[Chapter 8 part 1] Dawn - Spectating Duels

------------------------------—

Dawn contemplated Silver, frozen solid. It’s nice being number one. She nodded happily and stretched in satisfaction. That went swimmingly.

To draw out the bout, she’d restricted herself from ice. Otherwise it’d have been over instantly. Instead she’d used other magics to burn, crush, and blow away Silver’s summons. When he‘d attempted close combat, she’d slaughtered him. I’m the best at hand to hand by far. Despite his aura’s defense, she’d felt bones breaking. Once he could barely move, she’d finished him off by icing half the arena. Flash freezing is relatively painless, so everyone wins. Except for Silver, technically. He lost badly.

“Can you thaw him out?” Soul yelled down.

Dawn nodded, and the ice dissipated, dropping her brother. Sorry, but I couldn’t hold back with Simon watching. Moments like these were her guilty pleasure.

Early on, she’d realized she was better than everyone else. While this understanding had brought great joy, the others had been less pleased. Turns out people don’t like being called inferior, even if true. To avoid crushing their fragile self-esteem, she’d created rules for herself. First, no outright bragging. Second, no belittling, no matter how warranted. Finally, never seek out opportunities to shine. Proposing something like these matches was strictly forbidden. The initiative had to come from elsewhere. It was a painful sacrifice. After all these years, Dawn admired herself as much as ever. She savored these rare excuses to brandish her brilliance.

While exiting, Dawn faltered. I forgot to display my summons! She’d planned on materializing a rainbow-colored frost unicorn. Wastefully stupid things are surprising good at impressing. It’d slipped her mind. Oh, well. Letting go of the disappointment, she joined the others, a ragged Silver behind.

“What’d you think?” She asked.

“Impressive. I’ve never seen someone so strong at your age.” Simon replied.

‘Obviously’. Dawn choked down the word. That was close. Careful now. She had to filter her thoughts before speaking. How about ‘Of course’? No, still condescending… Tone it down, make it longer, dilute it. Finally, she settled on, “Thank you for realizing how incredible I am.”

When distracted, Dawn occasionally let out her honest opinions. Because of those moments, the others felt she’d an ‘ego problem’. Really, what’s wrong with accepting reality? She vigorously rejected the ‘problem’ part.

“Who should I start with?” Simon asked.

Silver rolled his eyes, “With Dawn.” Agreed, but was that necessary? Her brother was probably bitter about his utter defeat. He should be used to it by now.

Simon faced her, “You employed a remarkable array of magic in defeating your summoned opponents. Your martial arts are even more notable, as aura magic normally provides an advantage up close. Finally, your gift with ice rivals Astra’s.”

One more understands my worth. She loved beholding this realization. Here in the arctic, I’m starved for recognition.

“I’m curious though,” Simon said. “Why didn’t you use ice from the start?”

“To show off.” Silver cut in.

That’s not wrong, but… Dawn rephrased it more diplomatically, “If it’d ended too soon, we couldn’t have showcased our abilities.”

“I see.” Simon said. “It’s rare for someone to wield several magics. Most specialize in one or two affinities. Take your mother. Her talent with ice is so overwhelming it doesn’t make sense to use anything else. I’d venture your situation similar.”

“Thanks for the advice.” Dawn responded coolly.

Astra had told her repeatedly not to practice other magics. The trouble was she’d learned everything her mother taught so fast she was left with nothing to do. It also bothered her when her siblings could do things she couldn’t. It feels wrong. That was why she devoted her time to training in other elements. The payoff is worth it. Astra’s surprise when she first won using a fireball had been priceless.

“So how do we compare?” Dawn asked, staring hard. She wanted more.

Simon got the message, “As mentioned before, you might be the strongest fifteen year old alive at this moment. That’s astounding considering your lack of fame.”

At last. She’d been waiting for this: confirmation of the natural order of things. Those words would warm her heart for some time to come.

“She’ll be even more insufferable now…” Rose grumbled. I’ll overlook that since I’m in a fine mood.

Simon continued, “The caveat applies to the rest of you too. Normally ‘prodigies’ invariably achieve global recognition and benefit from fame’s boost. Taking into account your missing celebrity, you’re all overpowered.”

Halfway through this spiel, Dawn zoned out. She was still half-listening though. I’m not like Free. She’d pay just enough attention to make sure she didn’t miss anything pertaining to herself. Right now, Simon was talking about summoning. See? Totally tedious. Her mental energy was better spent elsewhere. Take his last comment regarding ‘the strongest fifteen year old’. She found the qualifiers ‘might’ and ‘at this moment’ problematic. She’d press him about it later.

“Nice job hanging in as long as you did… I suspect you might’ve gotten the short end of the stick.” No disputing that.

“I’d love to see a match between you and Dawn.” Silver glanced at her. “That’d be interesting.”

“You just want to me to lose for a change.” She laughed. “There’s no way I could beat Simon…” ——for now.

Of course, she knew she wasn’t actually the best. I’m not delusional. After all, if life was a race, some people had a head start of several centuries. Expecting to match them was ludicrous. However, with an even playing field, I won’t lose to anyone. Even Simon and Astra were people she’d surpass eventually.

“Shall we move on?” Simon asked.

“Sounds good!” Free spoke, “It’s our turn, Light.”

