still so clearly remember the day he first became a noble...
It was some number of years before the present day, even before Leopold had become one of Ivory's personal bodyguards or even that of a knight. This was back when Leopold was nothing more than a commoner living on the far outskirts of the Stashin and Kushida kingdoms, and he had run into some major troubles.
The boy could feel that he was in a dark place, cold and along. He could not see a thing, only that of the pitch black space that lay in front of him. He shivered, the fear and anxiety of the situation not helping either.
"Where am I? What happened to me? I can't remember..." Leopold tried to open his eyes, but there was no point. "Am I dead?" How had he ended up like this anyways?
"Hello? Are you alright, young man?"
As Leopold sat in that dark space, he started to hear the voice of someone unfamiliar that was calling out to him from afar. It didn't sound like anyone he recognized though. Just who was this person? The boy once again tried again to open his eyes, but he still could not see a thing other than black.
And then, Leopold felt his body suddenly start to feel much lighter. He felt a slight breeze brush past his aching body, as if the boy was somehow being taken somewhere."Someone is moving me!" The boy could feel it, the strong grasp that held him as he moved. Who was it that was holding onto him? What was this? Leopold would ask himself that question for what felt like the next eternity.
That is, before he faded back into unconsciousness...
==================
Later that same day...
Leopold, awakened some time after that strange moment. The boy was able to finally open his eyes, just barely though. He knew that he had recently had himself moved somewhere after an accident, but he didn't know who moved him or why. Was he being sold or something? The boy didn't have much of a way to ask yet.
"Maybe their going to dissect me and study my body like in the stories..." Thoughts like these flooded his mind, panicked as he waited for a reliable answer.
Now able to see once again, Leopold looked around the room he lay in. From what he could tell, the room was actually quite nice. There were books on shelves around him, and ones that seemed much nicer than any Leopold had ever owned. He was in a very comfortable bed wirh some small fruits and berries sitting on a stand beside him. The walls were painted a beautiful white color and there were decorations all over the area.
Leopold narrowed his eyes. Despite all of this, he could tell that something was still off... It looked as though parts of the room were moving, a couple of different images of the same space flooding his mind. He felt a bit dizzy watching it, Leopold closing his eyes once again some seconds after.
"Just what did they do to me?" The boy felt that he might have been drugged. However, once again, there didn't seem like any real reason why that would have happened. "I really need some clarification here!"
And as if clockwork...
The door at the front of the nice room was suddenly opened, a couple of different people in suits and maid uniforms walking inside. Leopold opened his eyes and saw that behind them there came someone who looked to be quite young and fairy handsome. He was decorated in fine clothing, although not that of servantry like the others.
Seeing Leopold awake, he smiled. "I'm glad that you've returned from unconsciousness, child. I was starting to feel a bit worried." He took a deep breath and then walked over to where Leopold was still lying down. "How are you feeling? Any pain?"
Leopold frowned. "Um... I'm sorry, but... Where exactly am I?" The young child looked deep into the well dressed adult's eyes.
The stranger laughed, nodding. "Of course." He pointed to the room around him. "I've taken you into my medical own unit. You were found badly injured out in the forest and taken here."
"Badly injured?" Leopold echoed.
Leopold looked up at the ceiling and thought for a moment. "That's right. If I remember correctly, my village was attacked by bandits and I was injured by them." He looked back down, a sad thought coming to him. "My village... Is everyone dead now? Am I the only one who made it out?"
The boy looked back at the man and tilted his eyes. "So, what exactly happened to me? How am I alive?" He had expected that he wouldn't have made it by them.
Scratching the back of his head, the man pointed at Leopold's eyes and hand. The boy looked down, following the hand, and noticed something that was much more striking than anything thus far.
"My... right hand."
"Your right hand and both eyes were completely destroyed, disintegrated into complete nothingness." the man explained. He sighed and looked over at his servants. "It looks some time, but we were able to find some different specialty items to replaced them."
