Chapter 21 — What are you fighting for?
Rowan forced himself upright.
His ribs throbbed where the water had struck him. His clothes clung heavily to his skin, soaked and cold. His grip tightened around the axe as he steadied his breathing.
Across from him, Riven stood untouched, Calm and Unhurried.
Rowan swung again.
"Fire Chop!"
The crescent arc roared forward.
Riven raised his wand with almost lazy precision.
'Flame shot.'
A compact burst of flame met it midair.
The spells collided.
Boom!!
And with a boom Vanished.
Rowan didn't pause.
"Water Chop!"
Another crescent surged outward.
Riven responded immediately.
"Azure Sphere."
A dense orb of compressed water formed at the tip of his wand — not a wild torrent like Water Cannon, but a concentrated, rotating mass. It spun violently, stabilizing itself before launching forward.
The two water spells clashed.
For a brief moment, Rowan's arc cut into it.
Then the rotating pressure of the Azure Sphere tore through his attack and dispersed it entirely.
Rowan clenched his teeth.
Again.
With another swing He attacked again.
Fire Chop.
Water Chop.
Again.
And again.
Every single one was neutralized — cleanly and effortlessly.
Riven's breathing remained steady.
Rowan's did not.
Huff... Huff..
'What do I do?
Nothing's working.'
His chest heaved as frustration crept into his thoughts.
Riven's face remained serene.
'What should I do…? What can I do…?'
In the midst of frustration his eyes drifted toward the sidelines.
Eldric sat on the grass, yawning.
Rowan remembered.
'Don't get nervous. Give it your all.'
Rowan blinked twice and closes his eyes then inhaled deeply.
He stepped forward.
"Water Chop!"
"Wind Surge."
Riven's spell activated instantly.
The air gathered around the tip of the wand and started compressing into a forward-driving blast.
The surge collided with Rowan's attack, shredding it apart before slamming into his body.
Rowan stumbled backward several steps, boots scraping grass and soil.
"Damn it…"
Cough... cough..
'How am I not supposed to get nervous when nothing works?'
He forced himself upright again.
A few students murmured.
"Shouldn't he be ejected by now?"
"Anyone else would've been thrown out after that many hits."
"Just shut up and watch," another said leaning forward. "The match is getting interesting."
"one-sided beating is looking interesting to you?."
"It's interesting how that newbie is still standing even after all those hits. even though the outcome is clear. I wanna see how long he will last."
The crowd leaned forward now, curiosity overtaking mockery.
---
On the sidelines, Eldric spoke quietly.
"Master."
The dojo master nodded.
"I think I understand what you meant earlier," Eldric said. "About only his speed and power being equivalent to Stage Two."
The dojo master's eyes remained on the battlefield.
"So you've figured it out."
Rowan attacked again — and was countered again.
Eldric continued.
"It's the axe. And his posture."
He watched carefully.
"When he swings like that… the force of his motion amplifies the spell. The rotation of his torso, the weight of the blade — it channels the mana forward more efficiently."
The dojo master nodded faintly.
"Yes. The amplification comes from physical momentum. His foundation as a mage, however… remains incomplete."
Another spell struck Rowan.
He staggered again.
Huff.... Hufff..
Riven began walking toward him slowly.
Eldric frowned.
"Why isn't he ejected yet?"
He turned toward Master Garrick.
"Should we stop the match?"
"No," Master Garrick said calmly. "The barrier is functioning properly. If he remains inside, it means he can still continue."
"Isn't it dangerous?"
"Eldric," the master said evenly, "you know the barrier reduces lethality. The pain remains. The damage does not."
Eldric fell silent.
The dojo master rubbed his chin.
"I must say… enduring this many direct hits is impressive."
Eldric looked at Rowan — soaked, bruised, breathing raggedly.
Even with reduced lethality, the pain was real.
And Rowan was feeling every bit of it.
"It doesn't look like he intends to fall," Master Garrick murmured. "There's desperation in him."
On the battlefield, Rowan gritted his teeth and stood again.
The dojo master's gaze sharpened.
"But I cannot understand it."
Eldric looked at Master Garrick as master continued.
"Why is he so desperate."
Eldric exhaled slowly.
"I've seen many mage students," he said quietly. "Some fight for money. Some for status. Some just to win."
His eyes didn't leave Rowan.
'But I don't see any of that in him.'
He remembered Rowan struggling to maintain basic fire.
Spending his limited coins on drinks just to keep learning.
Failing.
Trying again.
Failing again.
And Trying again, and again.
But Never quitting.
"It's like… his whole purpose is something entirely different. But powerful enough to force him to keep going."
Eldric narrowed his eyes.
'Rowan… what are you fighting for?'
---
Another spell hit.
Rowan staggered — but did not fall.
Riven stopped walking.
He studied Rowan for a long moment.
Then, unexpectedly, he smiled faintly.
"You've improved," Riven said calmly. "Since the last time."
Rowan blinked.
"Huh—?"
He flinched at the sudden conversation.
Then forced a grin.
"Ah, so you can talk. I was starting to think your throat was sore or something."
A faint chuckle escaped Riven.
"Joking in the middle of a battle."
Rowan tilted his head slightly. "What?... Is it Not allowed?"
Riven observed him carefully — the soaked clothes, trembling arms, uneven breathing.
Rowan was panting chest heaving up and down. His hairs were messy, clothes clung to his skin. And even after all that he was still standing.
"What are you fighting for?" Riven asked.
Rowan stilled.
Riven continued,
"You already understand the outcome of this battle. Continuing will not change it. At this rate, you may not withstand the next spell."
Riven lowered his wand a little.
"So I can't understand why still going even after all this?"
He paused for a second.
"I would like to hear your reason."
The question hung in the air.
---
Rowan's thoughts drifted.
A newspaper.
He remembers that fateful day when his brother's photo was on the newspaper.
The Ink-stained headlines.
Declaring his brother a heretic a dark mage.
The whispers of that day
Their exile.
The day when they had to leave their house, their town.
'What am I fighting for...? Ofcourse it's to restore my family's honor, to make them walk in the society openly again. But...'
He remembers that before coming here when his mom had finished his makeup.
He had gone to grab his axe and saw that same newspaper the same article sitting on the table beside his axe. The article about his brother becoming a heretic dark mage.
Though the truth wasn't clear if the accusation is real or not. But looking at that article once again. Rowan had thought.
'if i could go Grand Aetherion then... Maybe I can learn the truth about what happened to bhaiya.'
Back in the present
Rowan tightened his grip and steadied himself.
"I can't tell you the exact reason," he said.
His voice was no longer joking.
"But it's important."
His eyes burned now — not with frustration but with resolve.
"It's important enough that I can't lose here."
He lifted the axe once more.
"So I'll fight until the end."
Something shifted in the air.
Not power.
Not speed.
Something deeper.
Riven's eyes widened he looked at Rowan differently now.
And Rowan's eyes shone with a new light.
---
Chapter Ends