Adrian stood in front of Julius, his steel gaze capturing the artefact in his hand.
His lightning had abandoned him, defecting over to the artefact in Julius's hand.
Perhaps Adrian was near unrivalled with his lightning magic, being fast enough to speed past even Thurid Odinson, preferring to fight with it than without it.
But in this situation, how did it matter?
Isn't this the same boy who exploded his own hand when striking him this morning?
Adrian had never seen anything like it, and though he was reasonably suspicious, since he understood his own physical capabilities more than some onlookers, he didn't have the time in this moment to speculate further.
He could only act!
Adrian swung his shoulder over, his arm crashing down toward Julius in one brutal swing.
So what if he doesn't have his lightning? He knew his physical capabilities better than anyone! He knew he was far stronger than this loser!
His fist continued, rocketing through the air and striking down like a hammer in one great overhead motion.
Then Adrian finally processed the open palm held out a straw's length away from his face, the cube previously in the hand now clattering to the floor with a metallic sound.
"Fireball." A casual voice came out from a boy, with eyes like twin dark agate meteors.
Adrian's eyes widened with disbelief, his arm helplessly soaring through the air.
Internally he cursed himself to high heavens for being so ignorant.
How could he have forgotten about his opponent's magic?
Because he had gotten careless!
Julius had fought so bizarrely, for a magic student, only fighting physically or using items to trick Adrian.
Adrian himself had gotten so used to it, his hot temper adding to his lack of judgement, that even he completely forgot his opponent had magic just like him!
How could he be so careless!
Furthermore, to think Julius Sparrow could use fire magic!
Adrian only heard small rumours throughout the day, a mix of truths like a distorted sea.
"Psst, did you hear what Fenrir said about Julius in the headmaster's office?"
"He's probably a weakling. I was there in his first class, he didn't show any magic when Mrs Hatch asked him to."
"I heard one kid say he said he was the son of Surtr, but my dad told me Surtr's been sealed away for centuries."
Just in one day alone, even with the students scared to bring up the name Julius around the son of Zeus, he still picked up on so many rumours.
Though now he was cursing himself for not making use of it and learning more!
Adrian grits his teeth as his shoulder flew forward; he expected sparks to burst from Julius's hand at any moment.
A point-blank blast like this was too dangerous; he had to try and block it-
Suddenly, in the instant Adrian hesitated with the intention to pull back, Julius's empty palm slipped aside toward Adrian's crashing arm.
Julius had the body of a mortal.
That was unknown to most.
Though this meant that Julius had no way of winning against the son of Zeus in a test of strength.
With one exception.
Adrian's weight hurtled forward, caught completely off balance in his wild swing.
His shoulder extended forward just as Julius's second hand, still closed around the metal artefact, flew up to support his other hand, holstering Adrian's arm.
He tugged the arm forward, guiding it past him as he spun his back into Adrian's chest, his leg hooking under Adrian's single off-balance step as he continued to thread Adrian's arm over him.
SWEEP!
With Adrian's hurling momentum used against him, with the fireball feint to force him into an awkward position, Julius redirected Adrian over him, sending him flying down the hall.
Adrian's eyes widened as he hurtled forward, sliding down linoleum floors as his overwhelming strength, used against him, granted him enough momentum to zoom down.
Though Julius wasn't finished, artefact in hand, still thrumming with power, he bolted down the hall with thunderous steps, choosing to pursue Adrian Zephyr.
The portal behind Julius still remained open as he gave chase to the boy recovering at the end of the hall.
Julius's expression was calm like mist, sharp like the end of a blade, his eyes like two fossils as he swung the artefact over his head, not noticing the shadow figure slipping out of the portal behind him.
The figure was clad in all-black like a wraith, not even a hint of skin visible, dressed in a massive cloak, black leather shoulder pads and a chest plate that weirdly looked like it didn't belong to the creature.
