Chapter 111 -
“I’ve got you.”
Mordecai appeared out of nowhere, catching Prince Alexander before he could hit the ground.
“That’s 8-5!” he called back to Benette who was busy mending a broken arm.”
“No fair!” the other called back, making Johan stare at him. “Xander’s just unconscious, and you keep choosing ones who aren’t that injured at all!”
“Ah, but we go by the body count, and an unconscious body still needs medical attention!” Mordecai pointed out.
“I know, but it takes a while to heal wounds and mend broken bones!” Benette replied with a pout and a frown, something Johan had never seen before.
“Hmm, that friend of yours is pretty competitive, isn’t he?” Mordecai asked Johan with a grin.
“Look who’s talking!” Benette almost shouted back while heading for the next patient.
“Looks like both of you are,” Johan replied. “But I think I need some medical help as well... I think I’m getting a bad headache...”
“Ah, you’re my number 9th then,” said Mordecai as he touched Johan’s temple.
The fire mage’s eyes widened as the rest of the haze was cleared from his mind.
“What... the...”
His head immediately swiveled towards Eirian’s direction, but Mordecai quickly held him with both hands and gently turned it back to face him.
“She mustn't realize we’re awake,” he told him with the usual weird smile. “Not before we let Dorin know.”
Johan slowly nodded his head.
“Take the dragon child and let Dorin touch him, I’ll challenge him to a duel later, for now, I still have another one I plan to win.”
He watched as Mordecai went for another slightly injured classmate.
The two medics seem to be having fun as the rest of the duels came to an end.
He looked for Dorin instead and saw him cheering behind Eirian who seems to be playing with her opponent Boulvar.
She kept narrowly escaping all his attacks without fighting back, in fact, they were the only duel left, since all the rest have already ended.
He took Dagon, treats bag and all, and went to Dorin’s side.
“H-how was your duel, Dorin?” Johan asked, trying not to sound suspicious, as he handed him Dagon in a bag.
“Oh, I ended it with one hit,” Dorin replied, holding the bag in his arms. “Your duel with Xander was really good, I wish I could have sparred with him instead.”
“Yeah, it was... really familiar...” Johan said, trying to think of something else to talk about.
“How about our little Dagon here?” Dorin asked the dragon whelp while wiping some of the chocolate from his chubby cheeks. “Did you like watching the duels?”
“Dagon likes eating the snacks!” the child declared.
“Of course you do!” Dorin laughed while rustling Dagon’s spiky hair.
“Boulvar! Hurry up and finish her!” came a shrill voice.
Dorin and Johan saw Venet cheering at Boulvar’s side, half of his uniform, shredded to bits. Beside him stood Xander who had just regained his consciousness.
“Was that your handy work?” Johan asked Dorin with a smirk.
“Yeah, he kept yelling ‘give it to me’, so I did,” Dorin said with a smile. “It didn’t last a minute.”
“Then perhaps you would like to have a longer duel with me?” asked Mordecai who was suddenly beside them.
“I thought you asked Benette to be your opponent?” asked Dorin.
“Oh, We just concluded, I won by 4 points,” Mordecai said with a smile.
“No fair! I’m still working on a ruptured spleen!” They heard Benette yell from a distance.
“A-a ruptured spleen? Y-you said, it was just a flesh wound?!” they heard his patient ask worriedly.
“It is,” Benette reassured him in a flat voice.
“Well, everything for you is as simple as a flesh wound, after all!” Mordecai called back. “So,” he looked back at Dorin, May I have this chance to have a duel with you?”
The smile on Dorin’s face wavered.
“Of course,” he answered after a while. “Johan, here’s Dagon back.”
He handed the snacking child back to his friend, who pushed the child gently back.
“W-why don’t you give Dorin a big hug for good luck?” Johan told Dagon. “Give him a kiss as well!”
“Big hug!” Dagon jumped out of his bag and gave Dorin a big smack on the cheek before hugging him tightly. “Good luck!”
“Thank you!” Dorin said, gently laughing. “Are you ready?” he asked Mordecai.
“Why don’t we take out duel over there?”
Mordecai pointed at the other end of the large open field.
Dorin stared where he pointed and kept looking at it for a while, feeling a bit strange.
“As you wish,” he replied with a smile.
Dorin was already thinking of his moves as they walked towards the end of the field.
‘He controls the element of water, as well as life, so he could probably control plants as well, I should anticipate... I should anticipate his...’
Dorin stopped mid thought.
Why does he feel like he had had these thoughts before?
“He’s floating!”
Dorin looked at his classmates who followed Mordecai and him to watch their duel.
“How can he keep himself afloat?! A move like that needs a pre-spelled broom or a lot of mana to pull off!”
He looked down and realized that the blades of grass beneath him has already turned to sharp blades.
‘Already?’
It is just as he remembered.
But from when?
He quickly sent a barrage of sharp wind towards Mordecai, not bothering to lower himself to the ground.
But none of them hit the medic.
He felt another attack as sharp icicles appeared in thin air.
He covered himself with hot air and ignited his surroundings.
‘Why does it all feel like these have happened before?’
Like it was...
‘Deja vu?’
“I commend your skills, Dorin, but how far can you go with your shield?”
Dorin stared at Mordecai.
He had heard him say those words before.
He quickly looked to his side and dodged as two students suddenly rushed to attack him.
“That was a quick decision,” the medic smiled at him. “Seems to me you’ve seen my move before.”
“Hey-”
“No fair, using people as weapons!” Mordecai finished for him. “But in a real fight, isn’t this quite normal? The power over life is part of the 12 elements, and mind control, after all, is one of my skills.”
‘And these weak willed men are nothing but weapons to us strong mages.’
Dorin’s eyes widened as Mordecai’s voice entered his mind.
‘Try to remember, Dorin,’ continued Mordecai’s voice in his head. ‘Why does this seem familiar? When did this happen before? Why did you forget?’
“Dorin!”
He looked to the side and saw Johan carrying Dagon. Xander stood by his side, both were looking worriedly at him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he called back at Mordecai. “You’re just messing with my head.”
Dorin’s eyes widened.
The people moving towards Dorin fell to the ground, the air knocked out of them.
“Now, we continue.”
Dorin faced Mordecai once more.
He had always loved fighting strong opponents.
It means he could let it all out and fight with his real strength, but with his id now in his Phasma core, he was able to calm himself as he continued the duel.
What he didn’t know, thought, is that he was already under Mordecai’s mind control.