A bead of sweat trickled down my damp brow, my breath steaming in front of me as I moved closer to the corner.
My heart was pounding painfully in my chest, pulsing surges of skittish heat through my tense muscles to prime me for battle.
"What's going on, Will?" Koa wrapped his fingers around my wrist.
I looked back at him, fury burning in my eyes. "I hear him, Koa," I said, wrenching my wrist from his hand. "He needs my help."
Koa looked at me with skepticism. "He? Who? Will."
Two more steps, and I rounded the corner. Three boys stood further down the street, two taller and older than the small boy they violently pressed against the wall.
The young boy's dark hair was ruffled, and tears spilled from his swollen eye. A reddish tint shaded his bruised cheeks as he clung to the blond-haired boy's fist curled around his collar.
"Levy!" Tristan sprinted past us. I instinctively caught the collar of his shirt before he could do something exceptionally reckless.
He fought my grip, but I'd gotten too strong. "Let go, Will! They're hurting Levy!"
The three boys snapped their heads to us in reaction to Tristan's loud yelling. I gritted my teeth when I noticed the shimmer faintly tinting the tall boys' cheeks. Iridis.
"Let go, Will!"
"Stay back, Tristan." He stilled at the sharpness in my voice. "You'll only get yourself hurt."
I probably shouldn't have been proud of Tristan for wanting to rush in and save his friend despite knowing he wouldn't stand a chance against the bullies. I would've done the same if not— Heck, I had done the same so many times before, but I didn't have a big sister to protect me back then.
"Tristan." A wicked, sinful smile that made my skin crawl tugged on the freckled boy's lips. "Have you come to play, too?"
I tightened my grip on Tristan's collar as he fought me again. "Let Levy go, Banner!"
"Did you hear that, Levy?" The blond boy leaned closer to Levy, grabbing his beaten face. "Your little fire brother has to rescue you."
So that was the Levy Tristan mentioned yesterday—the one with the Fire Brothers figures.
Levy jerked his head to free himself from the blond guy's grip and bit his hand. "Run, Tristan!" Levy shouted. "Save yourself!"
"You little punk!" the blond boy sneered and thrust his knee into Levy's stomach, leaving Levy breathless.
"Hey!" I barked, my fingers twitching as anger slowly erased the remnants of fear still lingering in the back of my mind.
Banner snapped his head to look at us again, chuckling like a maniac. "Do you see that, Daxton?" he said, lightly slapping the blond guy's shoulder. "Tristan is being protected by a pretty girl. How pathetic is that?"
I tsked. They didn't recognize my face. That gave me a good edge.
Koa grumbled behind us, and I heard his knuckles crack. "Wait, Koa." I pressed my palm against his chest, holding him back. He was a lot stronger than me physically, so it would be no problem for him to brush my warning off, but he didn't. "They're Iridis," I whispered. "You're strong, but strength is no match against the forces of Nature. My powers are."
Koa's face paled. "Will..."
"Take him." I pulled Tristan into Koa's arms. "Stand back."
"No, wait," Tristan shouted, grabbing my sleeve. "Y-you can't, Will. They're seniors. They're too strong."
My eyes softened as I looked back at him. Yet, you were willing to rush in there to save your friend...
"Don't worry, Tristan. I'm stronger than I look."
I turned my back to them and stepped forward, the wind ripping through my hair and biting my face.
These boys were Elite. They were Iridis. They were juniors—probably around fifteen or sixteen. They were tall and looked alarmingly strong, too.
I'd never beaten anyone in the Battle Arena, even without using our powers, but this moment wasn't about winning or losing.
The blond guy—Dixon—started laughing, clenching Levy's collar tighter. Levy whimpered. "What are you planning to do, Lady? Scream for help?"
I didn't give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
Banner stepped closer, his hands deep in his pockets. My heart drummed faster against my chest, pumping adrenaline through my body.
Determination burned in my veins, but I was still terrified. I didn't know how strong these boys were. They may have been five years younger than me, but they had far more experience.
I curled my hands into fists, my nails digging into my skin. The pain kept me grounded and focused. I needed to get Levy out of here first.
Banner stopped a few feet in front of me. "What's an exquisite thing like you doing with a little First-blood like that worthless Fire Iridis impersonator anyway? You'd have much more fun with us instead." He reached out to touch my hair.
Disgust surged through my body. I caught his wrist and wrenched it. Banner cried out in agony. "Don't touch me," I hissed.
"Banner!" Dixon shouted, but he didn't let go of Levy.
