The only Solomon that Arthur knew was the person that made Arthur the breaker of the trial. He had saved Arthur's life and asked him to save the Dark Queen, his lover, from the curse of suffering.
However, that led to more questions. Solomon was dead, that was indisputable… or was it? Arthur's mind was chaotic as he sat inside the room. Yurirl had asked if Arthur knew someone by that name, but Arthur denied.
Yurirl was an honest person, but Arthur wasn't the same. He didn't want to share what happened in the trial with anyone. As he sat there watching the duels listlessly, he tried to make sense of the situation.
Yurirl saw him in Solomon's memories. If that was the case, then Solomon's dying words made sense. He said that Arthur looked like 'him.'
Who was him?
'I should have studied philosophy.' Arthur laughed, making Yurirl glance at him with confusion. Arthur didn't say anything and grabbed a bag of chips.
If Solomon has seen Arthur, then it must be in the trial. If Solomon has mistaken Arthur for someone else, then that someone was surely the same person Yurirl had seen. Can Yurirl make a mistake like Solomon, who was likely to make one because of how much time he spent in the trial?
'This is a mess.' Arthur groaned. He felt like there was a knot that he didn't know how to untie. There was something that Arthur was missing, but he didn't know what it was.
"Oh, Yurirl. Who else knows about the diary?" Arthur asked with panic. However, Yurirl simply threw another raisin into his mouth.
"No one."
"Phew," Arthur sighed in relief. "Why did you tell me then? You could've kept it hidden." Arthur asked with confusion.
"Why would I?" Yurirl asked back with more confusion. "I don't understand why I would see you in someone's else memories, but it's not like you can harm me. If you were my answer, then it's better to gain your trust. Trust can't be built on lies."
"Ugh," Arthur groaned. "Everyone says I'm their answer, but where the hell is mine?" Yurirl seemed to seriously ponder his complaining.
"Most answers are within oneself."
"… You're saying I'm my own answer as well?" Arthur gaped at Yurirl. "Then I'm not your answer, but you are."
"Are we playing with words?" Yurirl laughed and shook his head. "Maybe I am, maybe you are yours, who knows?"
"Okay, stop. My head hurts already." Arthur looked back at the screen. It was Emma's turn again and she defeated her opponent with her summoning rune. It was a battle with no suspense.
The matter of Solomon would have to wait. He didn't have enough clues and Yurirl was the same. Luckily, he had managed to meet this person. At least, he knows that there was something bigger at play now.
"Wait, you said that we partnered through fate. What did you mean?"
"I," Yurirl looked away. "I don't know." He was lying.
"Trust can't be built on lies."
"Ha," Yurirl sighed. "It's a runic card I had. It was called the String of Fate. It would allow you to meet someone you choose in the next few days."
"Even a dead person?" Arthur tilted his head in curiosity. Suddenly, Yurirl's eyes turned black. He looked nothing like the easy-going person from earlier. For the first time, Arthur saw the rage in his expression.
"No," His voice was distant. "I tried that already."
***
The randomness has been tempered with Yurirl's card. That's how they got to be together. This revelation made Arthur let his guard down. At least, it wasn't anything malice.
He felt that his world has worn another layer of fog. He didn't know what to think of things anymore. There was nothing but mysteries in his path. His father, Jizo, Master Ronin, Solomon, and now Yurirl.
Everyone was connected to him somehow, but he was the only person who didn't feel connected to anyone. They talked of fate and answers but he didn't know if he could answer their expectations.
What if he was a fraud? Someone that has chanced upon something greater, but it's not his? When would be the time that his façade would be taken down, leaving him with the naked truth?
The rules had changed because of Arthur's and Carlos's draw. There were extra rounds now. Usually, the top 25 people would duel against each other until a champion is chosen. Now, thirteen people would be chosen in the last round. Then, 7 people would advance to the last round.
His next opponent was a tricky one, but Yurirl won again. His opponent used a teleportation rune to appear behind Yurirl, but the protection rune was there to take the damage.
Roy was eliminated when he fought against Carlos, making him rank in the top 26 people. It was admirable to be ranked so high. In the end, only thirteen people remained.
"I hate odd numbers," Jumana grumbled. "We will randomly pick someone to advance to the next round. The rest will fight against themselves."
The thirteen people all had unique runes that allowed them to advance until now. Arthur's next opponent turned out to be Nera.
"Would you go easy on me, young hero?" Nera smiled at him while they were resting in the dining hall. Arthur smiled back and pointed at Yurirl.
"I would love to, but the Divine Swordsman hates unfair play."
"That's right." Yurirl nodded seriously and the group laughed.
"I think the person who should go easy on us is Emma." Arthur teased and saw Emma pause.
"I would go easy on anyone, just not you. Your runes almost blew up the coliseum. More than a ghost, you're better suited to be a terrorist." Her white teeth shined in the light as she grinned.
"That was an honest mistake." Arthur coughed in embarrassment. He suddenly remembered Mistletoe and how some people classified them as terrorists in the last war. "Let's both do our bests." Arthur turned to Nera who nodded back.
Their duel was the highlight of this round. Yurirl took the stage and so did Roland. Arthur asked the staff to allow him to see the fight up close and they agreed.
He stood below the stage and watched as the host counted down. As soon as he reached zero, Roland took out his runes and activated them. A semi-circle appeared and a weapon was materialized.
"A manifesting circle." Arthur grinned at Nera's trump card. A manifesting circle was even more advanced than a summoning rune, albeit more common. A series of runes that worked together to manifest a weapon.
This technique was on the boundaries of the apprentice's realm. If the weapon was not made of elementals, it would have gained a physical form.
Roland looked tired just by activating it. A chain appeared that was made of flames with a single crystalized spearhead at one end. The spearhead was dark in color and was made of concentrated mana and dark essence.
"I guess Yurirl would have to use it." Arthur gave Yurirl a new rune from his own. The spearhead flew toward Yurirl at breathtaking speed but Yurirl looked leisured. He activated the card and disappeared, appearing behind Roland's back.
Teleport has made its entrance. The crowd gasped as another teleport rune has appeared. Arthur didn't know what people would say if they knew his teleport had a range of three kilometers if it had an open reality gate.
This one was an artificial rune, so it had a hundred meters. It was also teleport-I, not II. Before Roland could react, Yurirl had already used another runic card. Fire sprouted like a flower as it eliminated the young guild's captain.
"Jeez, have some faith in me." Arthur was speechless when the crowd panicked due to the fire. He knows he had underestimated the rune's might earlier, but they didn't need to be so cautious.
'Well, it would have been worse if not for Jumana and Carlos's rune.' Arthur wiped the imaginary sweat off his forehead and headed back inside. In the hallway, he found Nera standing there with a clenched fist.
"You were holding back since the beginning." She bit her lip in frustration.
"Same goes for you." Arthur shrugged. "I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. I lost, that's it." Nera regained her composure and bowed slightly. "Congratulations."
"Thank you," Arthur bowed back. It was then that he felt someone watching him. He turned back toward the arena and saw that another two people, who he didn't know, preparing to fight. One of them wore a hood that hid his face, but Arthur felt a sense of familiarity.
The hooded-person turned away and the duel began. In the end, he won. Arthur left Nera and headed to his room with Yurirl. However, he couldn't wash off the feeling of familiarity that he sensed.
'Well, maybe it was someone I met in the first two rounds.' Arthur dismissed his unease as he had to focus. In this round, seven people remained. Arthur, Emma, Carlos, a member of the Sun Emperor's Workshop, the son of a grandmaster, a genius commoner from Orlan, and the person that hadn't fought in this round, a rune apprentice from Janea.