The students exited the hall when the ceremony finished. Kolden stared at his schedule, and a map indicated the school's grounds. This had been handed out at the end; all students received it with the help of dimensional magic.
"Magus Dimensica", Kolden walked his way out of the hall. "Alright, library, library."
Kolden bit his lip while scanning the map. There were other students idly standing by, wondering where to go first. Classes start tomorrow, allotting time for students to get familiar with the school.
"Library of Varanica."
His eyes settled on the image of the library. He looked at the map and back up in confusion. "I'm getting nowhere with this map. Where's the compass or anything?"
Kolden sighed; maybe he should ask a professor.
"Kolden Engvail, is that really you?" a loud voice spoke.
Kolden turned his head: Zand Riffharrow. Kolden turned around to face the young man.
"crap"
He mumbled, and spoke, getting closer
"It really is you."
Zand's demeanor was sinister. Kolden tried to back away, but as if there was a wall behind him, he stood frozen. Zand inched closer and closer until he was on top of Kolden, staring down at him. This scene caught the attention of students who gathered around.
Kolden stared at Zand. The only things he could remember were his father telling him to stay away from the Riffharrows and to avoid confrontation with any of the family members attending Eldritch. Kolden's inner monologue was hazardous and worrisome. Who knew what Zand would do? It had only been a few seconds, yet the conversation had already turned violent.
"It's nice to see an old friend again. How long has it been since we last talked? Though the fact that you're here means we haven't talked enough. Most disappointing; I thought my last words left an impactful meaning."
Zand punched Kolden's shoulder faintly as he whispered into his ear. Kolden's eyes widened; this presence reminded him of Professor Canon when he had hushed the crowd of rowdy nobles.
"What's a person with a damaged mana gate and a sickly body doing here? Didn't my father warn your household that as soon as he had the opportunity, he would have you assassinated?"
Kolden took a step back and stared at the young man, his first-ever encounter with someone where he was certain there was no way out. Kolden closed his eyes briefly and exhaled calmly, folding his map into his pocket safely. He was 28, right? Kolden thought. Other than the presence, nothing else was scary. I could handle this, right?
"Zand, I don't take threats lightly."
A bead of sweat dripped from his forehead. Inhale, exhale, Kolden reminded himself. If he showed weakness in this situation, he would certainly die.
"If threatening to assassinate someone is what your family takes pride in, I'd say I'm better off already, even with a defective body," Kolden spoke confidently.
Internally, he was dying. Crap, crap, why did I say that? I was supposed to avoid confrontation. The first thing I do is go and insult this man's pride and his family; I couldn't have picked anything worse to say.
Kolden gulped. The crowd seemed to grow rowdy at the statement. How would Zand respond to a pick at his family's pride? Zand grinned wildly and spoke confidently.
"I don't know whether to laugh or be insulted. Any student here would know those words have no backbone. Your aura howls of terror."
Zand inched closer, pushing Kolden back. Kolden stood strong, but he grimaced slightly. He knew that the push was considered light by this world's terms, but it felt like his shoulder was going to dislocate. How terrifying.
"Though I cannot let a comment like that be bygones." Zand shook his head and smirked valiantly. "I simply cannot!!"
Zand stepped back and spoke loudly. Kolden gripped his wrist as a sudden wave of pressure pushed against him, his knees buckling. Kolden could only describe this sensation as being smushed by a giant hand he could do nothing about. Kolden bit his lip, causing it to bleed. If he lost sight of what was around him, he was certain he would pass out.
Shit, this guy's getting serious. I can't even handle a few words, and even standing next to him is taking all my willpower. I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared.
The crowd surrounding them seemed to be affected as well. The situation, already tense, worsened.
"I hereby, in the name of my ancestor Crownovias Riffharrow, challenge you, Kolden Engvail, to a duel in seven nights."
