Duel & Partners(edited)

Volume 1: Path – [Academy Arc]

Chapter 19: Duel & Partners

"Since you all chose your weapons, I'm going to assign your partners for the rest of this first year. It doesn't matter whether you're low-ranked or high-ranked; you just need to follow the rules of the academy. If you break them, then you're out of this academy.

Aeren and Aiven, you're partnered together. Uriel and Caelus, you're the second team. You'll now be having a sparring match against each other using only physical strength no affinities, no Leym, just your bodies and weapons. These partners will stay the same for the entire year. I don't care if you like the teams or not.

In battle, you don't always get to choose your ally. You need to adapt to the unfamiliar to survive. That's why the academy enforces this. Learn to trust, adapt, and move in sync with someone you've never fought beside before, got it? 

Any questions?" Garron said as he looked at the four students.

"..."

"Since none of you have any questions, start your duel with your assigned partner. Get familiar with your weapons and learn how to move together." As he spoke, he stomped the ground with immense force.

With a deep rumble, two platforms rose from the earth, smooth, elevated, and wide enough to host a proper sparring match.

Each dueling ground was square-shaped and tiled in pristine white stone, its surface unmarred and level.

"Now go and start your duels. I'll be watching both teams. Your match doesn't end until the class period is over. If even one of you drops out or gives up, all four of you will be running 100 laps around this courtyard."

At his command, the students split up, with Aeren and Aiven headed to one sparring ground, while Caelus and Uriel moved to the other. The two dueling grounds stood side by side, close enough to feel each other's presence.

As Uriel stepped onto the platform near Caelus, she paused. Her eyes shifted toward him, glancing sideways in silence. It wasn't quite a glare; rather, it was curiosity.

"Excuse me, Miss Uriel, but why are you giving me the side-eye?" Caelus asked, feeling awkward.

"Did we ever meet somewhere before? I don't know why, but I feel like I've met you a lot of times… I just can't remember when," Uriel said, looking straight into Caelus's eyes.

His gaze wavered slightly. "I don't think so. This is the first time I'm meeting you, Miss Uriel. I've only heard your name on TV."

"Oh, okay then. Nice meeting you, Caelus. Please take care of me for the rest of the year."

"Yes, Miss Uriel," Caelus replied.

"Can you drop the formalities? Since we're partnered up, I don't want anything too formal between us. Otherwise, it might affect our growth during battle," Uriel said with a smile.

"But won't your fiancé say something about it? Like, if I speak casually, won't it cause misunderstandings between you two later?" Caelus asked, a hint of worry in his eyes.

"It's fine. He trusts me. And if he doesn't even have that much faith in me, then the only thing he's really after is my body. Either way, drop the formalities. Everyone around me always talks formally, and it's exhausting to deal with."

"Well, then you also take care of me for the rest of the year, Uriel," Caelus said as he walked to the other side of the stage, with Uriel walking to the opposite side.

"Hmm, and fight with all you've got. Don't hold back just because I'm a girl," Uriel said, gripping her spear confidently in her right hand.

She settled into a standard combat stance with an overhand grip. Her back hand gripped near the butt of the spear while her front hand rested just past the midpoint. The spear angled diagonally across her body, its tip pointing slightly upward and forward. This positioning gave her control, precision, and the ability to execute swift, accurate thrusts at a moment's notice. Her posture was stable, practiced, and fully ready to engage.

Caelus nodded and raised his weapon.

In his hands was a tachi, a refined and deadly blade worn edge-down at his hip. The weapon gleamed dully, its curved length slightly over two and a half feet, the steel blackened and matte. The curve was elegant, graceful but with the unmistakable aura of lethality, tapering to a keen edge made for cutting through armor.

The hilt was wrapped in dark cloth, frayed at the edges, long enough for a two-handed grip without feeling bulky. The tsuba was minimalist. Caelus gripped it firmly near the guard, letting the weight of the blade pull forward, poised for swift slashes and precise movements.

Despite its historical elegance, it didn't feel ceremonial in his hands. It felt... like a missing part of him had clicked into place.

He closed his eyes as his body shifted into an offensive stance.

