Erik was left in awe, his eyes wide from the display of power. The dummies were enhanced by magic, so it would be hard to damage them, and yet one was now cut in half, completely cleaved by a sword.

"That was... insane," Erik said, breaking the silence.

Arthur turned, glancing at him with a neutral expression. "What was?"

Erik took notice of the sword Arthur held as he said those words. The blade was extremely sharp, its hue deeper than any blue, and lightning flickered across its surface. The hilt was wrapped in dark leather, the pommel was a grotesque miniature skull, its hollow eyes staring coldly. It seemed weirdly alive.

The sword seemed to emit a cold, unnatural chill, distorting the air and making the space around it feel heavier. It was unsettling, unknown, and yet made itself very recognizable to Erik.

“The Harbinger…”

Just as Erik managed to say, the sword seemingly disappeared with a pop.

“Please don’t question me about my sword. I’m not supposed to be showing it,” Arthur said, the pressure in the air dissipating instantly.

“I…” he let out a hushed breath, the memories of the dungeon rushing back into his mind. How could that boy have a weapon that reminded him of that demon? How did it disappear like that?

Arthur had a sheathed sword on his side, but with a simple look, it was clear those were two completely different weapons. This one looked normal from the hilt.

Erik swallowed hard, his eyes flicking back to Arthur, who stood calm and composed as if wielding such a weapon was a mundane task.

“That sword…” Erik began, his voice low, almost hesitant. “Where did you get it?”

Arthur’s expression hardened slightly, the neutrality giving way to something colder. “I said not to question me about it,” his tone was sharp, not angry but firm, carrying an authority Erik hadn’t heard from him before.

“It's demonic,” Erik said, pointing at the boy.

Arthur shifted his gaze slightly. “I know…” he said, his tone not quite as firm as before. “But I still can’t talk about it—it's a family secret—so ignore it for now.”

Erik frowned, looking at him. He watched his face, his tone, his eyes, trying to understand what wasn’t said. Despite the weirdness of it all, Erik felt no hostility whatsoever. Perhaps it wasn’t as serious as he thought.

He wasn’t sure, but he would give the benefit of the doubt for now.

“You sliced through that dummy like it was nothing! How?” Erik finally asked, breaking the tense silence.

Arthur unsheathed his other blade, his composure returning. “Precision and practice,” he replied simply. “That’s all it takes.”

Erik raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never seen anyone cut through one of these, there’s no way that’s enough. "

Arthur looked at the cut-down dummy and crouched, his hand touching the thing. “They are enchanted by magic, but it doesn’t mean it's strong all around. Even magic has weak points. I just train in exploiting them.”

This was perhaps the most complex sentence Arthur had ever brought out, making Erik listen in awe.

He waved his iron sword, this one had no screaming characteristics. “If you go like this… and this… it goes like bam and…” he swung it around, explaining his thought process.

It must’ve made a lot of sense from the confident way he explained it, but to Erik…

What is he on about? It made no sense whatsoever. Perhaps this was the working brain of a genius.

“How about a spar? Right here, right now," Erik said, cutting through Arthur’s long speech. He wanted to test that boy, gauge the difference between them, and know how much stronger his training made him.

Arthur shook his head, his expression unreadable. "Not yet."

"What? Why not?"

Arthur turned back to the dummies, adjusting his stance. "Save it for the academic festival."

Erik blinked, surprised. "The academic festival?"

Arthur nodded, his focus already back on his training. "November. It’s where everyone shows what they’ve got. Duels, performances, competitions. That’s the real test," he swung his blade against the dummies.

Erik smirked, the challenge sparking something in him. "Fine. But don’t expect to win, I’ll be even stronger when we get there."

Arthur didn’t respond, his focus entirely on his practice.

Erik crossed his arms, watching Arthur move with an intensity that almost seemed unnatural yet done with seemingly ease. The boy was in his world. But Erik couldn’t let go of the questions bubbling in his mind.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“So…” Erik began, hesitating for a moment. “What happened to Elizabeth?”

Arthur’s movements slowed, but he didn’t stop. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you two are always together, but I don’t see her now.”

Arthur finally halted mid-swing, lowering the sword. He turned to Erik, his face unreadable as usual. “She’s busy. A lot of responsibilities come with her position, so she’s back at the castle.”

“So you don’t have that kind of responsibility?”

“I do,” Arthur said nonchalantly, not going into detail.

Erik frowned. That boy was really hard to get information out of. “Like…?”

“Getting stronger.”

Erik widened his eyes. That boy had the same reason for staying with him. Then, slowly, his lips turned into a grin.

“Alright, I can’t wait to see you in action,” Erik said before turning.

As Erik turned to leave, Arthur’s voice called out behind him. “Wait.”

