***Chapter 10: Ambush ***

This is the path of solitude. Only one may continue down each tunnel. If you stay together, the tunnel will collapse.

"Huh," Lyra murmured, reading the sign posted in front of the fork in the road. "Think it's real?"

"I really don't want another tunnel to collapse on me," Eren grouched.

"Why? It didn't hurt you last time?"

"Still not fun." In truth, it had hurt; his armour only shook off so much of the damage. He just wasn't seriously injured. "I think we should do what it says. I can sense magic coming from the tunnel."

"This whole place is full of magic. That doesn't mean anything! And besides, doesn't this seem a little… Suspicious? Everything up till now has been a test or a challenge. This is just splitting us up."

Eren scratched his cheek. "Probably the real test is inside."

Lyra hummed to herself, clearly not fully comfortable being separated.

"We only need to split up temporarily. As soon as we're done, we'll meet up again." Lyra didn't look convinced, so Eren continued. "Of course, we'll need a plan."

Holding out his hand, Eren formed a small ring out of iron.

"Oh, Eren." Lyra held her face with dramatic glee. "I knew it was only a matter of time before you fell for my charms. But I'm sorry, I can't accept this. It's just too soon."

"Okay."

"I know it's hard, Eren. Facing an uncertain future, you must want something to cling onto, to strive for. But it can't be me..." Lyra draped a hand over her face, eyes sparkling with faux sorrow. "... Not me."

"Okay."

"Maybe in another life, we could be together. Alas, this just isn't our time. I still have so much I need to do, so much to accomplish. And so do you!"

"Are you done?" Eren asked. Lyra nodded slightly, grinning childishly.

"Spoilsport."

"Good. Wear this. If it disappears, that's me calling for help. If you need help, break it with your magic, and I'll find you." Lyra nodded seriously. "Now come on, we can't stand here all day."

Stepping into the tunnel, Eren couldn't help but feel guilty. It felt wrong to abandon Lyra after everything they had done together.

She can probably finish without me, Eren thought, quashing the guilt. He needed to focus. He needed to win. Besides, it wasn't like he had a choice. Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret this?

***

Lyra rushed towards the light at the end of the tunnel. Stepping out, she found herself in a large clearing.

Stalactites hung ominously from the ceiling, promising a quick and painful death to anyone caught beneath one when it fell. Across the room, a series of pillars had been erected, forming a neat pair of lines.

"Purple lipstick!"

A beam of pure magical energy cut through the air, crashing into the spot where Lyra had been standing. If he hadn't been so far away when he attacked, there was no way Lyra would've dodged in time.

"So you finally tracked us down?" Lyra said, scanning her surroundings. She quickly realised she had nowhere to run. Cand had chosen the battlefield well. The pillars gave him cover, but she was completely exposed. While she had stalactites above her, Cand had selected a spot with none above him. It looked like someone had cut clean through the rocky outcroppings in preparation for their fight, leaving nothing but clean surfaces in their place.

The only options were to charge him, in which case he would hit her before she reached him. Or attempt to flee back down the hall, leaving her open to a surprise attack to the back. Either way, she loses.

"Purple lipstick!" The beam of light cut through the air. Lyra flowed out of the way, but the resulting explosion made her stumble. She caught herself just before falling onto a stalagmite.

Not good; that could've skewered me if I wasn't careful. I need to think of something, fast!

Crack.

Stalactites fell from the ceiling, knocked loose by the repeated explosions. Lyra had no choice but to dive out of the way. "Purple lipstick!"

Already, Lyra was starting to hate hearing that. Already mid-dive, she had nowhere to run. There was only one choice.

"Heaven's fury!"

***

Eren stepped into the room, finding Nole sitting on the ground with his back against the wall. There was no obvious light source, but somehow the room was well lit.

"Well, there you have it. A cave collapses on you, and all you got were a few bruises and cuts."

Eren smirked, flexing his metallic muscles. "I'm invisible."

"I suppose there's no reason to be surprised. You are an Armkin," Nole said, smirking at Eren's shock. "That's why I asked Cand to let me duel you. It only felt right, a courtesy from one clan to another."

Eren frowned. If Nole knew about his clan, he also knew about Eren's magic. Most of his clan had the same magic. "You have me at a disadvantage. You know my clan, but I do not know yours."

