Meera half-crouched and jumped. Mid-air, she somersaulted and landed on the stage. She flicked her wrist, and a male student rushed to the side of the stage and pushed a button. A section of the wall zinged down into the floor, revealing arrays of weapons displayed in neat rows. The top one belonged to the swords, followed by spears, then bows, maces, knives and whatnot. All well-oiled and sharp like lightning.
"Choose your weapon," Meera said, inspecting her nails.
Karnan. Said Shri, sounding worried.
Please let me fight this master. I-
I am not asking you to forfeit. She interrupted him. I would have forsaken you the moment you'd have decided to run. What I am saying is, don't use your arts up until the end. Keep your legs planted and be on the defensive.
Karnan bowed to her with a slight tilt of his head. From his sidelong view, he could see Meera's eyes on him. Though she couldn't have noticed his bow. She was too focused on getting Shri. Meera's tunnel vision was one of her biggest shortcomings during their schooling days. Karnan planned to use that against her today.
He stepped towards the weapon rack and picked a one-handed straight sword. He gave it a few swings before deciding against using it as the balance felt off to him.
A boy standing to his left whispered to his friend, "At last, we have to watch trash like him. How low have we stooped?"
His friend held his palms to his eyes, "My eyes! My eyes!" he howled, and his classmates chuckled.
Karnan looked at himself. He still wore the spare clothes given by his clan. Both shoes were torn at the toes, and half the collar of his shirt was torn. His trousers had stitches loosening at the seams, and threads dangled from them like unsightly ribbons.
He ignored the wrongly timed observations and searched for a suitable sword. After trying about ten times, just to annoy Meera. Karnan re-found his sword. A tulwar, with a simple ring for an armguard and suitable for one-handed use. His other hand was to be used for the heat strike.
He took the stairs leading to the stage. Each step felt like walking barefoot over broken glass. Just that in place of flesh, these shrapnels tore his already shaky confidence. Meera stood with her arms crossed, tapping her feet in a tempo Karnan had known. It was one of his favourite songs. 'The age of war."
His mind began humming the tune, and gradually, Meera started to look like nothing more than a snarky rich brat.
She clapped invisible dust from her palms. "Shall we begin? Prathamesh, you be the judge."
Prathamesh, a wheat-skinned boy, too tall for his age, jogged up and stood between them. He looked flustered. They were six feet apart from each other.
"Not using anything?" Karnan asked.
Meera smiled without replying.
"Duelists. May I ask you to make your weapon non-lethal?" Prathemesh's tone trembled. He kept glancing at Meera.
Karnan pressed the button that was also the sword's pommel. A thin layer of prana pulsated with a hollow echo around the blade. If hit, it would only bruise, not bleed.
"My hands will be enough for you." Meera declared.
Prathamesh moved two steps back and raised his hand. "Combatants ready!" The moment stretched, Karnan's heart raced, anticipating Meera's first move. "Begin!" Prathamesh yelled and swung his hand down.
Meera covered the distance the moment Prathamesh stepped back. Karnan pivoted to his left and slashed in an arc. The sword struck her shoulder, and nothing happened. She raised her arm and slapped him. His world spun for a moment as he stumbled back. She laughed, and the students laughed louder.
"First Strike." Prathamesh declared from the side.
Meera strode into his range from his side. A kick to his ribs sent him tumbling towards the centre of the stage.
"Second Strike. Seems this fight is over before even beginning properly."
Karnan blinked away tears and stood. In the choosing, she had been put into the Sainik stage, with a single drop. Soon, she would be trying to increase the cosmic drops from Jupiter. This was the result of being selected by one of the nine. Even a Sainik of the nines was stronger than a Nayak from any constellation. On the contrary, he was a mere one-drop Pathik of an unnamed distant star.
Wincing in agony, he took the mantis stance. His sword point aimed at Meera, while it rested over his outstretched left hand.
She smiled and said. "Look at the once topper of our school! Can you all believe this? He thinks he can fight a celestial's power with his impeccable technique!"
Karnan steadied his breathing. In his chakra, he made the patterns with his stored starlight and the prana he inhaled. Like comets, they twirled around each other in an intricate dance before mixing to form two white spheres of power. One of which he quickly moved into the flat of his left palm.
