The Fallen Light

THE FALLEN LIGHT — SEASON II

CHAPTER 70 — THE DANCE OF FIRE AND LIGHT

Percy and Clara walked side by side toward the arena entrance. There were thousands of people in the stands, yet not a single person could make a definitive prediction. The anxiety on the faces of the Class 1-A students was even more obvious. Clara had defeated Percy in the past, but Percy hadn’t completed his development back then. Afterwards, Percy had surpassed not only Clara, but everyone in the class.

William finally took off his glasses. ”I really can’t calculate this.”

Everyone looked at him. Coming from William, those words were even more terrifying than the match itself. Holar and Eleanor looked at each other. The relaxed smile on Galahad’s face had vanished. Even Wycliffe, Olsen, and the other teachers had no idea what was going to happen. Percy stepped into the arena. Clara emerged from the opposite side. However, neither went to their starting marks. Percy looked at Wycliffe. Wycliffe’s soul shuddered for no apparent reason. He realized he was standing in the middle of something he shouldn’t interfere with. Percy brought his right hand to his chest.

”I, Percy Grant... invite Clara Leyvar to an honorable magic duel.”

Clara glanced at the staff she had left outside. Percy hadn’t brought Blaze either. The corners of her lips curled up slightly. She placed her hand on her chest.

”I, Clara Leyvar... accept Percy Grant’s invitation to an honorable magic duel.”

The arena went silent. Everyone understood the same thing: this was not going to remain a mere tournament match. The two walked until three meters separated them and stopped simultaneously. A crimson radiance formed around Percy.

”[Nature of Fire]. My previous comprehension ratio was five percent.” Flames rose over his shoulders. ”Now it’s eleven percent.”

Olsen stood up. A six-point increase in a month and a half was far beyond the expected growth rate at this level. Without taking his eyes off Clara, Percy spoke:

”I am probability. And probability is me.”

White light rose around Clara.

”[Daughter of Light]. I am the light, and the light is me. My defense is impenetrable. My attack is your attack.”

Someone in the stands whispered: ”She didn’t use her speed.” Galahad answered: ”They’re going to fight on equal terms. Percy left his staff behind and restricted the raw power advantage of Advanced Core 2. Clara won’t use the speed of light form either.”

Clara spoke one last time:

”I am probability. And probability is me.”

Advanced Core Level 2 and Advanced Core Level 1 stood face to face. Yet nobody in the arena could feel a difference in rank between them. Both turned to look at Wycliffe at the same time.

Wycliffe cleared his throat. ”This is the match that will determine the first-year champion. By the rules, causing permanent harm to each other—” The gazes of both Percy and Clara hardened simultaneously. Wycliffe altered his sentence:

”May it be an honorable struggle.”

Laughter erupted in the stands. Percy and Clara laughed as well.

”Hehehehe.”

”Hehehehe.”

Then, both vanished at the exact same moment.

”Light Spear!”

”Fire Spear!”

The white and crimson spears collided in the center of the arena. Neither tip could push the other back. The flames could not swallow the light, and the light could not disperse the fire. For a few seconds, the energies swirled around each other before shattering simultaneously. Percy didn’t wait.

”[Rise of Fire]!”

As the giant fire bird rose behind him, Clara turned her hands.

”Spiral of Light!”

White light swirled in layers, surging toward the fire bird. Percy and Clara looked at each other. Both were smirking.

”[Absolute Cancel]!”

”[Absolute Cancel]!”

Both voices rose at the exact same time. The fire bird and the spiral of light vanished before they could even collide. The spectators forgot to breathe. Abandoning their greatest attacks, the two ran directly toward each other. Percy’s fist struck Clara’s stomach. At the same moment, Clara’s fist slammed into Percy’s temple. Blood flowed from both of their mouths. Neither pulled back. They laughed. The instant they raised their fists again, the probabilities around them unfolded. As Nathaniel had seen, it was not a single future. The rotation of shoulders, where feet would plant, the Orin density in the air, and every remaining open space formed countless fine paths. Percy slipped under Clara’s fist. Clara simultaneously glided over Percy’s elbow. Both had seen the path chosen by the other before the movement even began. They pivoted before their feet hit the ground. Their midair kicks met in the center of the arena. Clara pressed the light on her foot against Percy’s fire, while Percy pushed his own strength against Clara’s light. Instead of repelling each other, they incorporated the opposing force into their own rotations. Carried in opposite directions, they spun in the air and landed back at their starting points.