"Forgive me. I forgot to introduce myself formally; earlier your partner was so quick to swindle me. I didn't get a chance," Nole said in a mock apology. "My name is Nole of clan Everright."

Eren opened his mouth but couldn't think what to say.

"I see my reputation precedes me. Though it's hardly a surprise, it was your clan that destroyed my own."

"Now, hold on. I think there's been a misunderstanding. I am not affiliated with my clan. Not anymore," Eren said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "I'm an exile."

"Is that so?" Nole asked. "And yet you just so happened to turn up here of all places and to attack me, of all people. What a bizarre coincidence."

"Look, I know this will sound weird. But I hate my uncle too; he…" Eren hesitated. He didn’t feel comfortable talking about this with a perfect stranger. But considering the alternative, he had no choice. "... killed my dad."

"Stop! Stop lying. Stop trying to manipulate me. Your family took everything from me. Just… stop," Nole drew his sword. "I swore revenge against those who wronged my clan. I will not have you deny me that which is owned to me."

"I really don't want to fight, but-" Eren was cut off by Nole swinging a sword at his chest. He was forced to block with a hastily summoned blade to defend himself. Nole's sword cut right through the metal. Eren dodged by a hair.

"This is my family blade. It's been passed down for ten generations and is considered one of the treasures of Sune." Slashing the sword through the air with a flourish, Nole smiled as if he had already won. "Though I imagine you already knew that."

"Even if I was still affiliated with my clan, which I'm not, my uncle led the attack five years ago. I was barely a teenager; I literally had nothing to do with it," Eren said, reforming his sword.

"You share blood with my family's killer. You benefit from his crimes!" Nole sprung forward, aiming to stab Eren. Eren managed to turn the blade. But the moment his sword made contact, it began to degrade again.

What is that? Eren was able to repair the damage, but it was still worrying. Blocking was nearly impossible if every time their swords touched, he risked having his sword sliced in half. It's just like when I fought uncle; could he have learnt the same magic?

Eren wanted to talk to Nole about this. Unfortunately, it was becoming all too clear the scion would not be willing to. Nole attacked again, Eren twisting to avoid the stab before hitting him in the face with the pommel of his sword.

Nole fell back with a cry. Eren followed up with a slash that Nole caught on his blade. Eren's sword started degrading, forcing him to abort his attack.

"I'll admit, that's a pretty amazing sword," Eren said, dancing out of the way of Nole's counter. "Mine could never compare."

"Ah, so that's what you're after," Nole spat, continuing his assault. "Go ahead, try and take it. The only way you're getting it is over my dead body!"

"Yeesh, I get it; you hate me because of my uncle," Eren parried his sword, kicking him in the chest to make some distance.

"Do not make light of my pain. I've lost everything!" Nole lunged forward, swinging wide. His stance was terrible; his confidence in the superiority of his weapon, combined with his anger, made him blind to his mistakes.

Eren dodged easily. "I'm not. I'm just saying we can work together; we both want my uncle dead."

"A usurper. Why am I not surprised? Your whole clan is nothing but power-hungry monsters!" Nole stabbed with his full strength, tilting his head; Eren let him bury his sword in the wall.

"You're not listening; he killed my father too!" Nole cut through the stone like it was butter, aimed for Eren's neck.

"Oh, so your cause is just. Is it? Then tell me, when your uncle is dead and buried, what then?"

Nole's movements were speeding up. Eren kept pace, parrying and dodging. But with his sword breaking down, even with his constant repairs, he had been forced to halve its size. One way or another, the fight would end soon.

"Then it's over. We'll have our revenge!"

"That's where you're wrong! It wasn't just your uncle. An eye for an eye, I won't be satisfied until I've cleansed the world of your clan's blight," Nole screamed. There was no persuading him; he couldn't see anything but his anger. Stepping forward, Eren dropped his now useless sword. Nole watched it fall befuddled. The single moment of hesitation allowed Eren to grab his arm. Nole tried to resist. But a punch to the gut stole his breath. "I won't-"

Eren punched him again, twisting his arm to force him to drop the sword. Falling back, Nole glared at him with pure hatred burning in his eyes.

