Sitting in the arena, I munch down on some popcorn as I pocket a paper slip into my pocket. To think they had to wait a full day until they could actually start their duel. Guess they had to make some modifications to the arena before they could accommodate all the duels going on.

  “You’ll look awfully excited to see your friend getting ripped to pieces,” Penelope says as she sits next to me.

  “That’s because I expect my friend to win. Sure, he’ll probably get ripped to pieces in the process, but he chose to do this, and I’m supporting him a hundred percent of the way,” I say as I take another bite of popcorn.

  “That’s awfully nice. What’s the catch?”

  A devilish smile forms on my face. “Why must there always be a catch?”

  “Because it’s you.”

  “Then why are you here?” I ask.

  A tinge of red dyes the tip of Penelope’s ears. “I’m supporting our side, obviously. Need to get morale up. After all, we’re already losing,” she says as she gestures to the floating screen above us.

  “Yeah, I think I caught the tail end of the last duel. That was a rough one, but I thought we would’ve at least won one of the duels,” I say as I look at the saddening score.

  “We’re not expected to win many of the duels. The second years are a full year ahead of us in, well, everything. Which is why we get five points when we win, and they get one point when they win,” she explains.

  “So, when Hopper wins this duel, we’ll be tied. Then you just have to win a bunch, and we’ll be swimming in points.”

  “I adore your enthusiasm, but you're forgetting something. Lupin is in the advanced class. Winning duels against someone in the advanced class gains us ten points if they’re in the bottom twelve, twenty if they’re in the top twelve, and fifty points if they’re the top rank.”

  “What rank is Lupin?”

  Before Penelope can answer, a familiar voice booms through the arena. “Welcome, everybody!! Who’s ready for the first Duel between the advanced classes?! I sure am!” Vivi says from the announcer booth.

  The crowd roars to life as the doors to the arena open. In the fight pit, Hopper and Lupin walk towards the center.

  “In this corner, we have Lupin Sharpfang! Rank 13, a second year with a chip on his shoulder, and brooding! In the other corner, we have our underdog, Hopper Lightfoot! Rank 24, a first year with a lack of self-preservation, and tall!” Vivi says with an odd amount of excitement.

  “Ok, the reality of the situation just kicked in. Oh, Gods. He’s going to be okay, right?” I ask.

  Penelope grabs some of my popcorn. “There’s no stopping it now. Let’s hope he doesn’t get himself killed.”

  “As agreed by the participants, we will be changing the terrain into that of the Whisperwood Forest, spooky! During the terrain change, if the participants could initiate the [System] duel!” she says as the otherwise empty fight pit shifts into that of the Whisperwood Forest.

  “By the [System], I, Lupin, accept this duel. You should’ve accepted my mercy, Bunny. You’re not cut out for this.”

  “By the [System], I, Hopper, accept this duel. Lu, it’s about time you snap out of this. I’m going to knock some sense into you.”

  “Begin!” Vivi yells.

  Lu bursts into a sprint straight at me. “I’d like to see you try, Bunny!”

  Taking a step back, I narrowly dodge as he slashes for my throat. A kill shot, I’d expect nothing less from Lu. Before he can attack again, I draw my bow and [Shoot] a singular arrow that misses completely.

  I shouldn’t be this close, yet. I need to pull back.

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  “Where do you think you’re going?!” he asks as he barrels towards me on all fours.

  Kicking up the snow on the ground, I take a hopping leap back as Lu crashes through the snow. In midair, I [Shoot] a volley of arrows that he easily slashes out of the air.

  Landing on a tree branch, I look down at him. “Sorry, Lu, but I’m really attached to my head. Can’t exactly keep it if I let you get close to me, can I?” I ask with an arrogant tone.

  “Seems like you're dropping the straight-laced act. Good, I don’t need you whining that you went easy on me when you lose,” Lu barks.

  Odd, when did I slip back into my old self? Ah, who cares? Maybe a little bit of arrogance is just what I need.

  Drawing my bow, I [Shoot] a single arrow at his head. Lu catches the arrow and snaps it in half. Using that distraction, I move as fast as I can to the edge of the fight pit. Hopping between the trees, I quickly make it to the edge as I [Hide].

  “You really think I don’t know where you are?” his voice growls as his claw tears through the side of my chest.

  Bow in hand, I quickly [Shoot] five arrows at him. This time, he doesn’t bother to dodge and tanks them. Closing the distance, he slashes upwards, barely missing my head. Taking my foot, I hit him square in the chest, sending him back a good foot or two. Using the distance, I leap to the nearest tree branch.

  Damn it! He still has me marked! I knew it was a possibility, but I was hoping he had changed the target. Pain radiates up my side as blood drips down the side of my chest. The wound isn’t too deep. If I hadn’t reacted in time, that would’ve been the end of me. No use crying over it. Time to change to Plan B.

