Inverse System

An enormous explosion of water detonated from where Rein stood, filling half the arena in an extinguishing liquid that sent Sho flying backward. Rein walked through the water, slowly approaching Sho, who was struggling, healing his wounds through his newly acquired skill as he marched.

Health: 740/2490 (CRITICAL CONDITION!) (Regenerating…)

Health: 989/2490 (Regenerating…)

This continued until after 10 seconds, Rein was back at full health as drained the water down, spitting Sho out of the vortex as he relentlessly coughed on the ground, taking deep breaths as he recovered. Sho stood back up and reassumed his fighting stance, re-igniting his flames as he did.

"What… Was that? You're… You're not a siren…" Sho puffed, trying to catch his breath.

"Are you sure about that? Well, I guess you'd know since you're the prince. Anyways, what do you say? Should we end this?" Rein playfully asked as he glanced over in the direction of his friends, copying one of their Springs, then looking back at his opponent.

"Heh… I'd say it's about time…" Sho smiled, his heat firing up as he went full power, Rein and him staring each other in the eyes.

Suddenly, Sho burst out to Rein's left, going for the flank on his opponent. However, to Sho's surprise, Rein didn't turn around. In fact, he ran to the spot he took off from, wound up his arm, and delivered an outstanding blow to the air. As soon as he did, Sho felt a painful impact connect with his face, sending him flying into the edge of the barrier.

Struggling to get up, he saw Rein approaching him slowly, forcing him to rapidly stand up in a hurry.

"This is the first time I've tried this one. It's pretty good I guess," he said as he rolled his wrist, loosening it up as he got ready to strike again.

Sho grunted, then began running around him once again, Rein sighing then approaching where Sho was resting, then winding his arm up for a punch.

"I'm not letting you do the same thing twice!" Sho rushed in to attack Rein, who was still winding up his punch.

However, as Sho got close enough to attack, Rein suddenly disappeared from his view, then appeared behind him in a blink of an eye. He was winding up another punch, this time, Sho standing his ground instead of dodging.

"Even if I dodge, he'll be able to hit me," he thought to himself. "I just have to stay calm and focus on blocking his attack," he grit his teeth, summoning a pair of flaming phoenix wings that soared behind him, enveloping him in a shield of flames that protected him from the outside.

An impenetrable defense that burned at upwards of 1500 degrees Celsius (about 2700 Fahrenheit). Just being near it would scorch most living things to death, and whoever would attempt to make an attack on it would be burnt to a crisp. Not only that, but the strength of the shield itself was stronger than steel, using the power of his Spring as a catalyst to the grit of the shield.

But for some reason, Rein wouldn't stop his attack. He didn't even hesitate, he dipped his arm into the shield, somehow shattering through the impenetrable guard with a swing that shook the very foundations of the arena. He dug his fist into Sho's face, punching him out of his haven, the flames magically dissipating into the air as the burnt smell lingered, the light that it provided the area following promptly.

"Just who the hell do you think I am?" Rein uttered as Sho flew back into the wall, Rein's fist releasing smoke as it left contact, sizzling in the quiet arena.

"Thanks for the help. We couldn't have him losing now," a faint voice was whispering from the top of the arena.

"You don't need to thank me, master. I will now return to my post in Bacaros. Let me know if you need anything else," an elegant, smooth voice could be heard along with it, a woman with glistening white hair.

"Right. I'll see you later,"

"And we have a winner! Rein Xilris!!!"

The crowd erupted into a roaring cheer, repeating Rein's name over and over again in applause. Rein found it strange. They were almost too happy about his win. Even though he was under the impression that most of them had bet on Sho, they seemed jubilant regardless.

"Yeah! Take that you piece of shit!"

"Go back and cry to your daddy! Maybe next time he'll think twice before starting a war!"

"I'm ashamed to be born in the same country you used to rule! You get what you deserve!"

Rein could feel the pure hatred directed towards Sho from the crowd as he wearily awoke.

"Heh… I blew my only chance…" Sho uttered as the crowd's words battered him.

"Why though… Why'd you even challenge me? If your goal was to marry Chloe and end the war, you should've laid low for a while longer and felt the place out," Rein asked as he helped him up, giving him a shoulder to lean on out of pity.