"Do it… Finish the job… kill me."

Eren sighed, bending over to grab his fallen sword. He didn't want to risk Nole getting it again. "Look, I get it. You're upset, but-aaaahhh."

Eren's body was wracked with pain. His muscles convulsed as if struck by lightning.

***

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Lyra wasn't able to use her magic in weird ways like Eren. She would need years before she gained such versatility. But it didn't matter. Lyra's speciality wasn't tricks like Eren; it was power. And that she had in buckets.

Except she was losing.

Lying on her back, Lyra gritted her teeth as she tried to push just a bit more power into her spell. Her lightning flowed out of her hands, crashing into Cand's horrifically named spell. A violent maelstrom formed where the two spells competed for supremacy. But despite her best efforts, she was losing ground. Inch by inch, his spell pushed her own back.

"Give up; if you say you forfeit, the examiners will come to collect you. This will all be over," Cand offered. His voice was straining, but still very much in control.

Flat on her back, Lyra didn't have many options. "Fine. I will." Technically, she didn't surrender. It wasn't over. Not really. She still had the ring from Eren. She would need to be subtle. But if she destroyed it, Eren would come to her rescue. Cancelling her spell, she was pleased to see Cand follow suit rather than crushing her with his overwhelming power.

"Well? Do it," Cand ordered, his hand glowing purple threateningly.

"I'm gonna-" Lyra groaned, slowly shifting her feet under her.

"I know you're stalling for time," Cand deadpanned.

The ring disappeared from Lyra's hand. But she hadn't broken it.

Shit.

***

Eren was running away. He tried to stay as far away from Nole as possible. He didn't have any other choice; his sword had disappeared and his mana was drained. Nole was wearing his armour. And Nole once again had his sword that could cut through rock like butter.

The only upside was that Nole wasn't used to Eren's armour. The extra weight slowed him down just enough to let Eren stay one step ahead.

Eren now realised his mistake. The sword hadn't been scattering the mana in his sword. It had been absorbing it, feeding it back to Nole. Every hit was another tiny snack. Then Eren had picked it up for a feast. As soon as the pain passed, he dropped the infernal blade. But the damage was done. Eren couldn't even sense his iron; it wasn't his anymore. Not really.

To make matters worse, Nole had reclaimed the sword. All it had taken was the slightest gesture, and it flew to its master's hand. It was a trap. And Eren fell for it hook, line and sinker.

"I must say, your arrogance is truly shocking," Nole said. "You have no magic, no weapons, no chance. Just surrender honourably, and I'll give you a clean death. You can't run away forever."

"Well, it's working so far," Eren yelled back; sometimes, he just couldn't help himself. Regardless, he knew Nole was right. Running aimlessly was pointless. The large empty room made hiding near impossible.

His mana was returning, but not fast enough. Nole would catch him long before he could cast anything remotely useful with it. His only chance was Lyra. Nole was covered in his iron, making him unnaturally durable. Except for lightning magic. One hit, and he'd go down. Hard.

Lyra would already be on her way. When his mana was stolen, everything he made disappeared; including the ring he made for her. She would figure out the sign was fake or find a different route to Eren. It didn't matter as long as she arrived fast.

Nole sighed dramatically, coming to a stop. "I should've expected as much of you. You know nothing of honour."

"What of your honour? I won our duel, and then you used your sword for a surprise attack." Eren stopped as well, watching Nole from a distance. Nole had worked him into a corner; there was no way to escape without running right past him.

"Fools blame their mistakes on others," Nole said dismissively. "Stand and face me. If you die, then at least it will be with honour."

Nole was being serious. He planned on killing Eren. "So killing unarmed men isn't dishonourable either."

"Your clan killed dozens of unarmed men. Dozens of children and babies; you have no right to complain!"

"I didn't do any of that," Eren said for what felt like the thousandths time.

Eren still didn't have enough mana to make so much as a dagger. He needed more time.

"If you want a fair fight: wait. Let me recover my mana so I can make a weapon."

"You're just trying to stall for time, so your friend can save you."

"No, I'm not. How about this then… we go somewhere else, where Lyra can't find us."

"You'll just run away." Eren would, or at least he would if Lyra wasn't coming.

"I promise I won't."