Nathaniel stood up. ”Both of them see all the probabilities.” William nodded. ”They don’t just see them. They add the probability they know the other will choose directly into their own movements.”

Percy spread both hands.

”Fire Sphere. Maximum fire.”

In an instant, one hundred and fifty fire spheres materialized. The space above the arena was blanketed in crimson dots like a second sky. Nathaniel’s mouth dropped open. ”He was using thirty to scare me!”

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Arthur didn’t take his eyes off the arena. ”Nobody asked.”

”But—”

”Shut up.”

The one hundred and fifty spheres hurtled toward Clara all at once. Clara spread her arms to her sides. ”My defense can become my attack.”

The layer of light around her detached from her body, transforming into fine lines of attack. Clara moved. With every step, a line of light pierced a fire sphere. The first, the tenth, the fiftieth... Eyes couldn’t track her speed. Three point one seconds later, all one hundred and fifty fire spheres were destroyed. The moment Clara shattered the last one, Percy slipped beneath the remaining traces of light. Grabbing her wrist, he pulled her toward himself. As Clara lost her balance and fell, Percy caught her waist with his other hand. For a moment, the arena went quiet. Clara was nearly parallel to the ground. Percy was holding her with a single arm.

Nathaniel whispered: ”Are they fighting, or are they dancing?” Charlotte couldn’t look away. ”Both.”

As Percy lifted Clara up, Clara took his hand. Pushing off each other, they spun in opposite directions using the force of their contact, launching into another assault. As Clara’s light-cloaked hand passed by Percy’s cheek, Percy swung his flaming elbow over her shoulder. Their hands met again; this time Clara spun Percy around her, and at the end of the rotation, Percy guided her into a new attack angle. Percy caught Clara’s wrist again, pulling her close. A fire sphere coming from behind passed right through the spot Clara had occupied a second before. Clara didn’t resist the pull; sliding past Percy, she didn’t let go of his hand, transferring her entire momentum into his arm. Percy was launched into the air. Yet he didn’t fall. Using the force gained from Clara’s hand, he twisted his body, passed over her shoulder in midair, and directed his flaming palm toward her back as he descended. Without even turning her head, Clara struck the ground with her white light. Sliding sideways along the line formed, Percy’s attack passed through empty space, fluttering a few strands of her hair. This time Clara turned back. Using the support of Percy’s extended hand, she flipped in midair, bringing her light-clad foot down onto his shoulder. Percy parried the strike with his arm, accompanying her momentum instead of shoving her leg away. As Clara spun once more, Percy rotated in the opposite direction. When they separated, two arcs—one crimson, one white—completed each other in the center of the arena. When they faced each other again, their hands met for only a split-second. That single touch gave both of them the full force for their new attacks. Attacker and defender shifted continuously. Every contact completed the other’s movement rather than interrupting it. Fire traveled along the white trails left by light; light slipped through the gaps between flames.

Olsen stood up. ”They’re reinforcing each other’s magic.” Eleanor shook her head. ”No. They’re using each other’s rhythm.”

On the arena indicators, the energy of both students was rapidly depleting. Five percent. Four percent. Three percent. Their movements slowed. Grand techniques vanished. Only their most fundamental attacks and the ways they utilized them remained. Percy’s remaining energy was three point one percent. Clara’s was three point two percent. Both came to a stop at their starting points. They were breathing heavily, but the smiles on their faces remained unchanged. Percy formed a small fire sphere in his palm. A light sphere materialized in Clara’s palm. This time, they didn’t run toward each other. They released their attacks at the exact same moment. Fire and light collided in the center of the arena. At first, they appeared equal. Then, the white sphere pierced the center of the flame. The zero point one percent difference between them shifted the balance of the attack. The moment Olsen looked at the indicators, she understood the result.

”Zero point one percent.”

William completed the same calculation a breath later. He looked at the two energy values from behind his glasses.

”Clara has zero point one percent more energy.”

Light pierced the fire. Without energy left to defend, Percy was struck in the chest and pushed beyond the arena boundary line. Galahad stood up. Eleanor instinctively wanted to step toward the arena, but stopped when she saw Clara was still standing. Wycliffe’s hand hung in the air. He was the referee; he needed to declare the result. Yet even he stared for a few seconds at the boundary line where Percy had fallen and at Clara’s remaining energy value. Holar’s voice shattered the silence in the teachers’ stands.

