章 17: Preparations
"What?" I asked in shock.
"Did I stutter?" Dominick answered confidentially.
"I don't know, did you?" I responded. His confident expression faltered only for a moment before he regained his composure. "If you're trying to back out, I will remind you that it is against our family's sacred rule to decline a challenge from a relative."
I stared at him. He was right, it was against the stupid law. The punishment was harsh, ranging from long and extreme corporal punishment to disownment or death. And the cherry on top was that we had to keep fighting until one of us passes out.
Was there a way out of this? Not one that I could think of.
"Can you just walk me through your thought process?" I asked, hoping to buy time to come up with a solution. "Did you just wake up and thought 'Hey I, a 16 year old, will challenge my 8 year old brother to a deadly duel.'"
He frowned and clenched his fist. The atmosphere felt thicker as he began to speak and move across the room. "I went to tell father good news this morning, but guess what he was more concerned about. You."
Dominick turned to face me. I was vaguely aware of Leah taking a step back. I didn't move and stood my ground. Even though I really wanted to, provoking him wasn't a good idea. Even more so as I couldn't figure out a way out.
He tilted his head and smiled at my silence. "No snarky comeback?"
"No." I answered. "Pardon me, but what do you exactly plan on happening here? If I die, what do you plan on doing?"
"Well hopefully it doesn't come to that." He answered before raising his voice. "But when I win, I'll show father just how weak you are. I'll show him how useless and disappointing you are! I'll show him how much better I am!"
His voice echoed around the room for what seemed like minutes before slowly fading. I realized that there was no way out of this. He wouldn't be satisfied until I was beaten. I continued to stare at his enraged face.
"Alright." I finally said. "I'll go out in five minutes. Just let me prepare."
His face became cheery again. "I'll see you out soon." He said and then exited the room.
I turned over to Alex. My playful face was replaced with a serious one. The combination of Dominick and me had caused our two siblings to retreat in fear. Suddenly our previous conversation had seemed calmer and sillier. "So much for siblings not fighting."
I made my way to the changing room where I had stored a lot of my things. Hanson was sitting there playing with a rubiks cube. "Well, your day keeps getting worse."
"That's crazy, I didn't notice." I deadpanned as I looked around for my gloves.
"Are you planning on fighting?" Leah asked. She and Alex began to stand in front of the room.
"No, I'm just going to hug him while he stabs me." I replied. I began putting on my gloves and looked at myself in the mirror. Casual clothing felt much more comfortable to fight in than a suit, but I felt that Dominick would think I was mocking him.
I opted for the suit, but unbuttoned the cuffs to allow for more motion. I also untucked my shirt.
"If you die, can I keep your things?" Hanson asked in a tone that was like a little brother asking his big brother the same thing.
I looked at him flabbergasted. "Sure."
He smiled and continued playing with the cube. I put my hand into the closet and took out my khopesh. I inspected it, turning it around and moving it through the air, trying to get rid of some of my nerves.
"Here, hand it to me." Hanson said as he dropped the cube and placed his hand out. I did as he said.
He began to close his eyes and tiny purple particles appeared in the air. After quite a few appeared, they seemed to be sucked into my sword. When the last particle disappeared, Hanson opened his eyes again.
"T-that's against the rules." Leah said.
"Stop narcing on me." I replied before Hanson spoke up again.
"No, the rules forbid any help during the match. This is before the match." Hanson replied in a mischievous tone.
Leah faced me. "He's not going to be happy when he finds out."
"True, but he can't do anything." Hanson responded confidently.
"But if he does," I said as I took out my gun and handed it to him. "Here."
"You're not using it?" Hanson asked.
"If you show a caveman fire, he'll spend his life trying to make it." I told him. "I'd rather lose this fight and be able to one up him later when he's actually trying to kill me."
"You're taking a risky gamble."
"I am, but I'm thinking about the bigger picture." I said. I peered out the window and saw Dominick staring into our room. "Well, looks like it's time for me to leave."
We all began leaving the room together, me leading the group.
"What was that thing you handed to Hanson?"
"Don't worry about it." Me and Hanson answered in unison. We looked at each other and shared a small laugh. The rest of the way to the training field was complete silence with the only sound being the footsteps that echoed in the halls.
-----
If Henry could rank all the days he ever lived, today would rank among the worst.
It was going like every other day he had until one moment. His eldest son, Dominick, stormed into the room.
"Father, I'm going to be challenging Zack to a duel." Dominick had confidently announced.
Henry's head immediately snapped to his son. "What are you talking about?"
"I think my words are crystal clear." Dominick had answered.
"You know how serious duels between siblings are, correct?" Henry asked in an icy tone.
"I'm fully aware." Dominick said. "But if this is a chance for me to show you just how pathetic he is, I'll be more than happy to take it."
"Is that what this is all about? Jealousy?"
"No, I'm not jealous." Dominick said. "I'm here to right a wrong. You're giving him special treatment when he doesn't deserve it."
"You had better watch your words." Henry said while starting to channel mana. His mana caused Dominick to feel a massive pressure that made him fall to his knees.
"Let me tell you something that you don't understand. I treat all of you fairly, not equally. You all have different needs and Zack is no exception. He has a gift, one that needs to be nurtured. However, he has a curse at the same time. A curse that can be fatal. If any of you were in his shoes, I'd do the same thing. Am I clear?"
Dominick struggled to move. He felt still. He couldn't talk as his mouth wouldn't move. All he could do was slightly nod his head.
"I'm going to respect your wishes and honor the duel, but if you kill your eight year old brother, there will be consequences. Understood?"
Dominick struggled again and nodded his head only a few millimeters.
"Then you are dismissed." Henry said sternly. All the confidence that Dominick had going in was wiped away. The moment he could move again, he ran out of the room.
Henry sighed as he rubbed his head.
"Are you okay sir?" Henry's butler, who had watched the whole scene unfold, asked.
"No I'm not." Henry quickly said as he continued to rub his forehead. "Call Jane, I need to talk to her."
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