Chapter 4 – The Duel That Shook the Hall

The morning air inside Aetherion Academy’s Grand Dueling Hall shimmered with a faint magical haze. Streams of light bled through the glass dome high above, catching flecks of dust that glittered like suspended stars. From the raised seating that circled the dueling floor, students gathered in waves — murmurs and whispered bets already crackling through the air.

Jack sat on a wooden bench in the waiting area beneath the stands, his hands loosely clasped, elbows resting on his knees. Beside him, Kirito leaned back against the wall with his usual casual confidence, though Jack could feel his friend’s eyes on him.

“You sure you’re ready for this?” Kirito asked, tossing a small enchanted coin in the air, catching it lazily. “First official duel… and they didn’t pair you with a newbie.”

Jack let out a slow breath. “I’ll manage.”

In truth, he wasn’t as calm as he sounded. This wasn’t a classroom spell exercise — the academy duels could be ruthless. Not life-threatening, but enough to shatter pride… and bones, if one wasn’t careful.

Rem, sitting cross-legged a few meters away, was tying her hair back, her golden eyes tracking Jack. “You’re thinking too much. Focus.”

Her tone was blunt, but Jack had known her since they were children; she masked her worry behind that sharp edge.

On Jack’s shoulder, a black cat with crimson eyes — Dio — flicked his tail. “You humans love to pretend your hearts aren’t pounding. Don’t get carried away in there, boy. If that side of you slips out, you’ll have more than a duel to worry about.”

Jack’s hand twitched slightly at Dio’s warning, but he didn’t reply. He had no intention of losing control. Not here. Not in front of everyone.

The Opponent

When the announcer’s voice boomed through the hall, the crowd hushed.

“Match number seven! First-year, Jack Mortalis, versus third-year, Alaric Veylan!”

A tall figure stepped onto the dueling floor opposite Jack. Alaric’s navy-blue dueling coat bore the gold trim of an elite class student. His short, icy-blond hair caught the sunlight, and his eyes — a piercing steel — scanned Jack like a hawk sizing up prey.

Kirito muttered from the bench, “Great… they gave you him.”

“Friend of yours?” Jack asked.

“More like a nightmare with a perfect grade record.”

The duel instructor, Professor Vale, stepped between them, holding a glowing crystal orb. “Standard rules. Knockout, ring-out, or surrender ends the match. Excessive force will be penalized.” His eyes flickered meaningfully toward Jack — perhaps a silent reminder of his mysterious “incident” during the entrance trials.

Jack stepped forward, drawing his training gauntlet over his right hand. The smooth obsidian metal gleamed faintly, runes pulsing along its surface.

Alaric smirked. “Don’t worry, first-year. I’ll make it quick.”

Opening Moves

The bell rang.

Alaric moved first, a blur of motion as he slashed his hand through the air. Blades of wind roared forward, slicing shallow grooves into the dueling floor.

Jack sidestepped the first, but the second curved unnaturally, forcing him to conjure a shimmering barrier of mana. The impact rattled his bones.

Fast. Precise.

He countered with a pulse of kinetic energy from his gauntlet, sending a shockwave across the arena. Alaric braced himself, skidding back a few feet, but his smirk never faltered.

“You’ve got bite,” Alaric said. “Good. It’ll make breaking you more fun.”

The Clash Intensifies

The match erupted into a dance of power — wind slicing, lightning flashing, mana shields clashing with explosive bursts. Each strike from Alaric was measured, forcing Jack into tight defense. But Jack’s counters grew sharper, his body moving on instinct.

In the stands, Rem gripped the railing, her brows furrowed. Kirito leaned forward, watching every motion.

Dio, perched on the edge of the bench, muttered, “His heartbeat is rising… dangerous.”

The First Slip

Alaric unleashed a spiral lance of compressed wind, its screeching force enough to pierce steel. Jack raised his gauntlet to block — and something inside him snapped. A dark pulse surged through his veins, mana boiling like molten fire.

When the lance struck, instead of being shattered back, Jack’s counterstrike obliterated it. The shockwave ripped across the floor, cracks spiderwebbing through the stone. The crowd gasped.

For a split second, Jack’s eyes glowed faintly crimson.

Alaric froze, his smirk fading just slightly. “What… was that?”

Jack clenched his fist, forcing the heat down. “Just… fighting back.”

But in the stands, Dio’s eyes narrowed. “Lies. That wasn’t his academy training. That was royal demon mana.”

Turning the Tide

With momentum shifting, Jack pressed forward. He channeled raw kinetic bursts into his gauntlet, each strike heavier than the last. Alaric was forced into defense, his wind magic flaring violently to block.

The duel became a storm — wind roaring, stone cracking, energy colliding in deafening bursts. The crowd was on their feet now, shouting in disbelief at the intensity.

Kirito grinned faintly. “Now that’s the Jack I know.”

But Rem didn’t smile. She saw the subtle change in his stance — the way his movements carried a dangerous fluidity, as if something ancient and primal was guiding his strikes.

The Finish

Alaric tried to end it with a massive wind vortex, swirling like a miniature hurricane. Jack didn’t dodge. He stepped straight into it, gauntlet glowing like molten rock. With one decisive punch, he shattered the vortex apart, the explosion of force knocking Alaric clear across the arena.

The upperclassman’s back hit the barrier wall, the impact echoing through the hall. He slid down, dazed, unable to stand.

“Match… to Jack Mortalis!” the announcer declared.

The crowd erupted — cheers, shouts, disbelief.

Aftermath

As Jack stepped off the floor, Dio leapt onto his shoulder, whispering low so only Jack could hear. “You held it back this time. But you felt it, didn’t you? The hunger.”

Jack didn’t answer. His pulse was still racing, but not from the win — from the rush that dark power gave him.

Kirito clapped him on the back. “First win, and against Alaric. Drinks are on me.”

Rem stood in front of him, arms crossed. “That wasn’t just you out there.”

Jack met her gaze, searching for a reply, but found none. He just walked past her toward the exit, the roar of the crowd still ringing in his ears.

Somewhere far beyond the academy, deep in the shadowed reaches of the Forbidden Realm, Rusof’s eyes snapped open.

“So… the heir awakens.”

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