A few minutes later, Fenix left the waiting area, glancing back at Aura longingly as he entered the arena. Aura held her cheeks, still shocked she'd made out with him in front of all the other contestants.
"Now welcome Fenix—an S-rank student! This battle is going to be a treat!" The announcer shouted.
The audience erupted into high-pitched screams as Fenix stepped onto the field, revealing his face on the Jumbotron. Aura calmed down enough to get irritated by this.
"And his opponent—Fleet from the A-ranked division!"
The crowd cheered again, quieter this time, as Fleet stepped forward.
"Hah! Remember me?" Fleet asked, smirking.
Fenix tilted his head.
"Should I?" he replied politely.
"I'm that guy you attacked!" Fleet snapped.
Fenix paused, tapped his chin, and furrowed his brow, thinking: (That could be anyone…)
Fleet noticed the confusion on Fenix's face, so he decided to be more specific,
"When I was in front of Aura's room!"
That's when recognition clicked.
"Ah… so you're that asshole—the one who doesn't know how to clean up his own messes," Fenix said with a smile.
Fleet glared in response.
"Battle start!" the announcer yelled.
Fleet charged in first, moving at breakneck speed.
"Now I can finally pay you back! There's no way I'm losing!" he shouted, swinging a punch at Fenix's face.
Before it connected, he vanished from Fleet's sight.
In that same instance, Fenix had spun with the punch, then swiftly ducked into Fleet's blind spot.
There was barely time to react before a kick slammed into Fleet's back, knocking him to the ground and the air from his lungs. Another strike hit his side a second later, sending him skidding toward the edge of the ring—nearly a ring-out.
"You're pretty fast… Speed must be your power, hmm?" Fenix noted while squatting beside him with a smile. "I've beaten faster," he added mockingly.
Fleet propped himself up, wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Good. You can still stand," Fenix stated softly. "That means… I can kick it up a notch."
Both of Fenix's eyes began glowing bright orange. His hair lifted, moving like living flame.
In a hurry to prepare for what was coming, Fleet clapped his hands together, muttering under his breath.
His feet began to shimmer brightly as he dropped into a fighting stance.
"Don't think I'm scared of you just because your power looks flashy. Now that I'm being serious... I can beat anyone," Fleet declared confidently.
Fenix laughed. With each of his chuckles, flames burst from beneath the concrete. The arena began cracking... lava seeping through the fissures, and an unbearable heat filled the area.
This caused Fleet to hesitate.
Fear flashed on his face for a second, but he didn't retreat. Instead, he corrected his posture and then doubled down, shouting,
"This is nothing! All I have to do is knock you out!"
Fenix scoffed. Fleet then rushed forward at blinding speed—too fast for most of the audience to follow. The cameras could only display a slight flicker on the Jumbotron.
A barrage of strikes followed. The impacts boomed across the stadium, sending tremors through even the audience stands.
Fenix was the only one visible. Fleet was jabbing and retreating constantly so he could stay concealed and to foil any counterattacks from Fenix.
The crowd was only able to see Fenix bend, twist, and slip through the seemingly invisible attacks. His movements were fluid, unnatural, almost inhuman.
Even after giving it all he had, Fleet couldn't lay a finger on him.
Thirty seconds of this passed, that's when exhaustion set in, and Fleet slowed enough for the crowd to finally see him again...
He was panting, haggard, and covered in burns.
He summoned all his willpower to strike again, throwing a feint punch and then a desperate kick toward Fenix's side.
Though, as if he had been waiting for that exact moment, Fenix caught the leg under his right arm...
and drove his left elbow down into Fleet's knee.
A sickening crack echoed across the arena, and Fleet's screams sent chills through the audience.
Gasps rippled through the crowd, followed by whispers and then a long silence.
Aura was shocked by Fenix's brutality... yet impressed and proud of him all at once.
As everyone sat watching, Fleet writhed in pain on the concrete floor and screamed,
"I... forfeit! Please, someone, heal me... send in a healer!... I..."
Before he could finish, Fleet lost consciousness. Fenix watched him expressionlessly, and no one dared make a sound until the announcer declared,
"The victor is Fenix!"
That's when the referee and paramedics tried to rush in, but the fire on the field was still too intense for anyone to get close.
The crowd seemed unsure of how to react, but after a while, everyone exploded into cheers.
