"I request a duel!"
His voice was resolute as it echoed across the surroundings.
Some would think it was idiocy, but his friends had known Jinn for a long time, and they knew he wouldn't act without properly thinking something through—or at least, having a plan.
"What the hell is he doing!?" Vox blurted out.
Yet he paused as he stared into the distance as if something was occupying his mind.
And there it was.
A realization.
*Snap!
He snapped his fingers.
"Ah! I think I've read this in one of the books before—about the Empire of Zerafhon!"
Kain was visibly trembling. "W-Whatever it is, I hope it works!"
Vox further explained, "Zerafhon is a brutal empire, yeah—but it honors a code called 'Creita Courtex Zivaliz.'"
He then raised his hand to point his finger at Jinn.
"Glory to those who stand at the face of death. Glory to those who oppose destiny. And glory to those who act with conviction."
"Cliché," replied Hector—another child who belonged to Jinn's group. He looked at Jinn and continued, "But this cliché is the only thing standing between us and death."
Vox then stared at Jinn's back. "You're right about that."
"B-But how can Jinn win against that woman?" Kain's voice was stammering.
Another one of Jinn's friends—Orin—looked at Jinn, her grip on her arm tightening.
"I don't know either—all we need to do is trust Jinn like we always did."
The surroundings grew quieter as Jinn requested the duel.
*Fwoooosh!
What remained were the whistles of the wind, the crackles of nearby flames, and the silent murmurs coming from the civilians.
The soldiers who had mocked and snarked at Jinn's idea of even comprehending the possibility of saving—also stood silent as they awaited the decision of the leader they served, Battlemaster Venedix.
With eyes full of determination, Jinn stared at Venedix, hoping—that maybe—she would accept the duel.
He walked forward, still feeling the pain radiating around his stomach, and stood in front—face to face with the entity that could potentially slaughter all the innocent civilians and his friends behind him.
*thud! *thud! *thud!
"A duel, you say?" The sound of Venedix's boots hitting the ground as she walked towards Jinn, slowly closing the distance until she was a few inches away from him.
Not taking his eyes away for even a moment, Jinn stared into Venedix's eyes—anger, determination, and fear swelling up inside him—threatening to swallow him whole as he remembered the fate of Nevi.
Venedix stared down at Jinn momentarily.
Her menacing aura—like a cold wave seeping through his bloodstream—sent chills down his spine.
One of her knees hit the ground.
She knelt—her face now level with Jinn's—face to face with this peculiar boy who dared to challenge her to a duel in which he would "surely" lose.
"You must know that Zerafhon honors those who stand against great peril…" Venedix's gaze was locked on Jinn, seemingly judging his actions before continuing.
"Yet those are reserved for 'warriors.'"
She then released a mysterious and malevolent crimson aura that surged toward Jinn.
Every pore on Jinn's skin felt it—no, his entire being felt it.
This person was unlike anything he had ever seen before.
It made him sweat, made him struggle to breathe, made him feel true despair.
"Are you—a 'warrior,' boy?" Venedix questioned, her aura relentlessly attacking Jinn.
Jinn began to suffocate as he struggled to gasp for air—his legs began to shake and waver at Venedix's presence.
Yet he did not avert his eyes.
Instead, he kept them focused on hers.
"It does not matter if I'm a warrior or not—this is who I am. I would gladly risk my life for my family, for they are all that I have left!"
Jinn spoke with conviction, not a single lie in his words—as he glared at Venedix.
"I see." Venedix's eyes narrowed slightly as she brought her knees back up and stood.
At the same time, she released the aura gripping Jinn's body.
*gasp!
His breath started to stabilize, and the discomfort from earlier vanished.
*Flap!
Flipping her cape to the side, Venedix moved her hands to the hilt of one of her swords—her other hand seemingly holding the opposite side of her sword belt.
Jinn's instincts kicked in.
His muscles tensed, and his chest began to pound fast—
*thump! *thump! *thump! *thump!
he was preparing for battle.
Yet what happened next wasn't what he expected—at least, not at that very moment.
With a soft clunk, Venedix let one of her swords fall in front of Jinn—specifically, at his feet.
Upon inspection, the sword's frame looked light, and the sheath was contoured with an astonishing design that mixed the colors of gold and red, like a flame wrapped in light.
