The Prelude

Aymon maintained a calculated distance, ensuring he was consistently 2 seconds behind Byron. Why? He estimated that 2 seconds would be enough for him to perceive any attack and either counter or dodge it in the worst-case scenario.

The atmosphere was tense, and they said no words to each other as they passed through the labyrinth composed of the academy's corridors. The sound of their heavy steps grew more pronounced with each step, echoing in the quiet corridors.

Aymon was constantly analyzing Byron, from the way he stepped to his breath. He comprehended and assimilated everything to ensure a basic set of data so that he could achieve an optimal result in the spar. "His reach exceeds mine, but that won't help him much unless he is way faster than me," Aymon reasoned as he sought out Byron's weaknesses. He strategized a way in which his high agility and flexibility levels would allow him to dodge Byron's attacks with minimal movement so as to deplete his adversary of energy. This approach aimed to create openings in Byron's defense, or his execution, openings of which Aymon would take full advantage to end the spar swiftly.

His analysis and planning were suddenly interrupted by Byron's sudden question, one which Aymon expected, but not until he had reached the sparring area. "What do you stand to gain from this, Aymon?" asked Byron as he stopped in the middle of the hall.

"What fun would it be if I told you now?" Aymon responded as he walked past Byron, to whom he smiled briefly, devoid of emotion.

After a four-minute brisk walk through the vast maze of the Z-building, they arrived at the annex. Here, students had multiple ways of approaching their training. They had access to the individual training rooms with a variety of modules, out of which students most used the AR and VR simulators, the sparring rooms, the arena, and the restriction rooms.

"Now, after you," said Aymon with a casual tone as he executed a guiding movement with his hand, letting Byron lead the way to the sparring room.

Byron sighed, but he took the lead, and as they headed in the direction of the sparring rooms, it seemed that just now, two students had finished with their spar, and the room was now free. Without any hesitation whatsoever, Byron walked into the 27th sparring room. Aymon followed without uttering a word. The door closed behind them and a voice came from the room's speaker system. It was the AI responsible for setting up the safety measures and other formalities that would allow the students to have a spar.

"Two students have been identified in the sparring room: Aymon Kriegsschaten and Byron Alexander Castiel. Do the two of you consent to the spar?"

Both of them answered at the same time, with an unwavering tone, "Yes!"

"Do you wish to set any restrictions?" asked the AI in order to make sure that the students could spar fairly.

Byron, knowing that Aymon had already deduced his approximate rank, expected him to request some sort of restriction, maybe a spar without astral energy, or a limit, but to his surprise, Aymon's answer came almost instantly.

"No," said Aymon confidently, a faint, unsettling smile playing on his lips. His demeanor exuded an eerie calmness.

Byron answered shortly after, with a rather shocked expression on his face, "No."

"Do you want to use any weapons?" inquired the AI once again to provide adequate weaponry for the students if needed.

"Not needed, this will be a hand-to-hand combat type of spar," responded Aymon whilst maintaining his steel-like calmness.

Without any other choice at hand, Byron agreed with a simple nod of his head. Confused as he was, he was still trying to understand why a stranger would go to such lengths just to mess with him. Was he an enemy, or was he sent by someone to test him? As he couldn't get his head around this matter, he decided to get an answer directly from Aymon after a proper beating.

"This will be my last question," said the AI as it continued its standardized approach to the students' spar, "Would you like to wager something or make a bet?"

This time, unlike the previous two times, Byron took the initiative. "Yes. The loser has to answer one question from the winner." His confidence was evident as he locked eyes with Aymon, ready for the confrontation.

"Student Aymon, do you agree with this wager?" the AI asked as it sought confirmation of the wager from the other participant.

"Yes," Aymon responded, his smile widening just a fraction as he acknowledged the terms. The air in the sparring room seemed charged with an unusual intensity, a hint of anticipation emanating from Aymon, who appeared more intrigued than concerned about the impending duel.

"Now that I have all the necessary details in order to allow the two of you to engage in a friendly duel, I will ask you to equip the nano-suits made to protect you from any lethal wounds," said the AI as two small cubes descended from the ceiling in front of the two students.

With a simple touch of the nanocube, the nano suit spread all over Aymon's body in a matter of milliseconds and it became transparent as if he was wearing his day-to-day clothes. The situation unfolded in the same way for Byron.

As they made eye contact, Byron said to Aymon, his voice low and steady, "Prepare yourself. This won't be as easy as you think."

Aymon, with a faint smile, responded, "I wouldn't want it any other way."

The atmosphere crackled with energy as the impending duel hung in the air. The sparring room, surrounded by soundproof walls, contained the intensity of the moment within its confines. The AI, having received their confirmation, initiated the countdown, and the room was engulfed in silence as both opponents focused on the battle about to unfold.