Zand spoke profoundly, as if not offering an option to say no. The students seemed to hush at his words, simply waiting for Kolden to respond. Kolden's lip trembled as he tried to hide his fear. Even Laerita had said it early on; she could feel his aura, and just from that, she could deduce what exactly he was thinking. That's scary to think about. What if Zand figures out I'm not this world's Kolden? Kolden relaxed; he couldn't overthink for now. He had to respond and accept the offer to the duel; there was no other choice. Kolden stared at Zand.
"I accept, but with a condition."
Zand scoffed and laughed. "Conditions, really? After you bad-mouthed my family's legacy, I could kill you right now, and you could do nothing."
Zand's emphasis on the word "could" gave Kolden goosebumps as his smile turned upwards, giving him a devilish look. Kolden gripped his stomach; he felt internally sick. How could someone so young have such a sinister aura? Having only experienced Canon's aura, he could only surmise that this was Zand truly trying to scare him.
I really fucked up. I feel sick, I feel sick, Kolden thought again and again. What if this were Canon in Zand's position? Could I die from mere presence alone? One thing is sure: if this confrontation had happened anywhere else but Eldritch, my head would've rolled already.
"But I simply don't see myself having any fun or gaining anything by fighting someone as weak and able as yourself, so name the condition. Only one, and I will happily oblige."
Kolden, ready to reply, was interrupted by Zand, who wore a devilish grin.
"Butttt, I say again, I simply cannot in good heart let my name be slandered, so your conditions will be met if my one condition is also met. We will swear on our families' names once we name our conditions."
Kolden stared at Zand and nodded. "Ok, that's fair."
The crowd seemed to grow tense and talkative. Faint whispers of "crown," "throne," and "relinquishing" filled the air. Kolden could only go off of those words; if he ends up losing the deal, his new life would be off to a rough start.
"My first condition: this is not a duel to the death. I know you could simply kill me and achieve what you want, but as you said, the battle would be no fun."
Kolden spoke calmly. Zand was crazy, that much he could tell. If he could use Zand's fondness for a good fight as leverage, he could guarantee Zand one while saving his own life. Kolden shook his head. Where am I getting these ideas from? Even scared shitless, I would still say something so stupid with confidence.
"So if you agree to no debilitating and life-threatening injuries, then I can guarantee it will be a fun fight. For that reason, my condition has no fatal injuries."
Kolden spoke. He knew he was being brazen with his conditions, but he had to. He has a week to discover what his limitations are and how this world works. There are too many missing pieces for him to risk his life, and with Zand already stating Kolden was weak, this wouldn't be suspicious. Zand smiled eerily and nodded.
"Well, the match won't be as fun, but I'd like to see what you could do in a battle of attrition. Fair enough, I oblige. As for my request," Zand smirked. The crowd grew tense, knowing what was coming next. "If you, Kolden Engvail, lose, you will forfeit the right to compete in the War of Succession."
Kolden swallowed. He was nervous but glad Zand had accepted his deal. However, he lingered on the thought that he only has this succession thing as a card he can play; had he not had it, the outcome would be grim. But he couldn't linger; being scared wasn't an option. He had guaranteed his survival for the week.
Kolden nodded at Zand's words and spoke calmly. The crowd waited.
"In the name of Engvail, I, Kolden Engvail, swear to uphold your conditions."
Kolden couldn't go back on his words, not with how many people were watching. There was a likelihood that other competitors were watching, so he couldn't falter. Zand grinned and nodded.
"Quite the change in demeanor. I'm impressed. Even faced with an obviously superior opponent, you show no signs of discomfort as you did earlier. You must be hiding something that makes you so brazen, but that's not my business."
Zand spoke calmly; he seemed more relaxed.
"In the name of Riffharrow, I, Zand Riffharrow, hereby agree to uphold these conditions. I'll be taking my leave; see you in a few."
Zand emphasized his last words as a reminder of how much time Kolden truly has. Kolden sighed in relief. This was settled and went as well as it could have. Zand stepped away, flowing through the crowd of students blocking the path.
Kolden stood there. How pathetic. Was change possible in a world like this? What were the expectations of power in this world? What were the limits? How strong would I have to be to stand face-to-face with a man like that? Kolden thought: in a week, he would face that man again. Was he ready?