Chapter 49: Realising Oneself

Disclaimer: It's the age-old story when it comes to me – Uni work etc etc, but this time I also had some WiFi troubles as well as having my USB break, so this is my second time writing this chapter! I don't know the problem, maybe the world doesn't want me to work on this fanfic :O BUT I shall carry on! Enjoy.

The high afternoon sun shone down on the contestants that swarmed around the battlefield. The two crystals being protected by both teams who were ready for the battle that will ensue any second. The two teams were wary of each other as both didn't want to lose to one another but knew that they had to make a move.

Team C consisted of Noelle Silva, Zora Ideale, and another who many would not have considered to be part of a team that wasn't his own. It was Alecdora Sandler of the Golden Dawn.

"Hey, royalty. Do you think that snob will be alright out here?" Zora spoke out loud towards his Black Bulls teammate, not caring about being heard by the one he was talking about.

"Zora! Keep your voice down if you're going to talk like that about him!" Noelle responded, trying desperately to make enough noise to drown out Zora's voice from Alecdora's ears by waving her hands around.

"Tsk. You know I don't care about those stuck-up freaks. I say it how it is and I wanna win this battle so I'm wondering if he's going to be okay", Zora laughed slyly.

Noelle thought for a few seconds before answering. "I sure hope so. We didn't get to discuss much with him about a strategy so I guess all we can do is wish he doesn't act out". She then turned away and looked around, "besides… we need to focus on who we could potentially fight".

Zora paused and then responded to the Silva. "That's right. We're up against Team D which has… the lady from the Blue Rose Knights, The old geezer from the Green Praying Mantises, and…

"My brother, Solid", Noelle finished.

The two Black Bulls were walking together with the crystal between themselves whilst Alecdora had gone off on his own, shortly after hearing what Zora said about him. The Black Bulls duo said they had each other's backs so the level of trust between the two was fine. The only person they didn't have as much trust in was the Sand mage.

In another part of the battlefield, a lone Golden Dawn mage was seen wondering the grassy path that he had set upon.

"I told them I would be okay… but the truth is I'm not. I have no idea why I even put myself forward for this tournament. I just thought it was the right thing to do somehow…", Alecdora sighed. His eyes were heavy, and his complexion looked tired. It was different to his typical one of being snobby, this time it just looked like he had no life in him.

FLASHBACK TO A FEW MONTHS AGO:

It was Captain William Vangeance's funeral outside of Hage, in a small town where he had once lived. Since he was raised in the Forsaken Realm, he had grown accustomed to the area. The place where the casket was lowered into was just underneath his first ever World Tree that he made from when he practiced his magic.

The Wizard King had started his eulogy about the squad captain. "This was where I first met William…", he carried on.

Alecdora was in the crowd next to a few of his Golden Dawn squad mates, the ones who had survived the Spatial Magic explosion that had transported the others away to the Underworld.

"Sir Vangeance…", the Sand mage thought. "You were the only person I looked up to. You were a person with a huge heart and huge love for others around you. When you saved me that day… I swore I would do everything in my ability to serve you well…".

"The Magic Knights Awards Ceremony… I got humiliated by Asta…"

"When the Diamond Kingdom attacked Kiten… Yuno got all the plaudits…"

"The Royal Knights Exam… I was beaten easily by Yuno…"

"The attack on the Royal Capital… I was possessed and a part of that…"

"Just what was my promise to 'serve you well' about anyway? I spent my days ridiculing commoners and peasants like Yuno just for him to surpass me in every way, shape, and form. Not to mention I found out that you also lived like a peasant when you were younger…I still respect you dearly but I'm just so confused…"

"Was everything I thought a lie?"

"Did everything I believe in not matter?"

"Just… who am I?"

The others around him had started to shed tears from the eulogy's impact as well as because of the whole situation that they were in. Only a few hours ago the people around saw their friends and families be ripped away from them to an unknown abyss. However, Alecdora was not reacting like that. He looked up to the World Tree and his eyes slowly faded in colour.

