New World - A New Beginning

Chapter 65: The First Hit

After meeting One, my mind rearranged its priorities. I understood the kind of person that was at the top of Auroria, and I had already witnessed firsthand their prowess in battle. After several months of attending the Academy, the division between the races was becoming more and more clear.

It wasn't only the dragonkin. Fei, Dwarves, and Humans all clashed due to their different origins, and I was starting to think the triple alliance was only a title given to the three kingdoms, nothing more. If war were to break out, would the three nations remain allies? Would they really share the same goals?

After almost a year of training with Amelia, my progress was becoming apparent in our duels. Her movements were no longer too fast for me to even keep track of, her attacks felt lighter, and I was starting to notice openings in her defense every so often. That being said, noticing small irregularities or being able to physically see my opponent was completely different from actually beating them in combat.

I was still far off from being considered Amelia's equal, even more so as Jean's equal, but I had to remember where I shined the most: by Asthia's side. By using the Integrate ability, our power basically doubled, and if we both attempted to fight Amelia at full power, I was certain we'd at least put up a fight.

Asthia had been attending every single duel, practicing on her own as she watched the fight unfold in the corner of her eye. I could tell she was doing more than just spectating though. Her eyes shot around the battlefield, attempting to track Amelia's movements while simultaneously enhancing her abilities with infernal bind.

"You ready?" asked Amelia as she prepared herself. I smiled, rolling up my sleeves. There were no weapons during our fights, our bodies acting as the weapons.

"Here I come," I warned, launching myself right at Amelia.

During these few months of training, my trust in Amelia had firmly cemented itself within my mind. I didn't know which side she'd decide to follow in the outbreak of war, but I had come to cherish Amelia as a trusted friend.

Amelia electrified the bind around her, immediately zipping around the battlefield as she repositioned herself. I grinned, mimicking her movements with my own lightning.

BOOM

The fist collision echoed across the arena, a small shockwave causing the arena to shudder ever so slightly.

The force of my attack didn't give me the slightest bit of hope. It was true that the power of my attacks was extremely high, but it was nowhere near enough to take down an S-rank. The dust cleared, Amelia smiled as my fist was clutched in her right hand.

"Not bad."

Amelia unleashed her left leg right into my side, sending my body crashing into the wall on the other side of the arena. I chuckled amidst my painful coughs, warily getting up.

"!!"

Amelia suddenly appeared next to me, her eyes looking right into mine.

"Recover immediately, or die," she said, a lesson I engraved within my soul. I raised my arms just in time to absorb the second strike, my body getting launched a few mels back from the sheer force.

I slowed my breathing at the newly created distance between us, cooling my internal temperature as my eyes glowed a soft cyan blue. The area around my feet suddenly froze, small spikes emerging from the ice as the area burst outward.

Spikes of ice shot towards Amelia at blinding speeds, but all it managed to do was annoy the S-rank ever so slightly.

Amelia evaded the attack, closing the distance in an instant. I ignited my surroundings, flames erupting around me in the shape of a blooming petal as the ice immediately became steam from the ridiculous heat.

An improved smokescreen covered the field. Amelia smiled, unaware of such a tactic. Steam wasn't a phenomenon that was unknown to the people of Auroria, but its use was probably extremely limited.

By combining my arsenal of elements, I could morph the battlefield to my liking, adapt the setting to give me an overwhelming advantage. Amelia suddenly turned around, leaning to the right as a piercing gust of wind shot by her.

"!!"

I felt her body tense up as my presence appeared behind her. The trait of wind bind was how you could manipulate any current of air around you, allowing you to easily misdirect your opponent about your current position.

Lightning swirled around my arm as I launched my fist right at Amelia's back. The thundering crash from the attack immediately died down, my eyes widening. Amelia had turned around and grabbed my arm just in time to block the attack, but I could tell I was faster than she had expected.

My closed fist rested against Amelia's chest. It might've been insignificant to any spectator, but I understood what this meant. I had landed my first hit against an S-rank, and even if it was blocked, it was progress.

I could feel Amelia's breaths, her short gasps for air much calmer than mine.

If I was able to land a hit alone against Amelia, what would happen if I were to double my power? Defeating her was still out of reach, but was a fight on near-equal footing really that far out? I didn't want to reveal both Asthia's and my trump card, but taking into account what I could do with it was important.

Amelia let out a long sigh, letting go of my hand as she smiled at me.

"That's more like it, Jay. Capitalize on the one thing you have that nobody else has in Auroria, not even Jean."

"I'll try," I responded, smiling in satisfaction.

"Good. Well then, I think we're done for today," said Asthia, stretching as she relaxed all the muscles in her body.

I exited the arena, yawning from the sudden surge in fatigue that hit me like a train. My legs moved on their own, directing me towards the main gate of Eloria. My conscience cleansed the drowsiness that had invaded my mind, realizing what day it was today.

"Oh, it's my birthday?" I muttered, looking up at the massive walls of Eloria. Just outside the impenetrable fortifications lay the famous forest that was home to so many memories, and so many unwanted emotions.

It had been an entire year since the wipe, but for some reason, the pain never seemed to cease. I was able to focus on other things and try to forget about it, but it was impossible.

I guess I'll go pay her a visit, I thought, heading towards the sprawling forest that lay right outside Eloria, towards the lying place of my best friend.