"Stay back, Dix!" Banner shouted. "I got this."
He didn't look like he had the situation under control. In fact, he seemed to have been slacking off a bit during his battle lessons. Even I knew how to get out of this grip.
Maybe I actually had a shot at this.
I twisted his arm onto his back, pulling a little harder than necessary to hear his cries. He bent over, and I kicked him forward.
Three steps were all he could manage before he fell on his face. I didn't wait for Banner to recover before storming toward Dixon. His brown eyes widened, but it was too late.
The heel of my hand connected with his chin as I thrust it upward. Next, I twisted on my heel and drove my elbow into his stomach, stealing Dixon's breath. He fell back, heaving.
I grabbed Levy and lifted the paralyzed boy. "You're okay," I whispered, tears filling his eyes. "They can't hurt you anymore."
"Levy!" Tristan brawled as I put Levy down beside him. He didn't hesitate to throw his arms around his friend.
I smiled, my body humming with pride.
"Spirits, Will," Koa said, his mouth hanging. "That was—That was wild."
My heart fluttered a bit. "Thanks," I said, my cheeks burning. "We— Um, we should get going. My master will likely scold me for days if I attract too much attention."
I wanted more than anything to make these monsters truly regret what they had done to Levy and all victims before him, but revenge wasn't my path.
"Come on." I ushered the boys and Koa in the opposite direction, but as I made my move to follow them, I felt something wrap around my ankles and bind me.
"Not so fast, Lady." I looked back and saw Banner pushing himself to his feet. The cobblestone beneath his lay displaced and pulled from the streets. Vines sprouting from underneath and creeping across the ground to wrap around my ankles. I was stuck.
Botanic.
Based on the silvery liquid trickling from the corner of Dixon's mouth, I knew he manipulated metal.
This wasn't going to be pretty.
"Go," I said to Koa. "Mom and Dad can take care of Levy's injuries."
Worry carved deep creases along Koa's brow. "No. I'm not leaving you here, Will. Those two are danger—"
"Go!" I couldn't fight properly if I feared they would be caught in the crossfire. "Get Levy and Tristan to safety. I can handle this."
"Will—"
"Go!"
Tristan grabbed Koa's hand and started dragging him the other way. Thank you, Tristan.
The vines climbed farther up my leg. I turned to see the elite boys slowly approaching me, their eyes glazed with malice.
"You're going to regret that, Lady," Dixon said, wiping the blood from his chin.
I looked around for anything useful. All I saw within my reach was an old broom from a small shop.
The shaft somewhat reminded me of my training weapon, and while I hadn't mastered it in terms of my powers, I had become quite familiar with its physical properties.
I wrapped my fingers around the old wood and closer, the head dangling loosely.
Banner laughed loudly. "Is that a broom? What are you going to do with that? Clean us to death?"
Brat...
It would be sweet to see him cower once I revealed my powers.
I smashed the dangling head against the pavement to break it off, leaving me with the shaft. I didn't intend to use my powers yet.
Never reveal your cards to the enemy.
Art would repeat that statement for hours on end, but it couldn't hurt to prove that I wasn't the defenseless First-blood girl that others had previously assumed me to be. Neither was I the helpless maid that these bullies mistook me for.
I twirled the shaft between my hands to get a feel for the balance of the basic weapon.
Banner's smile faded as I effortlessly cut his delicate vines in half with my weapon, releasing myself from his hold on me. "Crazy woman," Banner muttered, clenching his jaw.
The screeching noise of metal ripping was the only warning I got before I saw part of the metal fence to my right tear through the air toward me.
I jumped forward and rolled to safety. My heart throbbed anxiously when the metal sheet penetrated the brick wall of the building behind me. They weren't playing around.
I dropped my jacket while Dixon was busy cursing himself for missing me. I'd need the ability to maneuver freely against these two, and a jacket was restrictive.
Banner's vines suddenly coiled around my arms before I could dodge them, immobilizing me. "Do it again, Dix. I have her."
There was no one around. Everyone who had previously been in the vicinity of our fight had found cover somewhere near their stands. My family was safe, and I could fight without worrying about keeping others safe. That was good.
Dixon raised his hand, aiming them toward the metal sheet stuck in the wall. The metal started vibrating. He was trying to pry it out of the wall again, which meant I had to act fast.
They stood relatively close to each other, oblivious to the weakness that the arrangement left them with.
I summoned a small amount of my power, forming an invisible blade as an extension of my fingers. With a swift gesture of my wrist, I severed the vines again.