FLASHBACK END

The Sand mage started to run ahead to where he thought he would find an opponent. "I… don't know what I stand for anymore. The best thing I can do is fight through this tournament!"

The noble traversed through the grassy path he was on, ducking under tree branches and hopping over tree trunks. He was slowly making his way towards the opposite end of the field when he finally saw the opponent he was going to be up against.

"You're the guy from the Green Praying Mantises, correct?" He asked the mage in front who wore a smile and had green eyes behind his round glasses.

"Why yes. I'm happy you remembered me… the name is En Ringard and my team actually beat yours in the Royal Knights Exam a few months back. Let's see how good you've gotten…", En responded with a slightly weak sounding voice. Given his age, the way he was speaking was expected.

Alecdora stood in silence at what En had just said to him. "I don't even know how good I've gotten… have I even improved? I guess there's no choice now".

The dynamic between Alecdora and En was very different to what it usually would have been. Considering the Sand mage's personality, he would have been proud and upbeat about a battle so that he could showcase his power, but now he was simply a shadow of his former self. En on the other hand, was the energetic one despite his old age.

"Hm? That's odd… there's something not quite right with the kid. I can't think too much though, the battle begins!" The Green Praying Mantis mage thought.

"Fungus Magic: Scattering Spores!" En flicked the pages in his grimoire and landed on the spell he wanted to use. He pointed his hands forwards and spread the spores outwards across the space between him and his opponent. "Let's see you evade this…".

"The battle begins, I guess. What do I do? Sand Magi- no, that wouldn't be right… Sand Magic: Whirlwi- no, that's not right either!" Alecdora was confused as to what spell to use in the situation he was in. Usually, the noble was confident in any situation he was in but because of everything he had gone through he was not the same.

As he stood confused, En's attack hit the Sand mage and started its effect on him. The Scattering Spores slowed his body down, so this coupled together with the fact that his decision making was slow as well, the combination wasn't very good for Alecdora at all.

Back at the platform where the captains were stood, they all observed the battle on the field. They saw Noelle and Zora and saw Alecdora facing off against En elsewhere.

"I never really paid attention to him and all I knew was that he had a commanding personality to him, but…", Rill commented. He had, for once, put down his painting tools and took notice of the battle down below. The way Alecdora was acting was just odd and many of the captains noticed.

"… even that personality is gone. He's like a hollowed-out shell", Dorothy continued. She was awake for this tournament because it interested her and also because of the fact that her squad's Vice-Captain had been participating.

In the back, Julius stood realising what the situation was. "Alecdora Sandler… William told me about him a few months ago and how he was a great Magic Knight. There was just a slight problem of his, and it was that he based his entire personality and existence on what William would have liked", the Wizard King then walked forwards and observed the match more carefully.

"I think… since William's death, Alecdora doesn't know how to move forward".

The Time mage thought to himself and wondered about many things. At first, he thought about stopping the match because he was worried about the Sand mage's mental state and any potential of an injury. Then, he recognised that intruding on a battle like this would only make Alecdora feel weak and helpless which would be even worse for him in this case.

"I… I'll let this continue but only until I know for sure that he can't continue", Julius thought as he composed himself.

Back on the field where the battle between Alecdora and En ensued, the former was struggling a lot as he tried to cope with the Fungus Magic attack. He flailed his arms around everywhere as a way to wave away the spores, but they had already made their mark.

"I was expecting more from someone that comes from the Golden Dawn, but I guess-!" En started but thought about his little brothers and sisters that he took care of a lot of the time. The Fungus mage then sighed. "I guess they would want me to help others in need. I mean, they do look up to me so I probably should set an example. Okay then", the man cleared his throat.

