Enigma

Chapter 9

The seconds that passed were beyond suspenseful as Ace and Killian just stood across from each other. The anticipation only increased when more of their classmates started to huddle together, just to have a better view.

And before they realized it, the first match of the day began in a blink of an eye.

Ace was the first one to make a move. In less than a second, a blast was shot towards his opponent as he raised his right hand at Killian's direction, causing a small explosion. While most of the students watched with widened eyes and startled faces, four figures stood with blank expressions; three of which were standing close to one another as the remaining one chose to spectate at a certain distance.

As the smoke began to dissipate, a silhouette became visible to the naked eye and when the dust finally cleared, Killian remained standing. A small crack on the wall, that was just on the left side of his head, became evident when he took a step forward.

The sighs of relief that previously filled the gymnasium morphed into those of disbelief.

“Shit!” Xavier exclaimed. “Tell me he did not just avoid that in the nick of time!”

Nobody managed to even form a reply for another beam was shot directly towards him, just as quick as the first. And just like what he did to the former, Killian took a single step to his side, successfully moving out of the way in less than a second.

As Ace raised his hand again, the energy beams projected simultaneously, raining down on the other. The majority of the class doubted if Killian could manage to avoid all of them at once, and their faith on their classmate was put to the test the moment he took a single step.

To their astonishment, Killian moved briskly, tilting his head along with his body as he found a steady rhythm of dodging the beams headed his way. At first he began avoiding the fatal shots that were projected like a bunch of lasers by moving his feet at a stable speed, but the longer it went on, the more he found himself at an increasing pace. It only took a matter of time before he was fully speeding up towards at his opponent, while dodging the destructive projectiles at the same time.

The word fascination couldn't even begin to describe their expressed emotions as they continued to watch at the other side or the glass. Ace was undoubtedly accustomed to taking out his opponents in a long range battle. And the fact that they were curious to witness how Killian would counter him only fueled their interest on the match playing in front of them.

“His reflexes are insane!” Remi muttered in awe.

“I know,” her cousin; Aria agreed. “He's so fast.”

It seemed that Ace was too preoccupied with aiming his energy at the right angle to notice that the distance between them was decreasing by the second. And in a short span of time, a fist was colliding with his left cheek, causing him to stumble on his feet with the immense force. He didn't even got the chance to catch his breath as he took a faltering step backwards just as his gaze captured the way the view in front of him was swallowed by brilliant red flames dancing with beaming hues of yellow.

Staring ahead of him in shock, Ace could see Killian, standing on his feet with a relaxed posture, flames fully covering his right arm down to his fist. Gone were those eyes that always seemed to shine with mirth, as well as his beaming smiles that never failed to lighten up anybody's day. The person in front of Ace was a complete stranger, with a passive expression full of seriousness and a very alarming presence; without a single trace of the boy they always portrayed him to be.

On the other side, Axelia was watching with a peculiar intensity. Her eyes didn't fail to catch the way Killian's demeanor transformed in an instant. The genuine curiosity that she felt before morphed into an entangled strings of interest. At that moment, she was intrigued by him beyond explanation.