The rest of the tournament wasn't nearly as thrilling as the previous parts had been. Although they too had been mildly entertaining at best. Lock knew exactly how this would turn out, and only through sheer willpower was he able to continue watching.

Ino had managed to distract the cur, and thus William was far from his best condition. This made the fight he had against Harald ridiculously one-sided. The knight was clearly suffering the effects of blood loss, wobbling all around as he tried to evade his much faster opponent.

The only issue was the fact that he was almost entirely armoured, a difficult opponent for anyone of such low-level as Harald to truly bring down. However the almost entirely armoured played a part here. His arm was bare, and after a few pokes to the appendage from Harald, William surrendered.

Lock didn't really understand why he hadn't done so earlier. Perhaps he'd been holding onto the hope that the healing would arrive until the very end. Probably. A brave attempt at least. He could imagine how agonizing it must have been to have a hole stabbed straight through your upper arm, and then to not treat the wound for half an hour. The man visibly sagged in relief once the official healer started treating him after his surrender.

The second match was, uninspired to say the least. Lock had decided in the last minute that he wanted to cause the Legil a bit of grief as petty revenge for what he'd put him through. The emotional anguish of being so cruelly exploited by people he could do nothing against...

Thus he'd told Mia that instead of surrendering, she should walk on the platform, and then leave it again after the fight started.

The ninja followed his orders, and he enjoyed watching the Legil flinch slightly as she walked on stage instead of surrendering. The crowd booed, and the Legil relaxed, once she walked off immediately after.

Mental magic did not make for very spectacular victories. Lock wondered if the nobles had considered this when they decided to prop up a tin soldier for the masses to gush over. William had had the right idea. Blood was what everyone wanted to see.

The last break was called once Mia left the stage and the arena. Lock half-expected her to come up and join him, but she didn't.

He stood up to break the news to Harald. The boy would probably be disappointed at having to surrender. But Lock had the feeling he would honour his deal. It had been an exchange of training for admission to the magical academy from the very start.

-/-

“No.” Harald didn't quite know what exactly was possessing him and making him utter the word. But the only response he could give to Lock's request for him to surrender was a resoundingly negative one.

He watched detachedly as his teacher's expression underwent some quick and subtle changes. Confusion, anger, acceptance.

“They will try to kill you if you win.” Lock pointed out carefully, the, 'they might try to kill me as well', went unsaid.

Harald shook his head. “Even if I win, I will demand the admission slip to the magical academy, instead of the military one. A deal's a deal.” It was not a very safe route, but surely if the first place and the second place agreed on it, the prizes could be swapped.

“A person who finished second, but got the first-place prize due to pity. It doesn't make for such a great propaganda effort. They still won't be very happy.” Lock said, but again, all that Harald could do was shake his head.

“I need to do this.” He said, locking eyes with Lock pleadingly. He wanted to be told to stop being a fool and to surrender. He wanted to be reprimanded into not doing what he was about to do.

However his teacher said nothing, looking at him with a calm face with a bit of envy? Why?

“Why?” Lock asked and Harald could do nothing but shrug, before the answer suddenly came to him.

“Because it's time that someone showed these nobles that we aren't a toy to be played with. Something to be used and disregarded in whichever way their plans demand it. I want to make a statement.” He said, and pointed towards the crowd who were sitting at the edge of their seats. “To them, for them.”

Lock shook his head ruefully. “They don't know that pretty girl isn't just another peasant, that she's backed by nobles. It doesn't matter who wins, they'll be happy that it was one of their own.” He said, perhaps truthfully.

“We'll know.” Harald replied quietly, watching a small smile appear on his teacher's face. “The nobles will know.” Harald continued, a fire starting to burn within. The smile on Lock's face turned a smidgen sadistic.

“I can't believe it.” Lock said with a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. “Where did you suddenly find a purpose?” He asked.

“It found me.” The swordsman answered making his teacher freeze for a moment before he descended into a short but thoughtful silence.

