Caspian tried to glare at Julius, who stood several meters away, but he couldn't focus. His eyesight kept blurring out and distorting. He rubbed his chest, which felt constricted, as if something was compressing it.

"I hope you're ready, Sol," Julius said, a malicious grin spreading across his face. "I'm going to make you regret ever coming here!"

Caspian wasn't given time to retort as Julius bull-rushed him. He stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over his own two feet as his opponent tried to pierce him through the chest. Turning to present his profile, he sought to avoid the strike. It was all for naught. The sound of tearing fabric permeated the arena, and Caspian felt the sting of a blade cutting into his flesh. It was only a scratch, a mere nick, but it felt like fire on his skin.

"So, you can still dodge?" Julius murmured. "Very well. Let's see how you handle this!"

Julius thrust his blade at Caspian's face. The attack was so swift that he almost missed it. Barely ducking in time, Caspian felt the blade ruffling his hair. He tried to get back up in order to retaliate, but his legs chose that moment to give out. As he fell onto his backside, Caspian blinked his bleary eyes in time to see a foot soaring right for him. He was unable to dodge and took the kick head on.

Stars exploded in his vision as he was sent to the ground, tumbling backwards before coming to a stop on his back. The sky above him seemed to distort. Colors mixed together like streamers as everything was sucked towards the center of his vision. It left him with a sense of vertigo. He felt like vomiting.

"What are you doing on the ground, Sol? Come on, get up. I'm not finished humiliating you yet."

Caspian tried to stand up, but his arms weren't working. Neither were his legs, his back, his shoulders, or anything else. He couldn't even get his fingers to twitch. It was like his entire body had simply decided to shut down.

A large hand grabbed his hair in a vice grip and yanked him off the ground. Caspian would have screamed in pain, but a knee was suddenly rammed into his gut, and he lost the ability to so much as groan. A strangled gasp emerged from his lips. The hand let go of his hair. Caspian wrapped his arms around his stomach and fell forward, right into the waiting fist of his opponent.

He heard, as much as felt, his nose breaking under the assault. Warm liquid dripped down his nose and onto his lips. He fell backwards, landing on his back with a harsh thud. Not a second later more pain exploded in his side as a boot struck him with enough force to flip him over.

"What's the matter, Sol?" Julius kicked him in his unprotected side. Caspian tried not to scream. "Where did all that talk go?" Something struck Caspian across the back, making him gasp as his flesh was torn apart. "Well, no matter. This is where you belong. On the ground, writhing like a worm in front of your betters."

***

Elincia gripped the guardrail. Worry gnawed at her insides like scorpions squirming around in her stomach.

Down on the arena floor, Caspian tried to stand up and lunge at Julius, but he stumbled halfway through and ended up taking a powerful left hook from his opponent. Her heart clenched as her best friend was sent back to the ground, blood flying from his mouth.

"It seems that young man is having trouble," Lord Fuzen Taiga said. His words made Elinca grit her teeth .

"Indeed," she heard Lady Sylvia say from behind her. "It appears as though Caspian Ignis del Sol is not as talented as I was led to believe. That is disappointing."

How can she say that? Elincia wondered. She knew that Lady Sylvia was impartial in all things, but to say something like that about someone who she claimed her hopes were riding on was horrible.

"That is not what Lord Taiga meant," Lady Erica interrupted.

"What do you mean?" Lady Sylvia asked. Elincia could hear the frown in her voice.

"I mean that Caspie has been suffering since before the match even started. Did you not notice how pale his skin was, or how labored his breathing was?"

"I did. Are you telling me that he's sick?"

"No," Lady Erica began, and her next words caused Elincia to feel as if her heart would shatter, "I'm saying he's been poisoned."

"Then shouldn't we stop this?!" Elincia demanded. "Poisoning someone before the match is illegal! Julius should be disqualified!"

"There is no proof that Julius is the one who poisoned Caspian Ignis del Sol," a voice said from the entrance. Elincia whirled around as a handsome man walked into the viewing box, his long shoulder cape fluttering behind him. "Anyone could have poisoned that young man, if he has truly been poisoned at all."

"Count De'Falco Genitore." Lady Sylvia frowned. "I had not realized that you were here."

"I have a seat down below," the count said, "but I wanted to greet our esteemed guests at least once. I hope you'll forgive my sudden intrusion."

"Not at all," Lady Sylvia said graciously.

Elincia didn't know who this count was, but his presence made her feel uneasy. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with him. He appeared to be nothing more than a cordial and charismatic young man. Yet she couldn't deny what she felt. There was something about him that bothered her.

