A simple Spar

The next morning, the sun had barely risen when Eno found himself in one of the smaller training rooms within the Academy. The space was quiet, save for the faint hum of anticipation in the air. He wasn't alone—across from him stood Lily, her posture relaxed but her eyes sharp and focused.

"Thanks for coming," Lily said, rolling her shoulders. "I need to test my strength now that I've reached C- rank."

Eno smirked. "No problem. Honestly, I didn't think you'd want to spar so soon, especially with the tournament right around the corner."

Lily waved off his concern. "Don't worry. It's just a casual spar. We're not going to show off any new tricks we're saving for the tournament. Besides, I want to get a feel for my new strength without worrying about holding back too much."

Eno nodded, rolling his neck as he mentally prepared himself. "Fair enough."

Both of them grabbed their weapons and took their stances. Eno strapped on a pair of heavy gauntlets—thicker than the sleek ones he preferred, but these were the Academy's standard-issue training gear. They felt a bit clunky on his hands, but he ignored the discomfort. He'd adapt.

Across from him, Lily wielded a pair of daggers, each glinting under the light. She, too, seemed slightly uncomfortable with the weapons. They were double-edged, unlike the single-edged blades she was used to. But like Eno, she set aside her irritation, her focus on the fight ahead.

Eno inhaled deeply, feeling the energy stir within him. A flicker of electricity sparked around his body, crackling as it surged through his limbs. His white lightning danced across the gauntlets, and the air around him shimmered with power.

On the other side, Lily's eyes darkened as shadows began to coil around her form, seeping from the ground and wrapping around her body like a living armor. Her ability—shadow manipulation, an S-tier power—allowed her to Control the shadows around her and the ones that she create at will. The room seemed to grow dimmer as her shadows pulsed, creating an eerie contrast between the light of Eno's lightning and the encroaching darkness around Lily.

Without another word, they launched toward each other, their movements swift and precise. In the blink of an eye, their weapons collided in the center of the room, the sound of metal ringing out as sparks flew from Eno's gauntlets.

The force of their clash sent them both skidding back a few paces, but neither broke their concentration. In perfect synchronization, they darted toward each other again, exchanging rapid attacks—punches, slashes, and parries that blurred together in a flurry of movement.

Eno's gauntlets sparked with each strike, small arcs of electricity zipping through the air, while Lily's shadows seemed to move independently of her body, blocking and deflecting attacks from unexpected angles.

As they fought, Eno felt a grin spread across his face. This was exactly what he needed—a chance to push himself without holding back. Lily, with her quick reflexes and unpredictable ability, was the perfect sparring partner.

Suddenly, Lily dropped low, and Eno's fist sailed just over her head. He barely had time to react before a shadowy fist erupted from the ground, aiming straight for his face. Eno stepped back just in time, dodging the strike by a hair's breadth.

Lily didn't waste the opportunity. While Eno was off balance, she lashed out with one of her daggers, aiming for his side. Eno twisted, managing to block the blade with his gauntlet, but the impact sent a burst of electricity from the point of contact. The energy crackled, causing a minor shockwave that made Lily stagger back.

"It didn't do much," Lily noted with a smirk, "but that was definitely an interesting trick."

Eno grinned. "I've got more where that came from."

Lily darted forward again, her shadows flaring out around her like a dark wave. Eno braced himself, his eyes scanning for an opening. Her daggers flashed as they slashed toward him, but Eno parried the attacks with his gauntlets, the metal ringing with each deflection.

Their movements were fluid, almost like a dance. Eno would strike, Lily would counter with a shadow-infused attack, and they would separate before clashing again. The room was alive with the sound of their battle—blows landing, feet shuffling, and the hum of lightning and shadows intertwining.

At one point, Lily's shadows surged forward, wrapping around Eno's legs like tendrils. He grunted, trying to pull free, but the shadows tightened their grip. Lily took the opportunity to close the distance, her daggers poised for a swift strike.

But Eno wasn't done yet. He concentrated, and a pulse of white lightning exploded from his body, breaking the shadows' hold and sending them scattering. Lily leaped back, barely dodging the electrical burst, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Not bad," she said, her breathing slightly heavier now.

Eno smirked, wiping sweat from his brow. "You're not bad yourself."

They charged at each other again, this time with renewed vigor. Eno's fists moved like blurs, each punch charged with electricity that crackled in the air. Lily's shadows danced around her, forming shields and counterattacking with fists and spikes of dark energy that shot toward Eno.

