The Forsaken Hero

Before we began, Selena took a second to lay out the rules of the spar, as much for myself as the onlookers. Spars were generally much more casual than duels, and lacked the magical wards and protection. As such, it was considered good etiquette to withhold any magic or attacks that would endanger the lives of the contestant or the convenience of an observer.

That didn’t mean incidents were avoided, of course, but skilled Life Mages were always on standby in the training field. In this case, Selena herself was an extremely talented Life Mage and could guarantee the safety of anyone sparring under her instruction.

For this specific spar, Selena wanted to acquire an accurate evaluation of my current magical abilities and limits, ending only when she was satisfied with the results. By the time she explained the rules, almost three hundred people crowded around the sparring circle. While many of the locals came to see an instructor in action, as that itself would be a valuable learning experience, most of the foreigners were here to see the rumored demonkin. That someone like me could exist within the Divine Throne after the Holy War with the Beast Kingdom must have been astounding.

Unfortunately, they hardly kept their speculation and amazement quiet, and my keen ears picked up on several different conversations.

”Why is there a demonkin here?”

”Is she actually going to fight that Instructor? How could a demon stand against the Divine Throne’s finest?

”Wait, do you see that on her chest? So she’s a slave then. I wonder who would be lucky enough to own a cute girl like her? I bet they have lots of fun, if you know what I mean...”

The constant drone of the crowd brought a bashful blush to my cheeks, and I wished my ears weren’t nearly so sharp. No one was outright hostile, but the curiosity and attention made me uncomfortable.

”Prepare yourself!” Selena shouted, her passionate voice rolling over the training ground in waves, hushing the crowds.

The elf raised her staff, the fist-sized emerald gathering magic from the surrounding air. I instinctively activated the Eyes of Fate, watching in amazement as mana surged within her body, driven by her chant to form three magic circles. While the magic circles were visible to all, the Eyes of Fate allowed me to see details hidden to the naked eye, such as their rate of completion and the amount of mana in each individual rune. Of course, there were hundreds of runes in a third-circle spell, but magical discernment came naturally to me.

As her spell came to an end, I waved my hand and cast an Aegis. I felt rather confident, as I easily recognized her magic circles as Flame Lash, a moderately powered and versatile fire spell. As this was her opening move, I felt relatively safe assuming there wouldn’t be any tricks associated with it, but even if there were, I trusted in the Eyes of Fate to reveal it.

”Is she insane? A first-circle spell against a third-circle? That’s basically suicide!”

”I wonder how a burnt demon smells?”

I faltered as many in the crowd began muttering to themselves, looking around anxiously. Had they noticed something I hadn’t? I hurriedly reviewed the Aegis, but when everything seemed normal, my confidence decreased further but it was too late to change anything.

”Flame Lash!”

A fiery serpentine coil shot out of the magic circle, streaking forward and filling the air with blazing cinders. The sinewy flames split into four whips of molten fire, lashing out to attack me from every direction. I looked around fearfully, raising my arm to shield my face from the flickering flames, and my dropped heart as the spells connected.

The flame lash exploded in towering pillars of fire. I coughed as acrid smoke filled my lungs, billowing around me and obscuring my vision. But, just as the heat was closing in, it vanished, and the air cleared, leaving me completely unharmed.

Wait, was the spell already over? Why didn’t I feel anything? The Aegis hadn’t even drawn any of my mana to restore its protection, meaning the shield hadn’t incurred the slightest damage. My confusion was amplified by the shocked expressions of the onlookers, their judgmental whispers finally falling silent.

”Impressive, but not unexpected. Your Fate magic is truly unmatched,” Selena murmured, her lips a half-smile. ”But then again, you’ve battled Fire magic before. How about something a little different?”

I suppressed my surprise and focused on the spar again. Distraction would lead to error, and unnecessary risks. My eyes narrowed as Selena began casting another spell, a first-circle spell called Mist.

As the name implied, vaporous fog spun out from the elf, concealing the sparring circle. Unlike a magical illusion, which the Eyes of Fate could pierce, it was an actual, tangible cloud, reducing my visibility to several feet. As such, it was easily countered, and I waved my hand, summoning a gust of wind to disperse it.

As the cloud blew apart, something flew through the veil, headed for my chest. I grunted as it struck the Aegis and shattered, revealing another first-circle spell, Ice Knife. Before I could react, another shard of Ice crashed against the Aegis, this time from a different direction, sending a spurt of surprise across my face. She was actually casting disjointed spells!

Normally, spells originated where mana was collected and formed into magic circles. It was possible to move mana further away from the body, but a greater range took an exponential increase in expended mana. At my strongest, I could cast an Aegis spell on someone twenty feet away, but even then it took almost half my mana. We were nearly fifty feet apart, yet she managed to get a spell behind me!

Several more first-circle spells shot out of the fog, slowly draining the Aegis’ power. Curiously, the Fire and Water spells had the least effect, with the first failing to impact the Aegis at all. I dove aside and began running as the hail of spells continued, but Selena somehow had a lock on my position, continually forcing me to dodge.

Eventually, a break in the assault allowed me a moment of reprieve, and I summoned another gust of wind, clearing the air. I froze as the line of sight opened up between the instructor and myself, eyes widening as the scent of ozone filled the air, and a bolt of lightning struck the Aegis.

I didn’t have time to verify its power, taking the small moment before my spell shattered to dive aside. While the main lightning bolt crackled just over my head, several arcs jumped out, dancing across my skin. I spasmed from the current, crying out as the electricity left chaotic burns across my flesh.

The pain muddled my mind, but I staggered to my feet and prepared myself for the next spell. Selena gave no sign of stopping, and I refused to give up this easily. I felt that my magic had stagnated recently, limited by my slowly increasing mana capacity, and that was a great chance to expose my weaknesses. I had been too dependent on the Eyes of Fate, and didn’t know how to cope with a spell I didn’t understand, or with the restriction of not being able to see.

”Don’t worry about your injuries,” Selena called her expression an alloy of worry and encouragement. ”Fight with all you have. Show me your limits!”

I nodded, taking a deep breath to steady myself, but I was far from prepared for what came next. A shudder ran through me and my tail stiffened in fear as she raised her staff and cast a simple, second-circle spell.

”Holy Star!”