CHAPTER 143: HUMILIATED...

Ember moved forward and forced her brother to the ground.

"Do you yield?" Ember asked, holding the blazing sword steady, its tip hovering inches from her brother’s chest.

"I would never surrender to you," He shouted, trying to deny the obvious reality, he had been defeated.

Ember’s eyes narrowed as Rowan’s defiant words echoed across the arena. Her grip tightened on the blazing sword, its fiery edge casting flickering shadows across Rowan’s defiant face. Fury burned in her soul, the arrogance in her brother’s eyes infuriated her.

So she stepped into her stomach, forcing a scream of pain out of his useless lips.

"Stop doing that, trash. Our father will be furious when he learns about it," Rowan screamed trying in despair.

"Always so pathetic and spoiled," she whispered, just loud enough for her brother to hear. "That’s why you’ll never grow."

Without a second word, she pressed the tip of the blade down. The superheated metal bit into the flesh of Rowan’s shoulder, a searing line of pain blossoming across his skin.

A guttural scream tore from his throat, echoing through the stands.

His body arched, a desperate, reflexive twist against the agony. The burning pain was absolute, consuming every other sensation.

His pride rumbled under the weight of the pain. Blood trickled from the wound, mingling with the ash-strewn ground as he writhed, his earlier bravado reduced to a whimper.

The crowd watched in stunned silence.

"That," Ember said calmly, "was for every time you called me weak."

Rowans cried in pain, as his pride was destroyed before everyone’s eyes. How would he counter the claim that she was beneath her sister after being defeated in this way.

Across the arena, Davi smiled with pride, as he kept making sure no one would get closer to Ember. He would let her have as much time as she wanted to destroy her brother.

Rowan’s eyes darted desperately around the arena, seeking some escape, some way to turn the tables. But his magical reserves were depleted, his body wracked with pain.

"The match officials are waiting, Rowan," Ember said, her voice steady. "Do you yield, or shall we continue this education?"

The fire danced across her sword, and went straight inside Rowan’s wound, burning him from inside out. The pain was so bad, he almost fainted. He was barely able to resist the desire to beg her to stop.

"Yield," Ember demanded again, twisting the blade just enough to make him writhe.

"Fuck!" Rowan snarled, but his defiance was crumbling. Every second the sword lingered, the fire seared deeper, a relentless torment. His strength was spent, his magic drained. There was no escape.

Rowan’s face flushed with humiliation as he realized the totality of his defeat. With a voice barely audible, choked with rage and pain, he finally uttered the words he never thought would pass his lips:

"I... yield." The words tasted like ash, but the moment they left his lips, Ember withdrew the sword.

The official’s voice boomed across the arena: "Contestant Rowan has yielded! "

Ember rose slowly to her feet, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The duel with Rowan had drained her more than she cared to admit. Her muscles ached, and sweat plastered strands of fiery hair to her forehead.

Behind her, medical staff rushed onto the field to attend to her brother. Ember didn’t spare him another glance. The battle between siblings was over, she had proven her point in the most definitive way possible. Now, her team needed her.

Across the arena, the remaining battles raged on. Davi was engaged with two opponents simultaneously, his movements fluid and precise despite being outnumbered.

Alexia was a blur of motion, her blade singing through the air as she pressed her advantage against Roland.

"One down," Ember muttered to herself, sheathing her sword with hands that trembled slightly from exhaustion. She took a deep breath, centering herself and assessing where she could be most useful.

Lara seemed to be struggling against her opponent, but if she could help the girl win soon, then they would definitely be victorious. Besides, she could work better with Lara.

Of course, she knew Lara wanted an individual duel, but she had a lot of time for that, and they needed to win the tournament.

That being said, as Ember turned away from her defeated brother, a ripple of unease passed through the crowd. Everyone noticed Rowan’s eyes, and he didn’t seem ready to give up.

Behind her, Rowan had shoved aside the medical staff with unexpected strength. His face was a mask of pure hatred, all pretense of nobility abandoned.

Soon, a small fire ball began to form in his hand’s, but the jude didn’t act immediately, as he hadn’t broken the rules yet.

"No one humiliates me," he snarled, then he launched his fire ball forward.

Several spectators shouted warnings, but Ember’s reflexes were slowed by fatigue. She would be too late to fully dodge the cowardly attack.

In that frozen moment of realization, a purple blur cut across the arena.

At the moment that fire ball was launched, a rule had been broken. Some one who had already given up, couldn’t attack the other anymore.

The judge moved with impossible speed. One moment he stood at the edge of the arena; the next, he materialized between Ember and Rowan.

With ease he dismissed the fire ball, and in the next instant he grabbed the boy’s arm and broke it, not giving him the chance to attempt a second strike.

"Enough!" The judge’s voice carried a magical weight that seemed to press the very air down around them. The rune in the center of the arena glowed faintly, and everyone stopped fighting, as that was the sign to stop.

Sophia immediately looked to where Rowan was being pinned down against the flor. The blond girl’s beautiful blue eyes now glow with rage.

"That stupid bastard..." she murmured.

"You have violated the sacred rules of combat," the judge intoned, each word falling like a hammer blow. "You have brought dishonor upon yourself, your family, and this institution."

Rowan’s face drained of color as the magnitude of his transgression dawned on him, as he realized how stupid he had just been.

"I... I didn’t," he stammered, but the judge cut him off with a gesture.

"Silence." The single word seemed to echo from the walls themselves. "You have already spoken enough through your actions."

The judge turned slightly toward Ember, who stood frozen in shock at the speed of his intervention. "Are you injured, contestant?"

Ember shook her head, finding her voice. "No, sir. Thank you."

With a nod of acknowledgment, the judge returned his attention to Sophia

"I’m sorry to inform you, young lady, but one of your team mates broke the rules, your team is disqualified, and..." He turned his attention back to the redhead boy. "Your actions will be reviewed by the Council for additional sanctions."

Two security mages appeared at the arena’s edge, summoned by the judge’s silent command. They approached Rowan, their expressions grim.

"Remove him," the judge ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument.

As the security mages escorted a shell-shocked Rowan from the arena, whispers rippled through the crowd.

Never in recent memory had a contestant attempted such a blatant violation of the dueling code. The scandal would echo through the Academy for months to come.

"Fuck!" Sophia screamed in frustration. She was prepared to lose the tournament, but not like that. "I didn’t even get the chance to put up a proper fight!"

Davi approached her with a sheepish smile. He wasn’t exactly proud of winning in such a one-sided way.

"Well, babe, we can keep going if you want?" he said hopefully, glancing toward the judge.

"Rules are rules," the old man replied with a shrug, arms crossed behind his back.

"It’s fine," Sophia interrupted, stepping forward. She approached Davi and offered him a handshake. "I lost. Honestly, choosing a teammate like him was my mistake from the start."

Davi accepted the handshake, only to be caught off guard as Sophia pulled him closer and kissed him right there in front of everyone.

When she finally pulled away, her voice was soft, teasing.

"I guess I’m yours now."