"Your word means nothing. You are without honour. Your whole family is without honour," Nole dismissed. Raising his blade, Nole prepared to attack.

"Wait, you can make me a weapon!"

"No!" Nole charged, ready to cut Eren down. There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

Eren made iron. A cloud of thin dust in his hand. Completely useless as a weapon. It wasn't even sharp. He threw it in Nole's face.

"Gah, my eyes! You cheap son of a-" Eren punched Nole in the gut. Hard. It hurt. A lot.

But not the right person.

Huh, so that's what it's like punching me. No wonder everyone always complains.

Not wasting a moment, Eren sprinted past Nole. He was already clearing his eyes. Trying to fight any longer was suicidal. He wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. Eren's hand was still hurting from his stupid attack.

***

Eren couldn’t save her, because Eren needed saving. And Cand was running out of patience. Lyra needed to do something, and fast.

Lyra had seen Cand use his purple lipstick four times. It was powerful and massive. Far too big to avoid. But it wasn't fast. Each time, he took a full second to charge it. Then fired.

Time to do something stupid.

Springing forward, she made a beeline straight for the powerful mage. The moment Cand began casting, she changed direction. Then she hit the ground with a bolt of lightning, kicking up a cloud of dust.

It wasn't an excellent cover. But it made Cand hesitate for a moment.

Shooting a shot left, Lyra drew Cand's fire. Realising he had been had, he dismissed his spell before preparing to cast again. Lyra shot her own attack. Unprepared as he was, and with the range reduced so much, Cand couldn't dodge or counter in time.

With an agonised scream, he collapsed, convulsing in agony.

"Sorry, buddy, but I've got to save my friend."

***

Eren raced to the doorway. Nole was close behind him, his now heavy footsteps ringing through the air.

Once upon a time, Eren had believed that hard work was the key to power. He thought if he trained hard enough, he could be the strongest mage on the continent.

He knew this wasn't true. If you don't understand your magic, no amount of hard work will make you strong. It was a lesson that Eren learnt the hard way, yet somehow he had made the exact same mistake again.

"Aw, what's the matter? Can't even bring yourself to fight when faced with a superior opponent," Nole teased. Eren didn't look back. He focused on escaping, and nothing else. This wasn't a fight he could win.

Once again, he was facing a mage he should be able to defeat but was running away because his magic was gone.

Eren was born to the Armkin clan, the son of the head of the branch family. Back then, he was so young and arrogant. Eren knew he was a better swordsman than his cousin, the heir. He trained hard and pushed his magic further than anyone. He should have been the family head. And the clan laws offered him a chance to be so. All he had to do was best the current leader in a duel, and then he would be granted leadership. Anyone in the clan could do it.

His father advised him against it. He said that being the heir wasn't the trouble-free life Eren thought it to be. He also warned him that his uncle, Lord Armkin, was more powerful than he realised. Eren didn't believe him; he had seen his uncle fighting before and knew he was no great warrior. But regardless, he agreed to obey his father; he trusted he knew what was right.

Then his father died.

Killed on a mission ordered by his uncle. It was a routine mission, perfectly safe in theory, but sometimes these things just happened. It was an unfortunate accident.

Eren knew it wasn't an accident. It couldn't be. His father had been more popular than Lord Armkin; everyone wanted him in charge. Naturally, as the clan head, this was unacceptable to his uncle. So he ordered his father assassinated.

That's why Eren challenged his uncle to a duel. He did it publicly, in front of the entire council of elders. Lord Armkin had no choice but to accept. On the day of the fateful duel, Eren felt stronger than ever, his mana practically burning through his veins. But when their swords crossed, his uncles sliced through his own like a knife through warm butter. Eren knew it felt wrong. The way his mana had just shut down. No matter what he tried, he couldn't harm his uncle in the slightest. Even when he managed what should've been a fatal stab, his sword snapped instead.

The fight was over in less than a minute. Eren was disarmed and humiliated in front of everyone. He was forced to beg for forgiveness or follow his father to the afterlife. His uncle, ever the practical politician, magnanimously agreed to let Eren live. Under penalty of exile. Eren had no choice but to obey, but he didn't give up. He knew if he could find out what his uncle did- how he cheated-then he could overturn the decision and kill his uncle. No matter where he looked, he could not find the answer. But his battle with Nole proved to him that the answer was out there. And if anywhere would have the knowledge of not just what happened but also how to beat it, it would be Odin's Eye's grand library. He had to win. It was the only way to avenge his father and right the humiliation he had suffered. But he knew Nole wouldn't make it easy.

