Reverse Chronicles

A Sage at Last

It was the day of the Magic Tournament in Arbre. When I woke up, Keith was already ready. He had his robe on and all of his tomes in hand. He took his leave, telling us that he was heading to the arena to familiarize the place and investigate his opponents.

Franz was doing push-ups and his early morning workout. His well etched muscles and sexily sculpted physique showed his dedication. I could not help but observe as he did his exercise. I could never do a lot of push-ups, so seeing him do a lot is mesmerizing.

“Good morning,” he said, finishing his last push, while wiping his sweaty face using his shirt which revealed his shining toned rectus abdominis.

“G-g-good morning, Franz.” I smiled trying to redirect my gaze from his beautiful abs. I jumped out of bed and went to take a bath. Watching Franz workout pumped me up to do some stretching and a few push-ups and curl-ups. I went out of the bath, to see him and his naked chest and abs. He was doing cool down stretches.

He smiled as I entered the room. He noticed that I was watching. I quickly grabbed my clothes and ran back to the bathroom to change.

Why is this happening? I’m supposed to be straight, but why do I blush when I see him do his thing? Does this body make me feel that way?

“Are you not done yet?” Franz knocked on the bathroom door.

“I-I’m done,” I bolted out of the bathroom covering my eyes to keep them pure from his tempting and mesmerizing bod. He went inside, while I got ready to go eat breakfast. I went outside to get some fresh air while waiting. The fragrant forest smell wafted through Arbre. From the second story of the inn, all could see is forest on the outskirts. This city is perfectly nestled in Lorbe.

The people who passed by seemed to head towards the mage arena, which was directly at the next street. The arena was not as big as the Colosseum from my world, but it looks like it can accommodate a lot of people. It was in the southwestern part of the city.

Franz was finally finished and hurriedly donned his clothes and armor. We went downstairs to eat breakfast, after which we headed to the arena. The preliminary round already started when we arrived. There was a mage who attacked mainly using fire but was completely shut down because his opponent used water.

I remember Keith lecturing me about the magical elements, four basic elements, water, fire, land, and air; four advanced elements, ice, lightning, lava, and nature. There are also elements outside the influence of the four basic elements, such as light and shadow. Beast magic, enchanting magic, and mind magic also existed. Common mages can use only one or two elements, while the truly talented mages can use all of the elements. Specialized classes can use beast magic and mind magic, while enchanting magic is an important aspect across all magical fields.

We watched the next preliminary matches. Most of the mages so far wielded one to two elements. Some matches unfolded the great disadvantage of particular elements to some elements. However, there were also some matches that resulted with the disadvantaged mage as the winner. The audience was filled with mages, sages, and magical classes. There were also some people with a different class. The cheering and applause were restricted when there was a clear winner.

“Next battle is between Keith and Neil,” the umpire announced. “From this round, we will have mages who can control all four basic elements.”

“It is finally his battle now,” I uttered.

Keith came out of the left door. He walked which surprised me. I’m used to his levitating that watching him walk feels really weird.

“Battle start!” the umpire announced.

Keith cast his signature spell, Levitate, and mesmerized everyone in the audience.

Now we’re talking!

Keith’s opponent cast a blazing spell, which he was quick to avoid, because of his mobility advantage. He rushed his opponent and cast Deluge, trapping his foe in a large water sphere while being hit by a barrage of rock javelins and wind blades from Keith’s finger. After five seconds, the umpire called the battle over in Keith’s favor.

The crowd went wild, as the battle was over in an instant. Some mages stood up and gave their applause. The cheering did not stop even after Keith left the arena. The next battles could not compare with the first one. Control of the four elements meant longer battles as element disadvantage was eliminated from the equation. Mateo, Keith’s friend fought in the last round. He won thanks to his quick consecutive spellcasting.

“That ends the preliminary round,” the umpire announced. “Those who won in the preliminary round will fight in the semi-finals, where they would all fight simultaneously. The final five mages in the semi-final round will proceed to the final round. The semi-final will start when the sun peaks.”

I was hungry with all the adrenaline in the arena. Franz and I went for lunch at an auberge in front of the arena. The meal had its Caldian signature, delicious and affordable. We went back to the arena right on time for the semi-finals.

“It is now time for the semi-final round. Mages enter the arena, battle start!”

Keith was in the first battle. He fought with both common and talented mages, which was an unfair match for the common mages. I expected the common mages to be defeated first, however, everything took an unexpected turn. Every mage in the arena was ganging up against Keith. They simultaneously cast their spells in an attempt to hit him in the air. However, Keith evaded them all. One by one, he defeated his opponents in an unending streak. He did not only use a single element and a single spell for each opponent but cast them all at once. While he was in the air, he combined Wind Blade and Rock Javelin raining them down on his enemies. After the two spells finished, he switched to defensive mode by creating a tornado of water and fire, which thwarted all of his opponents’ attacks. In an attempt to end the battle, he flooded the entire arena with Deluge and cast Lightning Strike. He went too much. He was the only mage left “standing” in the arena.