Leopold tilted his head. "Replace them?" He was honestly surprised that such a feat could even be accomplished. It seemed off. "But, with all due respect, you don't know actually know me." Leopold couldn't figure out why this man was doing all of this. It didn't seem at all like something most would try to achieve. "Are you perhaps hoping to gain something from me? I don't really have much I could repay you with."
Amused, the man chuckled just a bit. "Why would you think that?" the man asked. He knelt down so that he was at face level with Leopold.
Confused, Leopold scratched his cheek. "Isn't that what most people do? When someone you don't know helps you, they must want something from you..." Was that not something that was considered common? It was sure a normal practice in Leopold's old life.
"Well, I guess that was more of Cinder blackmailing me..." he observed.
The man just shrugged. He stood back up and crossed his arms. "Well, I don't know what kind of a civilization you came from, but it's not like that in my home." He put his hand on his heart, still smiling. "I simply saw someone who was in need and decided to help. There shouldn't be a reason to want to do something good."
And now Leopold was the one who was amused. "Then you must be pretty nice, mister." Leopold narrowed his eyes. "Wait... I never got your name."
"Oh! Apologies, that was my mistake." The man took a few steps back and then bowed to Leopold." It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, young one. I am called Johnathan D. Stratus and I am a low ranking noble of the Stashin Kingdom. Now what would be your name?"
Leopold blinked. "My name is... Leopold."
"Well, would you like some food, Leopold?" Mr. Stratus asked him. He clapped his hands and shortly after two maids walked in with a bowl of soup and some bread. "I'm sorry that it isn't much, but low ranking nobles don't exactly get a lot of money and expenses."
Nodding, Leopold took the food from him. "It's quite alright. Truth be told, I actually am just glad to receive anything." Back in his old village, food was so scarce that there were times when the boy wouldn't eat for days at a time. His eyes sparkled when he looked down at the food. "So, I can really eat this?"
Mr. Stratus nodded, grinning warmly still. "Go ahead, Leo."
And so, with no further reservations to be had, Leopold grabbed took the food and began to stuff his face. For must of his life up until now, the young male had been forced to eat things such as grasshoppers and honey, so a change to other foods was very... different.
Although it was not at all unfortunate.
The boy's eyes lit up, swallowing the wheat and other items he had been given to eat."This is so delicious!" He looked at his food, still eating. "Nobles live so well if they eat this stuff every day!"
When Leopold finished the food some moments after, the servants took the empty bowl and plate then left the room. After that, Leopold was alone with Mr. Stratus as he waited for the man to possibly say something to him. Mr. Stratus frowned.
"So... I suppose that you would like to head home to your family soon, right?" He crossed his arms and looked off to the side. "If you're ready soon, I could personally escort you back to your family. I'm sure that they're worried about you."
Leopold scratched his head, confused by his words. "What do you mean?"
Mr. Stratus looked at him, also confused. "Well... we may have found you and nursed you back to health, but it wouldn't be right to keep you here. Your family must be looking for you..." He walked back to Leopold's side, looking down at the boy. "And don't you want to head back home as well?"
Looking back at the man, Leopold thought to himself for a moment. Home... Knowing what had happened before he had come here, the young male felt some sort of sadness thinking about his old home. Was there even any village left to go back to? His parents were both dead and his sister and friends were more than likely deceased as well. There was nothing that would even be awaiting him.
And so, he shook his head in reply. "No, sir. My family won't be looking for me." He looked deep into the man's eyes. "I don't have a home to go back to. My home was destroyed by bandits." He almost wanted to cry, but managed to remain calm.
John widened his eyes, a little surprised by his statement.. "Is that so?" He put his hand on his chin and grinned. "Well then, if you'd like... would it be comfortable for you to be adopted into my family?"
Alright! Now Leopold was most definitely confused by what this man was going! His jaw dropped and his eyes widened as those words echoed in his mind for a few moments.
