Kapitel 15: Fire and Ice
Violet had finally released her Echo Energy. Thin layer of frost crackled beneath her feet. The blade emitted an extreme, frigid cold that could turn everything into ice. A pale blue aura pulsed around her body, tendrils of icy mist reaching out towards everything it could see and touch. Her ice energy was very potent.
Luciel felt her ice could cut someone in half and leave no blood behind, just a slush of ice. He smiled, thinking that he underestimated Violet just a few minutes ago. This girl was destined for greatness, but not today.
Scarlet flames burst out in a frightening manner, engulfing the frigid cold and releasing an intense heat so concentrated that it could only be felt when near. It was perfect control over fire. It wasn't wild flames but a refined one, attaching itself to the blade as if it had another layer. The blade had become a weapon of pure, scarlet destruction.
Violet widened her eyes, seeing the coldness retracting by the second. Just by comparing the energy between the two alone, she knew that she would lose, but she wanted to die trying. Her nimble movement dodged the scarlet flame and reached Luciel, their blade collided and exploded. Two opposite energy was bound to be destructive, but only Violet got pushed back, while Luciel kept going forward.
Luciel went in and traced his sword diagonally, scarlet flame ready to devour. Violet poured out all of her energy to block the incoming hell. "Ack!" Violet coughed out blood. Her ice energy dwindled and seemed small compared to the bountiful flames. But she wasn't about to give up.
She released another round of ice energy. Luciel saw that her sword pattern became different and raised vigilance.
Violet concentrated her energy to her blade. The sword moved itself in a crescent shape. It was as if she was preparing a sword dance. Ice and fire intertwined with one another on this chaotic dance floor.
Luciel incessantly attacked while Violet defended with her life on the line. Each dance blocked his sword perfectly. One deflected to the right, one blocked straight on, one surprisingly offset his energy completely. The crescent movements repeated itself infinitely and frost multiplied.
Sensing danger, Luciel stepped back and fortified his defense. He could feel the billow of mist prickling at his skin.
Hundreds of crescent ice moons clustered before Violet's blade. Her blue eyes flashed and turned pale. The deep ocean couldn't prevent itself from being frozen.
Lunar Ice Art - Crescent Moon Form: Hallowed Moon Cascade
With a single motion, Violet unleashed everything at once. Each crescent moon was incomprehensibly sharp, as if its blade was crafted by the essence of winter itself. A torrent of frozen crescents marched forward like a glacial storm, merciless but otherworldly beautiful. Coldness spread all over and drained the warmth of the sun. The frozen lethality made Kyus step forward to protect the cadets.
Luciel chuckled as he took in the breathtaking scene before him. Taking a deft step, he shifted into an inside stance, his body firm, his expression calm and clear. Scarlet flame burned ever so brightly, and with one swift and fluid motion, he thrusted his blade forward with precision.
Scarlet Flame Art: Crimson Bloom
Flame erupted from the tip of his sword. The scarlet inferno birthed a deadly flower of five petals. Each petal spread far and wide swallowed the moons, treating them like a prey walking itself into death. Crimson flares gushed out like falling cherry blossoms, completely erasing the coldness.
Fifty crescent ice moons left, the scarlet flower marched on, melting the razor-sharp blades of ice.
Twenty crescent ice moons left, the five petals converged and detonated, leaving nothing but ashes of the surviving snow behind. Everything melted. Only petals fluttering in the wind remained.
None was spared. Violet, her face illuminated by the residual heat, smiled. She had collapsed long ago and was kneeling down, witnessing the aftermath of the battle. Luciel stood before Violet and declared, "I won." He smiled as he offered a hand to help Violet get up. "Your moon was beautiful."
Violet felt the heat on her face, but it wasn't due to the inferno. Luciel was close. She coughed and tried her hardest to smile. "Your flower was dreamy."
Despite the cheers of the cadets, Violet and Luciel were in their own world. Only they could hear each other talking, breathing, shaking. Luciel examined Violet's condition, and it seemed pretty bad. "Did I go too far?"
"I'd be disappointed if you didn't." Violet continued coughing.
She had the pride of a swordsman, so if Luciel didn't take her seriously, wouldn't that mean she was a joke? Even though she lost, it was a loss against someone who gave his all. She was disappointed but her competitive spirit shone even brighter.
Seeing Violet's condition, Luciel was worried that she overexerted herself, so he called over Instructor Kyus and asked if he could take her to the infirmary.
"Return here once you all recover." Kyus then patted Luciel and Violet on the shoulder. "That was a spectacle."
"Thank you, sir." Luciel saluted before carrying the half-conscious Violet on his back to the infirmary. He could hear the cadets gossiping again, but Kyus reprimanded them this time.
"Are you okay?" Luciel asked Violet, her head rested gently on his shoulder. Her faint breath touched against his neck. Her lithe body pressing against him with each step he took. The world seemed to quiet down whenever the two of them were together.
Luciel's heart fluttered, a foreign feeling cruising over his whole existence. The closeness between them, the way her form fit so naturally against his, sent his mind and body haywire. He didn't know why his heart was beating so rapidly. Was it just concern? Was it a mix of concern and something more profound? He couldn't quite name it.
Violet raised her head and looked far away to the academy's hallway. Dazed, she felt safe and comfortable as Luciel held her. "Mm-hmm. I'm fine," she murmured, her voice softened. The monotonous note disappeared completely. Her eyes glimmered and her arms wrapped around Luciel tighter.
She, too, felt an unspoken connection to him as soon as she saw him. "I'm glad I met you." Her voice quivered slightly.
"It's only been the first day, Violet." Luciel deadpanned. "But I'm happy that I got to know you as well." He could feel the warmth of her getting overwhelming after he said that. "Are you sick?"
"No." She stopped and sighed. Luciel blushed as her icy breath kept playing on his skin. "I think I contracted a new type of sickness."
Luciel raised an eyebrow, a mischievous grin forming without control. "Oh? What is it?"
Violet rolled her eyes as she noticed his teasing expression. She let out a smile and plopped her head back onto his shoulder, sighing dismissively. "Not telling you."
Luciel chuckled playfully, pretending to know what was happening. "What if I got sick as well because you don't want to tell me?"
Violet smiled as she hid herself in Luciel's shoulder. "I hope you catch it. A fair price for beating me, I'd say."
"Not my fault." Luciel fixed himself and Violet to make her more comfortable. He didn't understand what she meant whatsoever, but he could faintly feel it in his heart. "Do you need me to find you a cure?"
"A cure?" Violet asked, blinking a couple times to process his question. She then realized that Luciel was as socially inept as her and was just trying to pretend. She found it cute. "I don't think I'd ever need one."
Luciel grinded his teeth, trying his best to understand what she meant. "You're so confusing, you know that?" Luciel teased.
Violet shrugged sightly and tightened her arms around him. "Not my fault that you don't understand me."
Luciel shook his head as she played him like puppets. His heart fluttered even more as her embrace tightened. The silence soon encompassed the two, but none of it was awkward. He covered his smile as he thought about how life had been going for him. He found Elina. He found Luna. And now Violet. Perhaps the yearn for love he had was more than he thought, but he was happy that the world had love to spare for him.
"Aren't you tired?" Violet suddenly asked.
'I used to.' But now life was better. "Not at all." Luciel shook slightly.
Violet didn't respond but embraced him closer as if she knew.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein