The break after the round of 8 passed, and soon the time for the final two matches arrived. Felmer and Melfer were both ready.
The first semifinal was of Melfer. He was against a sword trainer from the western villages. He was known for his experience and finesse in the field. His name was Wilnis.
The match occurred in the same fashion as before, and Melfer first defended. After some defences, they both switched to magic, and they exchanged countless blows. Wilnis had more stability than Melfer. But Melfer had the advantage of the magical strength. He had slightly more power. The two gave their all. And Mefler began to lose ground. But, he retreated and then made a similar attack as he did on General Irfika. And he emerged victorious from this battle.
The people cheered and applauded. They had seen their first victor. Now their eyes were on the two powerful and remaining participants. Felmer and the robed man.
Whether the heir or the mysterious figure would win was a question in the mind of every member of the audience and could only be answered by the outcome of the match.
The two stood face to face in the arena. Felmer had already taken out his weapon and taken his stance. He couldn't get overwhelmed. The match began, and both of them rushed at each other.
Both blocked each other. The pressure was immense from both sides. Felmer had speed, and the man had power. The man stepped back and attacked again. This time, Felmer parried his attack and tried to land a strike on his opponent. But the man avoided and again struck at him. Felmer blocked, and then they exchanged numerous strikes. Felmer was slowly getting used to the new weapon. Both were on par in power.
Then they stepped back and reinforced their weapons with magic. Felmer manifested the new sword with magic. The sword didn't break. The patterns of a green tree branch appeared. Then they again attacked. The man was used to magic. But Felmer was using magic in his sword for the first time. A sword can't make a man perfect. Felmer held his ground, but he was slowly losing.
The two fought to their maximum extent. Due to inexperience with magic, Felmer couldn't control the amount of magic flowing and was out of magic fast. That's when the man got the opening and the upper hand he needed. He struck Felmer with full force, and Felmer went flying into the wall.
"His movements indeed feel quite familiar," Felmer said to himself. He got up and focused. Due to unstable and excessive use of magic, he was out of it and was tired.
The man again rushed. Felmer barely defended, but the power of the attack threw him back again. He balanced himself, but the man attacked again. And he was thrown back again. Felmer was losing, and he was out of magic. He couldn't think of anything against a man like his opponent. Even Ramsis would have lost to him.
The man stood and began to slowly walk towards Felmer. Felmer held his sword tightly. His head was bleeding. He tried to focus. He thought of anything that could make him win. Then he remembered the blood ritual told by Emairis.
He stood still and put the blade on his left palm. He slowly and firmly began to cut his palm. The blood coming out of the injury slowly stuck to the blade. Felmer felt the same magical light in his mind again. After cutting his palm. He held his sword, facing downwards.
The man stopped as he saw Felmer do the ritual.
The blood didn't fall from the blade. Rather, it stuck to it and tainted the green tree pattern with red. Some drops fell from the blade as it was his first time, and the magic was unstable.
This ritual used his blood to reinforce the sword with magic. The blood was now the magic. Felmer felt the strength within him. He took his stance, then rushed at the man. The man stepped back and tried to block the attack. But the new attack overwhelmed him, and he was thrown back. Felmer rushed at the man before he could stand. The man tried to block, but this time his sword broke. Felmer saw the opening and kicked him in the chin. The man fell, and he accepted defeat. He was out of magic as well. He had no such tricks up his sleeve.
The audience broke into cheers yet again. Felmer had proved himself in the eyes of the masses. He hadn't won at the political stage, but he had won at the stage of swords. And now he had finally controlled his magic for the first time. Felmer waved his arms, and then he left the arena, while breathing heavily.
The young master had tasted victory. He was the finalist alongside his brother Melfer.