The day of the competition started early.
Nerluce dressed in light robes and tied his hair back. There was no need for his usual excess. It would only serve to hinder him.
He left before Coam was awake. She had trouble sleeping at night - something Nerluce hadn't learned until a couple of months ago when they stumbled upon one another in the halls long past the reasonable hour. She'd been up last night. Nerluce had heard her leaving her room and then going back into it and then leaving again. She probably barely got to sleep by the time Nerluce woke up.
Nerluce had never asked Coam why she didn't sleep. He had never had to. It was the same reason that Nerluce couldn't sleep either.
Unlike his sister, who had trouble falling asleep, Nerluce woke frequently at night. He'd stay awake for a candle mark or two and then fall back asleep for a couple of candle marks and then wake up again. Sometimes walking would help him sleep longer. Sometimes it just meant he wouldn't fall back asleep. Sometimes that was the idea.
It was hard to say when exactly the dreams started. It might've been... months or weeks or days. Nerluce wasn't sure. He just knew that one night he woke up screaming. And the next day it happened again. Then it started happening twice a night. Three times. Four. As many times as Nerluce slept, he dreamt. Nerluce stopped screaming but he couldn't stop the dreams. He doubted that Coam could either.
The morning air was colder than Nerluce was expecting but he didn't mind it. Winter was still awful and the cold weather was proof enough that the first snow would fall before he returned to Hebikoti Palace - likely making the trip home even longer - but the Golden City made it almost impossible to think of such things. It was a place that seemed so far away from the world and its problems.
Though that might be because Nerluce was avoiding his problems like a plague.
He didn't talk to Aristide again and he bolted from any room as soon as the High Priestess arrived in it.
"Nerluce?"
The sudden voice made Nerluce flinch and stumble back, almost tripping and falling into a bush of yellow roses. He managed to catch himself before that but the embarrassment still caused heat to rush to his face. He turned and tried to fix the intruder - and really they weren't much of an intruder because it wasn't like this path belonged to Nerluce - with the most intimidating glare as he could muster when his ears were probably bright red.
The intruder - a young woman - took a step back, startled herself. Good. People called him a hero and a savior, but Nerluce did not want that role to play. Heroes had responsibilities. Saviors didn't get to slack.
Yet, after a moment, the woman took a bold step forward. "Nerluce," she said, again.
"Do I know you?" Nerluce asked.
She looked... familiar, though he couldn't place where he'd met her before. She wore teal robes that flowed like water around her frame. Her hair was long and black and decorated with a pretty jade pin. Nothing rang a bell. The young woman had addressed him by his first name, though, so she must've thought they were somewhat intimate. Nerluce wondered if he'd stolen a kiss or two. She was pretty now so Nerluce had probably thought so too in the past.
"I'm going to take that as a compliment," the young woman said, trying to hide her offense. "It means, I've grown prettier."
That... almost seemed like a flirtation. "I doubt the young mistress was ever anything shy of beautiful," Nerluce said, flirting back. Because if she was someone Nerluce kissed in the past, he wouldn't mind revisiting that.
Besides the glare hadn't worked.
"You're such a flirt," the young woman said with a laugh.
"Such slander!" Nerluce pressed a hand to his chest before smiling: cocky and full of spite. "Young mistress, you know my affections are for you alone."
"Mhm," the young woman said. "Have you recalled my name?"
Nerluce laughed and withdrew. "Young mistress, you are so harsh. Why not at least give me some hint?"
"Hm... you've saved my life before?" the young woman said.
"The young mistress understands that... does not narrow it down," Nerluce said. "You could be any woman in all of Itoroh." He cocked his head to one side. "Another hint for this poor, heartsick man?"
The young woman chuckled and shook her head. "Well, you saved me personally."
"Where did I do this saving?" Nerluce asked.
"Oh on a little mountain," the young woman said. "What was its name again... oh, that's right. Ethera."
"Oh, shit, Jurine," Nerluce said.
The young woman which Nerluce now recognized, unmistakeably, as Jurine smiled at him. "I was a little offended there. I thought that now that you're the big hero of all of Itoroh that you'd forgotten about me." She leaned forward and flicked his arm. "Of course, that's not your style. You were never an ass, just an idiot. The smartest idiot I've ever known, but an idiot, nonetheless."
"So harsh," Nerluce said, rubbing the back of his neck. "In my defense, I've never seen you outside of Ethera's uniform. Or with..." He glanced down.
"Are you perhaps suggesting that I was flat-chested as a teenager?" Jurine asked.
"Not just suggesting."
Nerluce got hit for that. He'd been expecting it and laughed, holding his hands up in surrender.
Jurine huffed. "I was mistaken. You are an ass."