"So you already knew who I was when you accepted. You were planning to lose in the beginning, weren't you? What made you change your mind?" Sho uttered as he wrapped his arm around Rein's shoulder.

"To put it simply, I was being a moron before. A couple of annoying guys gave me some wake-up calls, and I finally decided to listen," Rein lead him into the nurse's office on the bottom floor of the facilities in the arena, escaping the roaring crowd.

As they entered, Rein noticed some notifications on his System.

[New Skill!]

[Experience Gained!]

He decided to ignore them for now and check them later, laying the Econican prince on the nurse's bed. As he did, Rein turned around with the intention to leave him to rest until he heard Sho say his name, turning his attention back to him.

"The reason I was so hasty to challenge you… It was jealousy," Sho spoke regretfully.

"Jealousy?" Rein uttered, then put the dots together, increasing his pity for the prince.

"When I was little, I always accompanied my dad to his visits to Orthlys. Back then, my father was great friends with the King of Orthlys. They often went out drinking after their meetings, and I would be left in the Orthlys royal palace of Naji alone, which was why my dad always implored me not to come. 

That day, I was exploring the palace, when I saw her. I was about 8 years old when I first caught a glimpse of her. She was training in the gardens of the Orthlys royal palace along with a white-haired woman. Actually, you and the woman look very similar. Ever since that day, I constantly accompanied my father to his meetings in Orthlys every single time, subconsciously looking for the girl I previously saw.

Eventually, her father, the king, allowed me to meet with her and her instructor. The first thing the white-haired woman suggested we do was to have a friendly duel. The princess reacted jubilantly to the idea, and I saw it as a way to show my stuff.

She absolutely destroyed me. At that time, I had yet to develop a Spring, but yet, they both complimented me on my skills with the nunchucks. After that day, we would duel about once a month, whenever I would accompany my father. Of course, that ended when the war began.

Throughout those long, 6 years, I longed to see her. That was when word got out. The princess of Orthlys was enrolling in Ranger Academy. I dropped everything and packed my stuff, running at full speed to the gulf, barely making it in time before the doors closed. She noticed me when I entered… And I instantly noticed her. Though, we had to keep our mouths shut until later.

So when I heard that you were living with her… I couldn't contain my jealousy. I impulsively challenged you, without thinking of the consequences," Sho smiled wearily, putting his arm over his eyes in a regretful slouch.

"I see… You don't give a damn about the war, you just used it as an excuse... You just love her, don't you?," Rein spoke in a pitted tone, making Sho's tears flow down his cheeks under his arm.

"Yes… I love her so much… so much that it hurts…" He continued weeping as Rein stood over him, not leaving his side until he fell asleep out of exhaustion, then finally uttering his parting words to him as he left.

"I'm sorry."

As he exited the arena, he saw his friends standing near the entrance, all of them awaiting his arrival.

"Well, if it isn't the man of the hour!" Quint ran over to Rein and put his arm around his neck in a friendly motion as he laughed, which brightened his mood after his interaction with Sho.

"That was awesome Rein! Especially that line! 'Just who the hell do you think I am?'. You sounded just like Ka-" Xenia was interrupted by Core, who wasn't with them when they were watching the match.

"You really beat him without a weapon, huh? Man, I wish you didn't use a weapon when you slashed me over and over again back in the day," Core remarked, which made Rein's face twitch looking at him, Core tilting his head to him in confusion.

"Hm?" Core sounded.

"Oh… Nah, it's nothing…" Rein stayed silent about what he dreamt.

Quint let go of Rein as Lance pulled him away and put his arm around his neck, congratulating Rein on his win.

"I never doubted you buddy. Way to go!" Lance sounded unusually cheery, and it didn't sound fake either.

"Hey! You were just actin' super unfriendly! What's with the switch up?!" Quint pushed Lance off of Rein, growling at him.

"Huh? You expect me to talk shit to my best friend? What kind of man would I be if I did that?" Lance fired back, he and Quint growling at each other as Rein freed himself from both their grips, laughing nervously.

He approached Clyde and Reggie, who were standing in the back of the group, Clyde having his back turned.