One of the shadowy spikes grazed his arm, drawing a thin line of blood. Eno winced but didn't let it slow him down. He retaliated with a swift punch, his gauntlet connecting with one of Lily's shadow constructs. The impact caused a small explosion of lightning, momentarily blinding them both.

Lily used the momentary distraction to vanish into the shadows. Eno blinked, trying to regain his vision, only to find that Lily had disappeared. His eyes darted around the room, his senses on high alert.

"Come on, Lily," Eno called out, his voice tinged with both excitement and frustration. "You're not going to beat me by hiding."

A soft laugh echoed from the shadows. "I'm not hiding, Eno. I'm just waiting for the right moment."

Before he could respond, Lily's figure emerged from the darkness behind him. She slashed at his back with her dagger, but Eno spun just in time, blocking the strike with his gauntlet. The force of the impact sent a jolt of electricity through the air, but Lily quickly dispersed into the shadows again, avoiding the worst of the shock.

This game of cat and mouse continued, with Lily slipping in and out of the shadows, attacking from unexpected angles, while Eno relied on his speed and lightning to fend her off. Each time Lily attacked, Eno countered, but the longer the fight went on, the more he realized just how well they matched each other.

Eno's heart pounded in his chest as he blocked another of Lily's strikes, their faces inches apart. For a moment, everything else faded away—the sounds of their clashing weapons, the crackling of lightning, the slithering of shadows. It was just the two of them, locked in a battle of skill and willpower.

"You're holding back," Lily said softly, her breath warm against his face.

Eno grinned, his eyes blazing with energy. "So are you."

With a burst of strength, Eno shoved Lily back, creating some distance between them. They both stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, their eyes locked. Despite the fatigue, neither of them was ready to quit.

Lily straightened, her shadows still swirling around her like a living storm. "Alright, Eno," she said with a sly smile. "Let's finish this."

Eno nodded, his lightning flaring brighter in response. "You're on."

With one final charge, they launched themselves at each other, their abilities surging to their limits. Eno's fists crackled with white lightning as he swung at Lily, while her shadows formed a barrier around her, deflecting the blows with ease.

Their clash sent shockwaves through the room, the force of their combined abilities pushing them both to their limits. But neither backed down. They pushed harder, faster, each strike more powerful than the last.

Finally, with one last burst of energy, they collided in the center of the room, their powers exploding in a brilliant flash of light and shadow. The room fell silent as the dust settled, and Eno and Lily stood opposite each other, panting heavily.

Lily wiped the sweat from her brow, smiling despite the exhaustion. "That was… intense."

Eno grinned, breathing hard. "You could say that again."

Lily paused for a moment, her eyes locking onto Eno's. "You know," she said, with a wry smile, "I think we should take this a bit more seriously."

Eno chuckled, rolling his shoulders. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing."

Up until now, they had been toying with each other. Lily, despite disappearing into the shadows several times, she doesn't actually specialise in sneaking around. Eno could've easily tracked her if he had been serious about it. But now, both of them were ready to stop playing around.

"Alright," Lily said, her smile fading into a more focused expression. "Let's be serious."

Without warning, she darted forward, her dagger flashing through the air as she aimed a strike at Eno's chest. Eno reacted instantly, charging his arm with electricity and throwing a punch that sent a bolt of thunder hurtling toward her. Lily responded in kind, swinging her dagger and sending a shadow slash cutting through the air toward him.

The two attacks collided midair with a deafening boom, a surge of energy exploding outward from the point of impact. The force sent a shockwave through the training room, the floor trembling beneath their feet. They didn't stop to register the aftermath—both Eno and Lily were already moving, dashing toward each other again with renewed intensity.

Eno's hand crackled with energy as he manifested small orbs of lightning, throwing them rapidly toward Lily as he ran. Lily responded by summoning shadow bullets from the darkness swirling around her, sending them shooting toward Eno's lightning orbs. The air filled with sizzling arcs of energy and swirling shadows as the two projectiles collided, creating miniature explosions with each impact. The room was illuminated with bursts of light, the shadows and lightning at war.

But neither Eno nor Lily flinched. They pushed through the chaos, undeterred by the explosions around them. Their eyes were locked on each other, their focus unwavering. When they finally closed the distance, both of them prepared to make their moves.

