Time Check: 9:20 A.M.
Keith stalked down the hallway towards the training arena, a dramatic sigh escaping his lips. "It's been three days since I last saw my Reise. I miss her," he whined to no one in particular.
"Did I not tell you to cease claiming my fiancée?" Dio's voice cut in, smooth and cold, as he fell into step beside Keith as if materializing from the shadows.
Keith jumped slightly. "Why are you here? And stop acting like you actually care about her!" he barked.
"I am not required to explain my movements to you," Dio replied, his tone dismissive.
"Aren't you buried in paperwork for the recruitment?" Keith shot back.
"I completed it with all due haste. The proposals are already on the desk of the Queen and King, awaiting their approval," Dio stated, a note of pride in his voice.
"Well, looks like you were in a hurry to get back to Reise's playground," Keith teased.
"Earl has been… monopolizing her for three days," Dio mused, the comment just loud enough for Keith's sharp ears to catch.
Someone's jealous? Keith thought with an internal grin.
"Is it truly alright for me to train in the same place as Lady Reise?" Eliza interjected, reminding them of her presence as she tried to walk beside Dio.
"There's no other arena except the one she's using. It's wide enough. Don't worry," Keith said dismissively.
"She might become angry…" Eliza added, her voice laced with false concern.
"You'll find out when we get there," Keith replied.
"Oh! Are you all heading to the arena as well?" a voice called from behind them.
They halted and turned to see Brenda and Zen approaching. "You two going to the arena?" Keith asked.
"Good morning, Your Highness," Zen greeted Dio with a respectful nod.
"Dio? Tch." Brenda muttered under her breath, offering no such courtesy.
"What business do you have in the arena?" Dio asked, ignoring Brenda's lack of decorum.
"Earl said he would train us there today," Zen answered.
"Oh? Great. Now we'll have three geeks," Keith said, grinning.
"Do you have a problem with the Nocturnes, you wet-bed idiot?" Brenda fired back.
"Cease your fighting. Let's go," Dio commanded, ending the squabble before it could escalate. He resumed walking, a reluctant procession forming behind him: Eliza trying to stay at his side, while Keith, Brenda, and Zen followed, the latter two still exchanging heated whispers.
They reached the top of the stairs leading down to the arena and found G6's three servants clustered in the archway, their usual calm replaced with expressions of deep concern.
"Why are you all hiding out here?" Keith began. The three turned to them with identical, displeased looks.
"Huh?" was all Keith could manage in response.
"EARTHEN WALL!"
Earl's voice boomed across the arena, and the very ground beneath their feet shuddered. A massive wall of rock and soil erupted from the sand, shaking the foundations of the Bastion.
"What in the world is happening?" Dio demanded, striding forward to stand beside Edmund and the others for a better view.
The scene that greeted them was one of controlled chaos.
G6 moved through the air with impossible grace, using her Reaper's Ascent to maintain a predatory altitude. She fired volleys of compressed air—her Bullets of Death—that slammed into Earl's defenses with sharp, concussive BANGS.
"STONE BULLET!" Earl yelled in retaliation. A barrage of hardened, fist-sized rocks shot from his earthen wall, streaking towards G6 like cannon
"CYCLONE." G6's response was calm, almost bored. A spinning vortex of wind erupted from her position mid-air, deflecting the stone projectiles with a violent shriek of grinding rock and howling wind.
"What the hell is going on? They look like they're trying to kill each other!" Keith exclaimed, his jaw slack. "And how is she staying in the air like that? Sustained flight is supposed to be impossible!"
"You are correct. That is no spell I am familiar with," Dio added, his analytical mind struggling to categorize her abilities. His confusion was tinged with a dawning, unsettling awe.
"Are they… sparring?" Brenda asked, her voice hushed.
"I must admit, it appears Lady Reise is holding her own in a genuine combat spell exchange with Brother Earl," Zen observed, his tone full of respect.
They watched, a captive audience to a duel of unprecedented ferocity.
G6 pivoted violently in the air, a phantom dancer against the sky, unleashing another relentless assault. A key advantage was her silence; she never chanted, simply recalling the spell's form in her mind before it manifested—a terrifying and unnatural display of control.
"EARTHEN SHRAPNEL!" Earl roared, his patience thinning. This attack was more devastating. The ground itself seemed to explode upward, sending a cloud of razor-sharp rock fragments screaming toward G6, dominating the airspace.
With reflexes that defied belief, she sidestepped the deadly cloud and answered with a scything wave of Wind Blades that carved vicious gouges into Earl's defensive wall, sending chunks of earth flying.
