The noble estate chosen as our "neutral" location stood out like a sore thumb among the worn and functional Aresford landscape. It was a small enough estate with raised walls, a metal gate, and guards standing outside, but it towered at least one story above other nearby structures.

As I approached, one of the guards nodded towards me and opened the gate behind him. He led me down a stone path to a space behind the mansion, where our duel would take place.

The ring was a stone rectangle with raised seating on either side. Planters with greenery and still-running water features stood at regular intervals, showing that even in the dead of winter, the nobility could not help themselves.

Though Flynn had not yet arrived, at least ten nobles sat in the stands. Servants moved between them with trays of food, and I could hear the sounds of their conversations. None of the nobles looked older than twenty, and only two felt stronger than Flynn, though not by much.

If Flynn intended to throw me off with an audience, he had misread the situation. When I first arrived, it might have worked, but now? There was no chance of avoiding notice, so these nobles might as well watch. Win or lose, audience or not, word would spread.

I ignored the whisperings, snickering, and gestures in my direction as I walked to the far end of the ring, where the sun shone brightest. There, I busied myself with retrieving my equipment, double-checking them for flaws, and tightening the vambrace on my right arm. When that was finished, I moved into some warmup drills, making a show of moving slower and clumsier than usual. I even purposefully tripped during one combination, earning another peal of laughter from the half-drunk nobility.

Flynn arrived five minutes after me, dressed like he expected a casual sparring match between friends rather than an official duel. His clothes looked simpler than before, though still preposterously expensive, and his golden glasses shone in the morning sunlight.

Rather than scowl, sneer, or glare, Flynn smiled in my direction and raised a hand before walking to the assembled nobility. One of the two who felt stronger than Flynn broke from the group, making his way to the center of the ring, with Flynn following close behind.

I walked towards them, shield and spear already in hand, and met them in the center of the ring.

The unfamiliar noble glanced between us before saying, "Your duel will follow traditional Ferren rules of honorable combat. The first to surrender or be rendered unable to continue will lose. You are both to avoid purposeful and deliberate injury to one another. Your magic is to remain within the ring. Attacks on spectators are grounds for me to step in. Do you understand?"

I nodded as Flynn said, "Completely. Oh, can you hold onto these as well?"

Flynn removed his glasses, folded them, and held them out to the noble. The young man took them, slipping them into a pocket before walking to the edge of the ring.

We returned to either side of the ring, leaving around forty feet between us. The noble overseeing the duel glanced between us again, likely checking for any preemptory magical tricks, raised one hand and brought it down like an executioner's blade.

I shot forward, drawing mana throughout my body as I sprinted towards Flynn. All my training had sped the process, and within five steps, Traveler's Shield snapped into place. By my sixth, I had moved on to my second spell.

Flynn's arms moved through strange, exaggerated patterns as he spoke an incantation. I could not hear his words but felt a massive surge of light mana ripple out from his body. Golden strands rose from his shoulders and back, coalescing to form strange, flowing bands that danced in the sunlit morning air.

I kept my senses on those bands, searching for any change as I finished my second spell. The Aether shuddered against my control, but I held it, forcing it to grow stronger as I waited until the last moment. When only ten feet remained between us, I ducked low, leaned forward, raised my shield, and cast Force Step.

The world narrowed to a point as I shot forward in a blindingly fast lunge. I squeezed my eyes shut against the rush of wind and kept my shield raised like a battering ram.

My first plan was simple. I would charge Flynn, use Force Step to close the gap in a blur, knock him to the ground before he could raise a defense, and lay my spear against his neck. He would surrender, I would claim victory, and I could even keep a few tricks secret for now.

But it was only my first plan for good reason. Flynn did not balk at my sudden lunge. Instead, he remained relaxed as could be as he raised his right hand. Thin streams of gold flowed around and down his arm, gathering in his palm into a shimmering sphere.

I had enough time to slide to a stop, gauge his target, and jump to one side. A golden beam sliced through the air where my shoulder had been a heartbeat earlier, burning with enough power to blast through my shield and likely severely damage my magical armor with a direct strike.

