Shattered Sanity

(Inside the Medical Bay, Gary’s POV)

Gary slowly regained consciousness to the uncomfortable sensation of something cold pressing against his forehead, as his eyelids reluctantly opened and the blurred white ceiling above him gradually came into focus.

For several seconds, he simply stared upwards without moving, unable to immediately remember where he was or why his shoulder seemed to throb painfully with every beat of his heart.

However, as his senses gradually returned, so did his memories of the exhibition match, causing Gary’s expression to darken as he remembered Riven catching his sword with his bare hand, bending the blade while it remained lodged through his palm and then using that moment of hesitation to drive Sky-Cleaver straight through his shoulder.

From there, everything had only become worse, as Gary remembered losing his sword, watching Riven willingly throw his own weapon away and then being completely unable to defend himself while the bastard pummeled him into unconsciousness with his bare fists.

’What the fuck was I even thinking?’ Gary thought, as his teeth sank into his lower lip while humiliation began spreading through every inch of his body.

Before the fight had begun, Gary had genuinely been excited about facing Riven, as after hearing everything surrounding the mysterious Dawnriver heir, he believed he might finally have found someone within his generation capable of becoming a true rival.

He had imagined the two of them pushing one another towards their limits, exchanging techniques and forcing each other to improve throughout their years at the Academy until eventually their rivalry became something both could look back upon with pride.

Yet none of that came to be, because while Gary entered the battleground looking for a rival who could push him, Riven entered with a completely different understanding of what their fight represented.

Riven did not fight to educate him, exchange techniques with him or discover which of them possessed the superior foundation, as once the fight turned against him, the bastard simply did whatever was necessary to drag Gary down with him.

And Gary had been completely unprepared for that.

"Today’s defeat is not your fault, Ironveil, so don’t blame yourself too harshly.

Nobody inside that arena could have expected that sort of savage fighting style from a noble heir like Riven Dawnriver.

We are all just as stunned as you...."

Cassius said, as Gary finally noticed the House Lord of Aureate seated beside his bed.

"I could have fought back. If I wasn’t so paralyzed by the pain after he drove that halberd through my shoulder, I could have fought back," Gary muttered, as his fingers slowly tightened against the sheets beneath him.

"I wasn’t the weaker fighter today, and I know that because I completely outskilled him while it was still sword against halberd. His control over his weapon wasn’t even close to mine, and until he caught my sword with his hand, I controlled almost every exchange between us."

The more Gary considered what happened, the more obvious his mistake became, because Riven had never suddenly become more technically capable than him during those final moments.

Gary had simply allowed himself to become unsettled.

"He knew I could not chop his arm off, or try to deliberately maim him.... And that’s the only reason behind why he could even attempt something as stupid as grabbing a sword with his palm, because if this were a real battle, I would have never let him bend it, and have instead chopped his palm off...."

Gary muttered, as he gritted his teeth in anger.

"My mistake today was my naivety to treat him as a rival, instead of an opponent I should have crushed." Gary finally admitted, as the words left a bitter taste within his mouth.

"I could have ended the fight before it even properly began if I fought to win, and that’s exactly what I will do whenever I face him again.

This defeat.....

I won’t forget it easily.

This humiliation.....

I vow to return it tenfold."

Gary declared, as Cassius nodded in agreement beside him.

"Good. I was worried that the loss might have shaken your confidence, but you seem to have taken it better than I expected.

You’ll definitely have more opportunities to face Dawnriver in the future, and I’m sure you’ll get your revenge when that time comes."

Cassius encouraged, as he patted Gary on the thigh before rising from his seat.

"The doctor said you’ll have to remain here for the next couple of days, so you’ll unfortunately miss your classes during that period.

You should be able to return to your normal schedule after that, although intense physical training won’t be an option for at least another week."

Cassius informed, before finally leaving Gary alone within the medical ward.

"STUPID... STUPID... STUPID.... I WAS SO STUPID OUT THERE TODAY!"

Gary cursed, as once he realized that he was alone, the shame he felt hit him like a tidal wave, as he clutched the bedsheet under him hard, and grit his teeth.

"FUCK U DAWNRIVER. I WILL NEVER LET YOU HUMILIATE ME LIKE THIS EVER AGAIN.

I AM GARY IRONVEIL.

MY FAMILY RULES THE WEST.

AND I PROMISE YOU, I WON’T FORGET THIS HUMILIATION FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS TO COME.

WHETHER IT’S CLASSES OR SPARRING, I WILL BE WATCHING YOU NON STOP..... WAITING FOR A CHANCE TO HUMILIATE YOU BACK!"

Gary swore, as the humiliation burning within his chest slowly began transforming into something far more enduring than the anger of a single defeat.

He did not realize it yet, but the emotions he felt today were going to become the driving force behind many of the decisions he made throughout his time at the Imperial Academy, gradually changing the way he approached his training, his ambitions and even the weaknesses he once refused to acknowledge.

For better or worse, this defeat was going to become one of the defining moments of his life, marking the beginning of a change that would influence the person he eventually became.

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