"GIVE ME A BREAK! THEY'RE GOING TO TEAR EACH OTHER APART! THEY ARE DEADLY SERIOUS!" Brenda yelled, her scholarly composure shattered by worry.
"What exactly happened here, Edmund?" Dio asked, genuine concern underlying his formal tone.
"Nothing of grave import, Your Highness," Edmund replied, though his worried eyes betrayed him. "They are both simply… individuals who do not accept a draw."
"A draw?" Dio pressed.
"This is their fifth round. They only rested for thirty minutes after the first two," Lilia explained, her eyes glued to the battlefield. "The score is one victory each, and two draws."
"'There's no way in hell I'm letting you walk out of here victorious,'" Tina quoted, her voice low. "That is what Lady Reise said to Sir Earl."
"To which Sir Earl replied, 'Do not get so cocky. You will regret challenging me today,'" Edmund finished.
"Oh dear. Brother Earl is notoriously competitive and a sore loser," Zen stated matter-of-factly.
"Precisely. He will not stop until he claims victory," Brenda added, wringing her hands.
"And our Lady is cut from the same cloth. There is no scenario where this ends without both of them pushing themselves to the brink," Edmund said, his face etched with anxiety.
"Whoa. Earl is already a handful enough. Now that Reise shares those traits…" Keith mused, a slow grin spreading across his face. He was enjoying the spectacle.
"I refuse to believe Earl is this irrational. He is acutely aware of Reise's limits. What exactly transpired to initiate this?" Dio demanded, his voice firm. He knew Earl to be calculating, not reckless.
"Well…" Edmund began, "It started about two hours ago…"
[Flashback]
Time Check: 7:15 A.M.
G6 finished her warm-up exercises and was now devouring the strawberry cupcake Alistair had baked specifically for her.
"Right, this mana control practice is getting boring," G6 stated around a mouthful of pastry.
"Do not get ahead of yourself. You have only just mastered novice and mid-level control," Earl chided from beside her, helping himself to another cupcake from the plate.
Tch. Easy for you to say while stealing my cupcakes.
"Then let's spice it up with some advanced control," G6 said, a mischievous, sharp-edged grin spreading across her face.
Earl, recognizing the glint of trouble in her eyes, didn't meet her gaze. "Brenda and Zen will be starting their training soon. Do not give me something exhausting."
G6 leaned her chin on her hand, elbow propped on the table. "I was thinking… we should do it in a live battle." Her voice was deceptively light. "But if you're too afraid to be beaten by a 'defector' like me… well, that's just cowardice."
"You will not provoke me into a battle through simple mockery," Earl said firmly.
"Ah… I was actually wondering," G6 began, her tone shifting to one of false, academic curiosity. "What exactly is the point of Earth Affinity? I read a book on it. All the attacks and defenses seem so… lame."
Earl slowly put down his cupcake. His eyes, usually hidden behind a scholar's calm, locked onto hers with a sudden, sharp intensity. "Say that again."
"You heard me. Why are you pretending you didn't?" G6 replied, her gaze unwavering.
And there it was. The pride of a prodigy who had mastered all advanced Earth spells at a young age, the pride of his family's legacy, and the pride of a scholar—all felt as if they had been stomped on.
"You speak very boldly for someone who is nothing but a weak novice in need of grooming, despite your savage mana," Earl shot back, his voice cold.
Weak? G6's eyes flickered with pure, undiluted insult. In her entire life, no one had ever dared to call her weak and lived.
"Weak?" she said, her voice dropping to a deadly calm. "Watch me make your face intimately acquainted with the ground."
"You are going to regret those words," Earl promised, his tone deadly serious.
"Make me."
They both stood up simultaneously.
"This is not good," Tina murmured.
"You are right…" Edmund agreed, stepping forward. "Sir Earl, Lady Reise. Please, both of you, calm down. Let us resume a normal training session."
"Don't intervene." G6 said, throwing a glare so sharp and frigid at Edmund that all three servants shivered, seeing a shadow of the terrifying woman from weeks past.
Without another word, the two marched to the center of the arena. The moment they found their distance, they launched Stone Bullet and Wind Blade at each other without any warning.
BANG. The spells collided mid-air and dissipated in a cloud of dust and shredded air.
"EARTHEN WALL!" Earl chanted. The ground shook as a thick barrier of soil and rock erupted before him.
G6 immediately seized the high ground, using Reaper's Ascent. Denying him any chance to counter, she maneuvered above him and began a relentless, consecutive barrage of Bullets of Death.
"EARTH TOMB!" he yelled, encasing himself in a protective dome.
