The courtyard buzzed with anticipation. Students lined the perimeter, eyes fixed on the two figures standing in the center. Caden felt the weight of their stares, but he forced himself to remain calm. He had challenged Darren to a battle of wits, and now, the moment of truth had arrived.
Darren, on the other hand, looked less than thrilled. His usual arrogance had been replaced with a mixture of confusion and frustration. This wasn’t what he’d expected. He had wanted a fight—a display of strength, something he could win easily. But now he was trapped in a game that didn’t play to his strengths.
Caden turned to Finn, who stood just a few paces behind him, along with Lira. Both of them had been instrumental in helping him plan this unconventional duel, and now, they stood by his side as a show of support.
“You ready for this?” Finn asked quietly, his eyes scanning the crowd.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Caden replied, though his heart still hammered in his chest.
Lira stepped forward, her voice low but firm. “Remember, Caden, this isn’t about beating him outright. It’s about showing everyone that you’re more than just your family name. Stay calm, stay focused.”
Caden nodded, grateful for her words. He took a deep breath, centering himself. It was time.
He stepped forward, addressing the gathered students. “Thank you all for coming. Today, Darren and I will settle our differences—not with magic or fists, but with strategy. A test of intelligence and wit.”
Murmurs spread through the crowd, some students looking excited, others confused. Darren, meanwhile, scoffed loudly.
“This is ridiculous,” Darren muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. “Get on with it.”
Caden didn’t let Darren’s attitude faze him. Instead, he raised his voice, projecting calm confidence. “The rules are simple. Each of us will be given a series of problems to solve—puzzles that require strategy, logic, and quick thinking. The first to solve three puzzles wins. The loser concedes the duel.”
Finn stepped forward, holding up a small chest filled with parchment. “I’ll be the one providing the puzzles. They’ve been chosen at random, so neither of you will have an advantage.”
Darren glared at Finn but didn’t protest. He was already in too deep to back out now. 
The first puzzle was drawn, and Finn handed the parchment to Caden. He glanced over it, reading the riddle aloud.
“I have keys but no locks. I have space but no room. You can enter, but you can’t go outside. What am I?”
A silence fell over the crowd as Caden read the puzzle. Darren’s brow furrowed in concentration, his lips moving as he tried to work through the answer.
Caden, however, didn’t take long to find the solution. He had always enjoyed puzzles—his mind worked in a methodical way that made these kinds of challenges fun for him.
“A keyboard,” Caden answered confidently.
Finn looked at the parchment and nodded. “Correct.”
A small ripple of surprise went through the crowd, and Darren’s expression darkened. He clearly hadn’t expected Caden to solve it so quickly.
“One point to Caden,” Finn announced.
Darren stepped forward, his jaw clenched. “Let’s see the next one.”
Finn drew another puzzle from the chest and handed it to Darren. Darren read the puzzle aloud, his voice tight with frustration.
“What has cities, but no houses; forests, but no trees; and rivers, but no water?”
This time, Darren’s face twisted in confusion. He stared at the parchment, his fists clenched at his sides. The crowd watched in silence, the tension growing with each passing second.
Caden knew the answer to this one too, but he stayed silent, watching as Darren struggled. It wasn’t about rubbing it in—he simply wanted to show that he didn’t need to resort to insults or bravado to win.
After what felt like an eternity, Darren growled in frustration. “I don’t know.”
Finn stepped forward, holding out his hand for the parchment. “Do you forfeit this round?”
Darren’s jaw clenched even tighter, but he finally nodded, shoving the paper into Finn’s hand. The tension in the air was thick as Finn turned to Caden.
“Do you know the answer?” Finn asked.
Caden nodded. “It’s a map.”
“Correct,” Finn confirmed. “That’s two points for Caden.”
The crowd stirred again, a few murmurs of surprise breaking through the tension. Darren’s face had turned an alarming shade of red, and Caden could see the fury in his eyes.
But he couldn’t let that get to him. This wasn’t about humiliating Darren—this was about proving a point.
Finn drew the third and final puzzle from the chest, handing it to Caden. This one, however, was more complex than the previous two. Caden’s heart raced as he read the riddle aloud.
“There is a house. One enters it blind and comes out seeing. What is it?”
Caden’s mind raced, the answer eluding him for a moment. The puzzle was familiar, but his anxiety made it harder to concentrate. The weight of the crowd’s expectations pressed down on him.
He could feel Darren’s gaze on him, filled with venom and impatience. If Caden faltered now, it could change everything. He had to stay calm.
Lira’s voice echoed in his mind. *Stop trying to live up to anyone’s expectations, including your own.*
A house that made someone come out seeing…
Then, like a bolt of lightning, the answer struck him.
“A school,” Caden said, his voice steady despite the pounding in his chest. “It’s a school.”
Finn’s face broke into a grin, and he raised his hand. “That’s correct! Caden wins!”
The courtyard erupted into murmurs, some students cheering, others whispering in shock. Caden’s body felt light, almost as if the weight of the academy’s expectations had been lifted off his shoulders. He had done it—he had won the duel without ever throwing a punch or casting a spell.
But Darren wasn’t taking the loss well. His face contorted with rage, and he stormed forward, shoving Caden back with both hands. 
“This isn’t over!” Darren spat, his voice dripping with venom. “You think you’ve won just because you solved a few puzzles? You’re still nothing! A weak little boy hiding behind your books and riddles!”
Caden stumbled back, his heart racing, but he didn’t respond to Darren’s taunts. He could feel the eyes of the crowd on him, waiting to see how he would react. Lira’s voice echoed in his mind once again: *You’re better than this.*
Instead of retaliating, Caden straightened, meeting Darren’s gaze with calm resolve.
“I didn’t challenge you to prove I’m stronger than you,” Caden said, his voice steady but firm. “I challenged you to show that I’m not afraid of you.”
Darren’s face twisted with fury, his fists clenched at his sides. “You’re pathetic.”
Caden shook his head. “No, Darren. I’m not. And I won’t let you or anyone else make me feel that way anymore.”
The crowd went silent, tension thick in the air. Darren looked like he was on the verge of attacking, his muscles tensed, but before he could make a move, Finn stepped forward, placing a hand on Darren’s chest.
“Enough, Darren,” Finn said quietly. “You’ve lost. Let it go.”
For a moment, it looked like Darren might ignore him, but then, with a furious snarl, he shoved Finn’s hand away and stormed off, disappearing into the crowd.
The silence lingered for a few moments longer before the students began to disperse, the whispers following Darren’s retreating figure. Caden stood there, breathing heavily, his body still buzzing with adrenaline. 
Lira stepped up beside him, a small smile playing on her lips. “You did it.”
Caden looked at her, his heart swelling with a mixture of relief and pride. “Yeah,” he said, his voice soft. “I did.”
Finn clapped a hand on Caden’s shoulder, grinning. “That was impressive. I don’t think anyone’s ever made Darren back down like that.”
Caden smiled, though it was tinged with exhaustion. “It wasn’t easy.”
“But it was the right thing to do,” Lira added, her eyes shining with admiration. “You didn’t let him drag you down to his level. You showed everyone that you’re more than just a fighter.”
Caden’s smile widened as he looked at his friends. For the first time in a long while, he felt like he had truly made his own mark. Not as the son of a duke, but as himself.
As they began to walk away from the courtyard, the tension of the day slowly melted away, leaving only a sense of quiet satisfaction in its place.
And for the first time, Caden felt like he truly belonged.