Fenix sighed, eyes still locked on his opponent's limp body.
"That was no fun at all… too easy…" He muttered. "I didn't even get to remove my seal."
Fenix then rolled his shoulders and exhaled heavily.
As he relaxed, the flames sank back into the ground, and the lava cooled, sealing the cracks.
"You're a disappointment," he said coldly, looking down at Fleet once more.
With that, Fenix turned and walked away.
He returned to the waiting room.
The arena was still smoking, but healers felt safe enough to rush in and retrieve Fleet.
"How did I do?" Fenix asked Aura. He was looking down at her with bright eyes, hungry for praise.
She smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. "You were awesome."
Fenix smiled back. "Really?"
"Yeah. Super awesome." She raised both thumbs this time.
He kissed her quickly, sighed in satisfaction, then dropped onto the bench behind her.
"But how did you burn him?" she asked, sitting at his side. "It looked like you were mostly dodging the whole match."
Fenix chuckled and lay his head on her shoulder,
"The heat around me was so high that I didn't need to touch him directly to burn him..." He yawned, then added, "It was more intense the closer he got to me."
He nuzzled into her neck, and Aura stiffened, her heart racing. After a moment, she leaned her head against his and replied,
"I can't wait to face you myself." Fenix didn't reply right away, but his breathing softened. Aura thought he'd drifted off until Fenix said,
"... Don't get too excited… Your match is next. If you lose, I automatically win our bet."
There was a cocky smirk tugging at his lips.
"…There's no way I'd lose! We're fighting each other in the finals!" Aura shot back confidently, sticking out her tongue.
Fenix smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Aura immediately wanted to ask what was wrong, but he spoke first,
"After your match, let's go somewhere…"
He suggested while lying back and closing his eyes.
His offer pushed everything else from her mind. All that was left was the excitement of traveling with him.
"Sure. It's only elimination matches today anyway, we don't need to watch all of them."
When he didn't respond, Aura glanced over—
Fenix was fast asleep.
She stared at him for a few seconds, then reached out, gently brushed his hair away from his face, and kissed his cheek.
An hour passed, and it was her turn to fight.
Aura threw a random shoe she found on the floor at him.
Fenix jolted upright, irritation flashing across his face—until he saw her smiling.
"Watch me!" she called, waving bye as she ran off.
His expression softened instantly.
"Okay, I will," he replied quietly.
As she entered the arena, her face popped up on the screen, and the announcer shouted,
"A crowd favorite—and last tournament's champion—Aura!"
The arena erupted in excitement.
"Her opponent—a fellow S-rank student—Shade!"
A long-haired man dressed entirely in black stepped forward. The crowd cheered for him as well, so the announcer waited until they settled down before speaking again.
"Who will win?! Will Aura keep her title?! Let's find out! Now! Battle start!"
Neither of them moved.
They watched each other with caution for a while, but Aura decided to attack first.
Only then did she realize she actually couldn't move.
Her body was locked in place.
She immediately sensed danger, so Aura forced herself free just in time to dodge.
Shade had closed the distance, his hand outstretched, just barely missing her.
"What did you do?" Aura asked, glaring.
"I'll tell you if you win," Shade replied smugly.
Aura wrinkled her nose—then, instinctively, her eyes flicked toward Fenix.
In that moment of distraction, Shade lunged.
Again, Aura dodged cleanly. She created a distance between them, then said,
"You remind me of him…"
"Of who?" Shade asked, circling her.
She smiled.
"The person I love."
As the words hit, Shade's cheeks flushed—
Taking advantage of the distraction, Aura shot thorny vines from the ground, wrapping him in a dense cocoon.
Shade didn't make a sound from inside, and Aura watched calmly...
Then blood began to trickle through the cracks in the vines.
Aura lifted her hands, and the ball of vines rose higher. She readied for a final strike, but paused. Her eyes widened as she watched a shadow slip free.
It landed at her feet, then it stretched and formed into Shade, clutching an injured arm.
He had deep cuts all over his body.
Aura clapped and smirked saying,
"You escaped. Good job."
Shade's glare sharpened.
"Don't patronize me!" he fired back.
He then lowered his voice, muttering,
"Darkness beneath the light… creep forth and obey my will."
The arena plunged into blackness.
Total darkness.
Aura's eyes strained to find light anywhere.
Ten stressful seconds had passed before Shade struck.
