil are you?”
As my flames finish healing up my injuries, I channel iris into the soles of my feet.
Taking off in the direction of Russ, I leap high into the air above him. Outstretching both arms in front of my chest, I circulate iris to my open palms. After letting my iris build up for a second, my heavenly flames blaze intensely as I cast a powerful inferno directly at Russ.
As the inferno rapidly approaches Russ, his eyes widen with fear. With adrenaline pumping and animal instincts taking over, Russ falls back onto his four legs and channels iris into each of his hooves. Leaping out of the way to avoid direct impact, my flames suddenly branch out into a fan. Using my own attack as cover, I’m following close behind.
“It’s the same technique he used against me!” says Ayden, leaning forward.
Watching with his arms folded, Joey says, “But did he learn from his mistake...”
As some of my flames burn Russ, he angrily roars as he tries to regain his bearings. Recognizing that Russ has been spat out on the outer left edge of my fanned attack, I quickly contort my body to change direction. Exerting a powerful exhaust of flames from my right hand, I boost myself forward a few feet off the ground. Swiftly approaching an unsuspecting Russ, I channel iris into my right fist, maximizing its potency.
“No, he’s too worked up,” states Joey. “He’s not thinking clearly.”
Eagerly looking to strike down Russ, I don’t realize Russ is patiently biding his time.
“When blood mixes with iris, untrained wielders like Mateo surrender their green minds and bodies to their emotions. Your decision-making and awareness become hindered as you find yourself caught in the tune of adrenaline,” says Joey.
Swinging my arm out, Russ weaves out of the way of my punch as he stands up on two legs again.
“And when trapped in that thrilling melody, you strangle yourself into forgetting key information. As for Mateo…” says Joey, watching as a hoove is driven into my stomach. “He forgot about Russ’s realm.”
Coughing up blood, I’m sent tumbling along the ground once again, this time much further and painfully than before. Not taking any time to showboat, Russ falls back on four legs and charges after me. Hearing the stomping of Russ’s hooves, I open my eyes and see a shaky visual of Russ.
Holding my left hand to my stomach to heal, Russ is suddenly on top of me in the blink of an eye. Quickly circulating iris to protect myself, I’m punted into the air. Only managing to negate some force from the impact, I cough up another spew of blood as my lower back screams in agony. Falling through the air, I’m too deranged from the pain to remain alert. Ignorant of Russ’s next plan of attack, Russ drags his hoof along the ground as he waits for me to fall to a certain point.
Perfectly timing his charged assault with my descent through the air, Russ slams his thick bull forehead into my unprotected body. Sent flying back another twenty feet, I instinctively channel iris into my back moments before slamming into the wall bordering the arena. The forcefield mitigating the impact, I slump down the wall, the nearby guards having barely managed to get out of the way.
The crowd having gone silent, Sorel leans forward to get a better view of me, an expression of concern on his face. Keeping to himself, Warden Conall takes note of the scientists’ reaction.
From the other skybox, Makani has a hand over her mouth, her shaky eyes trained on me. But once again, the only two watching who aren’t worried in the slightest are my mentors.
“There. Maybe that snapped him out of it," says Joey.
Aaron leans forward from the row above and whispers, “What? There’s no way he’s getting up after that!”
Ayden laughs, “Taking a direct attack like that would kill most normal people, even some iris-wielders. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned today…”
Slowly finding my footing again, Russ’s eyes itch with rage as my flames glisten off my body with blazing vigor.
“Mateo ain’t normal. Not one bit.”