CHAPTER 22 — Artist VS Artist
One Year Ago — Darve Dojo
The sun was sinking.
Orange light spilled across the courtyard stones, stretching shadows long and thin.
Then—
BOOM.
A violent blast tore through the evening silence.
Dust swirled. Heat shimmered.
"Ughh..."
Riven stood at one end of the cracked stone floor, breathing raggedly. Sweat ran down his temples, mixing with dirt and blood. His robes were torn; his fingers trembled faintly from overuse.
He was barely standing.
Across from him, through drifting dust and fading sunlight, a silhouette stood.
The orange glow obscured the figure's face.
"…Looks like we have to call it a draw."
The voice was calm and certain.
Riven clenched his fists.
"We'll meet at Grand Aetherion next year," the silhouette continued. "That's where we'll decide who truly wins."
In the reflection of the other boy's pupils, Riven saw himself—
Bruised.
Burning.
Unyielding.
His eyes blazed with silent determination.
---
Back to the Present
Rowan stood, barely.
His breathing was uneven. His body screamed at him to stop. Yet his eyes shone brighter than before.
Riven's gaze widened.
For a fleeting moment—
He saw a reflection of his past self.
The stubborn refusal to fall.
Riven opened his mouth only to close it.
He lowered his gaze a little then quietly said.
"I'm sorry."
Rowan blinked.
"…Huh?"
'Why is he apologizing all of a sudden?'
Around them, the students shifted uneasily.
"What's happening?"
"Why did they stop?"
Eldric frowned from the sidelines. "What are they talking about all of a sudden?"
Master Garrick folded his arms, watching intently.
"…Perhaps it is a silent conversation between two artists."
Eldric's face went blank instantly.
---
Inside the barrier, Riven lowered his wand.
"Now," he said calmly, "I'll fight you properly."
Rowan barely processed the words—
Then Riven suddenly stepped in.
Fast.
Too fast.
Rowan flinched as Riven closed the distance in an instant.
Water gathered around Riven's fist, spiraling tightly in a compressed shell.
"Flowing Fist."
He punched Rowan in the stomach.
The impact was brutal.
A line of water stretched momentarily between Riven's fist and Rowan's body before snapping apart like a broken thread.
Rowan was thrown several steps back, coughing violently.
The crowd erupted.
"Whoa!"
"Nice punch, Riven!"
"I didn't know that this fight would suddenly turn from magical to physical!"
Eldric instinctively covered his own stomach, wincing.
"…Damn. That had to hurt quite a bit."
He turned toward Master Garrick.
"Master, what was that spell? We never taught something like that."
The dojo master's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Riven created it."
Eldric blinked. "He what? I've never seen him practice anything like that."
Master Garrick glanced sideways.
"You would notice more if you stopped drinking during sessions."
Eldric lowered his head silently.
The dojo master continued.
"He must have developed it with someone specific in mind."
A pause.
"Perhaps after that last year's battle."
Eldric's eyes widened.
"…No way. He was serious about that?"
The dojo master nodded faintly.
"He is always serious when it concerns this dojo."
Eldric watched Riven carefully.
'Yeah…'
'He has always cared more about this place than anyone.'
'Maybe even more than me.'
'After all—
'It's because of him that Darve Dojo is still...'
---
Inside the barrier, Rowan coughed violently, holding his stomach.
"What the hell was that…?"
But even then—
He stood again.
One hand on his stomach.
The other gripping his axe.
Then he released his stomach and returned to his stance.
Riven smiled faintly.
"I thought fire might be too much," he said lightly. "So I used water instead."
"What... Huff.. what was that spell?"Rowan asked while coughing from the pain.
"I created it for someone specific But I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea, showing it to you first."
A small chuckle escaped him.
Rowan's mind raced.
'How do I win this?'
Think. Think. Think.
Then—
A memory surfaced.
"In battle, strategy is as important as magic."
Rowan had once replied, I don't know how to make strategies.
Eldric had answered, Then learn from your opponent.
Rowan inhaled.
He replayed every match he had watched.
Riven's movements.
His habits.
His targeting.
His precision.
Rowan looks at Riven whose hand is reaching for his wand.
Rowan's eyes sharpened.
'The wand.'
Rowan remembers the battles of Riven. Riven attacking his opponents wand, disarming them.
'He always goes for the wand first.'
Another memory surfaced.
Eldric explaining how wands accelerate mana channeling means magic easier.
'I have to go for the wand…'
Even though he has figured out what he should do there was still one question remaining.
'But what should I use? Fire and water chops are not working against him. What else can I use?'
Then he remembers—
His training, when he was experimenting magic with his axe in the forest. Fire Chop and Water Chop were tearing through the trees.
but when he used wind chop instead of tearing the tree it struck the tree and just left some snow particles there.
At that time Rowan thought that maybe this spell is weak or he is doing something wrong.
But now Rowan clenches his teeth,"Ok let's do this."
Riven also lifts his wand.
"Let's not drag this match more."
Rowan lifts his axe and then brought it down
"Wind chop."
At that Riven's eyes flickered briefly.
'Wait wind?'
'I thought he only knows water and fire.'
Riven quickly gets his composer back.
"Wind surge."
A sharp faint blue cresent arc emerged following Rowan's axe swing.
While The air gathered around at the tip of Riven's wand and started compressing into a forward-driving blast.
Both spells gets launched and brushed past from each other's side.
Rowan gets hit by the wind surge and gets pushed some steps back. Rowan tried to steady his staggring steps,
"ughh...Puff"
After steading himself Rowan exhale a deep breath and forced his eyes open.
Riven frowned slightly.
'hmm... I don't feel any pain from his spell.'
Suddenly Riven felt a chill running down his spine.
