Across Eternity: Book 6 – Chapter 9

Final Match

Noah got up early the next day and set himself up in Valon’s room. The final match of the tournament would take place in the evening, so he had all day to train his magic and craft new tools. He was particularly interested in the red crystal he had received the night before. It was another meruleum gem with unique properties. He split it in half, using a mix of alchemy and some magic tools, then set one piece at the end of the room while he held the other. He cast his clone spell, channeling the mana into the gem he was holding. However, rather than appear around him, the illusion emerged from the other half of the crystal.

He had only read about these in books, but these harkonen gems were indeed powerful. They worked in pairs, or in this case, halves, similar to quantum entanglement. When a spell was sent into one gem, it would emerge from the other, like a voice carried through radio waves, and their range was nothing to sneeze at either. There was a story of two kingdoms at war in the ancient past, with a sly king sending the other a harkonen gem, one of two, under the guise of a peace offering, much like the Trojan Horse. Upon the second gem being placed in the throne room as a trophy, the first king gathered his mages together, and they all cast a powerful earth spell on the original gem. Their magic was released through the second, destroying the enemy castle and winning the war.

Noah sat down in a meditative position with the first half of the crystal in his lap. He had already practiced with his awareness projection and could enter the required state faster and easier than before, but he couldn’t do anything with his real body while living through his clone. Like before, his sense of sight and hearing carried over, and he was again looking down on himself. There didn’t seem to be any issues with using this technique through the gem.

“Shannon, would you mind coming up here?” Noah hollered through his clone.

She arrived and saw him sitting on the floor with his clone standing beside him. No matter how many times she saw it, it still made her uneasy. “Yes, My Lord? Uh… which one—”

“I’m talking to you through my clone again, and I have a task for you if you aren’t busy.”

“Of course not. What can I do for you?”

“I’m currently projecting my consciousness using these two gems. I’d like you to take this piece here and carry it with you as far as you can so we can determine the effective range. I’ll be with you the whole time, in spirit, you might say. Would you mind?”

“I’d be glad to.”

She took the other half of the gem and went outside, with Noah following her in his illusory state. There, she took her centaur form, and Noah climbed on her back. Though his illusions could pass through and around solid objects, he could give the impression of physicality if he focused, so while he couldn’t touch Shannon in this state, his illusion could bounce off her like light. Shannon set off briskly down the streets of Colbrand, with Noah seeing and hearing everything through his clone. He quickly passed the maximum range of his awareness, but thanks to the jewel, it ceased to be an issue.

“Does it feel strange having me on your back like this?”

“It is a bit… unnerving. I can clearly feel your presence, but I can’t touch you. It’s like when you know you’re being watched. The lack of weight makes traveling easy, but I also like feeling your weight on me. I find it comforting when we’re pressed together.”

“Think of it as a means of communication. If we are separated, but have these jewels, then wherever you are, I can be there to talk to you. I just need to get more of them.”

“I suppose that is also comforting.”

As they traveled, Noah noticed many citizens glaring at Shannon. They would never dare to do anything to her while he was around, but it was clear that the anti-beastman sentiment was gaining traction. Ironically, it was Roc helping to hold it at bay. Though his goal had been to earn the public’s ire by humiliating their mages and warriors in combat, his strength and tenacity had instead earned him great respect, and some of that respect was being shared by extension with the rest of the beastman race.

“Are you looking forward to tonight’s fight, My Lord?”

“Well, it’ll sure be interesting. Back at the academy, Seraph and Roc—or Gideon, as he went by—used to duel each other every day. They just could not get along, going at it like wild dogs. Roc never won a single fight, but he came closer than anyone else, and his tenacity was admirable. However, that was without his beastman traits. Now he’s fighting with everything on the table, minus an arm, while Seraph’s power is merely a fraction of what it once was. Like I said, I’m sure it will be interesting. What about you? Are you curious about the fight?”

“Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t rooting for your beastman friend on principle.”

“I can’t blame you for that.”

They reached the outskirts of the city, but Noah’s illusion and his awareness were still strong.

“These gems are great. Who knows, maybe it would work all the way in Welindar.”

“Shall I keep going?”

“If you’re willing. Let’s just stay aware of the time.”

Thus, Shannon picked up speed, traveling countless miles from Colbrand without reaching the crystal’s limit. At midday, they finally turned around, and reached the city late in the afternoon. They didn’t want to be late for the show. That evening, they departed from the Zodiac home to the arena and found a vast ocean of people trying to get inside. Almost everyone in Colbrand was attending the final match of the tournament, but it wasn’t just the local citizens. For days, travelers and merchants had been arriving in the city to attend Knight’s Day, and now they were packing in to see the bloody climax. The arena was close to bursting with both bodies and excitement.