Did this man just propose the idea of adoption to him? Only a day or so after he had known Leopold?! What kind of person was he supposed to be? An Angel? Leopold certainly had never considered such an idea as that when speaking with the man.
"Adoption... He wants to adopt me?" The idea wasn't exactly one that Leopold could grasp very easily. "Even if low ranking, this man is still a noble and I'm just a simple commoner of the Forsaken Realm?"
"But why? Why adopt me?" Leopold asked him.
Mr. Stratus laughed once again, patting Leopold on the head. "Well, the truth is that I am the last remaining member of my household." He looked at Leopold. "I know that I'm only in my early twenties, but I've never been married and have no family or friends to keep me company here other than my servants."
"But I'm just a commoner!"
He nodded. "I am fully aware, however.." The man smiled. "Commoner or not, you have a good heart and seem like the type of kid I'd love to call family." He nodded once again. "Now, you won't be able to receive any inheritance from me due to you not being of blood relation, but I would like if you'd consider the idea. Still, it is your choice and I will respect your wishes."
"Well, if you're offering..." Leopold took a deep breath and scratched the back of his head. "Since I don't have anywhere else to turn and you seem desperate, then I think I will take you up on that."
The man patted him on the head again. "Excellent. Then welcome to my family, Leopold Stratus." After that, the man left the room to apparently make the proper "preparations" so as to officially declare Leopold a member of his family.
It started a whole new journey for the young boy, one that he never could have imagined!
=================
Two years later...
Siting at his small desk, Leopold sat and thought about what he was to write. His father, John Stratus, had assigned him an essay that would hopefully help the young male figure out what he wanted to do for a future career. However, Leopold still had yet to come up with what he wanted to even remotely pursue!
Due to the fact that the young male could not inherit his adoptive father's estate nor any of his possessions, the young boy had to instead figure out what he would do for the rest of his life as a possible knight or some other oath.
"Now let's see..." Leopold mumbled. "Marrying into higher status sounds nice, although it wouldn't be the best option due to the fact that I wouldn't really have much respect in the household... Maybe working as a servant? Nah... too much work." He sat back in his chair and sighed.. "This is a lot more difficult than it needs to be."
As Leopold sat there and thought, his father walked into the room. Seeing Leopold still undecided, he smiled and walked over to his son. "Not going as well as you had hoped, Leo?" The man looked at his still blank piece of paper.
Leopold nodded, scratching his head. "None of these career choices seem like they have benefit, from where I'm sitting. If I'm being honest, I'm not sure I want to try out any of these..."
Mr. Stratus laughed, patting his son on the head. "Well, here's an idea... If you still can't made a decision, then how about trying out the Stashin Knights?" He looked Leopold in the eyes and waited for a response.
The boy tilted his head. "The Stashin knights? What do you mean my that?" He turned around, his father stepping back a couple of steps.
Mr. Stratus suddenly pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket. It was some sort of poster from what Leopold could tell and looked to be about what his father was referring to. "The Stashin knights are the protectors of this here kingdom. They're made up of commoners and low-ranking nobles and also the easiest way to make some money, apart from having passed down riches."
Leopold blinked. "Really?" He put his hand on his chin and thought to himself for a couple of seconds. "These knights do sound like a good job, but... is that really the best possible position for me?"
Mr. Stratus shook his head. "Unfortunately. Being as your not of my own flesh and blood, options for you are limited." He smiled. "But I'm sure you'll be fine. Worst comes to worst, you could always try and make a name for yourself and become a noble in actuality."
Leopold nodded. That made enough sense, the options he had given. John Stratus was only twenty six years old and had never had a wife since most noble girls preferred men of higher rank than he was. If John could get marry and have a child, then that child would take possession of the house.
Unfortunately, that was not an option for young Leopold.
The boy sighed, looking off to the side. "Pity. I suppose though that I do have more options for a career than I did when I lived in the Forsaken Realm." He should take what he can get and role with it.
"So?" John asked, looking at his son with a serious look on his face. "What's if going to be?"
