The Burning Flowers

Chapter VII

As much work as he knew he needed to do, once the morning of the duel finally arrived, Rennigan Glaus couldn’t deny that he was rather excited to take on Hiro and Jessi and put them in their proper places. It had been painfully obvious in Hiro’s eyes that the wind mage thought he and his buddy were guaranteed victory just because they outnumbered him, but Rennigan was more than confident that he could handle two first years. Over the course of his training, Rennigan had succeeded in defeating opponents far more powerful than Hirokol Pafran and Jessi Yuahl, and in his eyes, if the bumbling fool that was Ryokumo Caeli could defeat them on his own then Rennigan could do so with ease. Part of him even wished that Fayela had joined the other two so he could prove to all three that he was most fit to lead, but he supposed that might just be pushing his luck a little too far.

Yes, regardless of how strong I am, my affinity is not designed to defeat a rock mage. If it were one-on-one, I could beat her, but I’m not so sure if she had backup. Then again, there’s no point in dwelling on it because Rio isn’t fighting with them. All I need to do is focus on taking down those two Kraton idiots.

When he had woken up that morning, Hirokol had already departed the dorms, so Rennigan had yet to see his roommate, something he was grateful for. He far preferred being alone, so he was pleased that he was able to get ready for the fight in peace. When the indicated hour arrived, he put on some loose clothes and made his way down the first years’ tower and out around the back to where the training grounds were. It was early on the Sunday of their first weekend back at school, so the grounds were primarily deserted.

You’d think the most prestigious school in this country wouldn't be full of lazy fools who think the weekends exist to goof off. They should be training their asses off every single day if they actually want to make something of themselves. Rennigan smirked. But then again, the more of them that don’t try, the less competition I have.

As he approached the nearest arena, he caught sight of the three members of his team gathered around the railing, chatting amongst themselves, but the moment they noticed his approach, they went silent and watched him.

“You know, I kinda thought you’d bail, Glaus!” Jessi called over to him, then stuck her tongue out like an immature child.

Rennigan grinned confidently. “And why would I do that? What kind of man do you take me for? I take my honor very seriously, so if I said I was going to be here for the duel, then I was going to be here.”

“Yeah, whatever!” she snapped impatiently. “Just get your ass down in that ring so I can kick it for you!”

“Fine by me. Like I said to Pafran the other day, I’m quite busy this weekend, so I’d love to get this over with as fast as possible in order to get to handling more important matters.”

He folded his arms across his chest as Hirokol and Jessi glared at him, and he took pleasure in their obvious contempt. He didn't have any respect for them as mages, so he cared very little if they respected him.

“You’re so damn cocky, aren't you?” Hiro growled.

Rennigan shrugged. “You call it cocky, I call it confidence.”

The boy scoffed, then reached into his pocket to produce a familiar leather pouch that would be filled with the knockout pellets typically used in mock duels. Hiro tossed it over and Rennigan caught it with ease, watching as the wind mage turned his back to begin making his way to the railing, muttering softly,

“This is gonna be satisfying.”

“Yes, I agree,” Rennigan retorted with another grin as he watched both Hiro and Jessi hop over the railing and drop down into the arena below.

The boy then smoothed out his clothes and was about to do the same when he spared a glance at Fayela, who was standing silently with her back against the railing, her dark brown eyes observing Rennigan. For a moment, the two of them stared at each other, and he couldn’t help but try and gauge exactly what emotions were being concealed behind her soft expression. She wasn’t glaring at him like the other two were, but her eyes were far from welcoming.

“Have something to say to me, Rio?” he demanded harshly, fed up with the silence.

Faye didn’t immediately respond as she turned her eyes toward the grass at her feet. “Do we really need to do this? I mean, is fighting over being the damn team leader really worth our time? I don’t get why we need to bicker about this?”