Meanwhile, the Sand mage continued to struggle. "Which spell do I even use at this point?! None of it seems to work or even matter at this point!" His face grew even paler than it was before. "I know people are staring from up top… the captains and then audience. Not to mention I went off on my own and put the team in jeopardy. Ha, some Senior Knight I am… maybe I shouldn't have been part of the Golden Dawn in the first place…", Alecdora then slowly closed his eyes as he began to give up.

Suddenly, like a jolt of electricity, the Sand mage opened his eyes in shock to what he just heard. It was a louder-than-hell shout coming right from En, or where he thought it was coming from.

"Why… why are you screaming?!" Alecdora shouted back to the mage but upon closer inspection, he realised he wasn't the one making the noise, but it was someone, or something, on his shoulder. "Wait what?"

The noise came from a small mushroom that perched itself on top of En's shoulder. It was a small sized fungus and had a red head with a lot of white sports patterned all over. To top it off, it even had an angry looking face which completely freaked out the Sand Magic user.

"Alecdora Sandler! What is wrong with you?! Why aren't you battling properly?! Is this all you have to show?!" The mushroom asked with a rather demanding tone of voice.

"Just who do you think you are? A mushroom? Why do I need to answer back to a mushroom for crying out loud?!" The mage shouted back.

"A mushroom?! I have feelings too you know!" En's mushroom friend responded. He then calmed down to match the situation they were in. "Look, something is clearly eating you up from inside! What is it? Did a girl reject you? Did you not get enough sleep? Or is it more serious? What I'm saying is… don't you think you're acting a bit pathetic?! People have problems outside of battle and that's fine… we all do! But when you're on the battlefield all you need to do is think about the battle!"

Alecdora was frankly gobsmacked at how the mushroom made what he was feeling feel completely stupid. It angered him and he didn't want to let him get away with saying all that stuff about him. "Look here you bastard. Something did happen and I'm sure everyone knows about it… but it was different for me… everything I am… everything I felt… it's all changed! The mage clutched onto his squad robe.

"So, it was the death of Captain Vangeance that has him feeling like this…", En thought.

"Okay… and?!" The mushroom retorted rather rudely. "I thought being a Magic Knight meant something to you. They protect the Kingdom and its people, and they also listen and respect their captains' wishes... whether they're here or not!"

Everyone around who was watching the tournament unfold were confused as to what was happening. Some even thought that the mushroom went a bit too far with what he was saying and were worried that Alecdora would snap at any moment.

"Whether they're here or not…? Have I been going against Sir Vangeance's wishes these past few months…? Did I shirk my duties without realising…?" The sand mage clenched his fists. "How stupid is it that a darn mushroom made me realise that", he chuckled. Though, as he did, a few tears fell from his eyes and onto the ground, wetting the grass underneath.

"Looks like he's opened his eyes", the mushroom spoke and then disappeared into nothingness.

"If continuing to be a Magic Knight will serve Captain Vangeance even in the afterlife… then that is what I'll do. I'll be a different kind of Magic Knight though. One that is true to who I am... One that will even surpass Yuno – the one he had such high hopes for! I know who I am - I am Alecdora Sandler, a noble and a Senior Knight from the Golden Dawn!" Alecdora shouted. He then looked up towards En and saw that the mushroom who talked so much smack had disappeared.

"En, could you let that guy know I'm thankful for what he said?" The noble asked.

"S-sure…", En replied. He then thought to himself. "I guess he doesn't realise that the mushroom was only a proxy and that whatever he was saying was my thoughts that I couldn't express normally… maybe I'll leave it like that", sweat fell from his head.

The two paused for a few seconds and then looked at each other.

"Shall we resume the battle?"

"Let's".

"Sand Magic: Whirlwind Storm!" Alecdora summoned a huge whirlwind of sand that swirled and closed in on En just opposite. This spell is something I had started to work on in secret… but I never felt comfortable using it because… it's a mimic of the spell that humiliated me back at the Royal Knights Exam. The one Yuno used.

