Lightning rampaged as Tondra sought a way out. This thing is air tight, She thought. The dome of metal in which she was trapped constantly earthing her charge—preventing any and all escape methods by way of magic. Regardless of how strong a pulse I release, it amounts to nothing.
She kicked the dome, her frustration leaking out. The air just keeps getting thinner…at this rate, I will end up suffocating. She let out a sigh, I need to get out —I need to thin—…
"My heart…." It's racing. I don't feel scared though. But—it's beating so fast it's all I can think about. "I wouldn't give you a fight you couldn't win." Is what you said? This feeling (I am sated), it's so overwhelming (I am looking at an iron wall)…I want to lose myself in it(I want to destroy it); I-…(I want to be free.)
Flashes of lightning left her body striking the dome. Which, much like before, earthed the charge. Mèe, from outside the dome, watched as all her effort were for naught. "Do keep going miss." What the hell? This metal wall is dual layered. The inner layer whose electro conductivity is one of the highest I have ever seen and the outer is one with a high electro resistivity but a greater brittleness about it. But— I can feel her charge from way out here. This is getting ridiculous.
An explosion was set off, causing a loud ringing in his eyes.
Within the dome, she held up her palm striking the ground. If I can't beat the wall, I will go under it. She struck the ground, with more power. Lightning cloaking her every blow. Earlier, I thought I could push it into the river and use a reaction to weaken its structure. But, that was a flawed way of thinking. He made sure part of it was logged into the ground.
Then, I will just weaken that. Lightning—damages the earth when it strikes. Since this is a magic space, my lightning magic will do some damage. The ground cracked, when she stopped, panting. Finally…..
She closed her eyes.
Mèe wondered what was happening. It has gone quiet. Did she finally tire herself out? Can't help but wonder what that was.
She took a deep breath, focus on every part of my body, every conduit of magic leading to any organ. She recalled:
"Kano, I have noticed. You control your body enhancements at will. Is it possible for me to do the same thing? …you know—with my nature."
"You need to stop acting like you are a hopeless case. Just focus on your whole body, the greater the magic flow, the stronger the enhancement. Weaken the flow and the enhancement follows. Just don't overdo it. Magic has a tendency to destroy even its host."
An instantaneous burst…..flip it! Lightning rampaged before she jumped.
Mèe looked on when the dome suddenly lifted. It flipped, letting out waves of lightning. At the core of those waves, she stood—before landing on the ground. The lightning then dissipated. "Finally, I am rid of it." She took a deep breath.
Mée stood in awe, there is no way—I made sure it was decently rooted in the ground. She pried it open just like that. "I have been waiting miss." He smirked. A bluff, he had never anticipated her early escape—or even for her to escape at all. Rods began materializing in the sky above them. They plummeted and planted themselves in the ground. The placement was in a circular formulation, boxing them in. "Don't mind the rods….they are just the ring. Gladiator matches often have these."
"I see. So you are a fan. I suppose ending you in a ring would be in a way poetic." What am I saying? Just getting out burnt through a lot of the magic I currently have under control. If I exceed a certain threshold, I will lose control and destroy indiscriminately. She held up her guard. Her eyes quickly rolled, glancing at her surroundings before leaping to her left. I see it, a metal rod to my right foot. As predicted, a rod materialized on where her foot was placed before.
Above her, another rod materialized. It descended when she dodged. My left. She slid her left foot behind. In front? As she foresaw, a rod materialized nearly piercing her skull. She ducked. He is controlling the placement of every rod. Positioning them to force me to put distance between the two of us. If I dash forward—
A rod materialized, aiming to skewer her chest. She was forced to flip back. That happens, in that case….let us try this.
Mée looked on, metal rods materializing on his command. I have to limit this to a battle of distance. She is lightning and I am metal. Attribute wise, I have the advantage. But physical enhancement-wise, I am screwed. As far as physical enhancements go, Lightning and Shadow can never be outclassed if the same level of magic is considered. But that doesn't matter, I won't give her the chance to use them. A side run….
