The second round began, and Arkan stood in the middle of the arena with his sword in hand. He was still breathing heavily from the first round. Filaleca's eyes were sharp, ready to attack again. Arkan tried to calm himself, but it was useless; he felt like running away.
The battle was fierce. Filaleca pressed forward, attacking with speed and precision. Every swing of her silver stick forced Arkan to block and dodge with whatever reflexes he had left. His body felt heavy, his movements slow compared to his opponent's. He was thrown back several times, his sword shaking in his hand.
He was in a state of panic.
Filaleca closed the distance. Her attacks came one after another. Arkan retreated again, until his back was pressed against the transparent barrier surrounding the arena. This time, he couldn't move. One more slash, and he knew—it would be over.
Goodbye to his world, goodbye to his dream of becoming a famous scientist, goodbye to his family who never cared about him.
"No... no..." Arkan muttered, panicked.
And a moment later—when his body was completely cornered, and his fear reached its peak—something inside him exploded without him realizing it.
Arkan's body suddenly felt light. Hot energy pulsed, spreading from his chest to his fingertips and toes. Unintentionally, a bright blue light flashed across his entire body, enveloping him like a living aura. His sword glowed in sync with the light.
Filaleca was shocked, halting in her tracks. "What... is this...?" She exclaimed, her eyes wide.
Arkan himself was stunned. He didn't realize how this had happened—the power had appeared on its own, emanating from within him. But the effect was real... his body was light, strong, and agile. A small jump made him float, every step felt perfect, and his sword moved as if it were part of his own body.
Filaleca's next attack came quickly, but Arkan was now able to anticipate it with extraordinary reflexes. His sword swings parried every slash and thrust of the silver stick, even pushing his opponent back with kinetic thrusts that came spontaneously from his body movements.
The audience erupted in cheers. The blue light that radiated out captivated many students. Jeff shouted from the stands, almost in disbelief. "That's him! That's my friend Hermiot btw, whose socks are never washed!"
Filaleca was now overwhelmed.
Every attack could be parried or dodged. The figure and body that everyone saw as Hermiot moved nimbly, quickly, and lightly.
Arkan himself was still shocked, a mix of awe, fear, and relief. I did this, but, how?
The blue light continued to shine, following every movement.
In one final swing, Arkan jumped high, twisting his body in the air, and slashed at his opponent with all his kinetic force. A wave of energy swept across the arena, throwing Filaleca backwards. The crowd erupted, and the Masters stared intently, realizing that Arkan's power had fully awakened—without him realizing it, without training, purely out of his survival instinct.
Filaleca began to lose her balance. Arkan's spontaneous and powerful attacks had cornered her. One final strike caused the girl to stumble, falling to the floor of the arena, her stick sliding away. Her breath was ragged, her eyes fixed sharply on Arkan.
The audience cheered even louder, some even shouting, "End it! End the match!"
Arkan stared at his opponent lying on the floor. His body still glowed faintly blue, his hand holding the sword. His heart pounded—on one hand, there was an instinctive urge to end the duel, but on the other, there was a strong sense of humanity.
He bit his lip, hesitating. I could slash her now... but should I really hurt her?
Filaleca stared at him, but did not move to attack again. There was a silent tension between them.
"Who are you really? Where did someone like you come from?" Filaleca said softly, audible only to the two of them.
Arkan swallowed hard, "What if I came from a very distant place and experienced this in an unreasonable manner?"
One thing was certain, he had just discovered a power that could save his life... but that power also brought with it a responsibility that he had to choose for himself.
Their cheers still echoed, urging Arkan to finish the duel.
Arkan bowed his head for a moment, focusing his thoughts. He knew that his next decision—to end it or to hold back—was not only about victory, but also about who he really was.