What spell is that? Earl thought, cramped inside his own defense as the concussive impacts shook his shield. And she's attacking without any interval. How is that possible? The shortest recorded interval for spellcasting is two seconds!
The gunshot-like reports of her attacks were unceasing.
She's still under a mana restraint, yet these attacks can penetrate if they hit the same spot three times in succession. This defense is supposed to be impenetrable! Earl panicked, his analytical mind racing. I can only imagine how lethal these would be at her full power.
The attacks stopped as suddenly as they began. Earl dropped his defense just in time to see G6 drop from the sky like a hawk. In a flash, she was behind him, her finger-gun pressed against the back of his head.
"Move, and you'll die," she whispered, her voice a chilling promise.
She's… she is dangerously proficient, Earl thought, a trickle of cold sweat running down his neck.
"This round is yours," Earl conceded, raising his hands in surrender.
G6 released him, and he saw the stabilizer ring on her finger glow faintly. She must be using a skill to manage the strain. To have mastered such a spell so quickly… Earl assessed, his scholar's mind already whirring. I will use this chance to discover the full extent of her capabilities.
"That was a blow to my pride. Let's have another round," Earl said, his tone challenging once more.
G6 studied his expression. He's not as angry as before… this geek is trying to dig for information. Unlucky for him, I don't believe in showing my full hand. Everyone is a potential enemy.
She smiled, a predator's smile. "Suit yourself."
They reset, putting distance between them. The next round began.
Same attacks. Same maneuvers. Nothing was added; nothing was taken away.
Are these truly all her moves? Earl thought, unconvinced. Very well. Let's push her further.
"EARTHEN SHRAPNEL!" This time, he unleashed a cloud of razor-sharp rock fragments with 50% more force, aiming to overwhelm her.
G6 evaded by using compressed air to propel herself sideways, but the strain of simultaneously using Perception of Perfect Assassin Form and Death's Whisper Aim finally reached its limit. She failed to dodge one last, stray rock. It grazed her shoulder, the impact breaking her concentration and sending her plummeting.
"Air Cushion." The spell was a mere murmur, a rote recitation from the book she'd skimmed yesterday, not a visualization. Yet, it worked. She landed on an invisible platform of air, the fall softened.
Earl immediately ran to her, guilt flashing across his face. "Reise! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Just rebooting," she muttered, shaking off the disorientation.
"This round is yours," she conceded. "Let's rest for half an hour. Just until my body settles."
Earl agreed and helped her stand, draping her arm over his shoulders and guiding her back to the archway with a hand on her waist. They hadn't even noticed her servants had long since evacuated their usual spot for the safety of the entrance after the first Earthen Wall.
After the rest, they returned to the center.
1st Draw: They'd simultaneously cornered each other, a Bullet of Death and an Earth Bullet pointed at point-blank range.
2nd Draw: Earl blocked G6's line of sight, forcing her fly lower, only for her to float a Cyclone at his back while he leveled an Earthen Spear at her chest.
"There's no way in hell I'm letting you walk out of here victorious," G6 had snarled.
"Don't get so cocky. You will regret challenging me today," Earl had retorted.
[End of Flashback]
"And that is what happened, leading them to this fifth round now," Edmund finished, shaking his head in disbelief at the pair's sheer competitive drive.
"Seriously, since when does Reise know how to fight like that?" Keith asked, utterly confused. "They're simple moves, but the tactics behind them are… advanced."
"She likely received combat training at the Worthon Residence," Dio stated, trying to shut down any dangerous speculation, even though he himself was deeply invested in the answer.
"It makes me fall in love with her… more," Brenda sighed, watching G6 move through the air with lethal grace.
"More?" Keith asked, eyebrow raised.
"Shut up," Brenda barked, as if he'd ruined a sacred moment.
"Lady Reise is… quite the fighter," Eliza commented, her voice barely a whisper.
"Indeed. I knew the Worthons were masters of aerial combat, but this is something else entirely. She doesn't just rule the sky; she owns it," Zen added, impressed.
Their attention snapped back to the center as the two combatants unleashed a final, simultaneous attack that kicked up a massive cloud of sand, obscuring everything.
When the dust settled, it revealed G6 sitting triumphantly on Earl's chest, her finger-gun pointed directly at his forehead.
"You lost," G6 grinned.
But Earl was speechless, not just from the aggressive takedown, but from the very intimate, very compromising position. A woman was sitting on top of him. His heart hammered against his ribs, and a furious blush spread across his cheeks—a completely involuntary, emotional reaction to her proximity.
The spectators fell into a stunned silence at the unladylike, victorious display.
Keith and Brenda were about to interrupt when Dio silently strode past them, his expression dark, and approached the pair.