Hitting her once—twice—three times.
He made sure to take out both of her knees, then he drove a finishing blow into her stomach.
Aura dropped onto her bottom, coughing, clutching her abdomen, still helplessly blind.
"You thought you could beat me," Shade said, stepping closer once again.
"This year, you were completely outmatched. Sucks because I expected more from the champion."
She couldn't see him... but she could hear him.
Aura stayed still as his footsteps closed in, and once he was within range, she moved.
She stood upright and delivered a jab to his jaw.
His head snapped to the side.
Shade was confused on multiple levels, wondering how she found him and how she was standing.
Not missing a beat, she spun and landed a roundhouse into his ribs.
Shade staggered, and she dove forward, tackling him onto the arena floor with her shoulder slamming into his gut.
As his back hit the concrete, light flooded the arena.
The crowd gasped at what they saw—
After the initial surprise wore off, they exploded into cheers.
Shade tried to move, but before he could escape, vines shot from the ground, binding his wrists and ankles to the arena floor.
This threw him off. He was so disoriented that he didn't consider turning into a shadow.
"What kind of fucking plants are these?!" he demanded aggressively.
"They're part of me," Aura explained calmly.
A smile spread across her face as she sat on his stomach, leaning in close. Her answer had confused him more, but with her face so close to his, he became mesmerized.
Her fuchsia hair shone, illuminated by the sun at her back, and as her lips inched closer, the crowd went wild.
Aura then exhaled a soft green mist.
As he breathed it in, his body went slack, and his eyes fluttered closed.
The referee began to count. Shade stayed pinned and motionless for the full ten seconds, so the announcer declared,
"The winner is Aura!"
The audience roared with excitement.
After her victory, Aura stood and lifted her hand, twirling her fingers in the air. A reddish liquid formed and then splashed onto Shade's face.
His eyes flung open.
"What—?" he coughed. She slowly willed her vines to release him, and he sat up, wiping at his face. "What happened?" Shade asked, confused.
Aura grinned triumphantly.
"While you were taking a nap… I beat you," she said in a playful voice.
Then she stood and offered him her hand, saying,
"You fought well."
He hesitated for only a moment
Then he took it.
"I thought I incapacitated you," he commented as he rose.
Aura giggled.
"It takes more than two broken kneecaps to incapacitate me. I'll explain later, since I won." Her words mimicked his from earlier.
Shade smirked, amused and captivated by her.
"Wow... you're interesting. We should do this again sometime..."
After speaking, his gaze lingered on her a moment longer than necessary.
Aura didn't give a reply.
"Both combatants, please exit the arena," the referee called.
The two laughed lightly.
"I wish we had some classes together," Shade muttered as he walked off.
Aura followed behind him, though she barely registered his comment.
Her focus was already elsewhere... on returning to Fenix.
Wondering where he wanted to take her and who she would fight next.
As soon as she entered the waiting area, she threw her arms around Fenix's shoulders, and he spun her around, saying,
"We should go now, since your fight is over."
He took hold of her hand.
"Okay... lead the way," Aura answered, intertwining their fingers.
"Where are we going?" she inquired.
Fenix hummed softly before he replied,
"It's a surprise."
They snuck away before the preliminary rounds were finished.
Fenix led her through a stretch of trees just beyond the school grounds near the edge of the academy's containment barrier.
"Where are we going?" she asked, noticing they had been walking for a while.
"Each time you ask a question, you'll receive a punishment… that's one," he replied, glancing back at her with a brief smile.
"That's not fair! That should've been a freebie! You didn't even warn me first!" she protested.
Fenix squeezed her hand gently.
"When I said it was a surprise before we left, that was your warning not to ask questions," he said.
Aura laughed. "Okay, sorry!"
Almost immediately after, Fenix stopped.
Aura looked up—
They stood in a wide, open valley, surrounded by trees.
"Aura, can you fly?" Fenix asked, releasing her hand and turning toward her.
"No."
"What?! Can't you? That's weird," he teased dramatically, acting surprised.
"You're weird!" Aura shot back.
Fenix chuckled; a moment later, red, feathery wings unfurled from his back.
"I guess I'll carry you then… since you're a flightless little thing," he said, reaching for her.
Aura stared at him in disbelief. Then she shook her head and determined that flight must just be one of his powers.
"Most people can't fly!" Aura protested.