"What the—"
I didn't give Banner time to ponder about my seemingly unexplainable escape. I tossed the broom shaft into the air, twirling.
Time slowed as my eyes tracked the motion of the staff, attempting to predict the exact time when I should strike. When gravity again pulled the staff toward the ground, I spun backward around myself, raising my leg as if to kick my opponent. My heel struck the end of the staff, sending the weapon flying toward the two Iridis.
They dodged it with ease, but that wasn't surprising.
I reached for the empty air, clenched my fist, and jerked it back to my chest.
A gust of wind hit my face as my powers grabbed my weapon. I gleefully watched their eyes widen when they finally realized what they were facing.
The staff hissed through the air like a boomerang, and just before it reached the boys, I manipulated the wind to align it horizontally. It struck the backs of their heads as it passed them.
"Cursed blood!" Dixon hissed as he rubbed the bruise forming on the back of his head. "She's an Elemental."
Banner didn't even touch his bruise despite the bead of salty water clinging to the corner of his eye. He toughened it out as if he needed to prove to our current viewers that the revelation of my abilities didn't bother him in the least.
However, the sound of his heavy breath and beating heart told me otherwise. He was scared, and the taste of victory was sweet.
"Have you had enough yet, boys?" I asked, slamming the broken end of my staff into the ground. "Or have you still not grasped that your actions have actual consequences?"
Banner snarled at me. I guess that was answer enough.
I swung the staff and prepared myself for an attack.
The staff vibrated eagerly in my hand, and I no longer questioned the words that Art had spent so much time struggling to make me understand.
This shaft was more than a mere weapon; it was an extension of myself and a means of enhancing my abilities.
Banner ultimately pulled himself together and made his move to show everything the courageous man he pretended to be. I swung my staff, slicing the planting with a sharp surge of wind long before the vines were within my grasp.
Dixon and Banner raised their arms to shield themselves from my deadly wind, but I nullified the power before it reached them. All they felt was the icy aftermath of a much larger attack.
It was honestly tempting to send a hurricane their way, driving them back until they were forced against the same wall where they'd beaten Levy. However, I wasn't trying to hurt them. I was trying to teach them a lesson so they would never dare hurt anyone again.
I approached the trembling cowards and pointed my staff at the insolent bullies. Banner winched when he felt the gentle gust of air I couldn't suppress slap his face.
"Remember this moment the next time you consider bullying a First-blood or anyone else for that matter. Powers aren't supposed to harm the people of Heliac; they're supposed to protect them." I was tired from using my powers with such discipline, but my voice barely carried any sign of exhaustion.
Dixon kept his head lowered, too terrified to face me. Banner nodded vividly, his face painted green with fear. "Come on, Dix," he muttered, grabbing Dixon's arm to retreat.
I didn't breathe until they merged with the shadow in the alley further down the street.
"That was so cool, Will! You were just like the Fire Brothers fighting the bad guys!" Tristan skipped across the street and flung his arms around my legs. His smile was proud and wild. "Did you see that, Levy?"
I chuckled and ruffled his hair. "You're welcome, buddy."
People slowly emerged from their hiding spots, and my gaze was drawn to the elderly man whose broom I'd broken. "I'm sorry about the broom, sir," I said, handing him the shaft I still clung to. "I'll replace it when I get home, and—"
"Don't worry about it, Dear," he said with a kind smile, placing a warm hand on top of mine. "You did everyone a favor teaching those boys a lesson. They have been terrorizing these streets for far too long, but I think they'll consider that thought twice after this. Thank you."
I clenched my teeth and acknowledged his gratitude with a silent nod to keep my tears at bay.
I had made a difference. Perhaps it hadn't been the noblest of deeds to scare two young boys. Fear was not a means of obtaining obedience, but sometimes was the only option. I hadn't had any other option, right?
A sharp pain suddenly erupted from my palms. I peered down to see tiny drops of blood clinging to my skin before losing their grip and tainting the soil beneath.
I blinked, shock rippling through my chest. Did I feel... sorry for those boys? Why? They didn't deserve my pity.
Terror gripped my chest and spine as a raspy caw sounded above me. I looked up, and blood drained from my face.
A massive cluster of shadowed feathers sat on the roof above me, its beastly eyes staring directly at me.
The Mortis Crow is a vicious creature with the ability to enter another dimension. No one knows what exists in the dimension they enter. Many suppose it's an alternative dimension of shadows, while others believe the creatures can cross into the spirit realm. All agree that their existence results from cursed magic and that a Mortis Crow's gaze can curse the soul of the human daring to behold it.