”Clara won.”

The silence lasted for only one more second. Then the venue erupted.

”WOOOOOAH!”

”CLARA WON!”

”PERCY IS OUT!”

Nathaniel was shaking William with both hands. ”DID YOU SEE?!”

William’s glasses had slipped. ”I CALCULATED IT! ZERO POINT ONE PERCENT! NOW LET GO!”

Arthur had stood up, staring at Clara without a word. Charlotte and Sophia embraced each other. Both of Marcus’s eyebrows were raised. Percy slowly pushed himself up. Nobody took their eyes off him. Everyone expected him to burst into laughter, to re-enter that wild combat state. Percy simply dusted himself off and stepped back into the arena. Clara walked to her starting point as well. The two stood facing each other once more. Simultaneously, they brought their hands to their chests.

”Thank you for the duel.”

Clara extended her hand. Percy took it.

”Congratulations,” Percy said.

He tried to pull his hand back. Clara didn’t let go. Percy looked at their hands. Then at Clara. Years ago, when Percy opened his eyes after sleeping for days, Clara had held that exact same hand.

”I won’t let go again.”

She had repeated it later.

”I won’t let go.”

The expression on Percy’s face softened. Wycliffe’s voice resonated across the entire hall:

”The winner, Clara Leyvar!”

Applause soared.

”The champion of the first-year inter-class arena tournament... Clara Leyvar!”

A single tear rolled down Clara’s cheek. Percy wiped the tear away with his thumb. ”Why are you crying?” Clara couldn’t answer.

Percy smiled. ”You were better. You became what you said you would be, and you won. I’m proud of you.”

Clara’s hand squeezed his a bit tighter.

”But next time, I’m going to win,” Percy said. ”It won’t take long.”

Clara smiled through her tears. ”No, you won’t.”

”Of course I will. You’re the winner...”

Percy paused for a moment.

”For now.”

Clara’s eyes widened.

”That’s my line.”

”I took it back.”

Clara pulled him close. Percy wrapped his arms around her. Both fainted at the exact same moment. Galahad leaped into the arena, catching both of them before they hit the ground. Looking at the two motionless children in his arms, he burst out laughing.

”These crazy kids used up every last drop of their energy.”

Eleanor walked over to them. Seeing the happy smile remaining on Clara’s face, her eyes softened. The arena went quiet for the first time after the cheers. Everyone looked at the two children sleeping in Galahad’s arms. Just a few minutes ago, these two kids had made fire and light dance across the entire arena—a duel whose outcome even the instructors couldn’t calculate—and now they lay side by side, looking completely defenseless. Olsen’s voice broke the silence.

”They’re only seven years old.”

Wycliffe didn’t take his eyes off Percy and Clara.

”I know.”

Following those two words, nobody spoke immediately. Arthur gave a slight nod. William adjusted his glasses. Even Nathaniel forgot to make a joke. On Holar’s and Eleanor’s faces, there was the exact same pride.

”If Percy had used his staff, the result might have been different.”

Holar shook his head. ”It wouldn’t have been equal.” Eleanor looked at him.

Holar turned to Clara in Galahad’s arms. ”Clara won. At the very last second, but she won. I’m proud of her.”

Then he looked at Eleanor.

”You raised her well, crazy woman.”

Eleanor’s cheeks flushed slightly pink at first. A second later, she smiled.

”You’re dead, old man.”

Holar’s expression changed. Wind surged around Eleanor.

”Eleanor, the kids are unconscious!”

”Galahad is holding them.”

”We’re in front of the public!”

”Even better.”

Holar ran. Eleanor sprinted after him. Nathaniel shook his head as he watched the two of them. ”I don’t think there’s a single normal person in this family.” Arthur looked at Percy and Clara in Galahad’s arms. ”You’re part of it too.”

Nathaniel’s face lit up. ”Are you counting me as family?” Arthur started walking. ”No.”

”You just did a second ago!”

When they returned to the academy, Percy and Clara were still asleep. Holar Jun had three separate bumps on his head. Nobody asked him what had happened. Everyone looked at Eleanor. Eleanor calmly smoothed Clara’s hair. Nathaniel quietly approached William.

”Is Holar really the strongest person in the world?”

William looked at the bumps on Holar’s head.

”For now.”