Flynn threw two more blasts within as many seconds, and I had to step and weave to dodge. Whatever trick Flynn had done earlier with pre-gathering his mana let him cast with incredible speed, and though I was faster, it was a slim margin.

We fell into a dance of attack, dodge, and attack, with neither of us capable of gaining the advantage. It was a false stalemate, one I would lose sooner or later. Sure, Flynn was burning more mana, but I knew his stamina would outlast mine.

As our battle grew rote and seconds crept closer to a minute, the tide began to turn. Flynn was the stronger mage, but that did not mean the better duelist. He had a pattern and flaws, and I soon noticed one. Whatever trick he had done was imperfect, and each successive blast came slower. Not by much, but enough.

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Slowly, I began to make progress. I had a chance to shuffle closer between dodges, and what was uncertain and desperate grew assured and focused. The gap started to close again as I slipped past his bolts, which became slower and clumsier still.

When I reached just five feet between us, the noble sprung his trap. I saw Flynn's face break into another smile and felt his mana surge as it flowed down his arm faster than any spell he had thrown before.

I had enough time to raise my shield and brace myself before the beam slammed into me. It sheared through the wood and iron reinforcements, slicing off nearly a third before crashing into my shoulder. My magic held barely, and the blast carried enough force to throw me to one side. I hit the stone, rolled, and spun, ready to dodge a follow-up casting.

Flynn did not bother. In fact, he had tucked his left hand into a pocket and tapped one foot on the ground. He still smiled and seemed to be having fun rather than a pitched duel.

"You're quick!" Flynn shouted, "A new spell? I like it! But is that everything? I'd hoped you'd have another trick or two ready by now."

Well, if he insisted.

I rolled my shoulder and focused, repairing the cracks in my magical armor before raising my damaged shield. It took me a few seconds to gather enough mana for another Force Step, but the second I was ready, I shot toward Flynn again.

The noble seemed surprised momentarily, then visibly shrugged and raised his right hand. Mana gathered for another blast, slower than the previous one but not by much.

As he readied his attack, I pulled Aether from my core and down my right arm. It flowed past my flesh and sunk into the vambrace hidden underneath my shield, or rather into the runes set into the metal bands. Though I could not see it, I felt the enchantment come to life, channeling and molding my mana into the proper shape.

A hazy green shell, large enough to cover my entire torso and half an inch thick, formed in front of my right arm just in time to absorb Flynn's beam. The shield splintered with a deafening crack, and the sheer force stopped my charge in its place, but the enchantment held.

Flynn's beam did not simply vanish, and I had to dig my boots into the stone to hold myself upright. I thought back to those basic training with the guards and gritted my teeth as I angled my magical shield to one side. The golden bar slid past my shoulder as I ducked low and lunged.

For the first time, Flynn seemed caught off-guard. He pulled his left hand out, and his mana reshaped as it forced wider, sweeping blasts rather than crisp, focused beams. I sidestepped one, jumped over the other, and blocked two with my shield as I grew closer and closer.

But strangely, he did not look angry or worried. No, his smile had widened, and as I ducked underneath a sweeping horizontal blast, he outright laughed. And even more strangely, this felt...fun?

I did not have to worry about schemes and backstabbing. There were no unknown threats, looming deadlines, or strange mysteries. Instead, there was only me, my magic, my spear, and a foe. The only thing I had to worry about was defeating Flynn and testing how far I had come.

Then, I was within melee range. Flynn's eyes widened, and he threw both hands forward, shoving mana into a curving half-wall before his body. It had twice as much power as my Traveler's Shield, a classic, wasteful barrier. I followed suit, pouring mana down my left arm and into my spear.

Mana Edge flared to life along my spear. I knew from testing that green wisps would rush along the shaft before gathering into a flickering, indistinct triangular blade around the tip. There was a noticeable emerald glow in the corner of my eye, and I grinned as I drew my spear for an attack.

My spear crashed into Flynn's shield with a thunderous crack, sending spiderweb fractures across its translucent surface. The mana within my enchantment reverberated as the force briefly disrupted it and forced more Aether into it to compensate. Though Flynn had blocked it, it was a close thing.