"You wouldn't be the first person to come to that conclusion," Nerluce said. "But in all seriousness, you look... good. Better than good, you're... beautiful." And it was true. Jurine had always been pretty but now that she'd grown into herself a bit more, she was one of the most beautiful people that Nerluce had ever seen. "What are you doing in the Golden City?"
"The Empress invited me to perform for her," Jurine said. "Believe it or not, you aren't the only one who didn't stop practicing magick after being kicked out of Ethera."
"I was not kicked out, I left," Nerluce said, rolling his eyes. "To fight a war."
"Yes, I'm aware," Jurine said. "Are you aware that the armor you wore in that fight was most likely sold to you by my family's company?"
"Oh, so you're the one to blame for my horrible battle scars."
"What scars?" Jurine asked, looking him over. And then she paused and her eyes ran over him again. "You look good too. Taller. More muscular. More... mature, I guess." Her frown deepened a bit. "If it wasn't for your hair, I don't think I would have recognized you either. Almost didn't anyway."
"By more mature, you mean I look tired, don't you?" Nerluce asked.
"You do look tired," Jurine said. "I've heard rumors that you are... frail. Sickly. Fragile. I thought you just made that up to get out of talking to the High Priestess but now..."
"I did just make it up," Nerluce said, pulling away from her.
Jurine's brows pressed together. "You're upset?" she asked.
"I am not," Nerluce said. "And neither am I frail, sickly, or fragile. I just don't want to be killed by a religious zealot for my Affinity."
"Ah," Jurine said, looking down. "I... heard about that."
"Everyone in Itoroh has," Nerluce said.
"Yes..." Jurine glanced away. "It... explains some things. A lot of things, actually." She swallowed. "I'm glad you have your Affinity. It's saved my life... more than once," Jurine said. "But... if it's hurting you then-"
"My Affinity for life magick isn't what's hurting me," Nerluce snapped.
Why was everyone so quick to assume that this power was also somehow a curse? Nerluce didn't understand. If someone with a fire Affinity practiced fire magick, they would get healthier. Why would it be any different for Nerluce? The thing that was fucking hurting him was the war where he'd killed thousands of people.
Nerluce turned and perhaps unfairly stalked off.
He spent the rest of the morning in a bad mood. The spirits in the Golden City - or at least the few there were - tried to comfort him. Nerluce let them blow puffs of wind in his face, wet the tips of his sleeves, and tie his hair into knots. It didn't make him feel better, but it didn't make him feel worse either.
The humans in the Golden City - and there might've been less than the spirits - did not come close to Nerluce. Most were servants and a smart servant was one that could recognize and successfully avoid an annoyed master. Those who were not were accomplished in the field of bootlicking. Once again, a field that required a good judge of emotion.
But just as Nerluce didn't care about the spirits, he didn't think he'd care if a human walked up and tried to cheer him up either. He wouldn't snap at them, at least. If they came up and tried to get him to do something he didn't want to do that was another matter entirely. But, then again, Nerluce wondered if a human would come up to him simply to cheer him up. Probably not. Not unless they expected something from him in return.
"I love people," Nerluce said to the spirits, "but I think I hate humans."
"People?" the water spirit echoed.
"Humans," the two wind spirits solemnly agreed.
Nerluce smiled at them. Selfless creatures. If one could even consider them creatures at all. Maybe it was because they weren't really alive they had the ability to be selfless.
"I suppose I need to go," Nerluce said, glancing up at the sun. It was high in the sky. "The tournament has probably already started." He looked down, regrettably at the spirits. "I'd much rather stay with you than use my magick against others again."
"People," the water spirit said.
"Humans," the wind spirits added.
"Thank you," Nerluce said.
The spirits hummed, delighted. Truly amazing creatures. Nerluce forced himself to leave them though. If he didn't do so now, he never would. They echoed his words in his own voice as they floated about. Let the entire Golden City hear what Nerluce had to say. He didn't care.
The courtyard where Nerluce was meant to be four or five candle marks ago was almost completely filled by competing magickians and spectating nobility. It was so full that Nerluce was able to slip in, undetected. He took his spot without announcement and without notice, standing as though he'd always been there, though it was very obvious to everyone that he had not.
Coam turned her head and started. "Where have you been?" she hissed.
"Talking to spirits," Nerluce said. "They won't disqualify me. If I'm late, they'll just rearrange the schedule."
Coam scoffed. Probably because that was exactly what had happened.
"Your first match is against some snarky, overconfident noble kid," Coam said. "Don't kill him, alright, Luce?"
"I will try and restrain myself," Nerluce said.
And he did.