“We don’t need to bicker,” he said simply. “As I recall, it was Pafran who suggested such primitive methods of settling this and I agree that it’s a waste of our time. The end result isn’t going to change. If the three of you would just do as I say, we can attain first rank by the end of the semester without any further issue.”

Faye shook her head. “Yet, doing what you said lost us the orientation, didn’t it? You couldn’t beat Noctis.”

“Incorrect,” he stated. “I could beat Noctis with a little more time, and as I recall, I didn’t lose to Noctis. I lost to Abigail, a woman you were supposed to handle on your own. But you couldn’t. You couldn’t handle a mere commoner, and because of that, you and I both wound up outnumbered. But no matter…” He waved his hand dismissively. “Once this match is settled, I’ll teach the three of you just how to defeat him and the rest of that team.”

Rennigan then moved forward, grabbed the railing, and went to hop over the side, but as he was preparing to jump, he just barely made out Faye’s quiet comment under her breath, and it stopped him from moving.

“Abi is not a mere commoner.”

He snorted, then glanced back to see that her expression had finally shifted to show some irritation, and it was quickly apparent that Rennigan had pushed her buttons.

“Whatever you have to tell yourself to justify your loss, Rio,” he snapped. “She might be talented, but that doesn’t change who she is. A mage like you should have been able to handle her, and you failed.”

Faye grit her teeth before taking a step toward Rennigan. “You’re right, Glaus. Her background doesn’t change who she is: A damn good mage. You can look down on Abi all you like, but she’s worth ten of you. You don’t even begin to compare to someone like her, and mark my words, Master Nyx Rana would never want to work with someone whose head is as far up his own ass as you!”

To his fury, Rennigan failed to hide the look of surprise that overcame him at Faye’s mention of the Master of Water, and he frantically tried to figure out how she could have possibly come to the conclusion that he was pining for her apprenticeship. However, the answer came to him almost immediately, and his features contorted into a sharp glare.

Damn you, Noctis! Don’t go spreading gossip about me!

Recollecting himself, Rennigan smiled coldly at Faye and met her challenging gaze with confidence. “As if you could ever understand the mind of a Master. My father has personally met Nyx Rana, so I don’t need to hear a lecture about what she wants from a simple miner’s daughter like yourself. You don’t know a thing.”

“Maybe I don’t,” she shot back. “But if somebody like you could ever be a Master, then I’ve lost faith in this country.”

“Come on, Glaus!” Jessi snarled from down below. “What the hell is taking you so damn long?! I thought you wanted to get this over with!”

For a few more seconds, Rennigan and Faye merely glared at one another before the water mage finally decided to break eye contact, and just before he jumped down, he said one last thing.

“Think whatever you like, Rio. In a minute, it won’t matter what you think of me.”

Faye didn't reply, and soon enough, Rennigan was down in the arena and making his way to the spot on the opposite side from Jessi and Hirokol.

And they call me arrogant, he internally mused. Yet Rio wants to stand there and pretend like she understands what Master Rana is looking for? She doesn't know a thing! One way or another, I’ll snap this worthless team into place and start climbing my way up to that apprenticeship! I haven’t worked my ass off just for these idiots to drag me back down!

Once he had arrived at his designated spot, he glanced across the fifty yard arena, marveling at how cramped it was for three combatants, though he knew that the smaller space would only play to his advantage.

“Count us off, Faye!” Hirokol called out as he and Jessi both prepared for the battle to begin.

Fayela soon complied, beginning her countdown from ten, and as she did so, Rennigan swiftly put together a game plan that should be able to beat the two of them in just a few minutes. There wasn’t even a second of doubt in his mind that this was going to go his way, so he just smiled at the intense expressions of his opponents.

Let’s get this over with. I have homework to do.

“Three…” Faye shouted. “Two… One… Fight!”

“Proto!”

As predicted, Hirokol immediately propelled himself from the ground, and with such a short distance between them, Rennigan knew that he would close that distance within a second or two. In addition, Jessi had already sent fire magic swirling into Hiro’s wind as they had done at orientation. In some ways, their ability to work together was admirable, but to Rennigan, he knew it wouldn’t be enough to make up for their incompetence.