His rear foot slid back, angled to brace the movement. Front foot forward, knees bent low. His torso twisted slightly, turning side-on to reduce his profile. He held the tachi low at his hip, the blade tilted slightly back, ready to draw in an upward arc.

'I don't want to fight her… I really don't. Hey, what the fuck are you thinking? She's not her anymore. The one who told me to live life to the fullest is gone. And I made her a promise to live the way I want, so I will. I'll enjoy this life until my time runs out in ten years. From now on, I'm done loving her. Not that I'll fall for someone else, but loving someone who already has another man… that's just pathetic. So let's give up. At the very least, I can be her practice dummy. Let her hone her spear skills. So… let's fight to the fullest.'

He opened his eyes and said to Uriel, "Let's have a good spar."

"Yes," she replied with a small nod.

"I've never held a weapon in my whole life, never trained, never swung, never even touched one seriously. But the moment I wrapped my fingers around this tachi, it felt... natural, like I've known how to use one for a long time. I don't know the forms. I don't know the stances. But I'll trust my instincts. Just move, Caelus."

He closed his eyes briefly again, breathing in the chilled morning air. When he opened them, a blur of movement greeted him was the flash of Uriel's spear lunging toward his face with a sharp whistle. There was no hesitation. These weren't training props; they were real weapons meant to cut, break, and injure.

As the spear thrust toward his face like a silver lightning bolt, Caelus didn't hesitate.

In a heartbeat, he slid to the right, just enough to dodge the kill line with close enough distance to feel the wind off the tip graze his cheek.

In the same breath, his hand shot to the hilt at his waist.

His fingers curled around the grip, and with a single, explosive pull, he drew the tachi in a smooth upward flash, a motion so fluid it felt preordained.

The curved blade sliced diagonally upward, trailing behind his sidestep. The tachi caught the spear just past the tip, steel kissing steel with a flash of sparks.

The force of the strike sent the spear spiraling upward, torn from Uriel's grip. It whirled into the air, the impact having slid it cleanly off the tachi's elegant curve like rain sliding off glass. Caelus completed the motion with a full-body pivot, planting his feet firmly and settling the blade into a low guard, eyes locked ahead.

As the spear flew into the sky, Uriel instinctively jumped back, twisting mid-air. She reached out toward her weapon due to its trajectory being altered deliberately just before she lost her grip, allowing it to arc back toward her.

Before her feet could touch the ground, her instincts screamed. A chill raced up her spine from the left. Caelus's tachi was already mid-swing. She caught a glimpse of the blade as it approached, and for a heartbeat, time seemed to slow.

She didn't understand why the sword was moving sluggishly. Was it her perception, a trick of adrenaline, or something else entirely? There wasn't time to question. She poured every ounce of her reflex into her muscles, twisting her torso and slamming the shaft of her spear exactly into the sword's arc.

With a clash, steel met steel as time snapped back to normal.

Caelus furrowed his brows. Something felt off. He had moved fast like fast enough to strike her mid-air, but she had reacted in just a tenth of a second. Faster, than he could even see that her spear moved from up above to the left side of her.

Just then, Garron's voice cut through the moment. "Uriel, it seems you have a passive ability due to your affinity, luckily, perhaps, but also risky. You could've lost this battle if not for that passive triggering in time. And since this was a test of pure physical combat, not magical ability, I'm declaring Caelus as the winner. That ability saved you, yes, but relying on it without control is dangerous. You need to train it, master it, and learn to trigger it at will.

You also need to rethink your approach. You placed too much faith in your weapon. You could've chosen to survive, bide your time, and reclaim your spear rather than rushing to get it back. Remember, the spear is just a tool; the true weapon is you. If you lose your tool, no one will blame you. But if you lose your life, that's on you. Caelus would have struck you in the abdomen if your ability hadn't activated."

He paused, then added more gently, "But this is your first lesson. In battle, weapons aren't everything. Victory goes to those who think ahead of their survival first. When one plan fails, switch to another without hesitation. Visualize every possibility before it happens. I know it's not easy but keep trying. That goes for you too, Caelus."

"Yes, sir," both responded in unison.

[End Of Chapter 19]