The first match Nerluce won easily. The poor kid was still extremely wet behind the ears but Nerluce wasn't the type to hold back. Holding back just made kids cocky and there was nothing Nerluce hated more than a cocky kid with nothing to back it up. He threw the boy out of the ring in the bat of an eye and was declared the winner even quicker.
His next match didn't last much longer. Nor did the one after that. It almost felt... too easy. Like Nerluce was cheating at this. Of course, he wasn't. He just had more experience. Of all the people competing, Nerluce knew that it was likely only three of them had ever actually stepped onto the battlefield before. And it showed. Coam was just as merciless in her victories. Aristide was just as swift.
The three of them were in a league of their own.
Nerluce watched his old friends fight. He cheered for Lyana and Eko and even Jurine. He figured he'd done enough pouting for the day. However, Jurine didn't last that long. She and Eko were put against one another pretty early on and Eko won. They smiled and helped Jurine up. The two went off somewhere, catching up. Eko was disqualified from their next match for failure to show up.
The High Priestess didn't look happy. Nerluce would send a prayer for Eko, but they deserved a little time off. This was probably one of the first times in their life that they did something like this. And maybe the last too.
Lyana, on the other hand, was brilliant. She outshone everyone in terms of raw magickal power. She'd always been overflowing in the stuff. Not to mention that since Nerluce left Ethera, she seemed to have picked up earth magick. It wasn't as strong as her fire magick but it was still much stronger than people twice her age with an earth Affinity.
Unfortunately for her, she was placed against Nerluce in the round before the quarter-finals.
Nerluce won, though it was certainly the most fun he'd had all day. In honor of their old friendship, Nerluce had used his fire magick and only his fire magick. Lyana had done the same. In terms of power, she ought to have been able to easily overpower him. But in terms of experience, Nerluce was able to outmaneuver her.
It was a shame, really. Lyana should have gone further. She was definitely one of the best eight there, perhaps even the top four. But tournaments were oftentimes unfair and Nerluce had already fought against several people who could have ranked much higher if only they hadn't been put against him. He'd also fought against people who should have been ranked much lower but had just gotten lucky up until that point.
Nerluce's next two fights were like that.
He won his semi-final battle with almost as much ease as the first battle he fought. It was no fun. He sighed and stepped away. He was much, much more interested in the next fight that was about to play out.
Anyone who said the brackets for this event were random was full of shit. They were not. They were decided in a way that would guarantee a good show for the Empress. There were, of course, some surprises along the way. Lyana was a good example of one of these surprises. But these people knew who the three strongest competitors would be. The three guaranteed to make it to the semi-finals.
They'd put Nerluce by himself. They wanted him to advance to the finals. Nerluce was - currently - the most beloved person in Itoroh. He saved the damn kingdom. He deserved that position. Coam could and would have it back in a couple of years but for now, Nerluce was the pride and joy, their unexpected hero: a heretic on the side of light. It was obvious they wanted him to advance and why they'd want this.
But Nerluce had no idea who his final opponent would be. Good chances that no one did. Because the second semi-final match was Aristide versus Coam.
Either way, it would be entertaining. Coam was Nerluce's sister. Aristide was Nerluce's opposite - a pillar of light who always fought with the shadow. They served as a pretty contrast against one another. Whichever way it fell, the fight would be entertaining. And probably bloody. Nerluce swallowed and prayed his sister ruined Aristide's pretty face. For more than one reason.
It would be so easy to fake an accidental fatality in the middle of combat.
Coam took the stage, igniting Suru-Suru from her palm. Aristide called Kōttaiki to his. Nerluce swallowed.
The battle was fierce. Bloody. Neither seemed keen on holding back or losing for that matter. They were fairly evenly matched. Nerluce leaned in. They were pretty evenly matched but Aristide wasn't using his fire magick. He hadn't used it all day. Nerluce had told Coam before but he didn't know if she remembered. He didn't know if she took him seriously at all.
"Finish this quickly..." Nerluce whispered under his breath.
But Coam was not able to.
They were both tired, magick drained from their prior fights. They panted. They ached. Small droplets of sweat-dampened their brows. Nerluce clung to every moment of it. And he saw - oh gods he saw - the exact moment that Aristide called a second blade to his right hand. Suru-Suru. Its blue flames burned, arrogantly existing despite everything. The crowd gasped in astonishment. Suru-Suru was infamously a sword with only one master. But now a second had appeared.
Nerluce did not watch the rest of the fight. He already knew who his opponent for the next round would be. Coam wouldn't be able to recover from the shock in time. Aristide would overpower her.
And Nerluce would face Aristide in the finals.
[curator's note]
oh nerluce, you sweet, sweet idiot
i truly wish that you were a reliable narrator :/