Bad Timing

The shrapnel from the broken stage flew through the large pieces flying directly at the students in the crowd.

I do take some time to wonder if I should save them or not. On one hand, students of their level should be fine with some debris falling on them. If I really think about it I doubt a single one would die.

I look at the other people on the stage and I can already see the other hero a male, getting into action. Of course, to me, this moment is slower than everyone else's as I have the time to deliberate this whole thing.

With everyone distracted and Ren practically forcing my hand it seems we must become enemies with the state itself, not that I mind of course. It was all expected.

I'll use this window to finally…

Jade's looking at me as if I need to do something. Like she expects me to do something. 'Why aren't you helping them?' I can imagine her saying. As if I would! Who are they to me? Nothing and nobody.

Her eyes seem so sad though.

Maybe if she understood what I- What every single hero and I had to experience maybe she would understand. Saving these lives is meaningless.

Hmm…

I snap my fingers, a small spark lighting my fingertips. The wooden shrapnel all immediately becomes illuminated. The sheer heat put into it affects anybody even at all close to it. The shrapnel burned in the over 2,000-degree heat.

It doesn't stay burning for long as in a short window, maybe less than a second it all burns and fizzles away leaving nothing in the air.

And here I am letting my emotions affect me, who would've thought?

"Really took your time with that one huh?" Jade says standing in front of staring at the now-empty sky in front of her. 

The male hero looks stunned as he is stuck in place, probably trying to understand what just happened. 

Given these circumstances.

I quickly push past the few people onto the stage. My aim is set on one man. My presence quickly approaches him. I see him trying to prepare some spells but I don't give him nearly the time to. I aim a punch right at him.

I do not land the hit on him, instead, I break whatever barrier he had protecting himself. I watch the circular barrier shatter like glass. Stund from the attack this wizard doesn't have the time to prepare for my second punch that firmly lands in his chest.

His body goes flying off the stage and onto the field. I watch his body tumble against the ground bouncing off it a few times. I approach him but am stopped very soon into my approach but no other than the male hero.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Hey asks me, blocking my path.

With a punch to the side, he is forced out of my way.

"Make sure to deal with him," I Say behind me.

I won't need help with the wizard so everyone else can deal with that so-called hero.

As I walk towards the wizard I see him struggle to get up, stumbling many times. I hear him cast a spell and soon a big fire arrow is launched in my direction. 

Still walking I concentrate water around my hands. The speeding arrow speeds right to my face. Inches from my face I catch it. The fire spell quickly evaporates.

He is about to cast another spell but I don't give him the chance. I am able to reach him, pick him up, and smash him into the ground. I then stomp his body with my leg deeper into the ground. The two impacts cause a small crater that forms.

I can hear the man belch out as blood leaves his mouth.

"You know I never understood 'revenge'." I stomp onto him again. "What a strange concept I thought." Another impact crashes down on his body. "But right now I kinda get it." I lift my leg higher and for the final and most destructive time land a destructive blow on his body.

I waited a moment for the dust to clear that had formed from my beatdown. When it clears I can see the grand sight of the man laying there looking half dead, but breathing.

I pull out my sword.

"Wait!" I hear the man begin to beg for his life.

"This isn't- it's not" He continues as I raise my sword.

"You don't have to do this" He lets out as I finally let down my sword ready to end this whole thing.

"She's still alive!"

My movements immediately stop and I get lightheaded. I fall to one knee, my sword falling helplessly to one side.

No not now can't you see hes-!

I hit the ground with my fist. "Well shit, good luck. Akari."

"Do you mean it?" I ask.

This wizard says something that I simply can't believe. I mean why would I? It's not like I actually believe him. But I mean…

"Of course, we were able to." He takes a breath. Probably reeling from the pain. "Use healing magic, she is nearby."

Oh my god, Mara's alive? Wow, I mean truly a crazy plot twist right here. If… If she is alive then I guess my beach episode is still on, isn't it? I need to find her as soon as possible then. My edgy sad arc is over!

I turn around from the wizard, I'm not sure if I can actually kill him or not. I feel like first it's important to find Mara. I gata catch up with her. Where the heck has she even been this entire time?

Looking around I have trouble spotting her anywhere. All I see in fact is a bunch of people I don't know fighting each other. No Mara tho.

Odd…

I hear the old man saying something so I decide to turn around to ask him for directions to the nearest Mara.

"Hey, old guy got any idea where Mara is exactly?" I ask him.

However, the old guy doesn't respond, instead muffling something under his breath. I lean in to try and hear what he's saying.