"Ah." She froze when the count's eyes landed on her. "And this lovely young lady must be the newest sorceress."

He swept over to her like a gallant knight coming to greet his princess. Revulsion surged through her when he took her hand, and she almost yanked it out of his grip when he placed a kiss on her knuckle.

"Please allow me to express my joy at your ascension as an official sorceress. I am positive that you will play a leading role in the coming days, one which will cause your name to appear on the lips of everyone in Terraria."

Elincia did not much care if people talked about her. In all actuality, she wasn't keen on the idea of people talking about her at all, whether it be in hushed tones of reverence or spiteful calls of hate. Her only desires were to become one with her best friend, and to make the woman who'd taken her in proud—even if they were at odds right now.

"Um, thank you," Elincia said, hiding her disgust well. Even so, she felt like someone had just dumped a layer of oil on her hand.

The count gave her a smile that caused goosebumps to break out, and then he turned away and addressed the others. "As I saying before; even if the young man, Caspian, has been poisoned, we have no proof that it was Julius. We also do not know if he's been poisoned at all."

Lady Erica snorted. "You are either blind, stupid, or both. Anyone who knows how poison works can tell that he's been poisoned. Judging by the way he's moving and how swiftly the poison has affected him, I can tell you that it was not an airborne poison but one that was ingested."

"So, someone poisoned his food?" asked a curious Lady Akane.

"Yes."

"Then we shall interrogate the people in the cafeteria to determine who poisoned Caspian later," Lady Sylvia said.

"Wait. You mean we're not going to do anything else?" Elincia asked, aghast.

Lady Sylvia turned to her. "What else can we do?"

"Stop the tournament and heal Caspian!"

"We cannot. The tournament is already underway."

"But—"

"The most we can do now is wait until this battle is concluded, then heal Caspian after his match."

Elincia wanted to shout, but she was keenly aware of the eyes on her. The other sorceress and their knights were staring at her, the count wore a smile that seemed condescending to her, and the foreign dignitaries were all watching her with mild curiosity. If she made a scene now, she would look bad. Lady Sylvia had warned her about what would happen if she did that.

Turning around, Elincia stared down at the arena, where Caspian was struggling to fight.

Caspian...

***

Caspian coughed up blood as he tried to stand back up—yet the moment he pushed himself onto his hands and knees, a foot slammed into his back. This time, a scream did tear from Caspian's throat as he was sent back to the ground. His back squealed in protest. His spine felt like it was ready to snap in half. Turning his head, he sent a glare at Julius.

A look of haughty superiority had appeared on Julius's face, as if he was an arrogant king lording his position over the peasantry. "You really are pathetic, Sol. And now I'm going to prove it to everyone here! Oh, but don't worry. I'll treat your sorceress friend real good."

Caspian had always disliked Julius. Ever since they'd first met, Julius had treated him like he was scum beneath the noble's boot.

While most people had treated him this way, Julius always took that treatment to an extreme degree. The other boy always had something rude to say about him, and he was always trying to goad Caspian into fights. He'd lost count of the number of times that Julius would insult him or try to physically assault him.

In that moment, right then, Caspian had never hated Julius more.

Gnashing his teeth together, Caspian surged to his feet, ignoring the vertigo he felt, and slammed into Julius with a vicious headbutt. The attack forced Julius's mouth to snap shut, muffling his scream.

This would have been the perfect moment to attack, but Caspian's body lost energy the longer he stood. The world tilted around him, and he soon found himself on hands and knees, vomiting blood. An acrid stenge clogged the air. His blood was black, and it sizzled as it struck the ground.

Wha... what?

"You piece of plebeian trash!" Julius screamed as he kicked Caspian in the gut. The action had enough force behind it that Caspian was flipped through the air. When he landed on his back, all the air was expelled from his lungs. "How dare you do this to my face! Again!" Blood filled Caspian's nasal passages when Julius stomped on his nose. "How do you like that?! Huh?!"

As Julius raised his foot and slammed it back down, Caspian struggled to think up something, anything that could get him out of this situation.

Because if he didn't do something soon, then he'd surely lose.

***

Elincia watched, horrified as Julius continued to stomp on Caspian's face. The crowd, which had been cheering seconds ago, had gone silent. No one spoke. Perhaps they couldn't say anything. She wondered if they were as horrified as her.