He paused, glancing back. Arthur had sheathed his sword, and his expression as neutral as always.

“What is it now?” Erik asked, folding his arms.

Arthur pointed to the ground. “About that dummy…”

Erik raised an eyebrow, unsure where this was going. “What about it?”

Arthur hesitated for the briefest moment, then said, “Would you be happy to help me cover the cost of a new one? The director is going to be mad—”

Before any other word could be said, Erik bolted, running in the opposite direction.

“Erik!” he could hear Arthur shouting for him from afar. This was probably dishonorable, but he couldn't care less.

“I need my points for the premium food!” he said, as the delicious variety of quality meat was what kept him going by now.

----------------------------------------

Erik made his way back to the dorms. After that encounter, he felt like enjoying himself for a bit before going back to training.

But as he turned a corner, the sound of frantic voices broke through his thoughts.

“Somebody get a teacher!” a panicked voice cried.

“I tried, but it’s not stopping!” another shouted.

Erik frowned, quickening his pace toward the commotion. A small crowd of students had gathered, mostly younger ones, their faces pale with fear. As he approached, a hush fell over the group.

“That’s Erik Blake.”

“The guy who beat Colin months ago,” one said, nudging their friend.

“And survived the dungeon,” another added.

“Yeah, but we all know how that ended.”

Erik raised his eyebrow, annoyed at how they talked about him with no care. “I’m in front of you. What do you want?”

One of the boys stumbled forward. “It—it’s my summoning creature! It’s gone crazy!”

Erik’s gaze darted behind the boy, catching a glimpse of the creature wreaking havoc. It was small, no taller than a child, but its presence crackled with raw thunder. The beast’s body appeared as though it had been sculpted from stone, yet it flew like a bird.

Each movement it made sent arcs of electricity sparking off its limbs, snapping at the air. Its eyes glowed in white energy. The faint static hum followed it, the sound growing louder with every erratic move.

Despite its small size, Erik could feel the hair on his arms rising from the static charge in the air.

“What is going on?” Erik demanded that things could be dangerous.

“We were practicing summoning,” another student explained, her voice trembling. “But the mana link—something went wrong. It’s not listening to us anymore!”

The beast let out a sharp, otherworldly screech, its small form glowing brighter as its energy surged.

“Stay back,” he said, stepping forward. “I’ll handle it.”

There were only three ways to stop a rampaging summoned beast. One was for its master to call it back—which couldn’t happen now. Another was to subdue it with a sealing magic. The third was to kill it.

Ugh, there are always more troubles in my way. That’s why I didn’t bother joining that class. Summoning is risky, and you might be more troubled if you get a weak familiar,

Erik rubbed the back of his neck. This would be bothersome, yet he felt the faintest excitement grow in him.

The Elemental let out another sharp screech, its glowing eyes locking onto Erik. It charged, electricity roaring as it hovered in the air.

Erik raised his hand, his lips turning into a grin. “You’re wide open, bad move.”

With a snap of his fingers, flames roared to life, swirling around Erik in an arc before surging forward in a stream. The Elemental collided with the flames, recoiling as the intense heat scorched its rocky exterior. Sparks erupted as lightning met fire, but Erik’s power easily overpowered the small creature’s chaotic strikes.

The younger students gasped, some shrinking back from the heat.

“[Blaze Cage],” Erik muttered, closing his hand.

The flames that scorched the Elemental, coiling around it, formed band-like formations that didn’t let it move unless it wanted more damage.

Boom.

Suddenly, a fire pillar erupted from the ground, swarming the elemental flames.

It screeched but was unable to move. It seemed that even elemental creatures would not work correctly if damaged.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

The flames slowly died down, letting the Elemental fall to the ground with a crack. It spun around its arms and body, trying to move, but the lightning that kept it hovering was no more. It couldn’t do anything right now.

The crowd that had built up in the area let out a collective sigh of relief as this seemed to be over. The out-of-control beast was defeated.

But then, just as Erik let his guard down, a surge of lighting ruptured the air. The familiar rose in the air, lighting where legs should have been made it dash away.

“Persistent, huh?” Erik muttered, raising his hand to strike again.

Before he could act, a blur swept past him, a blade gleamed in the sunlight, and then it was over. It sliced through the creature, splitting it in two.

It didn’t even screech this time, its body crumbled into glowing particles before fading into the air. Erik blinked several times. That movement was fast. Had a senior student just stepped up?

“It was taking too long,” the person said before turning behind.

Erik’s eyes widened, and he gasped as he noticed it was Arthur.

“You’re welcome,” Arthur added dryly before walking away, leaving Erik standing there, seething.

Erik chuckled at the remarks. Arthur had just stolen his spotlight. Was it for revenge or just a coincidence? It didn’t matter to Erik, he would make him take those words back.

“What a show-off.”