'What was that...?'
He looked up and saw Rowan, lifting his axe again getting ready for another swing.
"Huh.." Riven takes a deep breath.
"let's end it with this one."
Riven lifted his wand preparing for his final attack. He started gathering mana around the tip of his wand.
But suddenly...
"Huh."
He felt an unusual numbness around his hand.
'Why isn't mana?'
He looked down at hand.
His skin was faintly blue.
Snow-like particles clung to his fingers.
"…Snow?" Riven frowned,'didn't he used some kind of wind spell. So this...?'
Riven shook his head.
'No I don't have time to spare on this.'
Rowan who has lifted his axe was ready for the swing the mana around the blade was faintly visible.
Riven instinctively began gathering mana in his left hand.
Rowan's vision was slightly blurred and there was only one thing in his mind.
'I have to swing it with full power.'
"Fire Chop!"
The crescent roared forward.
Riven looks at the cresent arc and tries to accelerate his gathering—
But without wand the mana gathering was relatively slow. Riven looks at his left hand.
'Shit... Quickly quickly.'
But it was too late.
The Fire Chop finally struck.
The incomplete mana in his hand destabilized.
Then—
BOOM.
Riven screamed.
"UGHHH~Ughhhhh..."
The gathered mana exploded outward violently.
Outside the barrier, students gasped, covering their mouths.
"Mana rebound!"
Eldric winced sharply like he could feel the pain himself.
"Ouch—shit—no, no… mana rebound."
Even the dojo master grimaced faintly.
"Ahh... Mana rebound."
Mana rebound—
The most painful consequence a mage could endure.
To cast a spell, mana must first be gathered and stabilized.
If interrupted mid-channel—
The unstable mana detonates against the caster's own body.
Inside the barrier, Rowan frowned looking at Riven with half lidded eyes.
"Huh...What happened to him all of a sudden?"
Then a realization struck. Rowan gulps.
'looks like...This is my chance.'
He lifted his axe and started swinging it nonstop.
Again.
Again
And again.
"Fire Chop!"
"Water Chop!"
"Fire Chop!"
"Water Chop!"
Crescent after crescent slammed into Riven.
The arena got filled with steam and fog from the collision of spells.
Rowan stopped only when his arms felt like they would tear from his body.
His legs trembled violently.
The fog that has covered the vicinity slowly started fading.
Rowan swallowed hard.
'Please… please... please.'
As the mist finally became clear enough to see a silhouette slowly became visible.
Riven stood there.Hair hanging down covering his eyes. His robe was scorched and bruised..Even though it was clear he was a mess.
He stood upright.
His breathing remained steady.
The students' jaws dropped after witnessing this spectacle.
Rowan felt something twist painfully in his chest.
He slowly lowered his axe down. His face was distorted from the mixture of many emotions as he wondered.
'even after all this...'
But suddenly as the full fog gets settled then Finally. Rowan saw it. his breath hitched and eyes widened as he saw that even though Riven is still standing, He is outside the barrier which means that he has been ejected out of barrier. '...Did I win?'
Riven's knees finally buckled.
He fell as the barrier dissolved.
A faint smile began forming on Rowan's lips.
'Did I really…?'
But suddenly—
The students who were watching the match from the corner stood up and started walking towards Rowan.
Rowan looking at the students coming his way lifted his hand on his shoulder level in a surrender position.
But then suddenly—
"Hey are you ok?"
Those words weren't for him.
Rowan saw that the students have gathered around Riven, kneeling as they asks Riven.
"Hey Riven! are you ok?"
---
Riven opened his eyes slowly.
Sunlight filtered through strands of his hair.
Things were looking a little blurry. Riven shook his head and finally, he saw it the clear Blue sky above.
'What happened?'
The question was there in his mind for a second before the memory of the battle finally resurfaced.
He remembered getting mana rebound and then.
'Did i...'
Before he could complete the thought a sudden voice interrupted him.
"Hey, are you okay?"
A face blocked his vision. The shadow of that face covered half of Riven's own face.
"…Leo?"
"...."
"Move your face, man."
Leonhart pulled back, grinning awkwardly.
Two students held Riven's shoulder helping him to sit up.
"Are you alright?"
Riven chuckled lightly. "Yeah. I'm okay. Nothing much as you see."
"You had mana rebound," one said seriously. "We were worried."
Riven nudged him with his elbow.
"Relax."
They laughed.
Rowan stood still watching this spectacle.
His legs were still screaming at him that they can't stand anymore. But Rowan still stood watching the spectacle. it was like he can't hear them.
The students surrounding Riven and their playful banter after the battle.
Looking at that, Rowan felt an unexpainable ache on his heart. As he wasn't able to describe this feeling. Rowan stared at Riven surrounded by students for a long time.
'Will I ever become like him?'
But then — A hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.
"Hey, dolt."
Rowan looked up.
It was Eldric.
Before Rowan could react—
Eldric grabbed his side pulling him closer and started tickling his stomach roughly.
"Look at you dolt! I never thought you'd actually win!"
Rowan's eyes widened.
A chuckle escaped his lips.
Eldric frowned.
"What the…What happened to you?"
"Nothing," Rowan said softly.
"Thanks. For teaching me."
Eldric scratched the back of his head.
"Ughh... I told you, don't make it sound noble."
He glanced toward the Master.
Then slowly leaned close to Rowan's ear.
"…But still, If you're that thankful— then buy me some drinks."
Rowan blinked.
Then nodded seriously.
"Okay."
Hearing that a wide grin spread across Eldric's lips.
---
The sun dipped lower.
And the final match of Darve Dojo finally came to an end.
But, something much larger had just begun.
---
Chapter Ends