First Conflict

Chapter: 9

Yuuri had returned from wherever she had gone, and we were back to business training me as usual. The park, our usual training ground, was peaceful as always. Birds chirped in the distance, and the sun bathed everything in a warm glow until it wasn't.

 Boom!

"What the hell I thought you said you had practiced?!" Yuuri shouted standing at our usual meeting spot where I had put a line through the tree line.

"I did!" I said holding a bow made of lightning."

"It certainly didn't look like it."

"I was excited to show you my lightning bow ok I must have misjudged the amount of energy I put into the arrow cut me some slack!"

Yuuri sighed, rubbing her temples. "Alright, but we need to work on your control. Your power is impressive, but it's useless if you can't direct it properly."

I nodded, feeling a bit sheepish. "Got it. so what are we doing today?"

Yuuri placed her hand under her chin and thought about it for a minute. "Hmm well, I will be teaching you at least two more lightning spells before we move on to water then we will move on from there."

"Ok."

We resumed our training, with Yuuri demonstrating a lightning shield and a chain lightning spell. I practiced diligently, trying to get the hang of the new techniques. As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the park, I felt a sense of accomplishment. But that feeling was short-lived.

Suddenly, Yuuri's expression changed. Her eyes narrowed, and she scanned the surroundings with a tense alertness. "We're not alone," she said in a low voice.

I followed her gaze and saw two figures emerging from the shadows. One was a tall man with a menacing aura, dressed in dark robes. His eyes glowed with a sinister light. The other was a man who looked human but had an eerie presence about him.

"Yuuri Ashina," the robed man sneered. "I've been looking for you."

"Vance," Yuuri replied, her voice cold. "Finally decided to stop running I see and you seemed to have brought a friend."

The man known as Vance smirked. "I've brought more than a friend. Meet my ally, Darius."

Darius stepped forward, and I could sense a dark energy emanating from him. He looked human, but there was something off about him—something malevolent.

"Darius is bound to me by a contract," Vance explained. "And he's eager to cause some trouble."

"Stay alert, Ethen," Yuuri whispered to me. "This is going to get ugly."

Vance laughed. "Ugly? No, Yuuri, this is going to be a massacre."

Without warning, Vance raised his hand and a dark orb of energy shot towards us. Yuuri and I leaped apart, narrowly avoiding the blast. The ground where we had been standing erupted in a shower of dirt and debris.

"Ethen, take Vance. I'll handle Darius," Yuuri shouted as she summoned her own lightning, crackling around her hands.

I nodded, my heart pounding. This was it—my first real battle. I focused on Vance, who was already preparing another spell.

"You think you can take me, boy?" Vance taunted, his voice dripping with disdain.

I didn't respond. Instead, I called upon my mana, feeling the familiar surge of energy. My eyes shifted to the octagram state, allowing me to see the streams of energy surrounding Vance. I summoned my lightning bow, aiming at the rogue mage.

Vance fired another dark orb at me, but this time, I was ready. I released an arrow of lightning, intercepting the orb in mid-air. The resulting explosion sent shockwaves through the park, but I held my ground.

"You've got some fight in you," Vance admitted. "But it won't be enough."

He unleashed a torrent of dark energy, forcing me to dodge and weave to avoid being hit. I retaliated with a barrage of lightning arrows, but Vance deflected them with a barrier of dark magic.

Meanwhile, Yuuri faced off against Darius. He had transformed, revealing his true demonic form. Horns sprouted from his forehead, and leathery wings unfurled from his back. He lunged at Yuuri with incredible speed, claws extended.

Yuuri met his attack head-on, blocking his claws with her lightning-infused hands. Sparks flew as their energies clashed, illuminating the park with bursts of light. She countered with a powerful lightning strike, forcing Darius to back off momentarily.

"You're strong, but you're not strong enough to defeat me," Darius growled, his voice guttural and inhuman.

"We'll see about that," Yuuri replied as her body burst into lightning. She moved with blinding speed, striking Darius repeatedly and keeping him on the defensive.