The young man didn’t move, silently watching Hiro’s hands, which almost certainly held a pellet, as he waited for him to get close enough for his plan to work. In his past experiences, Rennigan had come to realize that wind mages were often impatient, believing their speed to be their greatest asset, and because of this, it was common for them to start with a casting of proto and attempt to reach their opponent before they could react. Hirokol had done just that.

Yup. So predictable. It seems you haven’t learned from your embarrassing duel with Caeli.

“Exalaant,” Rennigan finally whispered, and when he did, steam erupted from his hands at a rapid pace, bursting forward and concealing everything down in that arena in a white haze.

***

Fayela Rio could only gape down into the arena below, now filled with steam that prevented her from seeing any of what was going on. She could hear Hiro and Jessi shouting out incantations, but no matter how hard she strained her ears, she just couldn’t make out Rennigan’s voice. In the brief moment that Hirokol was soaring toward the water mage, she had been concerned as to why Rennigan simply stood there and watched without reacting, but it was clear now that he had a plan up his sleeve, and Hiro had flown right into it. She gripped the railing tightly, desperately trying to make out anything, and to her relief, the steam quickly burst up into the air as Hiro took control of the wind around them to eject it from the arena.

But that relief quickly vanished the moment she regained a visual on the duel.

“Do you see what I mean when I say that we aren’t even close to the same level, Pafran?” Rennigan sneered. “I figured you’d be predictable, but this is just sad.”

Rennigan Glaus was leaning against the wall of the arena on the opposite side of where he started, and down at his feet, Jessi Yuahl was laying in an unconscious slump, already eliminated from the duel. Both Faye and Hiro could only gape at the scene, with the former frantically trying to figure out how he could have crossed the arena in so short of a time.

Does he know some wind magic then? What the hell…

Before that moment, there hadn’t been a single doubt in her mind that Rennigan was going to lose, but that was mainly due to the fact that he was outnumbered.

So now that Jessi’s down, it’s become an even match. I mean, I knew he was good, but this…?

“Y-you bastard!” Hiro shouted with rage. “H-how did you…?”

Rennigan snorted. “How did I…what? Are you curious to know how I eliminated Yuahl so quickly? If you’d like, you can take a quick breather while I give you the rundown of everything you did wrong? Would you like that, Pafran? Or if you prefer, we can wait until I’ve eliminated you and then, as team captain, I can give you some advice.”

“You…” Hiro’s face then shifted from confusion to utter frustration and hatred. “Screw you, asshole! Proto!”

“Very well.”

This time, Hiro avoided going directly at Rennigan, instead propelling up into the sky, as if to ensure that he didn’t get attacked by the steam again, but the water mage still didn’t move or even react. He just stared up at Hiro, as if waiting for him to do something, and Faye could tell from her spot at the railing that Hiro was cautious of another surprise. Yet even so, he snarled out, “Condite”, creating what Faye knew would be invisible ropes that formed to wrap themselves around Rennigan. However, even as his arms were suddenly bound against his body, Rennigan didn’t say or do anything.

What is his plan here?! Faye desperately tried to figure out. Is he trying to intimidate Hiro or is he once again attempting to lure him into a trap? Damn… We can’t lose this! If we do…

She didn’t even want to entertain the thought of what their team might look like if Rennigan Glaus was given authority over them. Naturally, she knew that they didn’t have to uphold their end of the deal, but she also knew that doing so would only widen the divide between Rennigan and the rest of them, perhaps even to a point that they could never bridge it. Taming Rennigan was a necessity, so losing to him would be detrimental.

Come on, Hiro! Beat him!

Spinning in midair, Hirokol manipulated the air around him to send him back down into the arena, wind swirling around his arms as he shot two blades or air directly at his opponent. This time, now that an attack was coming straight for him, Rennigan reacted.