It's at that moment I see a smirk form around this old guy's mouth and a bright light from in his hands. The impact I feel is dangerously painful. I am unable to recognize what is going on before I am already sent flying into the ground.

Lying there I make sure to pat myself down and thank god to find I don't have a giant hole in my stomach.

It would seem he doesn't want to give up Mara without a fight. I'm ok with that.

"I'm shocked you lived through that, not one has." He says quite the distance away.

I get up from the ground and dust myself off. After stretching for a second I enact my plan of quickly shortening the distance between us. It doesn't take me long to arrive beside him. I throw out a punch and… Miss?

My missed punch leaves me wide open letting the old guy quickly cast a spell. The power of the spell causes me to lose my balance falling a few feet away from where I tried to hit him.

He seems to be holding his ground, right above a sword. My sword? Is that mine? I shake my head trying to remember. However, I don't get time to think as another spell is launched at me hitting me. It only makes me stumble back a bit but then there is another and another.

I am impressively able to keep myself standing. I am able to take each spell like a champ.

"Where did your gusto go from a minute ago?" He points his staff at me. "Too busy thinking to fight?"

The staff he pointed at me started to glow as he chanted once again. I am still trying to regain myself from the impacts I just took but this one looked really bad. With my instincts screaming at me I jump as far as I can to the side and not a moment sooner a giant heat wave streams out burning everything that's in its bath.

I look at the spot I just stood a second ago. It's quite destroyed.

Well, new plan. Let's go with... Getting that sword!

I do just that sprinting for the sword. When close enough jump to the sword, diving to grab onto it. The wizard however stands there calmly. I am practically on the sword ready to wield it when the wizard jumps back, leaving behind a lot of small round blinking orbs.

I firmly grasp onto the sword but my chance to swing at the wizard is gone. Now there are a bunch of orbs that are now surrounding me. They keep blinking faster and faster until.

"Uhh," I say before all the orbs explode all around me.

I cough from the smoke caused by the smoke. For some reason, it only seemed to get more dense instead of dispersing. I can't even see my own sword in my hand.

Suddenly I feel an impact on my back. The pain caused me to turn around to see nothing. Then I feel another impact on my side. A spell comes right for another part of my body that I am again unable to dodge.

I try to face the projectiles but am unable to understand where they are coming from. Again and again, I am pelting from inside the dust. I feel one sharp projectile hit my knee causing me to fall onto the ground.

I look down and see a sharp icicle completely rip through my skin coming out the other side of my knee. The rest of my body doesn't seem to be faring much better either. Sweat is mixed with blood as it drips off my forehead.

Oh shit, am I dying?

"Well probably if you keep fighting like a moron" I hear a familiar edgy voice call out to me.

A person who looks almost identical to me is sipping tea as normal looking as pompous as ever. He offers me to join him at his table. The surroundings are completely dark as normal every time I meet him. There also isn't anything hitting me so I decided to take him up on the offer. Better than being killed to death.

I sat down. "So anything you want to say."

He looks at me and gives me a warm smile. "There is so much, much indeed but that will have to wait won't it, You're quite busy aren't you?" Hey gives a smirk obviously talking about the fight I was losing.

"If you mean getting my ass kicked then yes, very busy," I say inspecting the tea.

He lets out a small laugh, something that causes me quite some shock. However, I take a sip of the tea nonetheless. It Tastes kinda good I won't lie.

"Well like usually there is a lot I want to scold you on…" He looks at me for a moment. "But I won't nor do I believe we have the time for that, I will be brief."

This weird attitude from him makes me pay attention to what he's about to say. There is also a lot I want to talk to him about. Well I mean there is a lot I kinda need to explain for isn't there…

Even though there was much I wanted to say he spoke instead. "It would seem your baby tantrum is finally over. However, you have come back at quite an impactful moment. One I don't believe you are not prepared for. You might have the borrowed strength to win but you lack the experience with the power to do anything with it."

He pauses for a second but I stay silent.

"It may be dangerous but you need to use this fight to figure it all out."

"What about you?" I ask.

"I will be nearby and try to help you as much as possible." He looks almost sad as he looks into his cup. "I will be activating the fullest of me- Persistence. This skill has a lot of potential, however activating its full potential now would be…"

"Hey, don't worry man I got this!" I respond by patting him on the shoulder.

He looks at me and I swear I see a tear form. Then again it gets wiped away so fast I can't see it.

"I bet you are. Well, good luck Akari." He says as we get up from the table.

Many objects start to disappear including my evil doppelganger.

I make sure to give him a farewell "You too. Persistence."

The darkness disappears revealing the dust that by now has finally dissipated. My opposition is standing a bit far away from me.

"Still standing huh? Fucking monster." He says.