As she was speaking, he scooped her up.
She instinctively clung to him, gripping his shoulders.
Fenix lifted off the ground, rising higher and higher into the air, yet staying below the trees.
Likely to avoid being spotted.
"Eeh—?! Put me down!" Aura yelped, tightening her grip, with a new fear of heights forming.
"Aura…" Fenix said softly, his voice coaxing and calm. "Do you care to play a game with me?"
She looked up at him. For some reason, meeting his eyes steadied her. So she was able to reply,
"…Sure, I'll play."
A slow, mischievous smile formed on Fenix's face… it looked a little dangerous.
"Alright." Fenix carried them further, to the very edge of the barrier's walls.
Then he slowly lowered her onto the ground.
She straightened her clothes and looked around.
Though it was still the afternoon, the shadows cast by the trees made it feel almost nighttime.
"So what's the game?" Aura inquired.
Fenix landed beside her with his wings vanishing.
"Firstly..." he began while stepping closer and kissing her neck.
"Ahhnn... Fenix, that tickles!" Aura complained. She resisted nervously and pressed her hands against his shoulders.
He licked at her neck, sucked, and bit her while hugging her by the waist.
"Fenix?!" she moaned again.
A second later, he pulled away and said,
"I had to give you your punishment first."
Aura glared at him, face burning hot as Fenix sat on the ground and patted the spot next to him. "Come sit."
Aura reluctantly sat beside him.
He chuckled before saying,
"The game... is a thought experiment."
"... What's the question?" she replied,
"If... you could be anything. Suppose you were allowed to leave this school. What would you do?" His question struck her hard. It was an impossibility, something she refused to consider. So her answer was delayed for several minutes.
"I think... I would want to be a teacher. I know it's not a glamorous job, but..." Aura fidgeted with her fingers, "I would love to know I impacted so many individuals at pivotal points in their lives." Fenix stroked her head then pulled her against him.
"Sounds glamorous to me," He said. She hugged him and lay her head on his chest.
"What about you?" Aura asked. Fenix sighed and looked up before answering,
"I... want to marry you," Aura tensed, and he continued, "I would want to be a fighter, someone who fights in a ring but then gets to go back home to a family at the end of the day, without persecution."
"Even if you were free, you'd still want to fight?" he laughed lightly at her question.
"Yeah... I would train in multiple martial arts, win competitions, and earn medals... Have my skills officially recognized." Aura sat up to kiss him lightly,
"That sounds like a wonderful dream as well," she whispered.
He closed the gap so their lips could connect again and said,
"I also want three kids." Aura gasped,
"Three?!" she exclaimed.
"Minimum," he said firmly.
"Minimum?!" Aura repeated him in shock.
His statement was bold, yes, but... two cursed weren't allowed to raise children together. So to Aura, his fantasy sounded completely outrageous.
Even a legal marriage was a dream they shared. On paper, they would never be more...
They spent the rest of the evening together talking about the future, cuddling, and kissing. Neither returned to their rooms.
No one saw Aura again until the next morning, when she entered the combatant area wearing a leotard that completely covered her arms, legs, stomach, and back—unlike the one she had worn the day before. This one even had a skirt added.
Mirror was surprised by the change in style. She wanted to comment on it, but something else caught her attention first.
"Is that a hickey on your neck?" she asked, stepping into the room with a bottle of water.
"N-no!" Aura shouted defensively, quickly trying to hide the mark.
Mirror smirked.
"So your relationship has already reached that level… Be careful, or he might deflower you," she wiggled her fingers teasingly.
"I wish he would—he won't even... t-try to do anything below the waist," Aura admitted with a heavy sigh.
"I was kidding… Haven't you only been dating, like, two months? Calm your tits," Mirror said dryly.
Aura glared at her.
Even if it hadn't been long, Aura wanted to be closer to him, and it irritated her that Mirror mocked those feelings.
She fidgeted with the sleeves of her outfit. It was comfortable...
She thought back on how Fenix had given it to her the day before,
"Please wear this for the remainder of the competition."
She immediately noticed how modest it was compared to her current combat wear. Aura had never thought her exposed skin could make him so uncomfortable and wasn't sure how to feel, but when he added,
"It'll help me resist you in public,"
She understood…and briefly...
She considered dressing more provocatively in private.
