I made the announcement to everyone that Raphael’s location was the kingdom of the Frozen Crystal. We could reach it swiftly by using the portal in the palace. The journey seemed smooth until Raphael and I got into a heated debate. He repeated his grim warning: “Even if we manage to pull this off, they will hunt us down. They will not tolerate our coexistence. They will force us to merge into one being again.”

I tried to calm him down: “I know, we’ve been over this before, but let’s deal with it later, alright?” He insisted: “We need to decide now who will get to live, and you need to prepare yourself to say goodbye to your family.” His words angered me, and I snapped back: “They will have to pry me away from them. Maybe if you cooperate, we can fight them off?”

He shook his head and said, “No chance. It’s hopeless, especially in this state. One of us will fall, and the other soon after.” I suggested a terrible solution: “Then maybe we should settle this ourselves. Maybe we should have a duel?” He smirked and said, “You are no match for me. You don’t know how to harness your full potential. Even if I have only a fraction of your power, you would still lose, so I wouldn’t risk it.”

I challenged him: “You brought this on yourself, and I won’t back down. Raphael versus Raphael, one on one, nothing lethal, just to see who comes out on top.” Freya intervened: “Nox, please don’t do this.” I reassured her: “I’ll be fine, don’t worry,” but Raphael added: “You are definitely not going to be fine, and sadly, I never turn down a duel. I’ll show you what I’m capable of.”

We arrived at the arena, a glacial ring not far from the kingdom. As we made our way there, some curious onlookers followed us, eager to witness the spectacle. Soon enough, the word spread like wildfire, and the entire council showed up, including Kryo. He pleaded with us, “Please stop. This is foolish and pointless. You don’t have to duel each other.” But I dismissed him, saying, “We’re just testing our skills for the sake of the future. No one will die today. Sit back and enjoy the show.”

We took our positions on opposite sides of the arena, dragon versus human. I taunted him, “Come on, I can’t wait to see what it feels like to fight a human as a dragon.” He didn’t rise to the bait but asked me solemnly, “Are you really sure you want to do this?” I retorted, “We’re already here. What are you waiting for?”

There was a long pause. He hesitated to make the first move, so I did. I unleashed a blast of fire that melted the ice beneath him, but he dodged it nimbly. I followed up with a barrage of ice shards and a flash of light to blind him, but he turned into a shadow and escaped swiftly. He waited for another opening. I mocked him, saying, “Fight back, coward.” He replied coldly, “If you insist.”

He conjured a simple sword and said, “I hate doing this, Nox. You know that, right?” Then he vanished. I scanned the arena for any sign of him. He reappeared in front of me with his sword at my throat. Instinctively, I kicked him away and shattered the ice between us. Then I summoned a wall of ice to shield myself. I took off and moved to a new spot. He shouted from behind me, “Now you’re the one running away, coward!” His voice was close. He could move without making a sound. He could turn invisible at will. I didn’t know how he did that. He didn’t need to become a shadow or a beam of light to evade my attacks.

I tried to hit him with a spike from my tail while flying, but he caught it. He sliced my wing with his sword and made me lose balance. As he did that, I grabbed him and slammed him to the ground. He didn’t break free right away but said, “Good catch, but that’s still nothing.” Then he disappeared again. An arrow flew from above and grazed me. He was in the air, aiming at me with his bow. Another arrow followed, an enchanted one that shone like a star. It almost hit me in the head. I summoned a storm of ice shards and black smoke to obscure his vision and bring him down. My plan worked, and I spotted him in the midst of the dark cloud. In a split second, I struck him on his shoulders and broke both of his wings. But he fought back fiercely and sliced me with his sword again before plunging it deep into my chest.

He slipped, and his sword flew out of his hand. I pulled the blade from my chest, feeling a surge of pain and blood. I cauterized the wound with my fire, but the damage was done. Raphael vanished into thin air, only to reappear moments later with a smirk on his face. A massive circle of arcane symbols and chains materialized beneath me, binding me in place. I tried to shift into a shadow or a cloud of light, but nothing worked. The circle nullified my abilities, leaving me helpless. My wing, which had begun to heal, regressed to its broken state. My chest bled anew, staining the ground red.

Raphael reclaimed his sword and taunted me. “I told you. You don’t even know a holy spell, Nox.” I struggled to free myself, but I had no clue how to break the circle. He approached me, his sword glowing with holy light. He stabbed me again in the same spot, twisting the blade cruelly. He whispered in my ear, “We could just end this now, you know? I could take over your role, kill that bastard, and return to our world. What do you say?”

I gasped for air, barely managing to say, “You have nothing to lose, but I do.” I surrendered to his mercy. He looked around at the spectators, then at my family. They were terrified for me, ready to intervene and stop the duel. He raised his voice and asked them, “Shall we spare his life and give King Nox, as he calls himself, another chance to change the world? Or should I finish him off and take matters into my own hands? I promise you that the dark lord will be gone in a matter of days.”

The crowd was divided and confused. They didn’t know me well, but they didn’t trust him either. Chaos erupted among them. Then Zephyrion ran towards me and pleaded with Raphael. “Let him go, please. He’s my father. Don’t kill him.” Raphael smirked and said, “Would you die for him? Little prince?” Zephyrion nodded and said, “He sacrificed himself for me more than once. I would do the same for him.”

He stood in front of me, shielding me from Raphael’s sword. He was brave, but foolish. Raphael was not evil, but he was ruthless. He felt a pang of sympathy for Zephyrion and released the circle. He said, “Fine, save him. But don’t you ever dare challenge me again. I want to end this war as soon as possible, and nothing will stand in my way. Not even my other half.”

Zephyrion healed me as best as he could, and then Raphael added, “You’re lucky, Nox. I’ll never tire of saying that. Remember, I won’t hesitate to kill you if you lose your will to help in this cause. Understood?” I shouted back, “I never said I would oppose your cause. I’ll do everything in my power to help in this war. Until my end.”

Zephyrion said softly, “Be careful, dad, please. We don’t want to lose you again.” Raphael snorted and said, “He can’t guarantee that. But as long as he follows me, he’ll be fine.” That day marked a turning point in my life. From feeling equal or superior to Raphael to feeling inferior and ignorant. I was a student who knew nothing about his powers but was told that he had great potential to unlock them. I became a pawn again.