Thunder and Flame

Chapter: 7

Abeni and I stood across from each other, both soaked to the bone from the torrential rain, our Taekwondo stances adapted to fit our personal styles. My stance had become something of a blend—my weight balanced low, my fists tight but loose enough for quick jabs and strikes. My right foot slightly forward for speed, my left grounded for stability. Abeni, on the other hand, stood with a more fluid, dynamic posture—her feet were always shifting, light on her toes, ready to spring in any direction. Her arms were raised in a defensive, yet mobile guard, perfect for both offense and defense, reflecting her unpredictability.

Mana surged through both our bodies, enhancing our strength, speed, and reflexes. It had been three months since we'd struck our deal with Alex, and the progress Abeni and I had made since then was nothing short of astounding. Our training had grown more intense, our sparring more brutal. Today, with Alex absent due to the heavy rain, we decided to take things up a notch—a full-out spar with no holding back.

I took a deep breath, feeling the energy buzzing beneath my skin. Then, without a word, I stepped off, throwing the first punch. Abeni dodged to the side, dropping low to throw a punch of her own from below. I barely blocked it with both hands, the impact strong enough to send a shockwave through my arms. Seizing the moment, I grabbed her arm and pulled her into an elbow strike, but she caught it, our forearms colliding with a dull thud.

Using our close positioning, I snapped my leg up for a high kick aimed at her head. With no time to block, Abeni unleashed a powerful gust of wind, shoving me backward. The rainwater around us scattered in the force of the gust, a brief, violent burst of energy.

Not one to waste an opening, she charged forward, her fists a blur as she unleashed a flurry of punches. I shifted to a defensive stance, parrying and blocking her strikes with practiced precision. Realizing I had a height and reach advantage, I dropped low and swept my leg at her feet. But Abeni, ever sharp, jumped back, gaining distance.

That's when I saw my opportunity.

I fed lightning-infused Mana into my legs, feeling the electric surge pulse through my muscles. With a thunderous crack, I shot forward like a bullet, the ground beneath me shattering in my wake. Appearing in front of her almost instantly, I threw a punch with all my momentum behind it. Abeni, with no time to dodge, swung her wind-covered leg in an attempt to intercept the blow. My punch connected with her block, the force sending her flying back into a nearby tree.

"Oww," Abeni groaned, pulling herself out of the tree's indentation.

I walked toward her, faint arcs of electricity crackling off my body, illuminating the darkened battlefield. "You good?"

"Just getting started," she growled as flames exploded around her body, the fire dancing alongside the wind.

I grinned, feeling the thrill of the fight. "You don't say." With a flick of my wrist, lightning exploded off me, electrifying the air around us. "Then let's continue our dance."

Abeni smirked, her fiery aura intensifying. "I didn't think you'd ask."

With a burst of wind, she shot forward like a rocket. I grinned, meeting her charge with my own. We collided mid-air, the force of our impact reverberating through the clearing like a thunderclap. Fists flew, each strike sounding like a crack of lightning or the roar of a distant storm. Our fight became a symphony of violence, every movement calculated, every blow laced with the power of the elements.

Abeni slipped past my guard, landing a solid kick to my stomach that knocked me back several feet. I skidded to a stop, coughing slightly as I regained my footing.

"Is that it? My mother hits harder than you," I taunted, my grin widening.

"That's rich, coming from someone who hasn't landed a direct hit," Abeni shot back, wiping the rain from her face.

"Really?" I said with a grin. "Let me fix that."

Before she could move, I vanished in a streak of lightning, reappearing behind her. I grabbed her arm and pulled her into a palm strike aimed at her chin. The hit connected, leaving her dazed. Not wasting a second, I followed up with three rapid palm strikes to her chest before finishing with a kick that sent her tumbling back into the tree once more.

"You were saying?" I smirked, wiping my hands.

"Fuck you!" she spat, her eyes blazing with both literal and figurative fire.

I chuckled. "Aww, fuck you too."

Raising my hand, I channeled more of my Mana into the air around me. Raindrops froze mid-air, then rushed toward me, coalescing into a sword made of water. Lightning crackled through the blade, electrifying the weapon as I held it steady in my hand.

"Ready to continue?" I asked, spinning the sword effortlessly.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Abeni said as wind whipped around her, gathering in her hands. The gust quickly morphed into a spear of swirling air, which then ignited with flames.

For a moment, we stood still, both of us grinning despite the pounding rain and the exhaustion settling into our muscles. Then, as if in sync, we vanished in bursts of lightning and wind.

We clashed again, our weapons meeting with a resounding crash, lightning and fire crackling and roaring as they collided. Every strike was faster, more precise, the intensity of our Mana filling the air with energy so thick you could almost taste it.

Abeni spun her spear, sweeping it at my feet, but I jumped just in time, countering with a downward slash of my water sword. She deflected it with a burst of wind, her flames roaring to life as she lunged forward. I parried with a strike of my own, lightning crackling dangerously close to her face as she dodged by a hair's breadth.

"You're slowing down, Abeni," I teased, dodging another swipe of her spear.

"Shut up and fight!" she growled, flames erupting around her in a fiery vortex.

I grinned. "If you insist."

With that, we clashed once more, the sound of our fight echoing through the stormy night.

Chapter 7: End

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