As Aura was thinking, Mirror opened her mouth to ask about the new clothes, but she was cut off as the announcer's voice boomed:
"Hello everyone, and welcome to Round Two of the Spring Festival Fighters' Tournament!"
The audience cheered.
"Yesterday, half the entries were eliminated. That means only ten fighters remain! I bet you're all excited for today's matches! First up is! Fenix versus Vision!"
"Awesome!" Fenix said, grinning. "I've been hoping we'd get to fight."
His smile sharpened.
He entered the arena.
Vision stood across from him, and Fenix's first words were:
"Level one… release," he said it under his breath. No one else heard him, but the air around Fenix became hot and dry,
"Don't get cocky," Vision declared, not noticing the subtle change just yet, "Just because you won your first match doesn't mean anything. Only losers get eliminated in the prelims. I'm not like them."
"You shouldn't get cocky either," Fenix murmured, smiling and combing his hair back with his fingers—both eyes now visible, shimmering unnaturally.
"Alright, fighters ready?" the referee called, glancing between them.
They both nodded.
"Begin!"
Vision multiplied instantly, creating twenty copies.
Each one smiled at Fenix.
"Pick the wrong one, and you're dead," they said in unison.
"Amazing! Twenty solid clones created by Vision! That's even more than last time!" the announcer shouted.
Fenix scoffed.
He stomped his foot.
The arena floor cracked, and chunks of flaming earth surged upward, lifted by hot lava.
With a flick of Fenix's fingers, the flaming fragments shot across the battlefield like meteors.
All the clones exploded on impact, and a cloud of dust swallowed the battlefield.
"It's getting hard to see, but Fenix just unleashed something like a meteor shower! I've never seen anything like it!" the announcer yelled.
"Wait—the dust is clearing—only one Vision remains! He destroyed them all!"
Before the announcer could finish, Vision was on the move.
He spun, launching a kick toward Fenix's jaw. Fenix dodged at the last second, stepping just out of reach.
"I get the feeling you want to seriously injure me," Fenix said lightly.
"That's right," Vision replied, glaring. "I never liked you. Plus... there's that dark presence around you… I don't know how Aura tolerates it."
The ground rumbled.
Cracks split the arena, and more lava burst through the cracks.
"You're wrong. That was the old me," Fenix said quietly. "Before Aura."
As he spoke, the fissures widened.
"I'm only going to do good things now… that way she won't get scared of me," Fenix added softly.
Vision leapt backwards, searching for safe ground... but it was already too late, he was surrounded by molten rock on all sides.
Vision pressed his hands together, and a bright light formed beneath his feet.
"Defense field! Spread!" Vision shouted. Several clones stood around him, holding transparent shields. The barrier they created kept Fenix's attack from closing in, but it wasn't able to hold the heat back.
The real Vision stood in the center, sweat pouring down his face.
Fenix tilted his head slightly.
"Aren't you glad that I'm good now? Thanks to that, you're still alive."
The lava flowed upwards, creating a wave that melted through some of Vision's defensive clones.
The rest barely held it at bay, taking several steps back, tightening the circle around Vision as they struggled against the pressure.
Then the lava began to harden, transforming into jagged, sharp, pointed black stone.
While it was still semi-fluid, it shot forward, steaming as it pierced straight through the remaining members of Vision's barrier and pierced straight into his shoulder.
He screamed.
"Giving up would be smart," Fenix commented calmly.
Vision coughed, with blood spilling from his lips.
"I told you… not to get cocky," he reminded Fenix, then his eyes flared white
The obsidian spear in his body exploded.
When the smoke from the blast cleared, Vision was standing there, uninjured, with not even a hole in his clothing.
Fenix frowned and narrowed his gaze.
Vision created more clones of himself, five bodies this time, and each one spun like a drill and burrowed underground.
Fenix watched this spectacle with a blank expression, then quietly muttered,
"How boring…"
Though about a second later, he smiled, adding,
"…No. Maybe this could be even more fun... hmm... I don't know."
His hair flared, burning like a living inferno.
"It looks like Vision has gone underground! Who knows where he'll strike from next? What will Fenix do?!" the announcer shouted.
The audience buzzed in anticipation.
Fenix didn't move.
He sat down, cross-legged, eyes closed.
All the while, his hair continued to blaze violently.
One minute passed.
Then five passed.
Then ten.
The crowd began to grow restless.
If they don't finish this fight soon, it'll end in a draw.