Pushing off her bad leg with a cry, Tamar jumped against Keth's tilted shield and hurled herself into the air. She sailed upward, her eyes never leaving the ground even as her body parted ways with the world below.
Then, just as she was about to make the return trip, Tamar twisted midair and stepped again. For a heartbeat, the heavens held her weight, as if the sky itself had given her a boost.
The invisible springboard launched the ashen-haired warrior back toward the center of the ring and over the head of her opponent.
Keth looked up to meet her. His helmet slid back. Tamar's sword was the last thing he saw.
The zweihander cut directly downward, piercing Keth's neck above his collarbone. It did not stop until it touched the cold stone of the arena, skewering her opponent through his torso.
Keth tried to speak, but only blood came out when his mouth opened.
"Sleeper Keth is eliminated. Tamar is the winner!" Daiki's voice reverberated through the multicolored world.
He winked at Noble.
"I've always wanted to do that."
Keth's body disappeared from the arena, leaving Tamar's blade lodged in the beautiful stone. She fell to her knees beside it, her strength finally giving out.
"Simulation complete. Prepare for ejection."
Sensing movement in the waking world, Noble didn't wait for the natural conclusion of the illusion.
She pushed open the hatch and immediately felt it jostle as someone crashed into the side of the opening door.
The pod was still righting itself when Noble emerged from it. Keth was sprawled out on the floor, his face red with indignation.
"Keth, what are you…" Noble didn't get her question out before the young man scrambled to his feet and continued toward Tamar's pod.
The professor held out her hand to block Keth's path.
"Professor, I—"
Tamar's pod opened at the same time as Fluer and Ray were released. The latter two rushed to check on their friend.
"Are you alright?" The kindhearted redhead assisted her friend out of the pod. "You look so pale!"
Fleur kept her hand on Tamar's arm. A moment later, the color began to return to the young Legacy's cheeks.
A small smile came to Tamar's stoic face. "Thank you, Fleur."
"You!" Keth was full of venom.
He pushed against Noble's arm only to find out just how strong she really was.
With a grunt, he stepped back, adjusted his clothing, and smoothed his disheveled hair.
"What did I do now, Sleeper Keth?" Tamar took on a formal tone.
"Tamar won," Ray straightened his back. "You said that this matter would be settled, and it is!"
Elric and Beric took their places behind Keth. Ray's confident expression faltered, but he remained planted in place.
"Ray is correct. That was the agreement before we began." Noble nodded with a pleasant smile. "Trial by combat is an ancient tradition. You both should be very proud of your performance."
Keth was not listening. "This is not over! I could not have lost."
"Keth…" Beric laid his hand on the other boy's shoulder, but Keth shrugged it off.
"We are witnesses. There is a recording too!" Fleur reminded him.
"Y-you rigged it from the start. This was all a plot to humiliate me from the start." Keth balled his fists.
"That's enough." Noble did not like the implication that she had cheated for Tamar's sake. As much as it pained her, the professor had intentionally held back her protection from the young woman to ensure a fair fight.
If there was one thing the Queen of the Dreamscape took seriously, it was the integrity of a duel.
"You may congratulate the winner." Noble narrowed her gaze.
Keth pressed his lips together. "Warriors of Valor do not lose."
Tamar held up her hand.
"And yet you did, and not gracefully either. I don't want congratulations or an apology. If you are the best that King Anvil, Lady Morgan, and your precious Changing Star have to offer, then I want nothing from you or Valor at all." There was no malice in Tamar's voice, only a statement of fact.
Elric nudged Keth. "It isn't worth it. Let's get out of here. If you leave now, you may still have a chance to…"
The young man trailed off, but his words seemed to have the desired effect. Keth's hands relaxed, and his shoulders lost some of their tension. He turned and headed toward the exit, but not before murmuring under his breath. "Song slop."
'For once, I'm glad it's only another day until the Solstice. I cannot take any more of this drama.' Noble wanted to lash out against the young man, but that would only cause him to dig in his heels.
That didn't mean she would let him get off without consequences. The professor fully intended to notify security and have a guard watch Keth until the Solstice began.
"Talk about a sore loser," Ray made a dismissive gesture toward the door.
"He wasn't exactly a gracious winner before either," Fleur pointed out.
"If Keth will not praise you for your battle prowess, I will. Well done, Lady Tamar! Your skills do you credit." Noble's admiration was genuine. "I will make sure the young man will not cause you any more trouble. If you like, I can get security to assign a personal guard to you."
"I'm not afraid of him," Tamar shook her head. "I won't let him intimidate me."
Noble could feel the young woman's resolve. There would be no way to change her mind.
The professor glanced at the two Sleepers with her. "Make sure Keth is gone before you exit the building. He needs time to cool off and regain his calm."
"Yes, ma'am." Fleur nodded. "We will not leave Lady Tamar's side until she is safe in the dormitory."
Noble waited for the Legacy's pride to deny the protection, but Tamar seemed quite content, even pleased by Fleur's concern.
'Their friendship is real,' Noble noted with a small smile.
"Good. Be well, all of you."
Left alone in the room, Noble reviewed the events that had occurred. Once again, her gut told her that something was amiss.
"Are your matches always that dramatic?" Daiki's voice came from all sides over the intercom.
"My personal matches? No. There is far less talking when I'm battling." Noble smiled. "Thank you for letting us use the equipment. I couldn't have done it without your expertise."
Daiki chuckled. "Come back sometime, and I'll show you a real masterpiece!"
Noble agreed, promising to return after the solstice.
Coming out of the building, Child of Promise called Mori and explained the situation. He agreed that some monitoring would be a good precaution.
With that completed, the professor heaved a sigh of relief.
It was finally time to head home.
However, one thing nagged at Noble's consciousness. The thought wouldn't leave her. Noble sighed.
Instead of putting away her communicator, the curious teacher made one last inquiry. The device didn't ring before a metallic voice answered.
"I'm here, Professor Noble. Did you need something?"
The floating Saint chewed her lip. "Bee Two, I need the report on a Memory. Give me everything we know about the charm that Sleeper Keth wears on his elbow…"