The day of the duel demonstration arrived not with a bang, but with a quiet, creeping dread that settled in Henry's stomach. He awoke feeling anxious, the weight of expectation—both his own and that of the entire academy—pressing down on him.
He got up, and his eyes fell on the other side of the room. Helia was there, her back to him, changing from her simple night clothes into her pristine white robes for the day. Henry's brain short-circuited. He immediately looked away, his face burning, and pretended to be intensely interested in straightening his bedsheets, a task he performed with meticulous, fumbling care. After a moment, he heard her clear her throat.
"I am ready," she said. He turned back to see her fully dressed, her expression as impassive as ever, though he thought he could detect a hint of amusement in her golden eyes.
They walked to the grand arena, a massive coliseum-like structure that Henry had only seen from a distance. It was already buzzing with activity. There were students everywhere, not just from his and Ganriki's class, but from many others. Some looked to be young adults, senior students and post-graduates, all gathered to watch the assessment of the newer classes. The air was thick with anticipation.
Henry found his class being ushered into a large preparation room beneath the stands. Headmistress Elara stood before them, her presence commanding immediate silence.
"Listen closely," she began, her violet eyes sweeping over the students. "The rules for this demonstration are absolute. Rule one: There will be no killing. This is an assessment, not a war. Rule two: If your opponent is rendered incapable of continuing, you must stop your assault immediately. Rule three: No cheating. The use of external weapons or artifacts is forbidden, unless your affinity is the specific control or creation of such objects. Rule four," she paused, her gaze lingering on Henry for a fraction of a second, "the judge's decision is final. If the judge determines you are outmatched or unable to continue, they will call the match, and you will accept the loss without argument."
As she finished, a man stepped out from behind her. He was tall and lean, with sharp, intelligent eyes and slicked-back black hair. He wore the robes of a senior master, but his smile held no warmth.
"I will be your judge for today," he said, his voice smooth and confident. "My name is Master Vorn. My affinity," he raised a hand toward a nervous-looking student in the front row, "is... persuasion."
The student's eyes glazed over. He stood up stiffly, turned around, and began hopping on one foot. A few students snickered nervously.
"To be more precise," Vorn continued, as the student continued to hop, "I can enter a subject's mind and control their body for a short period. It's perfect," his smile widened as his gaze fell directly on Henry, "for troublemakers."
The hopping student suddenly stopped, blinking in confusion, as Vorn released his hold. A wave of understanding passed through the room, and dozens of pairs of eyes turned to stare at Henry. He gave a small, weak smile, feeling like a bug under a magnifying glass.
"The director and I will be observing from the main box," Vorn said, bowing to Elara. They both left the room, leaving the class professor to manage the anxious students.
"Alright, the first match is about to begin," the professor announced, looking at a datapad. "Kaelen of Class 2-B versus... Corvus of Class 2-C."
Kaelen, who had been trying to give Henry a reassuring thumbs-up, paled slightly. "Oh, I'm the first? I hope he's weak," he whispered with a nervous grin.
The students were led out of the preparation room and up into the grandstands. Henry found a seat, Helia taking her place beside him like a silent, radiant sentinel. Down on the sandy arena floor, Kaelen and another boy with striking, deep blue hair took their positions.
Master Vorn's voice boomed through the arena. "First match! On my left, Kaelen, with an affinity for Inanimate Object Enchantment! On my right, Corvus, with an affinity for Golemancy!"
Corvus smirked. He stomped his foot, and the sand and pebbles around him began to swirl and coalesce, forming two small, crude humanoid figures at his sides.
"Hey, object-boy!" Corvus yelled across the arena, his voice dripping with arrogance. "Are you going to make my shoes untie themselves? Or maybe make my belt fall down? I'm trembling!" His two sand-golems mimicked a shiver, to the laughter of his classmates in the stands. Kaelen's nervous smile tightened. The demonstration had begun.