Everyone watched, confused and wary of what he intended to do.
"Reise…" he called out, his voice low and laced with a cold, simmering anger.
G6 looked up from her victory to see him approaching. She didn't move.
When Dio reached them, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. His grip was firm, but careful not to hurt her.
"What is your prob—" G6 began, irritation flaring.
Dio spoke over her, his eyes locked on hers. "That was very bold of you, knowing your husband-to-be is watching."
What is wrong with this freak? Husband-to-be? He must have lost his mind daring to touch me.
"I didn't know you guys were there. Now, stop touching me," G6 said, trying to yank her arm back, but Dio's hold was unyielding.
"You are uncomfortable with my touch, yet you have no issue positioning yourself so familiarly atop another man?" Dio's voice was dangerously quiet.
Aish. What is he so mad about? He's pissing me off.
Earl, having regained his composure, quickly stood up and brushed the sand from his clothes. He studied Dio's face for a moment before speaking. "Calm down, Dio. We were merely engaged in an advanced mana control exercise," he said, trying to sound rational and shake off the lingering, flustered feeling.
Dio's glance at him was not its usual cold neutrality. It was loaded with a meaning he rarely showed.
Is he… jealous? Earl thought, surprised.
Without a word, Dio pulled G6 toward the bench in the archway. It wasn't rough, but it was decidedly firm. "Hey, you freaky Snow White, I'm going to break your hand if you don't let go of me in three seconds," G6 threatened, her annoyance palpable.
"Break it, if that's what it takes to maintain my hold," he replied, not even looking back.
G6 stared at his back, a faint sense that something was off nagging at her. But as ever, her perception had a blind spot. She could recognize and manipulate the emotions of others with terrifying skill, orchestrating complex plays of affection and fear. But when genuine, un-manipulated emotion was directed at her—especially something as complex as possessive jealousy or protective concern—she had no framework to understand it. Kindness and love were tools she planted in others; she had no reference for when they were offered to her freely. Her training had taught her to see every interaction as a transaction or a threat. This fit neither category, and so her mind simply dismissed it as irrational, annoying behavior.
They reached the archway, and the small crowd silently parted for them. Even Keith's usual playfulness was absent as he observed Dio's unusual behavior.
Dio gently but insistently guided G6 to sit on a stone bench built into the wall.
"Rest. Your body is trembling. You will not engage in any further activity until I say so," he commanded. For the first time, his tone with her held a note of absolute authority that brooked no argument.
"Don't boss me around, you freak," G6 shot back.
But he's right, my body is trembling. Still, that last aggressive attack was so satisfying.
Earl joined them in the archway. "Brenda, Zen. You're here," he said, trying to brush past the awkwardness of the scene they'd all witnessed.
"I saw you blushing, Earl!" Keith sang, finally finding his voice and a new toy to play with.
Dio's head turned slightly, his gaze cutting toward Earl over his shoulder. Keith smirked, seeing the reaction he'd hoped for.
"Shut your mouth, you useless oaf," Earl barked, his ears turning red again.
"Let me rest until I regain my energy. Then we will proceed with your training," he said to Brenda and Zen, focusing on business.
"Let Eliza join you then; I'll supervise," Keith said, trying to pawn off his responsibility.
"She is welcome to observe, provided you are also part of the session," Earl replied.
Through all this, Eliza stood in the corner, her eyes glued to Dio, whose attention was now entirely consumed by the woman he had once ignored.
"Stop standing over me," G6 grumbled, annoyed by his looming presence.
"I am not in the mood to bicker with you, Reise," Dio stated, his voice firm.
"Let us relocate to the benches outside. They are more spacious and there is ample seating for everyone," Edmund suggested, trying to diffuse the palpable tension.
Dio didn't answer. Instead, he once again took hold of G6's wrist and began gently, but insistently, guiding her back toward their usual resting area.
"LET GO OF ME, YOU DAMN SNOW WHITE!" G6 protested, struggling against his grip. But Dio didn't budge. The overwhelming, persistent skin contact was deeply aggravating to her; it was an invasion of her personal space she would never normally permit.
"Ow, someone's grumpy. Thanks to someone over there," Keith said, not-so-subtly hinting at Earl.
"Let's just follow them," Earl said, ignoring Keith entirely and heading after the arguing pair.
The spells had faded, but a new tension crackled in the air—thicker and more dangerous than any magic. In its wake, the unflappable Prince Dio found himself led by a cold, unfamiliar fire, dragging his oblivious victor away and leaving the stunned spectators to witness a clash far more volatile than any duel of mana.
— To be continued… —