Eno shifted first, aiming for Lily's left arm. With lightning speed, he grabbed it and twisted it behind her back, locking her arm as he prepared to strike with his other hand. As he did, a bolt of electricity gathered in his palm, forming a concentrated lightning sword. He swung it, aiming for her torso.

But Lily wasn't about to let him land the hit so easily. She quickly planted her feet and twisted her body, raising a knee to block the strike with a solid kick. At the same time, she summoned a shadow barrier that formed between her and Eno's lightning sword. The barrier absorbed the force of the blow, stopping his sword in its tracks.

Undeterred, Eno surged forward, manifesting a small bolt of lightning that zipped through the air toward Lily's face. But Lily anticipated the move. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a wave of shadows spiraling upward to intercept the bolt just inches before it hit. The shadows dispersed the electricity harmlessly, but the quick reflex left Lily slightly off balance.

Seeing his chance, Eno swung his fist toward her, lightning swirling around his arm like a coiled serpent. "Thunder Fist!" he shouted as his punch flew toward Lily, the force of the attack cracking the air around it.

But Lily was ready. She stepped back, gathering shadows around her daggers. Her arm moved in a blur, and with a sharp crack, she unleashed her counterattack—a blink strike. Her body and dagger moved so quickly that her attack was nearly invisible to the naked eye, her weapon cutting through the air with speed unmatched.

Their attacks clashed violently in the center of the room, and the resulting explosion sent them both flying backward. The force of the collision sent them skidding across the floor, crashing into the far walls of the training room. Dust and debris from the impact filled the air, but neither of them showed signs of slowing down.

Eno groaned as he pushed himself to his feet, his muscles aching from the strain of the fight. Across the room, Lily stood up as well, her breathing slightly labored but her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Not bad," Lily called out, wiping a trickle of sweat from her brow. "But you'll have to do better than that to beat me."

Eno grinned, raising his fists again. "Same goes for you."

Without hesitation, they charged at each other once more. The ground beneath their feet cracked and splintered as they sprinted across the room, their bodies moving faster than they ever had before. Eno's lightning flared brighter than before, crackling violently around his body as he prepared to strike. Lily's shadows whipped around her like a storm, coiling and lashing out as she closed the distance between them.

This time, their fight was even more intense. Eno swung his lightning-infused fists with precision, each punch releasing bursts of energy that echoed through the training room. Lily responded with her daggers, parrying his strikes while sending shadowy tendrils to trip and bind him.

At one point, Eno ducked under one of Lily's strikes and swung upward, his lightning-charged gauntlet aiming for her chest. Lily sidestepped just in time, but the edge of his punch grazed her side, sending a jolt of electricity through her body.

She winced but used the momentum to roll away, quickly getting back on her feet. "Close, but not close enough," she taunted, her voice playful despite the exhaustion creeping into her muscles.

Eno didn't respond, focusing instead on gathering more energy. He could feel his power building, but he knew he had to pace himself. They had already been fighting for an extended time, and neither of them was showing any signs of stopping.

"Alright, let's see how long you can keep dodging," Eno muttered under his breath as he manifested multiple lightning orbs in the air around him. With a flick of his wrist, he sent them hurtling toward Lily, each one crackling with dangerous energy.

Lily responded in kind, summoning a wall of shadows that absorbed the lightning orbs one by one. But Eno wasn't done. He charged forward, breaking through the remnants of the shadow wall and aiming a swift kick at her legs. Lily jumped back, avoiding the strike, and retaliated by sending a wave of shadows toward him.

The room was filled with the sound of clashing energy as their attacks met again and again. Lightning and shadows intertwined, creating a storm of raw power that shook the very walls of the training room. Neither of them was willing to give an inch, their competitive spirits pushing them to fight harder, faster, and stronger.

Minutes turned into an hour, and then another. They continued to trade blows, both of them refusing to slow down. Sweat dripped down their faces, their bodies aching from the exertion, but their determination kept them going.

Finally, after what felt like hours of non-stop fighting, they both stood still for a moment, panting heavily. Their clothes were singed, their skin bruised and scraped, but the fire in their eyes hadn't dimmed. They had pushed each other to their limits, and it was clear neither was willing to back down.

Eno wiped the sweat from his brow, his chest rising and falling rapidly. "Not bad," he said, his voice hoarse from the effort.

Lily smiled, her breath coming in short gasps. "Same to you. Looks like we're evenly matched."

They both stood there for a moment longer, catching their breath. The sparring session had ended in a draw, but it didn't matter. They had pushed each other to the limit, and that was enough.