He only had one chance.

"Eren. What happened?" Lyra called from the doorway. She had made it; his saviour had arrived.

"Lyra, help. I touched his sword, and it stole all my mana. He has it now; if any mana hits the sword, he gets it, including spells. I can't cast anything," Eren summarised as quickly as possible. Lyra looked shocked briefly, then nodded in understanding.

"Got it."

***

Lyra was shocked Eren had lost. Even more, Lyra was shocked by his explanation of how he lost. Weapons that steal mana are exceedingly rare. But seeing the metal covered man charging toward them, she couldn't think of any other explanation.

Her first thought was to shoot lightning at him. He was covered in metal and bigger than ever. He'd unintentionally made himself into the perfect target. Lyra knew lightning magic was Eren's weakness. If he had Eren's mana, it would be Nole's too.

Eren said it could absorb mana from spells. If he blocked it, he'd steal her mana and become unstoppable.

So far, he hadn't thought to remove his armour. Lyra didn't know if he could dismiss his metal armour as Eren could, but she had to assume the worst. In which case, she had to be sure she ended this in one hit. Giving him a chance to realise and potentially remove his weakness would not be wise.

The moment he reached her, Nole slashed with his full strength. Close combat wasn't Lyra's speciality, but she was good enough to jump away in time. Nole's follow-up attack was slow, Lyra dodging it with almost casual ease. Considering he beat Eren, she had expected more. Don't let your guard down, she scolded herself mentally, staying at the ready. He was slow, but he didn't have any obvious openings. He would only need one touch of his sword to win. But Lyra also only needed one hit to win.

"Get out of my way. I'll kill Eren first, then I'll deal with you."

"I see you've got to know Eren quite well," Lyra quipped, dodging back from his latest attack.

"You could say that," Nole smirked, showing off his metallic body. "Now, move!"

"Sorry, but that's not going to happen. If you want Eren, you're going to have to go through me," Lyra said, dancing around his attacks.

"You're a coward, Armkin. I should've known you wouldn't fight unless you had me outnumbered," Nole taunted, venom lacing his words. "Fight me yourself like a real warrior!"

"Well, duh," Eren called out shamelessly. "I tried that; you almost killed me. No way I'm doing that again!"

"Coward! Scum! You-your whole family is nothing but a disease! A plague on these lands!"

“You won’t get any argument from me on that point."

Nole redoubled his efforts. Fury guided his hand, his attacks growing even faster at Eren's words. But they also got more predictable. It didn't take long for Lyra to find an opening.

"Heaven's fury!"

***

"So, what do we do with him? Think we can take his fancy sword?"

Eren heaved a heavy sigh. "His sword is likely bound to him. The only way to unbind it, available to us, would be to kill him."

"He tried to kill you," Lyra pointed out. "And killing in the exams is legal, even if it is frowned upon. You certainly wouldn't be the first to do so…"

Eren's uncle would do it in a heartbeat. Eren had no doubt that was the reason he ordered the attack on the Everright clan. If he took the sword, he might be able to figure out what his uncle had done during their duel. It has to be linked, somehow.

It could well be the key to beating his uncle, to avenging his father. Even if he couldn't figure out how to copy its magic, the sword would be a potent weapon, not to mention being worth a small fortune.

"My uncle killed his whole family. He was seeking revenge," Eren explained.

"All the more reason to kill him. His desire for revenge won't just go away because you spare him now; he could get up and go right back to plotting your death."

"You think I should kill him?"

Lyra hesitated, shifting her weight from one foot to another. "It's not just you that he'll be after; he'll likely come after your uncle too since he instigated the attack."

"Hmm, I suppose that is a point in favour of keeping him alive…"

"Eh?"

"I'll explain later," Eren said. "It's a long story, and we really should get going."

"So, you're letting him live?" Lyra asked, voice barely above a whisper. Eren turned, his cape fluttering with finality.

"My family has hurt his family enough."