She was at a loss. Her best friend was getting hurt because of the promise that he had made to her. If she'd never made that promise, he wouldn't be suffering like this. At the same time, Elincia was selfish. She wanted him to keep his promise. She wanted him to become her knight. He was the only one that she would accept.

But she didn't know what to do. How could she help him keep his promise? She couldn't interfere or he would be disqualified, and she didn't have any spells that could be used. All she could do was summon spirits, which would be easily noticed. Still, there had to be something that she could do for him.

As she squeezed her eyes shut, a memory came to her, one that she would never forget.

She and Caspian were sitting on the large bed in her room. While he was in a pair of shorts and a shirt, she wore only her pajamas.

Turning, she saw Caspian lying on his back, staring at the ceiling with a relaxed appearance about him. She thought he might fall asleep.

"Hey, Caspian?"

"Yeah?"

"To become my knight, you have to compete in a big competition, right?"

"The Sorceress's Knight Tournament, yeah."

"Um, so what happens if you lose? Does that mean you won't become my knight?"

Caspian finally shifted. He turned to her, and his eyes contained a fierce expressiveness as he stared at her. They were like two hardened emeralds of emotion.

"Don't say such stupid things. There's no way I would ever lose."

"B-but what if something happens and you do?!"

There was a long pause. Elincia watched Caspian's face as it scrunched up in thoughtful contemplation. What was he thinking, she wondered. His face cleared up seconds later, and he grinned at her.

"When I compete in the tournament, you're going to be there watching me, right?" Elincia didn't know what he was getting at, but she nodded anyway. "In that case, if it ever seems like I'm going to lose, I want you to shout—"

"CASPIAN IGNIS DEL SOL! YOU HAVE TO KEEP YOUR PROMISE TO ME!"

Elincia's voice echoed across the entire stadium. She felt something pulling on her mana. A voice whispered in her ear, telling her that everything would be okay, that it would make sure her voice reached the person she loved. Bragi, the spirit of poetry and music.

"Elincia," Lady Sylvia's voice came from behind her, "what do you think you're—"

"GET UP, CASPIAN! GET UP RIGHT NOW AND KEEP FIGHTING! FIGHT TO KEEP THE PROMISE YOU MADE TO ME! I'LL NEVER... I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU IF YOU DON'T!"

***

Strength returned. Those words. He remembered telling Elincia to say those words if he ever came close to losing. It had been so long ago, but he could still remember that moment like it was yesterday.

Determination filled him, like a fire raging inside of his mind, going out of control and consuming everything inside of him until all that remained was the burning need to win. He would not be defeated here. He could not be defeated here. The person that he cherished the most was counting on him!

The pain had temporarily stopped, which meant Julius had stopped trying to smash his face in. Caspian opened his eyes to see Julius looking at the viewing box, disgust etched onto his face.

"Che, fucking bitch. Once I become her knight, I'm gonna make her get down on her knees like a little whore and suck my—guag!"

Julius was unable to say anything else as Caspian, using all of his strength, put his weight onto his back and arms, and then shoved off the ground and mule kicked him in the stomach. As Julius wrapped his arms around his stomach and tried to suck in oxygen, Caspian placed one hand on the ground. Using it as a support pillar, he launched another kick. The satisfying feeling of his heel smashing into Julius's jaw was second only to the cry of pain that his opponent released.

Knowing that he didn't have much strength left, Caspian understood that he needed to finish this quickly. He picked up his sword and charged.

He had to give Julius credit, the large teen was quick on his feet. He reacted in time to block Caspian's initial swing—not that this would help him. As sparks flew from the two weapons, Caspian quickly reversed his stance, slipped past Julius's guard, and slammed the pommel of his sword into his enemy's nose.

"Grrraaaaaa!"

Julius cried out in pain. He dropped his sword and covered his nose. Caspian didn't relent. He gave no quarter and continued to assault Julius while his guard was down. A slash to the chest caused blood to spurt out from a minor cut. A slice at the shoulder almost severed Julius's tendon, but the boy moved away before it could do more than nick his skin.

"Damn you!" Julius snarled. "You little shit! Don't think a peasant like you can win!"

"Watch me!" Caspian roared as he leapt at the other boy.

Caspian swung his sword. It met resistance in the form of Julius's sword. Normally, he would've had the advantage in a sword lock. His sword weighed more and Julius, despite his muscles, wasn't that much stronger than him. But with the poison still circulating through his bloodstream, Caspian would lose if he locked blades.