"You have courage, 'boy'," remarked Venedix, her tone calm at first—then serious. "But I will be the one who decides the terms!"
"Eskaren, fren Kazar!" Venedix shouted in a language unknown to him.
*THUD! *THUD! *THUD! *THUD! *THUD! *THUD! *THUD! *THUD! *THUD!
The ground and air started to tremble as the soldiers repeatedly struck their metal chest plates with their fists.
The sound was almost deafening as it blanketed the whole area with percussion, like how warriors raise their morale and intimidate the enemy with their presence.
A few moments passed, and the soldiers stopped.
The area fell into stillness, swallowed by silence—before Venedix broke it.
"Pick up the sword, child," Venedix declared, her fingers wrapping around the hilt of her own sword as she unsheathed it.
"Your destiny was to die, yet you chose to bare your fangs against it—pick up the sword and show me how you rebel against it!"
Without hesitation, he leaned down to grab the sword at his feet.
His fingers wrapped around the hilt as he raised it.
Unlike the earlier one, he noticed that this sword was significantly lighter.
"This will do," he muttered, focusing his eyes once again on Venedix.
"So what are the terms?"
Venedix raised her hand and brought up one finger.
"One hundred civilians… for each minute that you can withstand my attacks," her eyes sharpened as she continued, "A thousand if you manage to hit me."
"And if I lose?" Jinn replied.
Venedix raised her arm—clenching her fist. "They all—die. Simple as that."
For a brief moment, he turned his head to look behind.
He could see the faces of the civilians—some distraught, others looking at him with hope.
He panned his eyes until he could see his friends—no, his family—looking at him with gazes as if their lives depended on him—which, in this exact situation, they did.
"One minute," was what he thought after Venedix introduced the duel's terms.
One minute was all he needed to save all of his friends—the other civilians be damned.
A selfish person Jinn was.
All he cared for was his family.
Everything he had done up to this moment was for them and no one else—for they were his everything.
Yet at the corner of his mind, he knew what kind of person Nevi was.
A kind and cheerful friend with a heart of gold.
If she were alive and present at this moment, she would scold him for not even trying to save the civilians—alas, she was long gone and her body already cold.
Jinn remembered how Nevi always liked heroes, especially those from children's storybooks, which she would read to him every night before they slept—he could still remember her face, gleaming as she talked about a "specific" hero who she claimed resembled Jinn.
Jinn laughed at the idea back then.
How could he be a hero when he knew, deep within himself, that he "only" cared for them—his family.
He closed his eyes, reimagining the face that Nevi always made when she talked about that storybook.
Then, as if destiny had foretold it, a spark started to ignite deep within Jinn's being—a spark that burst into flames, filling every part, every inch of his body.
He looked behind him one last time, realizing that at that very moment—for the first time in his selfish life—he bore the fate of many lives on his shoulders.
The lives of each child, each parent, each father, mother, and friend rested upon him, weighing him down.
But the flames that ignited within him strengthened him, making him curl his fingers and grip the sword tightly in his hands.
On that day—at that very moment—a hero was born.
"Deal." His voice was filled with conviction as he gazed directly at Venedix.
Silence came for a brief moment.
His words echoed for a few moments...
before Venedix finally broke it.
"Prepare yourself, child." Venedix's eyes narrowed as she dropped into position.
"Here I come."
Every fiber of muscle in her legs tensed as she dashed—no, it was almost like she blinked toward Jinn, her blade coming from down below.
Jinn wasn't even in a proper fighting stance before she moved.
But instinctively—he raised the sword in a defensive manner as he slightly leaped backward, just in time.
*CLANG!
With a loud clang, Venedix's sword hit the lower part of Jinn's blade, which caused his arm to shoot upward.
The force of the hit almost made Jinn let go of the sword's hilt—but he held on and gripped it as hard as he could before counterattacking.
The sword in his hand was already coming down from high above, but Venedix was faster—already on her second move as she twisted her body to perform another attack—her blade slicing horizontally, coming at Jinn's side.
*CLANG!
With another loud clang, Jinn's counterattack made contact with Venedix's blade—but she was clearly stronger, and Jinn's hands trembled from the vibrations produced when their swords collided.
Venedix didn't waste any time—using more of her "held-back" strength, she pushed her sword into Jinn's.
