Gripping his blade, Aether slowly entered the arena. On the other side, he saw Orion, smiling, while holding his katana. Once he saw Aether, he winked at him, which made him chuckle.
After all, everyone expected them to hate each other, and while that was pretty much the case at the beginning of his Academy life, Orion didn't like him one bit; they had grown closer. Especially this fall, interestingly enough, he also struggled with some classes, so they had been in the same boat a lot of the time, which had made them even closer.
"You know I won't go easy on you. Right, Aether?" He said.
Aether nodded. "Of course, I don't want the people to think that I paid you to win, you know? My reputation is bad enough."
Gripping the wooden rapier, he waited until the bell finally rang.