Before they could get in, Berholm found them.

“Please tell me you don’t have another job for me to do. Let me guess, you want me to bust Roc’s kneecap so that Seraph will win?”

“Your help is needed, but not for that. King Galvin worries about troublemakers taking advantage of the crowd, be they the Profane or miscreants. Every knight in the city and surrounding area is being put on full alert and stationed throughout the arena while soldiers patrol the city. I understand the… tension… between you and the king, but you are also a gold-rank knight, and we need your help ensuring the safety of the public.”

“That is a very reasonable request. As you wish, I’ll help where I can.”

“Lady Zodiac, can I trust you as well?”

“Spirits above, Marcus, do you really need to ask? Of course, I’ll help.”

“My Lady, are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“My body is fully healed. Whatever is going on, so long as I don’t use magic, I’ll be fine. I didn’t become an expert sword master simply because of Zodiac, after all.”

“Still, Shannon, stay with her. I’ll perch myself close to the ring.”

Night fell, the stars overhead taking their places as if wanting to watch the fight. The stands were overflowing with spectators and illuminated by numerous braziers. Countless knights were scattered throughout to maintain a vigil, with Noah standing guard at the edge of the ring in his invisible state. Tarnas was absent, supposedly dispatched on a mission the other day. It was a shame he would miss the fight. There was excitement in the air, with two names being chanted in anticipation. The audience was divided over who to root for; the tenacious beastman who had climbed to the top with one arm, or their prince, broken but driven.

“ROC! ROC! ROC! ROC! ROC! ROC!”

“SER-APH! SER-APH! SER-APH! SER-APH! SER-APH! SER-APH!”

The referee stepped out, illuminated by magic light. “Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight, we bear witness to the final round of Colbrand’s first fighting tournament! Whoever wins will have their name etched into history, with the greatest warriors of every coming generation walking boldly in their footsteps, ever chasing after the great hero who claimed this eternal glory!

Let us honor those who gave their lives in pursuit of this dream, and mourn the skill and talent the world lost in their passing! And let us show our respect to those who fought bravely and nobly, but could not reach the mountain summit! May we see them in this arena again, so that they might strive once more for greatness!” The audience cheered and hollered in excitement, celebrating the courageous dead and the humble fallen.

“Now, allow me to introduce the final two contenders! Over here, we have the beastman warrior, Roc, of the Ashok Mountains!” Roc entered the ring from one side with half of the audience cheering wildly. The gaping hole he received in his wing had been mended, but his shoulder was gone for good, not that it mattered much. “And over here, we have the Crown Prince of Uther, His Highness, Seraph Albion!” Seraph, doing his best to put on a brave face, arrived on the other side of the ring. The rest of the audience was on their feet, chanting the prince’s name once more. “Now, let the final match of the tournament begin!”

The ref stepped back, and Roc and Seraph faced each other. Standing at the edge of the ring in his invisible state, Noah watched with amusement. However, while Roc had a focused scowl, Seraph seemed confused.

“Wait a second. No, it can’t be. Gideon?”

“Took you long enough to figure it out. Maybe if you hadn’t spent all your time moping and feeling sorry for yourself, and actually paid attention to the fighters around you, you would have realized it out. Gideon is the name I used to enroll in the academy, pretending to be a simple human instead of a proud beastman warrior.”

“I heard you lost an arm during the Red Revelry, but I never thought—”

“No, you never think; that’s your problem. But after all the losses I was forced to bear while holding myself back, I’m finally going to defeat you here and now!”

Roc launched himself towards Seraph, flying low to the ground with his mana burning like a furious pyre. Seraph tried to intercept and swung his mace, replaced after his fight with Cain, but Roc grabbed it with one of his clawed feet and yanked it out of Seraph’s hand, then spun around and slashed Seraph across the face with his other foot. His talons didn’t cut deep, but they drew blood. Seraph staggered back, trying to heal the wound, but Roc gave him no time. He launched a barrage of attacks at Seraph, spinning like a top with his arm and legs bombarding the prince. Seraph dodged as best as he could, knowing that Roc’s talons could rip him to shreds if he wished, and his mana-wrapped hand could sever head from neck.

“This is pathetic!” Roc snarled, kicking Seraph square in the chest and sending him staggering back. “You’re supposed to be stronger than this! I didn’t get burned by your light all those times just so you could hide it away now! Fight back, you coward!”

Seraph regained his footing and assumed a combat stance.