Leopold sighed and put down his pen. "Fine then. How do I get into the Stashin Knights, father?"
================
Once his son had officially considered the idea given to him of possible knighthood, Mr. Stratus took the boy to the Stashin Knights headquarters. Leopold was quickly signed up for a position as a "footman" which was a low ranking knight. Of course, that wasn't where it all would be finished.
Only a few hours in, Leopold and other new novice knights were forced into a test! And you may ask yourself just "what kind of test exactly was this supposed to be?" Well, to Leopold's surprise, he was shoved into a fighting tournament!
According to higher ranking knights, this tournament was designed to test out an incoming soldiers strengths and also to help them pair up soldiers. Stashin was known for having all of their knights work in pairs of two and apparently this was where they decided who a new knights parter would be.
Unfortunately, Leopold wasn't exactly the most skilled with magic. In fact, at this point in his life the boy wasn't exactly sure he had any magical power. He worked fine with his Spirit Arts, but that was still only something he knew basic principles about.
Still, he was quite good with sword combat. To add to that, this test was more focused on a knights skill with a blade rather than their supernatural abilities. It did give the young male some sort of a fighting chance at the very least.
After some time had passed, the boy was sitting off to the side as he waited for his next opponent. Thus far, he had managed to easily take down all of his enemies and make it all the way to the final around, something that he hadn't exactly expected to be possible coming into this tournament.
The boy yawned. "And another win, and another, and another..." Leopold sighed, disappointed with how little he had really used his strength. If this was how it was going to go, the, why shouldn't his opponents use magic? They clearly lacked any skill with a sword and it would "liven things up" for the boy at the very least. "Man! This is so dull."
Leopold walked to the side of the field where there were some refreshments. He grabbed some water and started to sip on the liquid as he thought to himself."This is so boring... If this is how weak opponents are going to be, then why should I become a knight?"
Once he had finished the boy confidently walked over to the battlefield. His final battle, the one against the male called "Lucas Infite" was about to begin. It was his last shot at being able to do so much as feel a little bit of fun. Maybe the knights really weren't for him after all...
Looking to the other side of the battlefield, Leopold spotted the other boy. Surprisingly, he was around his age which made him the youngest of new knight applicants apart from Leopold himself. The male could be seen with what looked to be a pair of two sheathed swords at his side.
The Stratus boy frowned, putting his hand on the hilt of his sword."Doesn't matter what this guy looks like. I don't sense any great skill or strength coming from him right now." Another easy win.
"Begin!"
As the referee commenced the final match, Leopold stood and watched what his enemy would do. In just a matter of a second or two, Lucas Infite was blazing across the battlefield! He drew his sword, getting up in Leopold's face.
Leopold watched in amazement, not expecting this show of speed. His right eye that had been replaced by his adoptive father was special that could see a couple of seconds into the future! Leopold had used his new eyes many times in fights to again an edge over his opponents and that also means that no person had ever been out of Leopold's sight.
However, to his dismay, it seemed that the boy was unable to keep up with Lucas's speeds! His eyes were unable to catch anything more than faint glimpses of his opponent as the boy moved around the combat zone.
Crouching, Leopold brought his weapon close to his body as he prepared to fend off the boy."He moved so fast that my eye didn't even catch it! How is that even possible?"
Quickly, Leopold made sure to duck under the attack. He maneuvered around Lucas and pushed his body to the space just behind him. When he got up, Leopold wiped the sweat from his forehead with his free hand.
The boy was breathing quite heavily already. "Damn." Leopold looked at Lucas and smiled, pointing the tip of his new silver blade at the other male's head. "Guess that this won't be such a dull battle after all, eh? You move quite well for someone who is only of mine own age, Lucas Infite."
Lucas looked at Leopold as well, returning a slight grin. "I was thinking the same thing, Leopold Stratus." He pulled his swords close to his body and laughed. "However, the outcome will be the same. I will take the victory!"
