A Fair Match

"What are you doing here?" Aeneas asked. His face was unamused.

"Why're you looking at me like that?" Tiriara replied, "You visited my home, I visited yours." The girl has changed her clothes. Instead of a gown, she wore a white shirt paired with brown leather pants.

"I'm not even at the manor."

Tiriara smiled, "I know, that's why I'm here."

Aeneas sighed, he walked to the table placed his sword on top of it, and decided to sit on the wooden chair on the side.

"You're done?" Tiriara asked. She walked close to Aeneas and sat on the seat beside him.

"Yeah, I'll head back after some rest. So... go home," he said.

Tiriara told the boy that she would go with him. Which made him a bit irritated as he wanted to train more without anyone watching.

"Don't you have any friends?" Aeneas blurted.

The girl's smile faded, "We just moved here, right?" 

Aeneas agreed. He told Tiriara that there were other kids near the Chronis manor she could disturb.

"I don't want to," Tiriara said. 

Before coming to the Caspius manor, Tiriara tried talking to some of the children she passed by. When they saw her and realized that she was the daughter of Arsida's lord, they would do a nervous salute and run. An occurrence that is common for the young Chronis wherever she went. Unlike most kids, Aeneas's reaction when she approached him was different. Tiriara didn't sense any kind of nervousness. She even realized that the young Caspius was a bit annoyed at her in their first meeting. It made the young girl unknowingly drawn to him.

"Besides, you don't seem to have any friends either."

Aeneas looked at Tiriara, "I have some," he said.

It made the girl smile. She continued that anyone from the Caspius manor wasn't included, and added that she would only accept those around their age. To which Aeneas argued that Issa and Elu were around their age.

"How old are they?" Tiriara asked.

"Issa is fifteen, and Elu is sixteen."

"They're old... And I said that people in your manor aren't accepted."

Aeneas didn't realize that he was enjoying their bickering. Then, he remembered that he had to train to change the results for the upcoming tournament in the thirtieth. He wanted to continue after coaxing the girl to leave.

Towns and cities that have a coliseum conduct two tournaments every month. Held on the fifteenth and thirtieth of each month, these tournaments are separated into two brackets, splitting the contestants by age. The first one is from the age of thirteen to fifteen, while the other is from the age of sixteen to eighteen. There are also times when cities hold a special tournament besides the two scheduled ones.

Tournaments have been part of Pantera throughout its history. It was brutal in the past. No age brackets and the loser will also lose their lives. In the current era, it is used to train the young generation, as well as a source of funds for the government through taxes from official bettings. 

Another advantage of participating in the coliseums is the reward of being knighted if you win ten consecutive tournaments from ten different coliseums. Only a few managed to do such a feat. Among them, the youngest and fastest to have achieved it was Arsen Caspius who swept tournament after tournament and was knighted after five months of joining the events.

Tiriara stood, "Why don't we have a duel?" she asked.

Aeneas disagreed, he has never fought anyone from the opposite sex, and he didn't like the thought of it.

"Come on, are you scared?"

Such provocations didn't work with Aeneas. He still disagreed and asked Tiriara if she asked permission or had told her father that she would come to their place. Tiriara paused, she looked up, "I told one of the knights… I guess?"

Learning this, "Go home, your father must've been worried. I don't want your actions to cause trouble for my brother," he said.

"I already told you that I have told a knight before coming here," The girl said. She reached for one of the wooden swords lying on the table and pointed it at Aeneas with a grin on her face.

"Now, let's fight."

Aeneas took a wooden sword himself. With a calm demeanor, he walked towards the blackwood at the center of the area.

"Go home, I'm training," he said.

Pissed, Tiriara said a lot of provocations. Asking Aeneas if he's scared of being defeated by a girl. Yet, all her words were to no avail.

Out of words to say, "You're really afraid of losing, boman?" Tiriara said. She noticed Aeneas twitched and realized she had hit a nerve. It made her smile and decided to continue.

"Worry not, I won't use my Zeal." 

Aeneas was pissed. Being Zeal-less is the one thing he's mad about himself. Yet, he tried to calm himself and repeat to his head that only fools would get hooked on provocations.

"I bet you wouldn't win against that Alistair boy even if you have a Zeal. Look at you afraid of a girl," Tiriara said before bursting with laughter. 