His arms were visibly trembling; he couldn't handle the pressure pressing down on his blade.
With no effort or struggle, Venedix used merely one hand to make Jinn struggle.
"What's the matter? It has only been ten seconds, child." Venedix looked down at him.
Holding the sword with two hands, his arms trembled as the pressure exerted by one single arm made the muscles from his upper body, core, and forearms feel like they were burning—an indication that fatigue had already started to settle in.
With a split-second decision, Jinn let one knee drop down, raising his elbows to one side while slightly angling his sword to make Venedix's blade slip—then made a fist and struck toward her hips.
"Clever," replied Venedix as she used her elbow to strike the side of Jinn's face, making him stumble and miss his punch, tumbling sideways.
Angling her body as she extended her arms, she followed up with another piercing thrust, this time targeting one of Jinn's eyes—
*krsshhh!
it landed, making him scream in pain.
"AHHRG!" Jinn yelped, instinctively moving his head backward—releasing the blade that pierced his eye.
Using one of his hands, he covered his already bloodied eye—his vision now permanently blind on the right side.
Without giving him rest, Venedix once again leaped toward Jinn—releasing one of her legs to snap and kick him from the side—the motion was almost instantaneous,
*FWIP!
and the sound it made was akin to a whip.
The force of the kick sent Jinn flying a significant distance before skidding along the ground.
Stains of his blood scattered across the path he landed on.
"J-Jinn!!" Ophelia screamed, her voice filled with terror and concern as she pushed through and ran toward the front of the crowd.
Throughout all that onslaught, Jinn's grip on his sword remained tight.
The blood from his already blinded eye continued to ooze—dripping down his face, his muscles ached and pulsated, sending ripples of pain across his entire body.
Still, he moved his legs and arms to push himself up and stand.
"Is that all you got?" Blood oozed down his mouth as he rushed toward Venedix.
Pain—pain was all he felt with each step.
His vision began to blur, and his heart screamed, pounding in his chest—any other child would've collapsed at that very moment.
But Jinn—at that moment—was not just any child.
In the eyes of his friends and the civilians he was trying to protect, he was a bona fide hero in the flesh.
*fwip!
Flicking her sword downward to remove the bloodstain, Venedix's eyes widened at the sight in front of her.
"Commendable fighting spirit at such a young age…" she muttered, sighing. "A pity—truly."
With both hands, she angled her sword upward before dashing toward Jinn—the wind behind her cracked as she moved.
Jinn tried to block her strike, but this one was even faster than before—and it landed.
With a swift and agile move, Venedix cleaved one of Jinn's arms.
*Gshhh!!!
Blood from the severed area began to spurt out.
At that very moment, despite having one arm severed, Jinn thought of only one thing—One strike.
That was all he needed.
His fingers curled and trembled as they gripped the hilt of the sword even tighter than before.
"AAARGH!"
With a battle cry, he delivered his strike toward Venedix with all the might his small body could muster.
Yet despite giving everything he had in that attack, all of it was for naught—Venedix perfectly parried the blow.
*Clang!
She followed it up with a frontal kick toward Jinn's kneecap,
*crack!
snapping it by plunging her foot towards it, making it dig into the wrong direction.
"N-NO!!" screamed Kain as he tried to run toward Jinn, only to be stopped by one of the Zerafhon soldiers, who pulled him by the shirt and threw him back.
"You've died a 'warrior's' death, child."
In a final action, Venedix grabbed Jinn's shoulder and pulled it toward her blade,
*crack...! *kssssssh!
plunging it straight into his stomach—the blade completely pierced through, exiting the other side.
Yet even in his final moments, he grit his teeth, raised his arm, and still tried to deliver a strike.
Jinn thought that it didn't matter anymore.
It didn't matter if he died, as long as he landed at least one strike—then everyone would be saved.
But his arm collapsed mid-strike.
His body couldn't handle it anymore.
The pain and blood loss were just too much for an inexperienced child like him.
The hilt of the sword slipped through his fingers as it completely fell to the ground.
*thud!
With a swift motion, Venedix pulled out the sword still plunged in Jinn's stomach.
His blood oozed out as his body fell to the ground.
The boy who bared his fangs and fought against destiny—had failed.
The boy died a tragic—yet heroic—death.