Vylt: The New Dawn

Chapter 35: The Duel

"You want me to spar with you?" I laughed at the absurdity. "Okay, I almost fell for it. Since when are you such a jokester, teacher?"

Belaury crossed her arms and smiled. "Now, why would I joke about something like that. I'm serious, Nora. I want us to have a small duel for today's lesson."

"Yes!" Mary shouted, standing up with a fist pump to the air. "A magic duel! I need to see this!"

"No you don't, Mary!" I gave the elder elf a concerned look. "I don't get it. You know my abilities better than I do. Surely, you're aware I wouldn't last a minute."

My teacher nodded. "Isn't that more of a reason to get some practice?"

I shrugged. "Why now?"

"What would you have done if that boy stood his ground instead of running away?"

"Surely, you're not suggesting I should actually hurt him," I replied.

"No?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is it because of his age? Would you rather let him hurt you then?"

He certainly could have.

Oliver's claws looked just as sharp as mine, and there was no doubt he was physically superior to me in terms of strength and likely speed.

If he attacked me, I would've been in serious trouble.

I looked down, somewhat hoping to come up with the right answer. I would have needed to defend myself, I had no doubts about that. The main problem was how. In gaming terms, the kid was like a bruiser or an assassin. I, on the other hand, was more of a glass cannon. Which one was more dangerous?

"I mean, my magic can easily maim or kill on the spot if I'm not careful." I glanced behind me for a moment. I wasn't fond of talking like that in front of my parents, even though they knew what I was capable of, already. Shifting back to face my teacher, I continued, "Plus, healing spells do exist. I can recover from a few scratches or a bruise here and there."

Belaury narrowed her eyes and huffed. "So you're saying that you'd go as far as to gamble your wellbeing if it means not hurting a child. I do hope you haven't forgotten you're one, as well."

"I am, physically." I nodded. "I know this might not be much of a difference to you, but I'm still older than him by several years."

She gave out an exasperated sigh. "If that's your moral compass, so be it. I can respect your conviction, at least. However, only the strong get the privilege to choose, and you are not quite there yet. A bit of combat experience every now and then can fix that."

"I guess you're right..."

My teacher rolled her eyes and snorted. "Of course I am! Now, stand up and head for the training grounds," she said, also getting on her feet. "We'll catch up in a moment. I want to discuss something with everyone at the other table before we start."

"Shouldn't I hear it, too?" I asked without moving.

"No. Hence, why you're going there first," she replied curtly. "Go on now. It won't be long."

I sighed and started walking. I couldn't believe we were actually going to have a magic duel. As exciting as it sounded under any other context, this was reality. It wasn't like in games or shows, where the characters could simply take a spell directly to the face and keep on fighting. My magic was genuinely dangerous. That was if I could land a hit on her.

Would the duel even last? Belaury clearly knew how to counter me, and it was likely one of the things she wanted to teach me. However, something told me there had to be more to it than that. Something to do with my magic, perhaps.