The two boys raised their weapons and jumped at one another. The swords clashed and a ring could be heard for minutes. This truly was the first battle that Leopold had been in where he wasn't the clear winner! "Only that one time was I defeated, but never again! This boy being strong doesn't change that fact..."
Lucas jumped at Leopold with his two swords and slashed toward Leopold's head. The attack missed and Lucas was sent flying toward the side of the battlefield. "Nice move." he called to Leopold.
Leopold laughed. "Not bad yourself." Leopold got in a battle stance and made a swift one second jump toward Lucas. The attack hit Lucas and both boys tumbled off the side.
The whistle was blow. "Match over! Both fighters have fallen out of the field! The battle is a draw!" The battle ended with no clear winner as both Leopold and Lucas got up.
Lucas looked at Leopold with a bright smile, walking over to him. He scratched the back of his brown haired head, laughing. "Well, that was an unfortunate ending..." He held his hand out to Leopold, hoping to shake his hand.
Leopold nodded, laughing as well. He took the young male's hand and smiled. "I suppose that we can finish this another day, right? After all, I don't imagine that this will be our last brawl."
After that battle had concluded, Leopold and Lucas would find themselves being paired up with one another. They spent the next number of years with one another, fighting alongside one another and enjoying their time in the Stashin knights. They even got to become that of a princesses own personal attendants!
=================
Five years later...
Deep within the walls of the home of the Stashin royalty, young knights Leopold and Lucas found themselves walking into the bedroom of Second Princess Ivory. It had officially been three whole days since the two had been named her highness's attendants. Big things were surely in store for each of them!
And yet, they couldn't help but be extremely worried...
Lucas looked at his friend and frowned. "How do you think this will go?" He put his hands behind his head as the two boys spoke to one another before seeing the princess.
"Which part?" Leopold questioned.
Lucas yawned, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know... All of it? The fact that we're only thirteen years old?! How do they expect us two to protect a Princess?!" He looked just as nervous as Leopold was feeling.
However, to hide his overwhelming fear, Leopold just laughed. "Can't say that I don't agree with you. Still, I'm sure it will be just fine, Lucas." He thought about their past. "We've been through a whole lot worse, right? What the worse that could happen?" Deep in his heart he knew that danger did await them though.
Smiling again, Lucas was able to laugh with him. "I don't know.... Maybe one of us two will fall in love with this princess or something?" He rolled his eyes.
As Leopold knocked on the door, they heard a voice calling out to them. "Come in!" It sounded like that of the princess, and so Leopold slowly opened the door.
"Here we go..."
Walking into the girl's room, both boy's started to look around. Their eyes widened as they saw a beautiful young girl with greenish-black hair before them. She sitting on the bed centered on the wall furthest from the door.
When she heard the two boys, she turned to them with a cute expression. "Oh, so you've made it..." The girl signaled for the two of them to walk over to where she was sitting.
Leopold bowed his head to the girl, following her orders. "Yes, Second Princess Ivory. I am Leopold and this is Lucas." He signaled to his friends standing next to him. Both he and I are your new attendants for the time being. We will also be acting as bodyguards for you in case of emergency."
As he spoke, Leopold couldn't help but notice the dumb look that Lucas was wearing on his face. The boy was acting as though he was seeing that of a great treasure sitting just before him, almost as if he would start jumping up and down at any second.
"She's so pretty..." Lucas whispered under his breath, just quiet enough to where Ivory couldn't hear him. "I can't believe that I didn't notice it before."
Lucas's friend raised an eyebrow, amused by Infite's comments, "And you were the one who made the remark about loving Miss Ivory being quite silly..." Leopold sighed, shaking his head. "I suppose that all your high and mighty talk was just that of a show, huh..."
"Ouch. Thats cruel, bro."
Seeing as Ivory was confused by the two boys conversation, Leopold turned back to face her. He bowed ever so slightly. "I'm truly sorry about my accomplice, Miss Stashin. He's a bit of a...nut job at times." The boy nudged Lucas in the side as an attempt to get the boy to again straighten up.