  My bunny ears perk up at the sound of bark crunching. He’s coming!

  I quickly leap off the branch, and as I do, Lu rips through the tree branch. “I thought you were going to knock some sense into me!” he growls as he leaps towards me.

  We fall through the air, destined to hit the ground. I’ll be dead before I even hit the ground, or at least that’s what he thinks. His claws bound forward, thirsting to tear out my throat. Just as the tip of his claw begins to slice into my neck, I place my foot into his chest and kick. The force of my kick sends me plummeting to the ground and him further into the air. Pain radiates from the impact of the ground as I hear something crack, but I don’t have time to worry about that. Pushing past the pain, I burst into a sprint, narrowly avoiding the falling Lu.

  “Is that all you got, Lu? I thought you wanted to be strong!” I yell out as I trace the edge of the fight pit.

  Lu tears his hands out of the ground and looks towards me with his glowing yellow eyes. “You want strong?! I’ll show you strong!” he says as the yellow of his eyes clouds with a crimson red.

  The sound of muscles tearing, the creaking of bones, the bursting of blood vessels, and the sound of flesh rending echo as his body grows past its normal bounds. This is the sound of rage.

  This isn’t go- Lu crashes into the wall beside me, cracking it. Swinging around, I take an arrow and stab it into his eye, but he doesn’t even flinch. Instead of recoiling in pain, he lashes out and cuts through my chest, leaving a bleeding gash behind.

  I can’t let him catch up to me. Kicking him in the chest, I send him back a couple of feet. With no other option, I burst into a sprint as I trace the edges of the fighting pit. Why isn’t he dodging? Does he even have the reasoning left to dodge? It feels like I’m fighting a wild beast. Stop panicking, this is better. It’ll make this next part easier. As long as I can stay ahead of him.

  The sound of his breath comes from the center. I slide, barely dodging out of the way of his attack. He’s not running. He’s throwing himself with pure strength. If that’s all, then I can dodge it. I’m faster. I’ve always been faster. I have to be if I want my friend back.

  Lu throws himself with reckless abandon, like a beast who’s lost his mind. Luckily for me, that means that his moves have become predictable. I narrowly dodge out of the way as he slams into the tree behind me, sending pieces of bark everywhere. Another pulse of pain shoots through me as I drag myself across the edge of the walls. Lu slinks back into the forest, waiting for his next opportunity to attack.

  Looking down at the wall, I realize that I’ve come full circle. Guess it’s time to head to the center. Small problem. I’ve managed to survive so far because I have a wall behind me, but the moment I head in is the moment he can attack from any direction.

  Fear creeps into the back of my mind. It tells me to run, to forfeit. It wants me to cower, and it makes sense. I’m outmatched. He’s stronger, a higher [Level], and- Stop! I didn’t do this so I could run away. I did this to get my friend back. I promised I would, and I just know that CJ is going to give me a hard time if I bow out now. Especially after that declaration I made. Damn it! Why does he have to be so persuasive, and why did I get so caught up in it?

  Nursing my side, I look into the forest. I just got to run. My hands shake in fear as I burst into a sprint. Passing trees and rocks, I throw caution to the wind. He could be around any corner and every corner. So, fuck it. Don’t worry about defense, just speed. Faster. The surroundings blend together as I vault a dead tree. Faster. The sounds around me go dull as I focus on what’s in front of me. Everything turns. My whole world is flipped upside down as Lu crashes into me, snapping one of my ribs.

  His jaws snap at my face as I hold his mouth open with my hands. Pain pierces through me as his claws find perches in my stomach and chest. Blood spills down my arms as his fangs pierce into my hand.

  As I struggle, I look over and see the first arrow I shot. “Made it, oh Gods, I’ve lost a lot of blood, but that goes for you too, Lu. You’re not looking so good,” I say as I look up at the growling Lu.

  Lu responds with a growl as blood streams down his face like tears.

  “Not to put me down or anything, but I’ve barely even touched you. This… whatever you're doing is honestly fucking you up more than me. Then again, I think I broke my own rib or ribs, so I guess we’re even,” I say as I cough up some blood.

  Lu gets low as my strength begins to fail me. He’s going to tear my throat out.

  A hearty laugh escapes my lips. “You still haven’t noticed, have you? If you weren’t in this state, you probably would’ve. On some instinctual level, you probably do. You can feel the mana in the air shifting. The temperature dropping. Maybe even my heart racing. I knew I could never win a fair fight. I’m not strong like you, and I’m a coward at heart, but somebody believes in me. They believe that a coward like me can do this. So, Lu, let me show you what a coward can do,” I say as I focus on the mana around me and the blood I smeared intentionally throughout the fight pit.

  A light blue glow emanates from the magic circle made from my blood and hopes.

  “[Freeze]!!!”