Riki's confusion and shock could be seen from miles away as he witnessed Ryuji leaning on the side with a sly smile on his face, hands remaining firmly in his pockets.

"How did he traverse the distances so fast? What the hell is this peasant doing?!" Riki racked his brain, unable to decipher the trickery Ryuji was using.

Ryuji started walking toward the center of the arena where the fight had initially begun, a sly smile still on his face and his hands firmly tucked away in his pockets, causing Riki to spiral into more anger and frustration. He knew Ryuji was toying with him.

"You think you're so clever?!" Riki yelled out as he started to gather more particles in his palms. When Ryuji reached the center, the particles appeared to be pulled into the center of Riki's palms, collecting and compressing themselves as if the center of gravity had shifted between the red-haired noble's hands. Ryuji stood, waited, and watched Riki's next moves carefully.

Riki brought both hands close, merging the particles from each hand into one. A raging yet compressed fire erupted between his palms. He aimed it at Ryuji, then released it. A golden beam of fire was hurled in a straight line toward him at incredible speeds, faster than any previous barrage, aiming to completely incinerate him.

But unfortunately for Riki, it seemed not to be fast enough. As the fire beam impacted the barrier, a ripple traveled far across the protective bubble. He looked to check if he had made contact.

Sweat started to pour down his face, and symptoms of exhaustion became noticeable on the young noble's features. Despair followed shortly after, but Ryuji wasn't there at all. He scanned the arena with his eyes, only to find it empty.

"Where did he go?!" he thought, as a scream of fear echoed from beside his underlings.

His eyes quickly turned to the source of the noise, only to find Ryuji standing there, next to the self-proclaimed judges. His hands were still in his pockets. A smile still on his face. Yuki and the two others stood frozen in awe and slight fear.

"How?!" was the question running through the underlings' minds, but it appeared as if Yuki had already figured it out.

"You look tired. Perhaps you should rest a bit before we continue," said Ryuji mockingly.

Anger overwhelmed Riki. Veins bulged visibly on his forehead, and the signs of exhaustion worsened.

"Is running all you can do?! As expected from a cowardly peasant! Stand your ground and fight!" Riki yelled with all his might.

Ryuji returned to his part of the arena, a sly smile still on his face. And in mere moments, his expression changed. Playtime was over. The real fight had begun. Riki spotted the shift in expression and stood guard, still watching and waiting for Ryuji's next move. Riki's exhaustion would be his undoing, so he decided to bet everything on his next attack.

Golden particles began to collect around him again; his eyes fixed on his enemy. The number of particles seemed to have increased, and it was taking longer for him to charge his next attack. Ryuji stood still, waiting. He could've easily capitalized on Riki's long charge time, but instead, he chose to stand and wait. He wanted to crush Riki's strongest attack, and with it, crush his spirit.

As the charging finally finished, Riki's eyes flared up in anticipation. He threw his arms to the side as an enormous, towering, raging wall of golden-yellow fire erupted in front of him, rushing toward Ryuji at incredible speed like an unstoppable wave. The wall of flame extended as wide as the arena, closing off all paths of escape. As it continued to rush toward him, completely obscuring him from view, it pressed on toward the barrier.

Riki thought he had won and that the wall would push Ryuji all the way back, slamming him into the barrier and finishing him off completely. However, a voice echoed, "Behind you!" from the judges.

One of his underlings interfered and yelled out to help Riki. He quickly turned around, only to find Ryuji behind him, towering above him, with murderous intent in his eyes.

Riki stood in shock. Exhaustion overtook him, and he stood there, unable to summon any more flames to defend himself. Fear set in, and Riki's hands began to shake uncontrollably.

Ryuji slowly walked toward the cowering noble. For the first time in the fight, he took his right hand out of his pocket and placed it firmly on Riki's shoulder, staring deep into his eyes, sensing the fear within him. With a swift motion, Ryuji grabbed onto the noble's clothing and dragged him closer, guiding him directly into a brutal meeting with Ryuji's knee.