She is heading to the edge. The rods that barracked that portion lengthened, denying her any means of escape. A grin reared its head lightly on her face. I must have you thinking in circles—why sideways? An escape? It is none of the two. She rapidly pivoted on her left foot, clenching her teeth. Now accelerate. Her eyes widened, a grin turning to a smile. Euphoria clutching her heart tightly—only getting tighter by the second. Lightning began leaking from her body.
Mée looked on, I see, she feigned a run to distract me. Her real target was always me. No matter. A massive rod of metal materialized from the ground aiming to force her back. Her smile grew wider. She pivoted her right foot, turning to her left. She shifted once more, continuing with her run toward him. She evaded it. Moving faster with each step.
The purple stripe that rounded her iris spread. Shrinking her iris. Left, right, over. So many rods…so many outcomes. I can see them all. More rods materialized. An unwavering barrage. She leapt to her left. Right. Over. Then ducked. She flipped back, the rod narrowly missing her head. More flashes of lightning leaked out from her body when a rod blitzed past her neck. Droplets of blood came trickling down. She never slowed for even a moment.
Mèe's gazed bounced all around the battlefield field. Even with the constraints. Her movements were too much to anticipate. She understands me. Each move she makes—its as though she understands my next move. I am varying the tempo of my attacks. But—she is responding each time. He clenched his teeth as tears began to form on his arms. Sweat ran down his face. I am nearly at my limit…I haven't yet grown accustomed to using projectiles for this long. Nèe typically makes up for this weakness. I am the older one. And as such, I should be physically stronger!
Lightning began coating Tondra's hands when she thought, Finally, I am through. Sweat trickled to the ground when everything around her slowed. She recalled a time when she, Hadad and Mounif went training.
~
[Honestly, I have been through many instructors. Due to special circumstances, my brothers and I started our curriculum at a rather unfavorable age. I would say two to be exact. Due to our lineage, our blood typically carries a trait of morphed inheritance. Our magic manifests earlier than in others.
Studying was always viewed as a priority, robbing us of a childhood which could have stood to benefit from more leniency. We studied history, political ethics, the intricacies of societal hierarchy and economic propaganda. All of which were topics I was none too fond of but had to study all the same. Magical theory, science and mathematics were then tossed into the mix. Stimulating our development to levels that shouldn't have been a possibility.]
"The one out of the three siblings with the highest affinity to combat is Tondra. Hadad follows right after. But—because of her nature, she shall be kept in strict confinement." Her instructor explained.
[Apparently, I was unstable—only ever seeing my siblings for five minutes every month. That loneliness was crippling…..(I don't want to turn). People died from being around me…(my presence was toxic). It is like–(I am looking at an iron wall)…I was a prisoner..(I want to shatter it.) I don't know why…but…..I am ecstatic.]
"For once Tondra, you will have living targets. Your hand to hand keeps evolving. Shall we see how far it will take you against Hadad."
Mounif and the instructor stood by as the watched the fight progress on the grassy plain.
"Mounif, take note. Your sister is instinctively wired to seek out pleasure. Euphoria is something she desires yet she understands no part of that. Don't ever expose her to any stimuli."
~
She lunged forward, holding out both her palms. It's over for you….. "Lightning Art: Oscillatory Charge; Orbital dissonance." Flashes rampaged when Mèe held up his arms to guard.
She grabbed his wrists. Releasing all the magic she could muster. A war cry and a scream could be heard. Lightning rampaging through the battlefield. Mèe chuckled, before he separated his arms. He kicked her face. Forcing some separation. He rolled up his sleeves exposing the metallic layer that coated his arm. "Electro resistivity is arguably the best property of some metals." He turned, "You took your time…Nèe."
From the trees passed the river, Nèe returned. Dragging Kano across the ground. "Sorry I took so long. This one seems to have a little too much magic. Even now, his magic is overflowing."
Tondra wiped the blood that dripped from the sides of her mouth. She gasped for air, letting more charges leak out. What the hell was that? In the future I foresaw, I could have sworn I stunned him. Does that mean I am not actually seeing futures. What is this? So many parallel lines…Her surroundings glitched when a black page appeared at the back of her mind. A stream of parallel lines intersecting at one point.