"The other Dominant should ascend the training ring immediately. We do not have all day!" The instructor called out as his gaze swept the cadets then landed on me.
'Dammit!'
Damon was already on the raised platform, waiting for a solid minute, and I still hadn't moved. My limbs were frozen because of the paralyzing fear that gripped me.
Of course, it was just a training session, but the words "feel absolutely free to get vicious" kept repeating in my head. And I knew that there was absolutely no way I'd go up there without being beaten to a pulp and humiliated in the worst way possible.
A few tense seconds passed before Damon finally sneered with an utterly contemptuous expression. "You see why a Bondless is not fit to be in the academy? He's too much of a coward to even step into the ring!"
Instantly, every cadet in the training ground snapped their gaze toward me, and the sudden, low roar of their murmuring began to rise.
'I guess there's no running away from this.'
I sighed, feeling defeated, and dragged myself toward the training ring.
I could see everyone watching me intently. Among them were Audrey who had her usual worried expression and Leon who had an expression that I couldn't read. Though as I finally took my place on the platform, a cadet caught my eye that made me even more nervous. He had a confused, calculating expression and was standing with arms folded and hand resting on his chin. And a demonic looking creature was perched on his shoulder.
'What is Levi doing here? Isn't he supposed to be in class Beta?'
At that moment, Damon spoke again, drawing my attention to him.
"Eh? What is this? You came up here without even getting a weapon from the rack?" He pointed towards a section of the training ground that had a rack with both dummy and real weapons.
I took a quick look at the rack, then turned back to him and said, "I don't need any of them."
Damon frowned. "Wait… don't tell me you intend on throwing in the duel before we even start, because I won't let that happen!"
I let out a heavy sigh.
Of course, throwing in the duel was exactly what I would have loved to do, as I knew I had zero chance of winning. But I had to stay, for even if I got humiliated and injured, at least I would have shown off my bond.
I drew in a deep breath and said, "No. I won't throw in the duel. I will fight you."
As soon as I said that, I could hear the sea of cadets around us begin murmuring. Damon on the other hand, seemed to have a look of disbelief on his face.
Though that look didn't last long, because in the seconds that followed, a large, excited grin grew on his face and he chortled in victory. "Looks like you have finally decided to grow some confidence. Not that it matters, because I'm going to crush it right now."
He raised his right hand to the side and rolled back his sleeve, revealing a tattoo of a large three-headed dog. Then he called out, "Come, Cerberus!"
The black tattoo liquefied, turning to fine sand that flowed off his hand, and instantly solidified as it formed a giant double-bladed axe in his grip. The moment he grasped it, a brutal flash of trauma hit me.
Gritting my teeth, my gaze shifted slightly to the side.
'Gamer Privileges?'
[Activating Gamer Privileges…]
'What are his stats?!'
[Retrieving Character information.]
~~~~~~ Character Profile ~~~~~~
Character Name: [Damon Kaiser]
Age: [18]
Level: [14]
Grade: [2]
Element: [Earth]
Class: [Warrior]
Exclusive Class Attribute: [Beast of War]
Bond Name: [Cerberus]
Bonded Ability: [Hercules]
Exclusive Skills: [Koryne - Lv7], [Nemean Lion's Skin - Lv5]
EXP: [4300/10,000]
~~~~~~ ============== ~~~~~~
As I read through the profile, my fear intensified and my already rapidly beating heart thrummed even more wildly.
Then Damon spoke, drawing my attention from the screen to him. "You say you would fight me. But you do not have a weapon and are neither strong nor cunning enough to survive this duel."
He grinned and pointed his axe at me. "I do not know if you are confident, masochistic, or just straight up stupid. But know this: I'm not going to hold back."
He then gestured with his other hand. "Now come at me! I'll let you have the first strike."
I swallowed, my gaze still fixed on his axe, but right then, I heard Aika's voice echo in my head. Unlike before when she spoke with calm detachment, her voice was a bit gentle this time:
'You are afraid.'~-
I sighed, then replied. 'Of course I'm afraid. Who wouldn't be in this situation.'~
Aika voice grew softer. 'Do you remember what you said to me on our first morning together at the inn?'~~
I arched a brow trying to remember. Then Aika's voice echoed again.
'You told me that you would be fine because you had me.'~~
I frowned. 'Ha. Turns out I was arrogant and spoke out of foolish pride.'~
Aika then immediately interjected: 'No. You weren't wrong. You do have me. If we trust this bond and face him together, then even if we are injured or humiliated, we will still be fine.'~~
Those words of reassurance were exactly what I needed right now.
I smiled and looked up to Damon who yelled, "Are you just going to stand there?!"
Ignoring his taunting words, I drew in a deep breath.
'Thank you, Aika.'~
Then I raised my hand to the side and rolled back my sleeve, revealing the beautiful tattoo of a raven.
When Damon saw that, his grin vanished and an expression of sheer shock flashed across his face. It was not just him. All the cadets that were watching began to murmur in confusion.
Seeing their reactions, I forced my smile wider, then called out with sudden clarity. "Come, Aika Soryu…"