In a matter of moments, I was next to the cottage, making my way in through the entrance. Taking a moment to calm my erratic breathing, I raised my head up to find Zack staring at me worriedly, while holding a cup of water for me to drink.

“So… um, what happened? Why’re you in such a rush?” he asked.

‘Should I mess with him?’ The thought crossed my mind. However, I knew better than that, dismissing it instantly.

“Its—” Choking on my own breath, I couldn’t utter the words I wanted to. Breathing in deeply, I tried speaking again.

But before I could, Zack said, “It’s alright, sit down and take a minute or two to calm yourself.”

Nodding, I went in and took a seat, taking shallow sips of the water from the cup every now and then.

“Z-Zack, while coming over, i-in the streets, I saw the teacher dad talked about.”

Hearing my words, Zack’s eyes opened wide, like those of a cat with its tail stepped on. His body trembled. Closing his eye, he took in deep breaths to calm himself.

He asked, “So, what’re the chances you’ll be leaving today?”

“I… don’t know. But it’s very likely.”

Zack’s shoulders drooped, his expression darkening a few shades. His gaze wandered up to the ceiling, as if searching for an answer. Next, he shook his head, his shoulders drooping.

He really doesn’t seem to be doing well.

Looking at me, he asked, “Up for a battle?”

Standing up, I replied, “Alright!”

Looking me up and down, he said, “Go out and make a ring. I’ll come in a bit. Give me just a minute. No, half a minute.”

Maybe he needs some time to take some water or to just calm himself? In any case… I should hurry.

Feeling anxious, I stepped out before beginning to mark out an area for a fighting ring.

Back inside the cottage, Zack walked up to the cupboard of the room he usually used. Opening the drawer, he picked up an item bound in cloth, looking at it grimly.

With a voice full of helplessness, he spoke, “I’m still not ready for this. Only if I had a day more… But well, life likes to joke around with me, no? Guess we’ll see how it goes.”

However, his outward calm was a far cry from the turmoil within.

Waking out, he joined Samuel in constructing the ring before both boys stood against each other.

Zack charged forward, starting his assault with a punch.

Samuel grabbed his hand before twisting, nullifying the attack. In response, Zack pulled his arm back before thrusting out his elbow, the blow connecting with Samuel’s chest.

A grin spread across Samuel’s face as he shifted gears, his inner anxiousness replaced with a blazing fighting spirit.

Both boys exchanged one blow after another, both having their own close shaves with the boundary. In the end, while Zack charged in for an attack, Samuel sent him flying out of the boundary with a heavy kick to his back, causing his loss.

Gritting his teeth, Zack got up before saying, “Again!”

Saying so, he charged forward, beginning the next match right there and then.

Under the scorching heat of the sun, one duel after another began and ended, the time between them shortening ever so slowly, all resulting in Samuel’s victory.

Both boys’ skin reflected the sunlight, now drenched with sweat. Zack’s breath was erratic, while Samuel, too, wasn’t doing much better either.

With his trademark worn-out wry smile, Zack said, “Say, was that a good enough warm-up? Let’s get it over with, shall we? Don’t worry, you’ll be the one losing.”

With a chuckle, Samuel replied, “Heh? Sure. Been waiting for that since earlier.”

Both boys walked in front of each other, standing face to face.

A light breeze began blowing, bringing the hair of the both to dance along with it.

As the wind brushed past his face, a feeling of unease welled up within Samuel’s heart. He gulped in saliva as he placidly stared at Zack, who was taking his stance. Albeit slightly, the feeling Zack gave him changed, causing him to furrow his brow. In his head revolved the actions of Zack before the duel, and the past few days in general.

Involuntarily, a blurry figure of a frail kid from the past overlapped with the boy barely a few steps from him, giving him a distant feeling. Samuel sighed, dismissing his melancholy, in turn causing his eyes to grow vigilant.

Raising his hand, Samuel gestured to the black haired boy to attack.

Zack’s eyes turned icier the more he looked at Samuel, as if the boy in front wasn’t related to him at all. Raising his focus to its peak, he charged with one fist in the air, aiming for Samuel’s chest. Samuel met it head on with a fist of his own.

Both of their fists collided as Samuel took a step back, while Zack also halted in his tracks.

Samuel raised his brows at Zack, only to be answered by the other boy shrugging his hands followed by a relentless barrage of attacks. Both exchanged a series of blows before Samuel grabbed Zack by the collar, flinging him down on the ground.

While attacking, he couldn’t help but think, ‘Time to leave is near and this… should I really be doing this? Why does dad have to make things hard? But I see it not being helpful at all. It’s burning him from inside instead of helping him.’

Hesitation flashed across Samuel’s eyes, leaving him incapable of acting in time.

In the short window when Samuel hesitated, Zack grabbed the other’s arm that kept pushing him down before flinging it away, while at the other side, his left hand formed the shape of a claw as his fingers dug into the ground. A smirk filled Zack’s face as he looked at Samuel menacingly.

Trusting his instincts, Samuel jumped back as he surveyed the surrounding area.

‘That feels like… magic? How?!’ Samuel’s eyes widened in disbelief. He went over the sensation over and over, his astonishment growing by each pass.

After looking around and finding nothing, a click of tongue rang through his ears as he saw Zack rushing towards him, his expression solemn.

‘A spell… and a feint at that… Damn! He’s getting good! Tch!’

A smile spread across Samuel’s face as he clicked his tongue in astonishment. Placing his right foot back while thrusting both arms forward, he prepared to receive the blow.

As he predicted, Zack tried to land a punch. But having prepared for the possibility beforehand, he grabbed the incoming fist, attempting to overturn Zack’s momentum against him.

Reacting to Samuel latching onto his arm, Zack jumped up, using the sudden force to pull his arm back. With the sweat on both their skins acting as a lubricant, Samuel’s grip couldn’t hold on to the arm, allowing Zack to retract it back. While landing, Zack spun his body, launching a kick on Samuel’s head, which Samuel evaded by ducking to the side.

With a spring in his voice, Zack asked, “What happened? Not well today? Or scared of losing?”

Samuel’s expression flickered a little before he gritted his teeth. He turned around and tried to land a punch. Zack stepped to the side before retreating with a leap.

While watching his adversary dodge his blow and retreat skillfully, Samuel’s ears picked up on an almost inaudible murmuring.

Samuel’s brow furrowed as the muttering he heard felt familiar. Yet, he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was. Even so, the act itself caused a great sense of crisis to flood his instincts, the unknown nature of it further amplifying the sensation.

The next moment, his eyes widened from the sheer disbelief as he scrambled to the side.