Ivory nodded. "I very much noticed." She sighed ans well, looking out her window at the sky. "Well, if you two are indeed so capable as to save me from that of a Minotaur and be chosen as my attendants by none other than my own father, then I don't see a reason to scold you."
Stratus raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Really? Lucas is acting as a complete idiot and you have nothing to say?! Just how much trust do you put in your father?"
He shrugged, not really thinking too hard on the matter. "So, Second Princess Ivory, would you- ." Before Leopold could finish his oncoming question, he was stopped by none other than Princess Ivory herself. She jumped from her bed and got straight into the young boy's face, seeming annoyed out of nowhere!
She clicked her tongue. "First off, I would prefer that you don't call me First Princess Ivory!" She looked at Leopold and sighed.
"I'm sorry... What is this?!"
The young girl tilted her head and once again smiled. "Go ahead and call me just by my first same of Ivory. As my attendants, you will be close to me and be that of my friends. You can be casual with me!." She threw her hair back and looked at the two boys with a commanding look, as if this were some order.
Feeling his eye start to twitch, Leopold frowned."Friends? I've never met any princess who would refer to her attendants as friends." He again shrugged. "True, I've never met a princess at all. It probably isn't that concerning of a matter right now... Right?l"
Leopold was about to speak up before he saw Lucas dash up to Ivory and hold her hand. "Oh that would be most wonderful, Ivory! If we start out as friends then one day I could be your boyfriend!"
Now Leopold feel his own jaw drop. He put his hand to his head, sighing in complete disbelief. "YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER FOOL! WHAT KIND OF PERSON GOES UP AND GRABS THE HAND OF A PRINCESS!" The boy looked up at the ceiling. "Now they're going to kill you and then I'll be killed since we're friends and they might even go fate my dad! LUCAS, YOU'VE DOOMED US ALL!"
However, there was something even more shocking that Leopold only noticed a few seconds after. He looked and saw that Ivory was... blushing? She was as red as a tomato, watching Lucas hold on to her hands.
"Oh brother..."
Quickly, she smacked his hands with her own and then kicked him in the leg., making Lucas fall to the ground in pain.. "I-Idiot! Why in the world would you expect that?!" She was still completely bewildered by the sudden actions of her new "friend" and attended, as most would be in her situation.
Leopold took a few steps back, trying not to be caught in the crossfire of what was happening. "Yeah... You kind of deserved that one, Lucas. Maybe don't try such a direct approach next time." Again, what kind of idiot just goes and attempts to make a princess their boyfriend?!
"Ow! That hurt!" Lucas complained, rolling on the floor.
"Then next time don't be such a damn idiot, bud." Leopold said to the boy, almost laughing.
"YOU JERKS! THATS SO MEAN!"
=================
Back in the present day, Leopold found himself standing before of his dear friend as the two were about to fight. Ivory looked at him as she prepared for the coming battle, seeming ready prepared.
Narrowing his eyes, Leopold looked at the princess and smiled.. "She uses plant magic, but it isn't very strong... Maybe she has a trump card up her sleeve that she hasn't shown me or Lucas?" That wasn't something that Leopold would have expected though. Ivory wasn't exactly one for keeping secrets from either of the boys. Besides, when would she have found the time for something like that? "Just how did the girl even make it this far to begin with?"
"Make this a fun battle as usual, Leopold!" Ivory called to the boy, taking Leopold out of his train of thought. She grinned, pointing to herself. "You aren't no weakling, right?!"
Leopold smiled as well, shaking his head. "Sure. Just try and win for once, alright? It would be dull if I remained undefeated in our battles!" He laughed, trying to nag her into an argument.
Yet, she remained calm and ready, still grinning. "Oh, you know that won't happen..." The girl put her hands on her hips and waited for the referee to begin their match.
"Here we go..."
"Begin!"
