Rick fought like a man who was possessed. He got back up every time they knocked him down.
He always found one more burst of defiant energy when they thought they had finished until his sword snapped, but surprisingly, he used the parts. His armor fell apart, and he didn’t pay attention to it.
There were so many wounds that blood flowed freely. But he kept going, kept fighting, and wouldn’t give up.
Rick’s body finally gave up on him completely three hours after noon. His legs gave out in the middle of a dodge, and he fell to the ground. Rick felt something inside him break in a way that even dragon magic might not be able to fix when Theron’s next hit struck him square in the chest.
He tried to get up. His body wouldn’t move while he tried to get to his broken sword. He couldn’t move his arm until desperation made him try to talk to them and tell them this wasn’t over, but then... there was no sound.
Everyone in the arena was quiet, waiting for the news that the challenger had lost, but the sun was still up. There were still hours of light left in the day.
Rick lay there, hurt and bleeding, with his mind screaming at his body to move, but his body wouldn’t listen. The Spirit Bonds throbbed with desperate energy as Carmilla and Natasha tried to send him strength, but there was nothing left to strengthen. He was finished.
After that, he felt something else. A fourth presence, one that was warm and familiar. Liora’s voice, clearer than it should be from so far away.
"Dear, you don’t have to win... You just have to get through it by showing them what the indomitable human spirit can take."
Rick’s eyes were on the sky above. The sun was still up.
There were still hours left.
He didn’t have to fight.
He just had to keep going.
Rick rolled over to his side, but it took a long time. The simple movement made every nerve in his body hurt like crazy, but he did it.
Then he sat down with his back against the arena wall, despite his broken body. He was standing up, even though blood was pouring from many wounds.
The crowd gasped in shock.
"He’s not fighting anymore," Korvan said, sounding confused.
"Doesn’t matter," Drakor said. "Just look at him... he can hardly sit down. We could end this in seconds."
"Could we?" Theron’s old eyes looked closely at Rick. "The rule of the trial is to stay alive until sunset."
"He’s still alive and breathing. Technically, he hasn’t failed yet."
The three dragons looked at each other and realized what was going on. Rick would pass the test if he stayed awake until sunset, even if he couldn’t fight. The rules didn’t say how he had to stay alive, only that he had to.
Drakor said, "You have to be kidding me."
Time went by. Rick leaned against that wall, his whole being focused on the one thing he wanted to do, which was to stay awake.
The dragons didn’t attack again. It would be wrong to do that when their opponent couldn’t even defend himself, but they, along with thousands of other dragons, watched as Rick just wouldn’t pass out.
His sight got blurry. His hearing came and went. Pain was the only thing that stayed the same, a screaming symphony that threatened to pull him down, but he stayed awake, holding on to his awareness with all his strength.
The sun moved toward the horizon at a maddeningly slow pace. Rick’s thoughts wandered, touching the Spirit Bonds and getting strength from them.
He could feel Carmilla’s tears and knew she was crying for him in Valdris. He could feel Natasha’s cold rage at not being able to help. He felt Liora’s prayers, which were like a steady stream of divine energy that kept his heart beating when it wanted to stop.
The sun finally touched the horizon after what felt like an eternity.
"Sunset!" the announcer’s voice rang out in disbelief. "The challenger lives!"
"That’s about it, folks! Day Seven is done!"
The arena went crazy. Dragons yelled in surprise, anger, approval, and confusion. Some people said it was a joke about the trial. Others said it was the most impressive display of willpower they had ever seen.
Rick didn’t hear any of it. As soon as the announcement was over, his mind finally let go of its desperate grip, and darkness took him.
...
Two days later, he woke up. Slowly, the ceiling of his room came into focus.
He felt like his body was far away, like it belonged to someone else. And then he started to feel things again, and with that came the realization that he wasn’t in pain. Not fully healed, but the pain was gone.
"You’re awake," Sylvia said from the side of the bed.
She looked worn out, and her usual royal air was a little off. "You’ve been out of it for two whole days... I was getting worried that you might not wake up at all."
Rick tried to talk, but his throat was too dry. He drank greedily when Sylvia held a cup of water to his lips.
"The trial?" he finally managed to say.
"You did it." Sylvia’s face showed many different emotions, including pride and worry. "It was a hot topic."
"Many dragons say you didn’t really finish Day Seven because you stopped fighting, but the rules were clear."
"You made it through until sunset, and that’s all that was needed, technically."
She put the cup down. "You proved something much more important than your ability to fight."
"You showed that your will is strong and you’ll go through any amount of pain and suffering to not give up. That is enough to really prove that you know the difference between winning and living."
Rick felt tears welling up in his eyes, but he didn’t know if they were from relief or tiredness.
"The dragons who were most against you are starting to change their minds," Sylvia said. "Drakor actually said good things about you during the council after the trial."
"He said that anyone who is that determined deserves respect, no matter how powerful they are."
[TRIAL OF STRENGTH IS OVER]
[+800 EXP: LIVED THROUGH SEVEN DAYS OF HARD FIGHTING]
[LEVEL UP: 13 → 14 → 15]
[NEW TITLE: UNBREAKABLE WILL]
[SYLVIA FLAMEHEART’S LOVE: 5 → 7]
"You impressed me, Rick Rolland," Sylvia said softly as she took his hand. "I’ve seen warriors with a hundred times your strength fail these tests, but you did it because of your strong will and the connections you’ve made with other people."
"That’s worth more than any amount of physical power."
She leaned in closer, her amber eyes full of emotion. "You’ve finished the first part of the trials. After you get better, you’ll have to take the Trial of Mind, but for now, take a break and enjoy what I’m about to do for you..."
"You’ve earned it."
Rick wanted to say something important, but he was too tired to do so. He felt Sylvia’s fingers brush his forehead gently as his eyes closed again.
"Sleep, my brave little human," she said softly. "You’ve shown that you deserve respect."
"Now let’s see if you can show that you deserve to stand next to a queen."
Rick fell into darkness again, but this time it was calm and peaceful. He had made it through the Trial of Strength, and even though his body was broken, his spirit was still strong.
The dragons knew that Rick Rolland might not be the best fighter, but he was definitely the most stubborn person in the world. That was enough sometimes.