The young Caspius could feel his body grow hotter with rage. He didn't ask how the girl knew of his match even though he was curious, for her provocations had already worked.

"Come on, you're still scared? I won't use my Zeal, I promise," Tiriara paused, "Ah, I won't tell the others you lose to me without my Zeal as well."

Aeneas turned, he was filled with rage, but his demeanor was calm, "Okay, let's fight," he said.

Tiriara's smile grew wider as she assumed her stance. Her left foot forward, she bent her knees a little to lower her body. She held the sword with her right hand, while her left was raised in front of her as if she was wearing a shield.

As he saw Tiriara's posture, Aeneas knew that the young Chronis knew how to fight. He took a deep breath as he assumed his stance. Still filled with anger, he breathed deeper. His left foot was also in front, knees bent a little while he held his wooden sword with both of his hands.

"Start!" Aeneas said.

Without wasting a second, he dashed. Tiriara was a bit surprised but had more than enough time to react. Aeneas removed his left hand from the wooden sword and stretched his right one wielding it. Tiriara snickered as she recognized the move she already witnessed twice.

When Aeneas was fighting against Alistair in the tournament yesterday, Tiriara and her sister, accompanied by some knights, watched the tournament in Pergis. They've arrived before their father and stayed at a premium inn for the rich. At first, Tiriara was like the other viewers. Thinking that the match would end within the first minute since Alistair was versing against a boman. And as she watched Aeneas last for ten minutes, always standing up whenever he was brought to the ground, Tiriara was moved. She became one of the people chanting the word 'boman' for the boy to stand up and win the fight.

When Aeneas reaches a good distance, he proceeds with the upward diagonal slash. Tiriara knew it. She smiled and countered with her sword, not putting all her strength as she thought that Aeneas wouldn't. But she was wrong. Aeneas returned his left hand to the sword, gripping it with all his strength as he went with the attack.

Tiriara's smile vanished, she tried to hold her sword with both her hands, but when they made contact she lost her grip and her sword flew from her hand. Her vision was caught by it. When she looked straight, she noticed Aeneas going for a punch to her chin. It was an attack that was predictable for Tiriara. But then, as if time had slowed, Aeneas felt that his opponent would be able to dodge his attack. He saw an opening with his eyes guiding him. He changed the direction of his punch and went for the girl's stomach.

Aeneas hit her with full strength. The punch made the girl fall to her knees, coughing from the pain. Although Tiriara dropping on the floor signified Aeneas's victory, he didn't feel right for punching her with all his strength. Aeneas felt bad and worried for the girl as soon as he realized that he had won.

"I win…" Aeneas paused, staring at Tiriara who was still on the ground coughing while holding her stomach, "You okay?"

Tiriara looked up to him. Her golden eyes started glowing. The Zeal on her chest also gives a golden glow.

"You cheater," she said.

"Huh?"

The girl stood, she went for her wooden sword, "Rematch! You cheated!" she said.

Aeneas disagreed for a rematch, "I won the duel fairly," he rolled his eyes, "How did I cheat?"

This time, Tiriara wasn't smiling. She was glaring at the young Caspius, "You tricked me," she said as her grip on the wooden sword tightened.

It didn't make any sense for Aeneas. Sure, he won by changing up his moves. But, anything could happen in a match. 'How is this girl so dumb,' he thought.

"Well, I won. And I don't want to fight you again."

The glow of Tiriara's Zeal became brighter, the same with her eyes. She was gritting her teeth as she glared at Aeneas.

Aeneas gulped, "Hey, that's not fair. I accepted your request and won. You should not be mad at me."

"But you cheated"

"How—"

"You tricked me! I thought you'd do the same move you were practicing. But you hit harder," she said.

The boy sighed, "When did I tell you that I'd move the same way?"

"Doesn't matter, let's have a rematch!"

Aeneas dropped his wooden sword, "I do not want to," he said, "I'm heading—" 

All of a sudden, Aeneas felt an intense pain in his right eye. He held it with both his hands.

Confused, Tiriara's anger became less, "You won't fool me," she said. But deep down, she was worried. 

Aeneas began screaming out of pain. He fell to his knees and to the ground.

"Stop that!" Tiriara said. She dropped her sword and approached Aeneas, "H—hey, stop fooling around," she said. But, she realized it was real when she saw blood dripping out of Aeneas's hands covering his right eye as he squirmed in pain.