Chapter 55 Kestrel Rules

Rhea’s first swing carried no trick, yet raw pressure bent Damien’s knees before the blunted edge reached Verdict.

He Flickered beyond its path and felt displaced air tear one sleeve where steel never touched.

’Level nine hundred fundamentals, fuck, her warm-up swing could remove my arm through enthusiasm alone.’

Rhea turned during his arrival and met Silverlight Draw using the flat center of her greatsword.

The impact sent Verdict upward while her shoulder entered his chest through a legal scoring touch.

[Rhea: 1]

[Damien: 0]

"Did your military house replace childhood toys with siege weapons?" Damien asked, recovering before her next step closed distance.

"Wooden swords until six, then steel after I stopped breaking furniture," Rhea replied, attacking his left side without changing expression.

Damien blocked through Iron Veil, but she struck the barrier twice at the same point until silver mana cracked.

He used Gutter Style beneath the third swing, stamping her forward boot while Verdict’s sheath caught the greatsword near its guard.

Rhea released one hand, caught his collar and threw him across her hip before either weapon settled.

[Rhea: 2]

[Damien: 0]

’She countered alley grappling through older military grappling, damn, dirty fighting loses charm when the opponent grew up around soldiers.’

Damien rolled before the blunted point marked his ribs again, then Flickered toward her exposed sword side.

Rhea expected the direct landing and turned, so he delayed half a beat using the timing hidden from Lucas’s scouts.

Verdict touched her shoulder beneath the greatsword’s return path and scored before raw pressure shoved him backward.

[Rhea: 2]

[Damien: 1]

The crowd erupted louder for that single point than yesterday’s technical draw announcement.

"Well, the expensive secret timing works once," Rhea said, resetting her stance while approval warmed both amber eyes.

"Your praise becomes considerably less pleasant with that sword already rising," Damien replied, shifting into the first Sterling form.

Silverlight Draw entered from stillness, but Rhea read his rear heel before Verdict left its sheath.

Her greatsword struck the ground beside his boot and blocked every forward route through its broad flat.

Damien abandoned the draw halfway, slid one hand along Verdict’s grip and changed toward Seraphine’s second remembered cut.

The rising angle crossed Rhea’s uniform near one upper rib before her pommel touched his forehead.

[Rhea: 3]

[Damien: 2]

’Mother’s second form earned a point against Number One, good, remember the pride without turning Seraphine into another borrowed weapon.’

Rhea glanced at the shallow line across gray fabric and adjusted both hands around her greatsword.

"That form belongs in Sterling’s sealed branch," she said, lowering her center until stone pressed beneath both boots, "use it properly now."

"Nah, proper instruction died before reaching me," Damien replied, testing the movement again through his right wrist.

"Then steal the lesson from surviving my answer," she said, attacking before the reset bell finished.

Her next combination contained no impossible speed, only perfect choices made earlier than Damien understood the question.

She took his shoulder, hip and exposed thigh through three blunt touches while every counter arrived one beat late.

[Rhea: 6]

[Damien: 2]

’This feels worse than fighting luck, she earns each point and leaves nobody else to blame, you absolute clown.’

Damien breathed through frustration and stopped trying to surprise her with isolated skills.

He linked Gutter footwork into the first Sterling draw, then Flickered during its recovery rather than before commitment.

Rhea blocked Verdict but lost sight of his empty sheath entering beneath her elbow for a clean body touch.

[Rhea: 6]

[Damien: 3]

"Better," she said, driving her knee into the sheath before it could score twice, "your styles finally stopped arguing."

"Insulting my entire education between points sounds strangely helpful," Damien replied, retreating outside her immediate reach.

"Helpful insults remain worth more than polite incompetence," Rhea answered, following without rushing.

’Mina would approve that philosophy enough to become unbearable, damn, never let those two teach together.’

The first round ended with Rhea ahead by four while neither fighter carried injury beyond bruises and torn cloth.

No black pulse entered the central core, since honest points created no displaced fate for its residue to consume.

Mina held up one clean scan from the technical rail and gave Damien permission to continue through a rude hand gesture.

Vivienne watched his footwork instead of the score, tracking every moment Rhea punished Sterling recovery positions.

"Your second form exposes the back hip after contact," she called when the crowd quieted between rounds, "stop admiring your own blade."

"Both women chose public criticism before offering water," Damien replied, accepting Bram’s bottle near the barrier.

"Water cannot repair vanity," Vivienne answered, crossing her arms beneath the white half-cape.

’Distinct methods, same desire to keep me alive, good, humiliation apparently arrives through a growing support network.’

The second round began with Damien correcting his back hip before Rhea reached its previous opening.

She adjusted toward his wrist, proving the earlier weakness had only been one available route among several.

Verdict caught the greatsword’s lower third while Iron Pulse reinforced Damien’s elbow through the collision.

He stepped inside, struck her sternum using one shoulder and earned another point before leftover force numbed his fingers.

[Rhea: 6]

[Damien: 4]

Rhea smiled for the first time, showing one crooked tooth before her returning pommel stopped beside his temple.

[Rhea: 7]

[Damien: 4]

"Enjoying this now makes your next strike more frightening," Damien said, shaking sensation back into his hand.

"You stayed inside the exchange instead of fleeing my strength," she replied, resetting her greatsword, "that deserves enjoyment."

They traded six more points while Damien used no Reckoning, Brand or stored Debt against an opponent carrying zero hostility.

Rhea read Silverlight Draw after its third appearance and blocked Gutter Style once both feet entered her stance.

Damien still reached her twice through linked movement, making the final minute begin at twelve points against seven.

’Five behind and one minute remains, winning needs a miracle, which would ruin the exact reason this fight matters.’

He chose the last angle without asking the system, using Seraphine’s second form after deliberately exposing his back hip.

Rhea moved to punish it, exactly where Flicker could carry him beneath her greatsword toward an open shoulder.

She stopped halfway, having read the bait through Damien’s eyes rather than his footwork.

The blunted edge touched his chest before Verdict reached its target and ended the point timer.

[Final score]

[Rhea Kestrel: 13]

[Damien Sterling: 7]

Damien lowered Verdict while disappointment hit cleanly without anger searching for sabotage.

’I lost, fair and obvious, damn, that hurts differently when nobody stole the result.’

Rhea offered one scarred hand, then pulled him upright when their grips met beneath the open arena feed.

"The committee voided the only first year worth my time," she said, looking directly toward Corven’s booth, "record that accurately."

Every committee member sat through the crowd repeating her judgment while student channels clipped it across their feeds.

[Ascension Board updated]

[Damien Sterling: 24 → 17]

"Losing raised my rank seven places and probably ruined Corven’s lunch," Damien said, sheathing Verdict beside her.

"Status recognizes worthwhile resistance better than committee titles," Rhea replied, lifting her greatsword toward one shoulder.

She tapped two fingers against Verdict’s golden tally before walking toward the arena exit.

"Debt registered," Rhea said, glancing back through cropped red hair, "collect after reaching four digits and bring a sharper answer."

’Level one thousand before collecting from Number One, fine, that sounds much better than accepting a trophy from Corven.’

The system remained silent while Damien followed her out beneath applause earned through an honest loss.

His recovery panel opened only after the arena doors closed, showing damage the crowd had never seen him defer.

[Stay backlash pending]

[SP unchanged]

[Divergence: 31%]

[Foreknowledge Integrity: 69%]

[Memory loss detected: Year Two opening sequence]

Damien stopped beneath the tunnel lights when an entire future Chapter failed to exist inside his head.