Vaan was caught off-guard but recovered instantly. He went after Creed again, this time successfully hitting him, or so it seemed. His fist barely connected to Creed.
Creed leaned back and then delivered a smashing head-butt. Vaan quickly recovered, but it was too late. Creed moved closer and punched him in the gut. It did not do much damage because of the armor. Vaan barely felt it.
This time, not holding back, Vaan returned the hit.
Creed went flying across the path and hit the edge of the portals, sinking down. The pain became intense. His wings felt broken. He landed near Jade and Aura.
Aura leaned over him and gently whispered, "Give up."
"I cannot," Creed murmured, gritting his teeth.
Vaan rushed over to Creed, picked him up, and with a giant heave, threw him away from the portals. Then he faced the portals, confident that Creed would not get up.
Creed lay there limply before he tried to stand. He pushed himself up, trying to breathe. His wings touched the ground at an odd angle. Creed attempted to push his wings back, but they would not cooperate. He fell, hitting the metal ground.
Impressed with the lad's tenacity, Vaan implored Creed, "Stay down!"
Creed replied in a raspy voice, "No." He pushed his top half up, holding his shuddering shoulders.
Shrugging his shoulders, Vaan shook his head and picked up his ax again. "Suit yourself!" He used his speed again and hit Creed in the back with the handle of his ax.
Creed let loose a sharp exhale but did not fall.
Vaan hit him again, then withdrew.
This time, Creed fell, holding his shoulders and just staring.
The stare creed gave made Vaan question everything. What's up with this kid, this brat, he thought.
"Grand Knight, have you figured out yet that I have not really fought back, or why I have not healed again?" Creed's breathing showed how much pain he felt.
Vaan stared at Creed quizzically, "No, I have not, so tell me!"
Creed looked at Vaan and then turned his head down, his bangs covered his eyes.
"Because I wanted to show you how far I am willing to go," Creed spoke with determination. Suddenly, he called out, "Full admission," again. After successfully managing to pull it off, Creed stood up tall as though nothing were wrong with him.
"This must be big, whatever you're going to do." Vaan sighed.
Aura stared in amazement.
Jade swayed from side to side, trying to decide whether she should enter the fight or not.
"I want to prove Casalyians and Humans can live side by side. I want to show the Casalyians there is more than their world," Creed spoke, fully healed. "Despite the injuries, despite the insults, I want to prove myself better than them. I will not be beaten into submission." Creed moved with incredible speed. He was now in front of Vaan, and his hand was in Vaan's face.
Vaan found himself trembling. Creed's tone became passionate. "They cannot tear me down . . . they cannot tell me what to do . . . they cannot break me. I am not some toy to juggle around for their amusement. If they did not like what I was doing, then why did they stamp the document?" Creed asked, then called out, "Flante Aeris." A sudden blast of air came from Creed's hand, striking Vaan.
The explosion of air caused Vaan to fall back. He stood up and lunged for Creed.
Dodging the challenge, Creed jumped out of the way. He lightly touched the ground but rapidly jumped up again. This time, Creed spread his now-healed wings and took flight.
Vaan let out his gold wings, making a running jump into the air in pursuit. He swung his ax around wildly with Creed dodging every move. Their wings now dictated the lofty experience.
[Flante Aeris is a blast of air meant to knock the opponent back. Full admission is a full-on heal, no matter the damage. Physically, the person is in perfect shape. Internally might be a different story.]
Creed finally noticed a pattern in Vaan's wild movements. Skillfully dodging the swings, he landed a mighty blow directly to the knight's head. The golden wings went limp, lifeless. The knight fell hastily to the ground, his heavy armor smashing around him, unable to stand. He removed his armor with trembling hands.
Making a swift downward dive, Creed's pure white wings landed a final blow to the knight's stomach.
Vaan fell, this time not willing to fight anymore.
Aura stood and floated over to Creed, amazed at his skill and power. She knew she wanted to be with him forever.