The shoulder pads carried a faint pattern, like some sort of trim, it seemed to have an original colour before, but somehow distorted into a shadowy black.
Its posture was upright and tall, standing on two clothed legs, with black leather fastened around its fingers.
A pitch black head-sized peg sat on top of its head like a helmet, which looked as if it were made from pure shadow, hiding its appearance.
It had no sense of thought, or if it did, it must've been robbed.
It had no memory either; it had been skulking around a place with endless bookshelves when it felt an ominous presence drawing it.
The feeling was faint, but instinctual, like a mild thirst.
The creature knew nothing else, like a magnet it drew closer to its attraction.
It found the portal and stepped through, though the ominous feeling grew stronger, its existence aching to turn down the hall where he felt the presence intensify the moment it looked at a dark-haired boy.
The feeling was like looking at a sight of liquid crimson, given the movement capabilities of a Chinese dragon, whirling around chaotically as if pulsing with sinister energy.
In that moment, Julius crashed the artefact down, holding it by the vertical metal rod, the plate end with the gears soaring down toward Adrian.
Adrian lay on his back, head tilting up at the sound of quick steps in succession.
His eyes widened at the sight above him, immediately throwing his arms over him to block the incoming impact.
CLAP!
A sound like thunder roared as blue light, taking the form of jagged blue lines, evenly spread out horizontally as they met with Adrian's guard, like paint spilling over a flat surface in uneven lines.
The impact was thunderous, causing blue to vibrate and distort down the rest of the hall in a bright flash, as the floor beneath Adrian gave way from the sheer power unleashing from the device.
The explosion even launched Julius away, sending him hurling back past the corner and down another hall.
The lightning crashed down, separating after meeting together, exploding out and ripping down the rest of the halls.
The light reached the shadow figure, causing its peg to shed a layer of shadow, that split into tiny writhing black tentacles the moment the light graced it, as if silently crying in pain.
In an instant, it zoomed away, slipping into the shadows on the floors in front of the lockers.
The shadows granted the creature the ability to swim through darkness at rapid speeds, disappearing completely as it looked for somewhere dark to hide.
Ever since it stepped through the portal, the number of presences it picked up on had suddenly increased.
When night came, it would roam again, though for now it would hide.
As the explosion finally settled, leaving a groaning Adrian and a rising Julius, the students from inside the cafeteria finally caught up as they reached the end of the hall.
"A-Adrian's on the floor?" Nagiri stammered with disbelief from where she stood in the rest of the crowd.
Her eyes were alight with pink flame, her jaw twitching as if unable to speak her thoughts aloud.
Meanwhile, students all over had gossiped among themselves.
"Whoa, who knew Julius was so strong?"
"No wonder Thurid's friends with him, she must've known from the start."
Soahc had arrived after leaving Tryx and Alecto at the table, now watching through the crowd, her black lips curving into a sinister grin "Well, that was disappointing..." she said as her deep black eyes turned to look for Julius Sparrow.
Then Thurid herself budged through the crowd, a curious eyebrow raised, expecting Julius's badly beaten body, instead finding Adrian on the floor, lying in a slight crater.
Her eyes widened immediately, her finger pointing out as she whipped behind her to look at Gyasi's casual smirk.
"See! I told you he would kick his ass!" She boasted, rolling her eyes indifferently.
Though the biggest reaction came from a boy wearing a brown knit hat with a design like a bear, with black hair falling down his ears.
His expression was painfully bored, and rightfully so after losing a whole lunch time to detention, though at least he wasn't given the "hydra detention."
He stood at the back of the crowd, an eyebrow flicking up with confusion.
"What's all the fuss about...Did someone die?" Fenrir mumbled, a detention-slip made of light still in his hand as he barged through the crowd.
When the view finally opened up to him, Adrian Zephyr rising from the floor with an irritation like a scolded teenager, and Julius Sparrow standing with the same infuriating calm, Fenrir raged in disbelief.
"WHAT THE F-"
end of chapter 21