Dawn watched her energetic sister with a shadow of discontent. Just after thinking about never losing…

Whenever her siblings learned a new skill, she’d master it too. While it’d started out of boredom, she’d found the practice enriching. Which is why Free’s existence is so aggravating. Her one failure was keeping up with her sister’s gift for healing. At least with Wise’s foresight, I could accept it as a god-given gift. That wasn’t the case with Free. Her sister’s talent was vexingly above her own. It’d been a shocking blow to her psyche, one which required much mulling to recover from. One aberration shouldn’t undermine my world view. One day, she’d uncover a rational explanation to the phenomenon.

Dawn extended a hand, and an ice throne appeared. Magic’s wonderful. She installed herself and looked down.

Free was holding a wooden staff. It’s a living weapon which does things no decent pole arm should do. Light stood opposite, arms crossed and scarf fluttering. He wastes energy on the strangest things. It’d be an interesting match. Free was third strongest, and Light was tied for fourth.

“Begin!” Soul hollered.

Light’s hands flashed, executing a series of signs in succession. Sand and wind erupted, engulfing the arena. This sandstorm was the natural convergence of his two affinities, earth and air.

Years ago, when light had resolved to become a sand-themed ninja, the others had been perturbed. For her part, she’d paid no mind. If I had to pity the less fortunate, then all the time in the world wouldn’t be enough. Her attitude had changed weeks later when he’d grown noticeably tougher. She’d been fascinated. In this world, you can become powerful by altering your behavior. It was mind blowing. There really is a God, one with eccentric aesthetics at that.

She’d studied the transformation. Her brother’s speed and agility had improved the most. He’d begun using hand signals to boost his magic and could effortlessly summon shurikens. Then there was the substitution technique which made her drool with envy.

As someone obsessed with self-improvement, she’d been tempted to mimic his behavior, but ultimately declined to. I was worried Light would be upset or, worse, embrace my efforts. If he’d expected her to remain a ninja forever, that’d be troublesome. She wasn’t quite ready for the commitment. I get enough strange looks already.

Free held out a hand, and grains fell from her palm, carried off by the wind. Seeds infused with magic. Meanwhile, root-like things spread from her staff along the ground.

Both Silver and Free brought living beings into existence to battle on their behalf. The similarity ends there. Silver’s creatures were archetypes, strong but predictable. Free on the other hand… She was a creator. Her plants were made from scratch, adapted to her opponents. Flame resistant for Rose and freeze resistant for Soul and myself. She could combine their functions and features at will, so there was no predicting them. She can even change them on the fly if close enough.

Other than Soul, Free was the only one who infrequently provided some challenge. It happened when she’d dreamed up something new and nasty. Thank god she’s restricted to plants. Confronting a deformed swarm of frost-resistant locust was unappealing.

Hiding in the tempest, Light was throwing dozens of shurikens. Everyone could see clearly despite the obscured arena. I love this feature. Impairing your opponent’s vision was a common strategy. Summoning a blizzard for example. However, coliseum matches were meant to be viewed, which was why the HEAVENLY DAO made environmental effects transparent. Where’s the pleasure in winning if no one can witness it?

Speaking of… Outside of the raging sandstorm, seeds had taken root. That’s a mistake. Dawn’s approach was to freeze every one of Free’s plants. Admittedly, it’s difficult when she scatters them all over the place. Some around the edge were bearing weird red fruits and purple flowers, while others had matured into coiling vines. He’ll regret letting so many grow.

Swinging her staff, Free knocked shurikens away while those she missed sliced her apart. The scene appeared worse than it was. She’s blocking critical wounds while healing the rest.

They all possessed some ability with foresight. Aside Wise, I’m the most skilled. The easiest thing to sense coming was pain and death. Free was deflecting the worst attacks through their lethality. As for her injuries, they didn’t have time to bleed. Flaunting her abilities… And it wasn’t just her wounds which were mending.

Free’s fighting style had changed after mastering healing, to the detriment of her attire. She’d often end up half-naked. After a few months of patchwork rags, she’d presented herself with those new ‘clothes’. While appearing cotton, they were actually a living organism. Presumably a plant? They’d slowly crawled back together when cut. The way they wriggle gives me goose bumps.

The projectile barrage was draining Free’s stamina. At this rate, she’d lose. Which is why she’ll counter-attack. Light could perceive Free’s location, but not the vegetation at her feet.

Suddenly, Free ducked down, and roots formed a shell around her. With their master’s safety assured, the rest stretched out, whipping around in search of prey. How does she do that? They’re almost sapient…

A flailing root connected with Light and was swiftly sliced apart by his short sword. But it’s too late… Free’s plants surged forwards and, despite furious slashing, wrapped around his limbs. Normally, it’d be over here, but… Light’s body turned into sand, falling through his captors’ grip. And there it is.

This ‘substitution technique’ was what ninjas were famous for. Visually and functionally, I admit it’s cool. Twice per match, Light would crumble into sand and reappear somewhere nearby. It’s basically short range teleportation. For martial arts, where speed was paramount, instantaneous motion was the holy grail. Such abilities were rare even for immortals. To my knowledge, Astra doesn’t have any. It was ridiculous her brother had two guaranteed dodges. It even works against me.

Infuriatingly, Light refused to disclose the details. I suspect he doesn’t know. But if that’s true, how the bloody hell did he learn it? All she’d pieced together were the rules under which it operated. First, it required an attack to land before activation. So you don’t have to worry unless you’re on the offensive. Second, it could only be used twice in a row. Without this, he’d be invincible. Finally, the range was about sixty feet, and he couldn’t appear closer than ten from an opponent. Understandable, it’s theoretically meant for escape. This time, he’d appeared in the air above Free.

(continued in part 2)