"Thanks for the help Reg. You really saved my ass back there," Rein tapped him on the shoulder, Reggie reacting, confused.

"Help? Don't tell me that was my Spring you were using?! Aww man, and I was just watching it so casually! I woulda studied it if I knew!" Reggie beat himself up for the missed opportunity as Rein patted him on the head, laughing to make him feel better.

He continued past Reggie, reaching Clyde, who still had his back turned. Xenia came behind Rein and whispered something to him.

"Go talk to him. He's not gonna show it, but he's really happy you won. And you'd better take the chance to apologize!" She punched him on the shoulder, shoving him in Clyde's direction.

"Ouch… haha, don't worry. I will," he assured.

He approached Clyde and stopped a few feet behind him, staying silent. Suddenly, Clyde turned his face to Rein and looked him in the eye.

"What happened? What made you come to your senses?" Clyde opened with those words.

"Would you believe me if I said that it was because of you?" Rein asked jokingly.

"Of course not. You didn't even seem phased by my words. I am not going to fall for that trick," Clyde said.

"I was definitely phased, dude. You slammed me against the metal door. Believe it or not, but I can actually feel pain too," Rein spoke as he stretched his shoulder, pretending that it still ached from his slam.

They both looked at each other, then burst into laughter, Rein seeing one of Clyde's rare laughing moments. After the laughter dissipated, Clyde went in to hug Rein.

"I'm happy your back to normal Rein. I was ready to cut your head off if you lost," he wittingly remarked, Rein, feeling slightly unsafe after he heard those words, but laughed it off semi-casually.

As they broke apart, Rein felt an impact on his lower back, turning around to see that Emria had jubilantly slammed into him, smiling like a bright light that illuminated her surroundings.

"Yay!! I knew you'd win Rein!" She excitingly exclaimed.

"Haha, of course I would. You had faith in me too, right Saphrilla?" Rein happily smiled at Saphrilla, who was standing behind the exited Emria as she hugged her brother, looking at him with a slight look of sadness, seeming as though she was on the verge of tears.

Rein pulled Saphrilla into their embrace and patted her on the head, making her break out into light tears, grabbing onto his shirt tightly as she wept.

"Haha, come on. I've only seen you cry when you were incredibly upset, what's the occasion now?" He comforted her as she stayed silent in her tears, the rest of the group moving away from them as they parted ways, leaving Rein, Emria, and Saphrilla alone.

"Are you okay now Saphrilla? Do you need another hug?" He teased, making her look away in embarrassment.

"That won't be necessary," she returned to her usual form of speech, slightly irritated.

"If you say so," he laughed. "So… Where is she?"

"She went back to the dorm. She's probably waiting for you there," Emria informed him.

"How'd she look when I won? Was she happy?" Rein asked, still uncomplacent about the princess's feelings.

"We did not get a good glimpse of her face. She left as swiftly as she could," Saphrilla explained as Rein furrowed his eyebrows in uncertainty.

"Well, I guess there's only one way to find out then. Let's head back to the dorm," Rein proposed, then began walking, the two not following after him.

He looked at them with a bewildered face as they stood there.

"You go in alone. We'll wait out here," Emria waved.

"Huh? I can't just leave you two out in the city alone," Rein spoke worryingly.

"Do not fret!" He heard a voice come from behind a hazel tree beside them, Core emerging after it.

"I'm their appointed bodyguard when you're not around! That old man's paying me for it, so I might as well deliver!" Core enthusiastically exclaimed, having met up with Voron before arriving at Ranger Academy.

"Were you listening in on us this entire time?" Rein slapped his head in disappointment.

"And what gave father the right to appoint someone as our bodyguards. Just because he's my father, it does not mean he has authority over me," Saphrilla pouted.

"Ahahaha, I think it does actually…" Rein spoke carefully as Saphrilla always got sensitive when they talked about Voron.

"Anyways, I'm counting on you Core. Don't let them out of your sight!" Rein asserted, his overprotective side coming out.

"Yeah yeah, just hurry up. You shouldn't keep a girl waiting," Core remarked as Rein laughed softly, making his way to the dorm with his head held high.