“Nikirin.”

A wall of ice formed out of the moisture in the atmosphere, appearing right in the direction that Hirokol was headed. The wind mage must have expected such a move and reacted accordingly, placing his feet against the ice and running up to the top before vaulting over the side

“Perkari!” Hiro shouted, but as Faye turned her eyes back to Rennigan’s side of the arena, she exhaled sharply, as did Hiro when he fully took in his surroundings.

There was no sign of Rennigan Glaus, and since Faye had been so focused on watching Hiro react to the wall, she hadn’t paid attention to what he might have done. Hiro’s blades of wind slammed into the arena wall as the wind mage landed at the base of the ice, wind swirling violently around him as he seemingly tried to sense if his opponent was using distortion magic.

And he must be, right? I mean, I can see the entire arena and even I can’t see where he went! He’s not on the other side, so…

Faye realized what had happened just as Hiro appeared to, but unfortunately, it was already too late by the time either of them remembered that particular water spell. It was one that wasn’t very well known outside of the affinity, but in their time studying for the Academy, Faye knew that Hiro would have at least come across it once or twice.

Unfortunately, it didn’t matter.

At some point during Hiro’s attempt to get over the wall, Rennigan had darted forward and used magic to merge his body with the ice, essentially phasing into it in order to conceal himself. Then, when Hiro landed at the base, his attention was focused on where Rennigan had been, and since he had a rather thick wall behind him, he must not have believed he could be attacked from the back. Therefore, Rennigan had all the opportunities he needed for his arm to emerge from the ice with a pellet in his grasp, and as Hirokol Pafran spun around, he only had enough time to watch as the pellet burst from Rennigan’s palm in a spray of water, hitting him square in the face and dropping him on the spot.

Faye didn’t know what to do as she watched the rest of Rennigan’s body materialize from within the wall as he stepped forward, smoothed out his clothes, and took in the fallen forms of his two opponents. He then grinned smugly and turned to stare up at Faye with unrestrained satisfaction.

Oh hell… This problem just got a whole lot worse…

Chuckling, Rennigan spread his arms out and shrugged. “And there you have it, Rio. I think it’s quite obvious now who here is most equipped to lead us. These two morons didn’t even last…hmm, how long has it been? One minute? Maybe Two, if we’re being generous? Either way, it doesn't matter. It seems I win.”

Faye’s grip on the railing tightened even further, and she knew that had her armor been activated, she probably would have broken it.

What am I even supposed to say to that? He won? He actually won?! So then do we accept him as the leader? Or should we just continue to ignore him and let this team fracture even further? Which response is going to screw us over the least?! I don’t even know anymore!

Faye instead took the easy route and didn’t respond at all, instead changing the subject to a question that suddenly came to mind. “Did you go easy on Noctis?” she demanded sharply. “During orientation, all you did was launch icicles at him and occasionally use a wall! Where was your steam attack when it mattered?! Where was your little phasing trick then?!”

Faye was already reprimanding herself for asking such questions, for she already had somewhat of an idea of what the answers were, but in her frustration, she couldn’t help but lash out at the arrogant and infuriating mage down below.

Rennigan’s smug grin vanished, and in its place was a look of disgust as he regarded her. “How dare you accuse me of such a thing! I gave my fight with Noctis everything I had! The steam attack wouldn’t have worked in such an open space and Nigreos Noctis would never have been stupid enough to let me get away with the ice wall maneuver! It only worked because Pafran and Yuahl are pathetic excuses for students of this Academy! It’s embarrassing that I have to tell you such a thing!”

Clenching her teeth, Faye stepped up and vaulted over the railing before landing down in the arena.

Rennigan sneered back at her. “Would you like to have a go at it, too, Rio? The two of them never even got to use their pellets so they’ve got plenty for you. I’d be happy to put you in your place, as well.”