I continued to battle Vance, but he was relentless. His dark magic was powerful and unpredictable, making it difficult to find an opening. As we exchanged attacks, I felt my energy waning. 

'I needed to end this quickly.'

Two magic circles appeared on my left and right and a wave of water was released from the magic circles at Vance as I jumped off the ground. The wave crashed into Vance and created a large puddle of water that Vance was in.

Vance got up with a scowl on his face. "Cheap tricks won't save you, boy."

Ignoring his taunt, I fired another lightning arrow, aiming directly at the water surrounding him. As I released the arrow, the lightning connected with the water, sending a powerful electric shock through Vance's body. He screamed in pain, his muscles convulsing from the electricity coursing through him.

Vance's expression turned to one of rage. "You insolent brat!" He began chanting an incantation, dark energy swirling around him. I could feel the immense power building up, and I knew I had to act fast.

I unleashed another barrage of arrows at Vance but he unleashed a large wave of dark magic dispelling the arrows. The energy slammed me into a tree with enough force to cause me to cough up blood. The impact left me dazed, and I struggled to get back on my feet.

"You think you can defeat me?" Vance sneered, walking towards me with a malicious grin. "You're nothing but a novice."

Vance kicked me back against the tree and placed his foot against my chest.

"It's time to end this," Vance said while creating a mana blade.

Vance then slammed the blade into my chest. Pain exploded in my chest as the blade pierced my skin. I screamed, the world around me blurring.

With Yuuri:

Yuuri created multiple chains of lightning around her arms and whipped them at Darius, flinging him into a tree. The force of the impact shook the ground, and Darius growled as he pulled himself up.

"You'll pay for that!" he snarled, his wings spreading wide. He launched himself at Yuuri, claws extended. She dodged his attack, her body moving with the speed of lightning. She countered with a flurry of strikes, her hands crackling with electric energy.

Darius roared in frustration, trying to land a hit, but Yuuri was too fast. She weaved around his attacks, landing blow after blow. Each strike sent sparks flying, illuminating the park in a dazzling display of light.

"You can't keep up, can you?" Yuuri taunted, her eyes gleaming with determination.

Darius roared, his demonic form pulsating with dark energy. "Enough!" He unleashed a wave of dark fire, forcing Yuuri to leap back. The ground where she had been standing was scorched and blackened.

Yuuri narrowed her eyes, her body crackling with electricity. "Let's finish this." She summoned a massive bolt of lightning, hurling it at Darius. The bolt struck him head-on, sending him crashing to the ground. He convulsed, his body smoking from the intense heat.

Yuuri didn't give him a chance to recover. She moved with blinding speed, appearing above him and driving her fist into his chest. The impact created a shockwave, and Darius let out a final, guttural scream before collapsing.

Back to Ethen:

The pain from Vance's blade was excruciating, but in that moment of desperation, something within me snapped. I felt a surge of raw, untamed power. My vision sharpened, and I could see the streams of energy more clearly than ever before.

"No," I growled, my voice filled with newfound strength. "This isn't over."

With a roar, I grasped the blade and pulled it from my chest. Energy exploded from me, and Vance was thrown back. My body transformed, horns emerging from my forehead, a decagram halo forming above me, and black wings unfurling from my back.

Vance looked at me, eyes wide with shock. "What are you?!"

I didn't answer. Instead, I summoned all my energy, focusing on the streams surrounding Vance. With a flick of my hand, I severed the streams, causing the spell he was working on to disappear.

"What's happening!?" Vance shouted

I raised my hand as multiple magic circles appeared around me that were leaking white lightning. With a flick of my wrist, multiple bolts of white lightning struck Vance with a blinding light. When the light faded, Vance was gone, disintegrated into nothingness.

I collapsed to the ground, my transformation fading. The pain and exhaustion overwhelmed me, but I forced myself to look for Yuuri.

She was walking towards me, a satisfied smile on her face. "You did it, Ethen."

I nodded weakly. "We did it."

I managed to utter before passing out.

Chapter 9: End