A loud, ear-shattering impact between Riki's liver and Ryuji's knee knocked the wind out of his lungs. Falling to his knees and barely conscious, Riki looked upward toward Ryuji, only to see his leg lifted. A lightning-fast kick headed toward his jaw. The kick landed, and Riki was knocked out cold. His underlings stood in shock as their master fell flat on his face.

"See? Told you... Without even using my hands," Ryuji whispered to Riki's unconscious body.

"You there! Riki's idiots!" Ryuji yelled at the judges. "Come collect this weakling and send him to the infirmary."

One of the underlings, angered by Ryuji calling them idiots, began collecting particles in his hand and prepared to attack. Before he could even finish, a sword was firmly planted next to his neck.

"Choose your next actions very carefully. They might just be your last. I highly recommend you listen to Ryuji," Yuki exclaimed menacingly as he moved his rapier closer to the underling's neck.

The underlings, fearing for their lives and knowing they had no chance of winning, dispersed the particles and walked defeatedly toward their master.

Ryuji left the red-haired noble on the floor and started walking toward Yuki.

The underlings collected their master off the floor, staring angrily at Ryuji as they made their way out of the arena and toward the infirmary.

"Well, that was a waste of time," Ryuji exclaimed. "I guess he made for a somewhat decent warm-up," he continued mockingly.

"Your powers... I don't think I've ever seen anything remotely similar to them," Yuki said, with clear signs of awe on his face.

"I think I finally understand why the headmaster brought you here," he said excitedly. "Who knew such a thing existed?!"

"You think those three idiots ever noticed?" Ryuji asked.

"I highly doubt it. Those two were completely fixated on Riki's impressive fire magic; they didn't pay you any mind," Yuki said, mocking the underlings' inexperienced behavior. "I'll admit, at first, I was as shocked as everyone else. But after paying close attention, I noticed it. Your element... Shadows?!"

"Well spotted, can't hide anything from a real knight, can I?" Ryuji replied jokingly.

"You can use shadows to teleport from one position to the next?" Yuki asked curiously.

"Precisely, why did you think I chose to stand where the sun was setting behind me? This battle was over before it even began. A real warrior uses their environment to their advantage. It's what my teacher used to say…" Ryuji said with a look of reminiscing on his face.

"Is that what you did in the class? While everyone was distracted by the teacher, you used the shadows to swap your chair and Riki's?" Yuki asked after remembering yesterday's events.

"Oh, I'm impressed you still remember. Haha! That was fun, wasn't it? The look on his face was quite priceless," Ryuji replied while laughing loudly.

Yuki is taken aback slightly. Ryuji's face is usually strict and disciplined; he doesn't typically show emotion. And when he does, it's usually in courtesy towards others or when he's planning something sinister. And yet here he is, laughing like any normal boy his age. Yuki accepted it as a sign of mutual trust, sharing the laughter with his new friend before turning his attention toward other matters...

"So, explain to me, what was your plan?" asked Yuki.

"Simple. I knew Riki was hot-headed, so I insulted his strength and got him to fight me. He was too angry to think straight, and by the time he realized I was toying with him, it was already over," Ryuji said.

"So, you played him from the start? Haha! I have to say, it fits you quite well," Yuki replied while laughing.

The two young warriors shared a laugh. Yuki's gaze then drifted to Ryuji's shadow, his curiosity piqued. "How does he manipulate them? What more can they do?" Those thoughts echoed in his head as he tried to find answers from his understanding of magic, but alas. To no avail.

"You realize I can see you staring, right?" Ryuji said with a teasing grin.

"Oh... I'm sorry, haha! I couldn't help myself, it's just such an outlandish ability," Yuki replied with a nervous laugh.

"Is teleporting from one shadow to another all it can do?" Yuki asks curiously.

"Well... Fight me and find out," Ryuji responds intimidatingly.