As Faye stalked toward where he was standing, part of her debated taking him up on his offer to duel, but as much as she hated to admit it, she wasn’t sure if she could actually win. Rennigan proved that when he wasn’t blinded by his own ambitions, he actually had a rather strategic mind, and so she could no longer say for certain that she would come out on top. His ego was already inflated, so she feared what losing to him might do to make matters worse.

“Do you concede?” he demanded once she was right in front of him, and since she stood a bit taller than him, he was forced to look up at her. “Do you accept me as our official leader? That was the condition of this duel, after all.”

“I…”

I…what? What do I say? I’ve tried so hard to get to this school, and I’ve never been happier than the day I received my acceptance letter. I’ve worked my ass off, and now it could be for nothing because of this cocky prick who thinks he’s better than everybody else! What the hell did I do to deserve this?

“I…” she repeated. “...do not respect you in the slightest, Rennigan Glaus.”

Rennigan smirked pompously. “Nor do I respect you, Fayela Rio. You think I seek your respect? What you think of me means nothing. In fact, I do not care what anybody thinks of me. I know my value and I know what I deserve.”

“Do you now?” she hissed. “And are you telling me you deserve to be Master of Water? Are you telling me that you don’t care what Nyx Rana thinks of you?”

Just like the last time she used the Master of Water’s name, Rennigan’s features turned tense, and he fixed her with a glare of his own. “I don’t know what Noctis told you, but don’t pretend to understand what it is I want.”

“So you don’t want to be Master of Water?” she shot back.

“Oh, I do. And I will be. Mark my words, I will do everything I can to attain that position, and today marks the start of that.” His smile turned dark and twisted, and for a moment, she couldn’t help but flinch back. “We will have first rank and we will surpass Noctis. I swear it on my name, Rio, and you will help me do so. Now answer the question. Do. You. Concede?”

“I do,” she grunted despite the disgust it made her feel to do so. “I agreed to the conditions, so I will accept you as team leader, but know this, Glaus. Regardless of what you say, our loss at orientation was your fault. And if your arrogance gets in the way of our success again, I will do everything in my power to make sure you never get what you want. I will drag you down to hell with me. An eye for an eye and all that…”

His pale features twitched. “Are you threatening me?”

“I am,” she growled.

The arena went silent and Faye was determined not to be the one to back down first. Eventually, Rennigan scoffed, turned his back, and used magic to depart the arena. Once he was gone, Faye let out the breath she had been holding in and collapsed to the ground, riddled with so many different emotions. She knew she had to wake up Hiro and Jessi, but for the moment, she just rested her back against the ice and sighed.

Great… Now what?

***

When Rennigan arrived back in his dorm room, he collapsed down on the bed and clenched his fists tightly, doing his best to contain the utter rage coursing through him at Faye’s threat. He knew he shouldn’t allow it to bother him like it was, but the thought that she could drag him down and ruin everything made his blood boil.

So that’s how you want it to be, huh, Rio? You want some mutually assured destruction? He licked his dry lips and turned to stare through the window of the bedroom, watching the few clouds up in the sky as they lazily drifted across the blue expanse. Don’t let her get to you, he told himself. You won, after all. You beat Pafran and Yuahl, and you did so in such a way that it leaves no room for argument about who’s better. That was a victory in every sense of the word!

Despite having just sat down, Rennigan found himself overcome by restlessness, so he jumped to his feet and began to pace around the silent room.

Damn it all! Damn it all to hell! I won, so why am I so damn agitated?!

“For the good of the family, you must excel. The Masters are too powerful and the king gives them too much free reign. We need somebody that Ijiria can trust in those chambers, and that person is you, Son. Become one of them and make this empire a better place!”

Rennigan smiled bitterly at the memory of those words. I will. I know I can do it, but Fayela Rio thinks she can ruin it all just because she thinks orientation was my fault? Give me a break!

Stand in my way, Rio, and next time, you’ll be the one I beat into the ground!