I planted my feet and drove forward the spear again, stepping in with a hard thrust. The cracks widened even as Flynn poured more mana into his defense, and the edges of his wall shrunk as he concentrated it. His face had finally lost that damned smile, and I could see the sweat beading on his forehead. His mouth was a thin line, his eyes were narrowed, and his posture had grown tense.

But then, he smiled. As I drew back for a third, and hopefully final strike, I felt his mana shift again. He murmured something under his breath, too quiet to be heard but easy enough to read at such a short distance.

"I win."

Flynn's wall flashed bright white, and I staggered back with a shout. I swiped blindly as my vision turned into a mass of black spots and fell back. It took me a second to raise my vambrace's shield again, just in time for another blast to slam into me like a warhammer.

This time, my shield broke entirely. The strike threw me to the ground, driving the wind from my lungs, and I felt my spear sail free, clattering off somewhere to my side. My Traveler's Shield held, but it was a close thing, and I barely made it to my feet before another blast came in my direction.

A blinding flash was the only thing I had no actual counter for and was the one thing I wanted to avoid. Without my eyes, I had to rely upon my hearing, touch, and innate mana senses, none of which would have enough precision.

Despite that, I could sense the beam well enough to throw myself to one side. I rolled to my feet again, gasping to regain my breath. I stretched out my senses, trying to hear or sense anything. When nothing came, I reached into the pouch by my side and retrieved my backup spear before straightening into an opening stance.

The duel was effectively over. I could do only so much without eyesight, even with my half-full core. There was still one thing left, one trick I had only tested twice and discarded. All I needed to do was keep Flynn distracted.

I fumbled with my right hand, spinning as if trying to find him in near-panic. It was an easier act than I thought.

"Where are you?" I demanded, raising my voice higher and shriller than usual.

"Sorry about this," Flynn's voice came from my left, "If it's any consolation, I hate winning like this. But I hate losing more."

"Not much sport in blinding your opponent, is there?" I spun towards where I heard his voice and stepped forward, clumsily swiping my spear in his direction.

"No, there's not. Not much opportunity either," Flynn replied. This time his voice sounded to my right, and it was louder and closer, with an undercurrent of something that might have been annoyance.

"Opportunity?" I asked, trying to keep him talking as I moved the mana within my core, "What are you talking about?"

"I'll explain after I win," Flynn said, and this time he was closer than ever.

"I would prefer you explain after I win," I said and cast my final piece of magic.

Aether poured out from every inch of my body in a single, diffuse wave. Motes bounced across the ground and flowed into the sky, spreading everywhere in a pulse that drained my core from half-full to near empty.

The pulse was not a spell or enchantment but a brute force, wasteful exertion of raw, unshaped mana. It was the only real counter I had found for a blinding attack and was so wasteful and inefficient that my core would go from full to empty after three uses.

But it worked. As my Aether flowed out, I retained enough connection with that energy to feel what it touched. The pulse bounced beneath my feet, forming a distinctly flat surface. Above my head was an uncertain mass that I knew was the sky. And there, just a few steps to my right, a human-sized void stood.

I pulled the last of my mana throughout my body, dividing it into twin streams and forcing them into place. Half went to my feet to form a weak Force Step, the other down my left arm and into my spear. I turned and Stepped.

Flynn had not moved, and I sensed him gathering more power, but he was too slow. My last trick had caught him off-guard, and his defense felt diffuse and unfocused. There was a hint of mana behind me, possibly a last-ditch attack that had sailed wide, but I noticed it only distantly.

I drew back my spear, forcing lingering dregs from my core into the enchantment, ready to drive it through his shield and claim victory.

And I tripped.

My trailing foot caught on something, just barely but enough to upset my lunge. I regained my balance, but that trip had broken off my momentum and ruined my strike. My lightning-fast thrust turned into a clumsy slash. The edge of my spear bit into Flynn's shield, slicing through it without much issue, but it was a shallow attack.

I spun, trying to hear his breathing or sense his light mana, but the mage had retreated out of range. I tried to pull more Aether from my core, from the air, from somewhere, but my spear guttered out as my core ran dry.

With my enchantment dead and my core empty, there was nothing else to do. I swallowed hard, raised my head, and shouted, "I yield!"