Yuki looks at Ryuji with slight hints of confusion. Due to the fight with Riki and witnessing Ryuji's abilities for the first time, it seems as if he forgot why they came here in the first place.

"That was always the plan, wasn't it?" said Ryuji. "To come here to the training grounds, spar against one another, and train together."

Yuki's expression softens into a gentle smile, knowing Ryuji saw right through his intentions.

"You continue to impress me. Very well, shall we begin?" said Yuki excitedly.

"Is the sun going to be behind you again this time?" he added jokingly.

"I can do it any other way, if you wish," Ryuji replied, joking with his new friend.

"Haha! Confidence is key! Just don't let it get to your head," Yuki responded, with an eager look on his face.

"But, since I already know about your power, it's only fair you know about mine. I refuse to spar with an advantage," Yuki said as he lifted his hand, nearing his shoulder, and icy blue particles appeared, shimmering in the sunset as they started to gather in the young knight's palm. And in mere moments, faster than anything Riki has accomplished. An icy blue icicle formed, hovering above the young warrior's hand.

"As you can see, Ice is the element I inherited from my father," Yuki said, eagerly waiting for a reaction from Ryuji.

"Forming an icicle of that size that quickly is quite a feat!" Ryuji replied with excitement.

"Haha! This isn't impressive at all! You should see what my father can do! He can summon massive pillars of ice in an instant," said Yuki, a proud look in his eyes, with a hint of eagerness and impatience to reach his father's level.

"Now then, enough talk!" Yuki exclaimed as he clenched his fist, and the icicle dissipated, and the particles disappeared. "Let's take our positions."

The two young knights walked in opposite directions, heading towards the much-anticipated fight. As Yuki stood across from Ryuji, his excitement took over, and he quickly drew his rapier and pointed it toward Ryuji.

"Are you really going to fight me empty-handed?" Yuki asked, a teasing smile on his lips. To his surprise, Ryuji returned the smile, and at that moment, his shadow began to twist and writhe, stretching into a perfect circle of midnight darkness beneath him.

Yuki instinctively tightened his guard, dropping into a defensive stance, his eyes never leaving his opponent as he prepared for the first move.

"Relax," said Ryuji with a sly smile. "The fight hasn't started yet."

From the circle of shadows, something began to materialize. Floating into the air before Ryuji grabbed it. It's a sword, A katana more specifically.

A commonly used weapon in the kingdom of Hikari. Yuki's expression changed from anticipation into awe as he figured out another power of Ryuji's abilities. Shadow storage, but what were its limitations?

He continued to stare as Ryuji drew his sword from its beautifully decorated sheath. The katana seemed to hum with energy as Ryuji swung it to his side, raising his right arm to shoulder height, the sword steady in his grip. The sheath rested in his left hand, lowered near his hip.

An odd pose for a swordsman, full of openings and opportunities, inviting any skilled swordsman to attack. Yuki stayed calm and his focus unshaken, knowing that Ryuji was a master of deception.

"Not coming?" Ryuji asked provocatively, "Then allow me."

He rushed towards Yuki at incredible speed, and the clash between the hero's son and the mysterious villager began.

The young knights' swords bounced off each other after colliding. The sound of clashing steel reverberated through the arena as they locked eyes, both filled with excitement. They both finally found worthy opponents, but that thrill was short-lived.

"Hey! What are you kids still doing here?!" A shout came from the edge of the arena, and both knights turned toward the source, spotting a professor standing there with a mildly irritated expression.

"Curfew has already started, you know?!" the professor called out.

"S-Sorry, professor!" Yuki replied, a bit flustered, "We were busy training, we did not notice time passing!"

"Well, now you know! Get back to your dorms immediately!" the professor yelled out.

Yuki and Ryuji exchanged a glance, their swords still in hand. Then, almost in sync, they burst into laughter before sheathing their weapons.

"Perhaps we'll continue this another time?" Ryuji said between chuckles.

"I'll hold you to that!" Yuki grinned back as they turned and began walking toward their dorms, joy lighting up their faces.