"Hey, Yuno. Isn't that like your Towering Tornado attack?" Letoile nudged the Wind mage on his side.

Yuno didn't respond, he simply smiled. "Guess even Alecdora was suffering in silence. I'm glad he's made it through though", he thought.

"So, you're using Sand magic in a similar way to Wind magic. Now that's interesting. Fungus Magic: Towering Mr Mushroom!" En summoned a huge version of the talking mushroom, though this one didn't speak at all, but only acted as a defence.

As the Sand attack hit the Towering Mr Mushroom, the mushroom opened its mouth and began to suck the attack spell, making the magic power grow smaller until it would diminish.

"A good move from you, Alecdora, but I improved my defences these past few months. I hope that's alright", the Fungus mage smiled.

"Sir Vangeance… I wish you were here to see how strong I've gotten", Alecdora spoke softly to himself.

Suddenly, the magic power that the Towering Mr Mushroom was consuming started to grow in power. The Whirlwind Storm was growing inside of the mushroom causing it to expand against the inside of the mushroom it was within.

"Oh no… this isn't good", En spoke in his usual brittle and soft tone.

"Sand Magic: Sand Explosion!" The Whirlwind inside of the mushroom had grew about tenfold and even caused the mushroom to expand in size. It was almost as big as the Demon Skull itself, which was in the background. As Alecdora chanted his other spell, Sand Explosion, the giant figure started to burst with sand starting to come out of its pores.

"This is it, En… thank you for what you and the talking mushroom did for me…", the Sand mage smiled for what seemed like it was his first genuine smile ever.

"Who are you to decide that I lose just like that?" En responded. "Fungus Magic: Spore Central Burst!"

Just as Alecdora had an explosion spell that made his magic expand and burst outwards, so did En. His mushroom spewed out a ton of spores that would slow the opponent down but since it was due to explode because of Alecdora, the spores were also going to explode.

The attacks were mixed and were going to have an impact on each other and effect both magic users.

"I guess this is how our bout ends, Alecdora", En grinned.

As everything in front exploded into a ton of sand and mushroom spores, Alecdora replied. "Is this the first time I haven't won… and I've smiled about it?"

An enormous force of wind, sand, and mushroom parts exploded and filled the entire area. The Wizard King, along with the captains and the spectators felt the force of the magic that the two had created against each other.

Even the others on the battlefield felt it as they were focused on their own part of the battle.

As the wind, sand, and everything else calmed down and subsided, what was left were two Magic Knights, both on the floor and both were rendered unconscious. One other similarity with them was that they both had smiles on their faces.

"Woah, just what was that?" Zora spoke, reacting to the magic explosion.

"That explosion… it had sand in it and a few mushroom parts", Noelle noted, realising what just happened. "That explosion was too big and if I'm right, that would have gotten both Alecdora and En. This means…".

"… Our opponents are the Blue Rose lady and your brother", Zora finished.

The two looked ahead and saw the people that they just mentioned coming into vision. It was Solid Silva and Puli Angel that were making their way towards Noelle and Zora.

"Are you ready for round two against your brother, Princess?" Zora giggled.

"Hmph. Of course, I am. Don't falter against Puli either, Zora!" Noelle smirked.

"Let's go!" The Black Bulls duo spoke in unison as they charged ahead.

NOTES:

Alecdora development! Who would have thought :P. Don't get me wrong, I still hate the guy but I feel as if he has his own thoughts and feelings about what happened, especially with Vangeance that I felt needed to be addressed. It kind of makes sense why he lost his sense of self when everything he had been fighting for was just gone from him, just like that.

En was cool too. I feel he was a good matchup because he's always calm and is also mature. The way he helped Noelle in the Royal Knights Exam was great, I felt. So, having him as a helping figure once more was something that felt right.

Now, next chapter will be interesting. Noelle and Zora vs Solid and Puli… maybe an odd combination when it comes to Puli but we'll see!