The crowd cheered wildly for Keith. The umpire did not expect him to be the only mage standing left, so he announced that there are four slots for the finals.

“He is insanely strong!” I turned to Franz, who genuinely smiled for his friend.

“He can do more than that!” Franz boasted. “He may just win this tournament.”

The next semi-final battle lacked flair compared to the first one. It was the same battle as the first one, but no one stood out, except for Mateo and his quick cast. Like Keith, he was able to cast spells in succession and use two spells at once. His battle prowess, however, was not as strong as Keith’s. Luckily, he was able to be one of the four finalists to proceed to the final battle.

“It is now the moment that everybody has been waiting for. The final battle is upon us, who will win this year’s mage tournament and gain the approval of the sages?” the umpire once again announced using his magically enhanced voice. “Will it be Keith?” Keith entered the arena. “Mathilde?” a woman entered. “Mateo? Joan? Therese?” The finalists formed a pentagon in the arena. They served as the corners of the figure. “Battle start!”

This time, Keith did not cast Levitate. He fought the mages with his feet on the ground. The entire arena was filled with spells, fires blazed, waters flowed, winds blew, rocks crumbled. Mateo ran towards Keith, defending against the three other mages. Keith covered Mateo as he ran towards him. They started to fight together, one attacked as the other defended, and vice versa.

Noticing that they were at a disadvantage, the three other mages decided to also team up. The two sides of the arena became noticeable. On the left was Keith and Mateo, while to the right were the three other mages. Keith and Mateo were at a disadvantage with the three’s resonance. However, they were able to turn the tide because of a ploy.

Keith cast Levitate and looked like he was about to cast a powerful spell. The three tried to strike him down, but he was able to get down before their spells could land. Simultaneously, Mateo attacked the three. The three were barely able to defend against Mateo’s attack. Keith floated back up and combined Wind Blade and Rock Javelin. Still, the three were able to defend. Mateo flooded the entire arena using Deluge, and Keith pulled him up using Levitate, finishing the other three using Lightning Strike. Keith and Mateo pulled out a victory. However, it was not over until one mage was left standing.

When the waters receded, they began a barrage of spells. Their magical strength was on par and their casting time was almost the same, but Mateo being a little bit faster. The fight was a stalemate. Whenever one attacked, the other is able to successfully defend, and vice versa. Even Keith’s Deluge and Lightning Strike combination was thwarted. When Keith would flood the entire arena, Mateo would launch himself upward using Jetstream avoiding certain defeat. Keith would attack him in the air, but Mateo is quick in his spellcasting that even Keith could not keep up.

The equilibrium began shifting when Mateo made a misstep. Keith appeared like he was going to flood the arena, which made Mateo launch himself upward. Keith trapped him in mid-air using Twister finishing him with Wind Blade. When everyone thought that the battle was over, Mateo destroyed the tornado and surrounded himself with a barrier of water. He finally revealed his secret weapon, Needle.

Needle is a light element spell and could penetrate and destroy any spell of the four basic elements.

“Light magic?” everyone in the audience was bedazzled and flabbergasted with the turn of events.

“You finally revealed your ace,” Keith shouted. “Now it is time to reveal mine.” As Mateo’s Needle spell attacked Keith, a black wall protected Keith.

“Shadow magic?” everyone was even more amazed. The arena became the dance floor for the waltz of light and shadow. I was mesmerized with the battle. The balance of power is in an equilibrium, not one wanting to stop and yield to the other.

Suddenly, the arena fell into silence. Keith and Mateo stood face-to-face. They did not move a muscle, nor cast a single spell.

“They ran out of mana!” a spectator uttered loudly. “It’s a draw.”

“No, it’s not. Look!” another spectator pointed at the black clump forming above the arena.

“It is now finished!” Keith shouted. “Future Entanglement!” And with that spell, Keith won the mage tournament. The arena was filled with applause and cheers for the victor. The umpire reentered the scene and raised Keith’s right hand.

“The winner of this year’s mage tournament is Keith of Jyria.” One of the spectators levitated towards the two.

“As the chief sorcerer in the city of Arbre, I present the Ring of Sages to you, as the victor of this year’s tournament. Also with your spectacular performance, I give you this,” the sorcerer handed a ring along with a piece of paper to Keith. “This is a pass for the Great Library of Mysinda. You must continue your magical training and aim for even greater heights!”

Keith wore the ring that was given to him. Suddenly, spheres of golden light surrounded him. His entire body glowed, blinding the entire stadium. Moments later, he absorbed the light and an air of mystique emanated from his presence. He has advanced to the Sage class.