"Natasha?" I muttered, gazing at the girl before me. That look in her eyes—something was wrong. Very wrong.
This didn't make sense. The instructor pairing me with anyone other than Amira was unprecedented. Definitely not a coincidence. If I had to guess, the class representative had requested this duel herself, which could only mean something had happened during that gap in my memories—something I couldn't remember.
[DING!]
I glanced down at my wrist as a display materialized on my Teleric device.
[A DUEL IS PROPOSED]
[DO YOU ACCEPT?]
[YES] [NO]
I looked up to find her staring straight into my eyes, her sword gripped tightly in white-knuckled hands.
Damn.
I sighed, swallowing hard against the knot forming in my throat.
Fine, I thought grimly. I accept.
Let's fucking end this.
[YES]
The moment my finger touched the screen, the platform levitated to a predetermined height. A shimmering forcefield materialized around us both, sealing our fate. I tapped another button on the Teleric, and my weapon manifested in a flash of light.
A katana.
I gripped the sheath, closing my eyes as unwanted memories threatened to surface. I'd sworn never to hold this weapon again—not after what happened during a certain phase in my first year at the academy. That's why I'd kept refusing every duel with Amira. The guilt, the pain.. I just couldn't get over what I'd done.
Not that I could defeat her anyway.
"You will know your place," Natasha said, taking her stance. Her eyes began glowing a fierce pink, and the wind around her responded with violent intensity.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked, not directly asking what happened yesterday. She wouldn't give me a satisfying answer anyway, and honestly, I didn't really care. At the end of the day, I didn't have a 'good' relationship with anyone in this class. They ALL—and I mean ALL—looked at me with disdain. But that was normal here. Only strength was recognized, and in that regard, I was nonexistent.
I just wanted to understand why she had that look in her eyes.
Like she desperately wanted to kill me.
It might have been because of what I'd done before the incident, but she hadn't looked at me this way yesterday. That could only mean I'd said something that had escalated the situation from bad to catastrophic.
Tsk.
It seemed I was right after all. I'd been having this suspicion since I'd looked in the mirror this morning. Something must have taken over during that absent period in my memory—something that had caused this very situation and was responsible for the changes in my body. Something serious had happened yesterday.
"Just shut up," she snapped.
Slowly, I could see something forming behind her.
Shit.
A wind sylph. And a beast-type at that.
The creature looked like a bird, but stupidly massive—like a phoenix made entirely of wind. I could see its razor-sharp claws resting on her shoulder as it cried out, unleashing a devastating burst of wind.
Damn it all!
SHE REALLY WANTED TO KILL ME! Why use a sylph at the very start of the fight, knowing full well that I didn't have ether—let alone a decent sylph of my own!
[DUEL PARAMETERS:]
[Do not fall off the platform]
[Participants cannot concede defeat until twenty minutes have elapsed]
[Participant will be instantly disqualified when deemed incapacitated]
[Use of sylphs and special abilities permitted]
[Fight to the death]
[BEGIN!]
The moment those words appeared, I felt the world slow down from my perspective.
"WHAT THE—?!" I blurted as my body reacted even while the world seemed to drain of color and decelerate. It was the same sensation from when Lungris had attacked me, but this time it was so much more vivid. Could it be because my life was truly in danger?
My body moved instinctively. I shifted right—just slightly—and then—
WHOOSH!
A massive gust of wind erupted where I'd been standing. I couldn't process what had happened until the wind attack ceased.
Drip.
Drop.
I looked down.
My blood.
A sharp sting around my neck made me instinctively reach up, and my fingers came away warm and wet.
Blood.
It was just a shallow cut, but god, it was painful.
"You... How?" I looked up to find her staring at me with stunned disbelief, her sword already drawn. That attack had been the result of a slash, but I hadn't even seen her move.
Wait.
Where was her sylph?
I looked up to find the magnificent creature already soaring overhead, looking down at me with predatory intelligence. It cawed once, then suddenly flapped its wings.
"Fuck!"
The world slowed again, but this time I didn't just stand around like an idiot. I ran for my fucking life.
SHING!
I escaped each wind-blade that carved through the ground by mere inches. My objective was simple: get to her.
Fighting someone like Natasha from long range was suicide. I couldn't match her power or her sylph. I had to close the distance—it wouldn't make much difference, but it would at least limit her ability to use lethal long-range attacks.
She suddenly dashed forward, appearing before me in a blur of motion. As our swords were about to clash, a terrible realization hit me.
I fucking understood now.
I couldn't take a hit from her.
It was just like with Lungris.
I was just so goddamn weak.
It didn't matter if my enhanced perception could trace her movements—I was still too weak to counter effectively.
WHOOSH.
Her sword went for my head. I could have tried to block, but I didn't. Instead, I let my knees buckle, tilting my chin just enough for the blade to sail past. Using that momentum, I stomped my foot and shot upward, my katana aiming for her exposed back.
Or trying to.
BOOOOM!
"Argh!" I tumbled across the platform as a devastating attack caught me from the side.
Fuck.
I stabbed my katana into the ground, the blade grinding against stone before finally halting my momentum.
I looked up.
The sylph.
Of course.
I stood up slowly, rolling my aching shoulder. I could just leap off the platform in a way that wouldn't seem intentional, but... just like when I'd seen that opening in Lungris's stance, I found I couldn't. I wouldn't.
This feeling burning in my chest—I didn't want to lose anymore. I didn't want to run anymore, to be the coward who accepted disdain and mockery. I wanted to see her look at me with fear. I wanted to make them all understand that I wasn't just a weakling. I wanted to plunge this katana into her gut and grin while watching her writhe in pain.
I WANTED TO DESTROY EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO HAD EVER LOOKED DOWN ON ME.
I WANTED THEM TO FEEL WHAT I'D FELT FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS AND MORE.
I wanted...
I wanted...
Blood.