A group of people gathered in the center of a dirt square, shouting and yelling as if chanting a ritualistic hymn. They watched a sword fight with interest.
One of the combatants, drenched in sweat, took a step back, analyzing his opponent's movements in search of an opportunity to attack. The adversary, on the other hand, maintained a confident smile.
"So, you agreed to fight for money, then why are you avoiding the confrontation, villager?" mocked a man in the crowd.
A wheat-haired boy circled the inner perimeter, observing the fight while the audience applauded the beating the villager was taking. The villager was thrown against the crowd and pushed to the ground by a burly man.
"Uuh..." the boy grumbled. "That one hurt."
The other combatant, a Vagus agent, seemed to revel in the entire situation. With his arms open, he nodded toward the spectators, begging for more cheers.
"Can I borrow your sword? I promise I won't break it," he murmured, picking up the villager's sword.
The Vagus agent sensed the boy and quickly turned to look at him.
"Who are you?" the agent questioned.
"I'm Theo, a rookie Vagus agent. And you, sir?"
"I am Sigmore, a fourth-degree agent," he replied with a smile.
"May I challenge you to a duel?"
Sigmore nodded in agreement.
'He's two ranks above me... Probably an experienced fighter. It'll be a good opportunity to gain experience and combat practice. But this sword...' Theo reflected, looking at the villager's sword. 'A Xipho... It seems to have a quality far below standard.'
'This kid thinks too much,' Sigmore pondered, advancing toward Theo. He launched a strike toward the boy, who skillfully dodged.
"Sir, I haven't finished my reasoning yet," Theo complained, avoiding Sigmore's blow.
"Will you have time for that in a real fight?" Sigmore retorted, attacking again and bringing the blade dangerously close to Theo's face.
Theo leaned back, escaping the attack, and quickly knelt down. Then, he trapped Sigmore's left arm while holding his sword.
"I don't know. We'll only find out if we try, right?" A smile curved across his face.
"What's the point of trying and ending up dead?"
"Death is the end either way. Well, that's what people say..."
Theo threw Sigmore's arm backward and moved away. 'How am I supposed to deal with this sword? I should've brought my own,' he thought.
Sigmore advanced swiftly, unleashing strikes with his sword as he sought to hit Theo. The boy remained on the defensive, skillfully dodging while searching for an opening in his opponent's movements.
Noticing that nothing would change by attacking only with the sword, Sigmore tried to hit the boy with kicks.
Locking swords, Sigmore delivered a kick with his left leg, supporting his body with his right. Theo, however, grabbed his opponent's leg before being struck in the ribs.
Exploiting the boy's defense, Sigmore sharply pulled back his left leg, dragging Theo along with him. After throwing the boy off balance, Sigmore attempted to strike with the flat side of the sword, but failed.
'What's he going to do? Advance? Normally, that would be it. But he's a fourth-degree agent, he already has enough rank not to act so predictably. So...'
Sigmore threw the sword into the air, making it spin around its own axis. Delivering a strong slap to the pommel of the weapon, he launched it at high speed toward the boy.
Theo was forced to take the initiative and counterattacked, blocking the projectile, knocking it to the ground, and preparing a charge against Sigmore, who, however, had already moved from his previous position.
Sigmore ran to retrieve his sword, but Theo suddenly acted, landing a kick on the agent's chest. When launched backward, Sigmore once again assumed a combat stance while waiting for Theo to approach.
In a simple movement, the boy attacked with an attempted right jab, but failed. The two agents began exchanging punches and kicks, with the advantage favoring Theo, since he still possessed a weapon.
The superior agent landed a knee strike to Theo's stomach while the latter delivered a jab to his opponent's cheek. The two hits were enough to force them to retreat.
Both launched themselves a meter backward.
Sigmore seized the moment and advanced, going after the sword he had lost again. Theo still tried to intervene, however, the other agent was faster and managed to recover his weapon.
Recovering the sword, Sigmore turned sharply and cut through the air toward Theo, who did not have enough reaction speed to dodge. Throwing the weight of his body downward, Theo threw himself to the ground. Nonetheless, Sigmore's blade cut a strand of Theo's hair.
Theo's amber eyes fell into rage.
Theo reacted driven by that feeling, striking Sigmore with a kick to the chin, followed by an elbow to the stomach, pushing him backward.
Sigmore retaliated, attempting to attack, but Theo dodged and slid across the ground.
A wave of cold, chilling wind covered Sigmore, literally pushing him backward. Gesturing with his fingers, Theo extended his arms toward Sigmore.
"Huh?!" Sigmore muttered, surprised.
'A Deviant!' he pondered.
With a quick movement, Sigmore rolled to the other side. Surprised, he broke the crowd's silence with a smile:
"Who would've thought you'd get so angry just because I cut your little bangs..."
'I almost awakened an unwanted storm...'
"My hair is sacred," Theo retorted, examining the cut.
"So, you're challenging other martial artists to gain combat experience?"
"Exactly. At only fifteen years old, it's recommended for beginners to fight against other agents as much as possible. I was lucky to find you at the city's border."
"Theo, take him home," Sigmore requested, pointing at the fallen villager while giving Theo a one-eyed wink. "Take this, you won. I promised five hundred coins to whoever defeated me."
"But sir..." protested a subordinate.
"This kid is a Deviant. Do you think I'm going to face him? Even if he's a teenager, it would be foolish." Throwing the sack of money toward Theo, Sigmore asked one last question. "Hey, do you already have a pseudonym?"
Theo tied the sack of money to his waist, looking into Sigmore's eyes and making a greeting gesture as he replied:
"Yes. Call me Lumen."
"Lumen, huh?" He sketched a sarcastic smile. "See you later. Come on, boys, feel like spending the night at the bar?"
As Sigmore and his subordinates walked away, Theo approached the fallen villager and wondered:
"How am I supposed to find out where your house is?"
The crowd gradually dispersed, each villager taking a different direction. However, one was different. A hunched old man suffering from obesity. His eyes were closed, and his body was covered by a leather apron.
"Sir Sigmore... That idiotic little worm," the villager muttered. "Always causing trouble and throwing it onto the backs of naïve people. I wonder what he'll do when he gets promoted by the king."
Theo watched the old man walk toward him while touching the strand cut by Sigmore.
"Boy, since it's already getting dark..." The villager pointed toward a steep street. "At the end of Rudsir Street, the last house after the slope. That friend's house is there. Good luck..."
"Thank you..."
With a gesture of his fingers, the wind lifted the villager into the air and carried him onto the boy's back. Theo walked with the old man far beyond dusk.