Leaping backwards, Caspian used the contact with the ground to build kinetic energy into his legs. He bent his knees and, seconds after he skidded to a stop, launched himself forward with a ferocious cry. Swords clashed and steel rang. Caspian pushed his aching body to be faster, to be stronger, to move swifter. He flew into sword forms that he'd practiced for so long they'd been drilled into his muscle memory.

An overhand slash flowed into a spin attack. Julius was pushed back. A sword strike was countered, not with the blade, but with the guard. Caspian then reversed his grip and slammed his pommel into Julius's hand. As his foe bit back a cry, Caspian lunged forward, his blade set to pierce his opponent's shoulder.

Julius moved back, but his actions were hasty and he nearly tripped over his own two feet. While the blade missed its mark, the tip still tore into Julius's uniform.

"Damn you! Damn you, damn you, damn you! How are you doing this?!" Julius's furious roar was more like a high-pitched shriek. "You shouldn't be able to move like this! How?! How, how, how, how—gurk!"

Further words were hampered when Caspian jabbed his pommel into Julius's throat. Choking noises emerged from Julius as he brought a hand to his neck. Caspian capitalized on his foe's lack of attentiveness and attacked with a sequence of sword movements that were too fast to follow. And yet, Julius proved that he hadn't been resting on his laurels by backpedaling, avoiding the strikes.

This fight... I need to end it soon.

The longer this fight continued, the more stamina Caspian lost. He was already pushing his body past the breaking point. His lungs were burning. His body felt like lead. Every movement sent blistering fire through his nerves and muscles, which he could swear were tearing as he moved. He should have collapsed long ago, and only the knowledge that this fight was for Elincia kept him from giving in.

I might have to use it...

Caspian had a trump card. However, even now, he was reluctant to use it. It was not a matter of being unwilling to use any means necessary, and more a matter of wanting to avoid trouble by not using it.

Elves were a race with inherently large reserves of mana. If one went by equations, then one elf would be the equivalent of about one-thousand humans worth of mana. This was very basic, and didn't actually take factors like genetics and personal reserves into account, but it painted an accurate enough picture. Consequently, a single spirit was about one-million elves worth of mana.

Caspian was a half-elf. Even though one half of him was human, he still had another half that was not, and as such, he possessed large reserves of mana.

Even so, Caspian knew nothing of Alchemy, nor could he grasp the concepts of Nature Manipulation. That being said, he did have an affinity for Spellcasting—using words that were engraved in one's soul to cast spells. While he did not know many spells, there were two that he did know. He'd learned them during his darkest moment, when Eren Gorrosalaine tried to kill him.

I'll need to time it. If I can just time it right, I can mask my spell behind an attack.

Rasping as his breath became ever shorter, Caspian charged in to attack for what he hoped would be the final bout. His muscles tore as he launched sword combinations at Julius in a constant stream of sequences. Left. Right. Downward stroke. Thrust. Spin. He forced Julius to block, waiting for the opportunity to unleash his only ace in the hole.

His upwards slash, which would have carved a bloody trench from Julius' right hip to left collarbone, was diverted by a delicate fencing parry. Rather than regaining himself, Caspian spun and attacked from the other side. That, too, was blocked when Julius raised his fencing sword. Shuffling his feet along the ground, Caspian built momentum from the second attack to speed up his third one, a thrust meant to stab Julius through the heart. Julius moved back and countered, twisting his wrist in a classic fencing parry.

Now!

In battle, there were a few rules that people followed. They were not real rules, but rather, rules that nobles imposed in a misguided attempt to make battles somehow seem noble. Among those many rules was to never drop one's weapon. Dropping a weapon could either be taken as a sign of admitting defeat or disrespect, according to the dueling etiquette that had been drilled into him by the academy's instructors.

Which was why, in the middle of his fight, Caspian let go of his weapon and allowed it to clatter to the ground. He could see Julius's eyes widen, see the shock in them. Julius tried to take a step back, tried to retreat, but Caspian was already in his guard.

He tucked his hands into his torso. Then he launched them forward,

"Torjua," he whispered as he slammed his fists into Julius's chest.

A concussive shockwave blasted out of Caspian's fists. The attack plowed into Julius with enough force that his foe was lifted clear off his feet and sent soaring backwards like a javelin thrown by the great spirit, Odin. Julius didn't stop until his body slammed into the wall. Cracks appeared along the wall, abrasions that spread from the center of impact, expanding and causing fragments to fall. Julius hung there for several seconds as if stuck, and then his body slowly peeled off of the wall and he fell face first to the ground.

A moment of silence reigned.

"The winner of the first match is Caspian Ignis del Sol!" Instructor Murdok announced.