He didn't wait for her to attack and barged into her range. She was astounded for a breath. But, he knew she wouldn't dodge. He thrust his sword in a feint, and she casually flicked the blade with a finger. He lunged. His palm slapped right over her navel.
"First strike!" he roared.
Meera's eyes went wide as his attack numbed the nerves inside her chakra. She clambered backwards. Karnan yanked his sword in.
Splat!
The sound was sharp and brutal, and so was the aftermath. The flat of his blade left a red gash on the right side of her face. Below the ear down to the chin.
"Second Strike." He said and dashed away from her.
Hands trembling, she touched her cheek. When she stared at him. A shiver crawled up his spine.
She channelled.
The pressure in the atmosphere suddenly changed. Karnan felt pushed down under an invisible weight. He clenched his jaws, trying to stand upright.
Heat radiated out of her. A searing gale warped around both her hands, like armour.
Don't get hit by that! Shri screeched over the keening inferno coming from Meera.
"I will ground your bones, trash," she snarled and raced at him.
Karnan sprinted to his left. She slammed into his side. His shirt crumpled, and so did the skin underneath it. He wailed in pain. She hammered his back, heat flashed, and his muscles twisted. Karnan was flung forward. He skidded for a few meters. She leapt at him.
He rolled away. Her fist thunked into the stone, inches away from his chest. He wedged his sword between her legs and pulled. She took a knee.
Karnan scooted away from her. Panting for his life. She had struck four times, yet he could still stand. That meant the end of the duel.
Meera seemed to have forgotten that. She had turned feral. With a lunge, she punched him on the chest. He spat blood. Another punch took him in the temple. His head rammed into the ground. She was over him, a fist aimed straight for his throat.
She brought down her hand. He put his palm up. As her strike was about to shred his wrist, he released his heat strike.
Both arts clashed. A deafening boom came next. Meera's arm was tossed backwards, and so was she. The heat strike had made her art implode. She rolled over the stage, shrieking and clutching her arm. Three of her fingers were bent oddly.
Karnan coughed out blood and a molar. He dragged himself away from her. He couldn't shout as his jaw refused to budge. His chest ached; a few ribs had been broken. His shirt was tattered from all sides, and the skin beneath was red.
She quieted down. From the corner of his eye, he saw her stand. He spat and, taking the support of his sword, trembled to his feet.
"You are dead," she hissed with bloodshot eyes. She channelled again.
Enough! Shri's shout made his ears ring.
The air shimmered. The hall felt like a vacuum. Students cried, grasping for air. But the most affected was Meera. She was pinned to her knees, then over her stomach. Shri stood to her right, below the deck. Her eyes were fixed on the girl.
Master. Karnan said weakly.
Shri didn't stop. The cries from the students came louder. Meera's head was stuck to the stone, muffling her yells.
If anything happens to her. They will execute me.
The force dissipated. He found it easier to breathe. Frantic gasps for air came from the students behind him. Meera stirred, then slowly rose. Dazed and scared.
A hush spread over the hall like a cloak. Not a single whisper, not even a slight rustle of fabric, was heard. Everything had been turned to stone.
Karnan wheezed out the words, "I..didn't..yield." His breath came in rasps, and Meera's shape was quickly blurring and didn't sharpen even after blinking.
"What in heaven's name is this?" he heard a man's voice. He knew him. From the countless lessons he had taken with him.
Vica principal Vukunda landed near him. Another teacher touched down at Meera's side. Cold hands lifted him. His sword slipped, clanging over the floor. His eyes took in the sky. Karnan smiled. "Master...I…didn't…yield."
He was addressing Shri. But, got a reply from Vukunda instead, "Don't speak. I will take you to the infirmary. Stay with me."
Vukaunda must have jumped as the sky suddenly came closer. It returned to normal as he touched ground and the walls of the school came into being. Sleep came over him. He wanted to shut his eyes.
"Why is this dog following me?" Vukunda screamed.
The ceiling whizzed before him. The shiny hanging balls looked like falling stars. It was beautiful. So beautiful. His eyes felt exhausted. He'd close them for a while, only a while.
Stay awake! Karnan! I am proud of you, child. I am so proud of you!
Master! He awoke on hearing her voice.
Yes, child!
Are you crying?
Silly boy. I have never been prouder. You showed them good, really good.
He, he. I didn't yield, master. I didn't yield.
I know. I know. You will be alright. Yes, you will be alright. Please .... don't leave me.