“When one searches, one finds, I guess.” He said eventually with a clouded look before his gaze sharpened again. “You have no chance of winning you know.” He said, but only because he did not know. He couldn't.

Harald's grip on his sword's pommel tightened, the shades were whispering to him. They wished to fill his mind again. A mind that was already filled to the brim. Could it be entered?

They would find out soon enough.

-/-

Lock encountered Mia on the way back to the stands. She was standing near the exit of the arena, in a corner shadowed by the sun which was slowly beginning to dip. Interestingly enough the magic ball of light hovering above the arena was beginning to dim as well. Was it perhaps running out of fuel, whatever that may be?

“You haven't left yet?” He asked Mia in lieu of a greeting. She shook her head.

“I'm winning a coin-purse or two because I came in third or fourth. Might as well take it.” She said.

“It would be wasteful if you just ignored it, wouldn't it?” Lock mused before his gaze turned to Harald who was waiting patiently before the platform. He couldn't see the boy's face, but he could imagine that it was a sight to behold.

Honestly, what a random time to grow a set of balls. To have such fire in the eyes, such purpose. He sneered at the cheering masses. Purpose, no matter how foolish, was to be envied. He'd felt lost ever since he'd completed his.

“What's your opinion on immortality?” He suddenly asked Mia, who paused at the unexpected question and gave him an odd look.

“I've never thought about it much.” She admitted.

Lock shrugged. “Hit me with your best.” He said.

She hesitatingly started to speak. “It seems... weird. Are immortal people even human anymore?” She asked, before shaking her head. “Not only humans can be immortal of course. Humanity doesn't have a single one from what I remember. Didn't the elves have one? Whatever. Living forever, I guess it sounds nice. Eventually you would become powerful enough to be able to treat the world like a playground.” She said,

“My grandmother, she told me something. 'Absolute power corrupts absolutely because the people holding it never live long enough to realize the logical conclusion. Which is that absolute power bores absolutely.'” She said with a frown. “I think it's something similar.”

Lock bored into Mia's eyes as he considered her words, before waving them off. Some of it rang true. However... “You know most people who I've talked about immortality with have had a negative view on it. There was one thing they all had in common, none of them had a chance in hell of achieving it. Living forever, everyone wants it. Nobody can get it. Isn't all denial of the wish therefore simply the equivalent of a child convincing himself he doesn't want the sweets that his mother refuses to give to him anyway?”

Mia frowned and slowly shook her head with a confused look in her green eyes. “I don't know. Someone smart enough to gain eternal life, should be smart enough to find a way to not be bored by it afterwards, I guess.”

Ouch, that one stung. But nonetheless Lock continued onwards. “What do you think an immortal should do to make the most of it?” he was genuinely curious about that question. He was starting to think that he should spend some more time on it.

Mia helplessly shrugged her shoulders. “Do whatever they want? I guess if they find no worthy challenge they can go seek out other immortals.”

Lock raised an eyebrow and found himself nodding along. “Yes, yes. Killing other immortals, it represents a worthy challenge, and if one sees life as a playground, it would count as eliminating the other players so that one may have all the toys for one's self.” He explained.

Mia gave him an understanding look. “Well, I was thinking more in the lines of having someone to talk to on equal standing. I understand how someone of your, tastes, might arrive to that conclusion though. Immortals probably deserve death anyway, I can't imagine it being a bloodless road filled with much innocence.” She said.

His tastes?

Oh... right. She still thought he enjoyed killing people.

He patted her on the shoulder. “You've given me something to think about. Stick around for the fight, Harald might be getting himself killed out there. Normally there wouldn't be a fight between third and fourth place since the prizes are the same, but if one of the finalists dies there will have to be a fight to determine second place.” He said, watching Mia relax as they changed over to a topic that made contextual sense to her. He began walking away once he heard the break being called to an end behind him.

“Well shit. William just got healed as well.” He heard Mia sigh before he finally left her sights.

He started walking faster.