Chapter 26: Battles and losing control

[Fan Yumei POV]

——

We walked to the center of the Division 6 auxiliary sparring deck.

Jin Minhe's face was as blank as always, his eyes unreadable. I extended a hand, and he shook it—firm and without hesitation. Mr. Huo raised his arm high, voice cutting clean across the open combat field.

"Begin!"

I shifted into my military boxing stance—compact, efficient, lethal. Federation Close-Combat Form 2A.

Jin mirrored me with his loose, upright form—deceptively soft, but I wasn't fooled. We were the same rank.

I lunged first, faking a leg sweep before rolling directly into a shoulder tackle. Slammed him down.

He flipped with the momentum and, to my shock, used it to launch himself—and me—back up. His body twisted like a whip, and he slammed into my side, forcing a break.

We scrambled apart.

And then the fight really started.

Blow for blow. Fist for fist.

Jin moved like a whisper, flowing through strikes and parries with an odd rhythm—unorthodox and smooth. My strikes were sharper, heavier, but he danced around them, smirking just slightly between hits.

That's right.

He was enjoying this.

The corners of his mouth twitched upward every time I hit harder. Every time we clashed, his eyes lit—quiet, precise sparks of thrill flaring behind the blank expression.

He wasn't just fighting.

He was having fun.

He pushed me—faster and faster—strength ratcheting up with each blow until I found myself slowly backing toward the edge of the field. But I held. Not advancing. Not retreating. Just testing.

Feeling it.

My pulse rose. So did his.

Then I struck—a palm strike directly to his chest.

He stumbled back a step, breath catching—

—and summoned a giant sword from thin air. A dynamic-phase summoning glyph shimmered to life around his wrist as he moved.

He dashed forward, a burst of qi flaring beneath his shoes—a pulse-assisted step that cracked the surface of the deck—slashing left and right with brutal force.

I didn't hesitate.

Two alloy twin swords—sleek black and red—flashed into my hands from my integrated combat bracelet's sealed cache. They pricked my palms, accepted my qi, and merged with me, syncing with my pulse frequency like new limbs.

They were mine now.

And I felt different.

Sharper. Heavier. Lethal.

The match exploded.

Students watching from the edge of the training zone froze mid-bite. Maxius and Lufei paused, alert, their eyes following us from the rest zone where they'd been lounging. The clatter of metal rang out like a song—beautiful, violent, exhilarating.

Jin and I blurred—strike, dodge, parry, leap.

He grinned for real once when I flipped over his swing and cracked his shoulder with the hilt of my blade. It was fleeting, but real.

And I—

I stopped thinking.

I stopped holding back.

Blood roared in my ears. My old instincts kicked in—brutal, efficient. I lost myself in the rhythm of violence. Jin fell again, this time hard. I stood over him, panting, blades trembling from the force of my last strike.

I wasn't done.

I raised a sword, eyes wide and unfocused.

Then—

Mr. Huo appeared between us.

A blast of qi pressure sliced the air sideways like a shield-breaker impact.

"That's enough."

I blinked.

My hands trembled.

Jin was down, chest heaving, dazed but still conscious. I looked at him—and felt sick.

I dropped to my knees on the reinforced softplate of the ring.

"Mr. Huo, I accept punishment. I lost control."

I turned to Jin and bowed my head, fists planted in the soil-pattern flooring.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you like that."

Tears welled up—unexpected. Unwanted. My breath shuddered.

The pain I felt wasn't physical—it traveled along my empathic qi-thread, down into the soul-bonds I held.

Mystic stirred above the deck, circling beyond the stadium's storm grid.

Her mournful whale call rolled across the Federation campus like thunder chasing wind. She felt it. She felt me.

Maxius and Lufei were already sprinting over, snack wrappers fluttering behind. Lufei's fur bristled with green qi, her antler circuits flickering like bioluminescent leaves. Maxius's visible wing extended, a golden kinetic barrier shimmering along its length.

Mystic's voice echoed in my head:

"Yumei. I'm coming down."

No, I whispered back. I'm okay. Not hurt. Just… wrong inside.

Then—

Jin Minhe stood.

He walked toward me, slower this time, his sword dismissed into his soul-array.

He crouched beside me and gently patted my shoulder.

"You're strong," he said. "And you lost yourself."

I choked on a breath. "I didn't mean to—"

"I know."

He met my eyes. His voice was soft, like a sigh through snow.

"You owe me noodles."

A stunned laugh slipped out of me—half-sobbed.

Maxius stopped bristling. Lufei exhaled through her nose, standing down.

Mr. Huo joined us, arms crossed. "What I just saw was both brilliant and terrifying."

He crouched, leveling a gaze at me first.

"You've got instincts most soldiers would envy. But next time you lose yourself, you might not be fighting a sparring partner. You might be fighting someone you care about. Or someone weaker than you."

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

He turned to Jin. "You enjoyed that fight, didn't you?"

Jin tilted his head. "It was fun."

Mr. Huo smirked. "Good. You need more of that. Your technique is brilliant, but too linear. Try letting that dual-core rhythm bleed into your steps. Let it bend with the chaos. Don't lock it into a script."

Jin blinked, thinking it over, then nodded once.

Mr. Huo stood. "Both of you—get cleaned up. You've got class in twenty."

Jin extended a hand.

I took it.

Mr. Huo watched us both for a long second. Then he turned to the rest of the class—most of whom were stunned silent from the match.

"That's it for today," he barked. "Sparring is over. If anyone has a problem with that—take it up with your knees, which should be trembling right about now."

A few students chuckled awkwardly. Someone in the back actually clapped—then stopped when Mr. Huo's eyes landed on them.

He crossed his arms again. "Rest up tonight. Tomorrow, we head to the Federation Beast Arena for monthly combat evaluations. That means full duel protocols—Round One and Two—under live-bond sync. Soul beasts, magical partners. No exceptions."

He glanced at me. Then at Jin.

"Consider today your warm-up."

Around the edge of the field, murmurs broke out—excitement, nerves, bravado.

My heart thudded harder at the mention of it. Beast Arena.

Mystic's voice rolled back into my head, calm now, steady.

"Battle soon. I'll be ready."

Maxius scoffed beside me, clearly eager.

Lufei huffed and raised her head, elegant as ever. "No one's outshining me tomorrow."

I stood, brushing off dust from my knees. Jin walked beside me in silence as we made our way to the hydration station node.

He glanced my way just once.

"You're buying lunch. Noodles. Two bowls."

I cracked a tired grin. "Done. Extra spice?"

He gave a slow nod.

Mr. Huo's voice called after us as we walked off. "You two better bring that same energy to tomorrow's evaluations. I expect nothing less than your best. Both in the one-on-one duels—and in Round Two beast sync."