The battle was underway and as Leopold expected, Ivory used her plant magic to begin. She shot flying, sharp leaves at Leopold as he dodged every one. "Same old attacks... She really does stick to the basics."
"You need to do better..." Leopold sighed. "These attacks won't work, Ivory. You should know that!"
Ivory smiled. "Maybe you should be more cautious, Leopold..." She snapped her fingers and the leaves that has ended behind Leopold exploded.
The shock of the blast knocked Leopold over Ivory and onto the other side of the battlefield. As he got to his feet, his spirits were in astonishment. "Since when could she do something like that? No! Since when would my eyes not see that?!"
"Surprised?" Ivory asked from across the arena. "Me and Lucas have been working since we joined this school you know... You should be a bit more ready for the unexpected."
Leopold raised an eyebrow. "Ready for the unexpected? I think you're getting a bit too confident, Ivory. You may have surprised me with an attack, but it hasn't won you the battle!"
Ivory laughed. "Not with that attack, no. However..." She unsheathed her sword and slashed at the thin air. Thorns came from her sword and headed at amazing speeds for Leopold.
He watched. "She wasn't lying when she said she'd trained..." He smiled and unsheathed a weapon of his own. A knife came into his hands and he slashed through all of the thorns in an instant. "Still not good enough..."
=================
Cinder was watching from the stands with Lucas Infite on the battle between Second Princess Ivory of Stashin and the idiot. She'd met up with Lucas just before the start of the battle and he had pleaded to watch with her. "I don't understand this guy one bit..."
"It doesn't seem to be going well..." Peter commented as he was also with them. "Miss Ivory's attacks are too strong for that upstart..."
"I will say that Leopold will probably win this fight..." Lucas agreed. The explosion that had just been fired by Ivory left Leopold unbalanced and open to attack. "I wonder if he'll lose this one..."
"He is strong, but he's loosing his focus..." Cinder said, yawning. "He'll loose and I'll win this little competition of ours..." Ivory sent an attack of thorns at Leopold in an instant. "See? He'll be taken out by that and it'll all be over."
"Those thorns look scary..." Peter said, shuttering.
Still, even though the two siblings were confident in Ivory's victory, Lucas saw something. "Wait... Leopold's making a move..."
"Really?" Cinder asked, looking down at the field. "There is no way he could stop all those thorns! Is the guy an idiot or something?"
"You seem to think so..." Lucas said, still staring at Leopold.
Leopold then unsheathed a small weapon and sliced all the thorns in one move. The crowd erupted in roars at the play, yet something was off. Cinder and Peter saw it too... "Did he just... Pull out a knife!"
Lucas nodded. "However, it isn't an ordinary knife. That knife is the only thing left he has from his biological family..." He pointed to Ivory who was looking at Leopold in a lot more serious sense. "Ivory and I both know that Leopold has taken down a hydra with that knife, so it isn't something to take lightly..."
"A hydra!" Peter exclaimed. "But they're one of the three strongest races of monsters! Just how strong is this guy?!"
"You never take this guy lightly, I guess..." Cinder mumbled. A grin spread across her face. "Makes the thought of fighting him in a rematch all the more exciting!"
The battle continued as Ivory gripped her sword and made a dashing attack for Leopold. It was as swift as usual, however still Leopold had no effort in avoiding. "You need to be even faster, Ivory!" he taunted.
She spun around and shot a round of just thorns at Leopold who was hit with a few. "Maybe it's you who needs to be faster!" She grabbed his white jacket and slung him across the field.
"Man... If she can throw me like that... I must be losing weight!" Leopold laughed and slightly moved his knife from one point to another. "Try this on, Princess!"
An explosion of fire boomed around Ivory's body as she desperately tried to avoid them. "W-What the... What in the hell is this!" One of the blasts knocked her off her feet and onto the ground where she lost her weapon. Leopold quickly moved to position his knife at Ivory's throat.
He smiled. "Looks like I win again, Ivory..."