Nightblade (Darkest night)

‎The hall chamber went silent.

‎The tension in the air was quite palpable.

‎Talia watched Emily intently, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

‎ The dark-haired girl remained standing a short distance away, watching Talia intently.

‎"This hurts...quite a bit..."

‎Emily glanced down at her trembling arms, instinctively flexing her fingers to calm them down.

‎"Has she seen through me?

‎Her entire body ached from the blows they'd exchanged so far throughout the fight.

‎Talia was faster and stronger than she'd given her credit for

‎

‎A small smile tugged at Emily's lips. "Regardless, it doesn't matter," she thought.

‎" With this last attack, I will end this fight."

‎Lucian and Morgan watched the two girls stand at an impasse in apprehension. "How do you think this is going to end?" Morgan asked.

‎ Lucian scoffed, shaking his head slightly.

‎"No matter how you slice it, Talia was always going to win this."

‎" What makes you so sure?" Samantha asked, frowning slightly.

‎Despite Lucian's analysis of the fight's outcome, Emily was freakishly strong. And from what she could tell, she'd grown much stronger than she'd been previously. Strong enough to even take in creatures in Tenebris, something that Samantha herself was unable to do.

‎ Hearing Lucian speak so confidently about Talia's abilities really set her off.

‎Lucian smiled, almost patronizingly at her, grating further on her.

‎"It's simple, really, it's just the difference in skill between the two," Lucian said without batting an eye.

‎Amanda frowned slightly at the explanation.

‎"I don't think it's that simple. Not in this case..." she murmured.

‎Cassius glanced at her, smiling wryly.

‎" You should know by now that things don't always turn out as we expect them to," Morgan said with a smile.

‎" I trust in Emily's abilities. After all, I trained her myself. We'll have to find out, then won't we?"

‎Cassius and Amanda watched the two boys go back and forth in silence.

‎Back in the middle of the hall, Talia cautiously inched closer, circling Emily warily.

‎"There's no point in holding back at this point," Emily muttered just loud enough so Talia could hear.

‎"If it's purely a battle of skill, then you'd definitely win."

‎Talia stopped, her eyes widening slightly in surprise.

‎" That's..."

‎Emily already knew she couldn't beat Talia in a one-on-one fist fight. But fortunately enough, there were no rules.

Short of killing or maiming their opponents, there was really no rule that stopped them from using their powers.

‎Emily intended to take full advantage of that loophole.

‎Talia's strong suit was her close combat ability, which she'd already used several times to back Emily into a corner.

‎A small smile threatened to appear on her lips.

‎It was time to turn the tide of the fight.

‎A split second later, Emily's green eyes blazed with light.

‎A chilling breeze swept through the hall, sweeping away the light mist from Emily's earlier attacks.

‎Emily's hair fluttered eerily in the ghostly wind, the ethereal glow in her eyes giving her the appearance of an otherworldly being.

‎Ice slowly spread from her feet, spreading in all directions.

‎Talia grinned, stepping a few places back.

‎" Isn't this cheating?"

‎Emily's breath came slowly, rhythmically fogging up in the cold air in front of her.

‎"There's no rule against using our powers," she said calmly.

‎" After all, what will happen if you ever have to face a Talented with even stronger abilities than these?"

‎Lucian nodded, clapping his hands enthusiastically.

‎" I couldn't have said it better myself. This is the perfect opportunity to test out your capabilities.'

‎ Talia threw him an irritated look, snarling slightly.

‎Morgan chuckled at the sight.

‎" Well, things are finally picking up..."

‎A split second later, Emily soared through the air.

‎The ice beneath her feet formed a sleek, glimmering bridge carrying her forward with astonishing speed.

‎With her eyes glowing with an ethereal light and her hair fluttering in the ghostly, chilling breeze, Emily looked like an otherworldly being.

‎Talia quickly darted away, dancing between Emily's attacks with chilling grace and speed.

‎Talia backflipped over a burst of ice that threatened to freeze her in place, swiftly dashing away in the opposite direction.

‎ Emily followed her without missing a beat, pursuing relentlessly across the hall.

‎Within a few minutes, the great hall was filled with ice, a cold layer of ice first spreading across its walls.

‎" Is she always like this?" Lucian asked, shooting Morgan a bewildered look.

‎Morgan slowly shook his head, staring at the hall with an inscrutable expression.

‎" No, not really. I think she really wants to win this. "

‎Looking at Emily, Cassius was reminded of why elemental-type Talented were frequently sought after.

‎The versatility of their abilities was unmatched, with one of their greatest advantages lying in the immense range of their abilities, and the fact that they could be used both for offense and defense, giving them quite the overwhelming advantage.

‎Elemental types could wield their powers over incredibly long distances, and the more powerful ones could affect matter from miles away.

‎Talia's body suit afforded her a degree of protection against the biting cold, but it couldn't completely nullify the wrath of the ice element.

‎She slowly felt herself becoming slower from the eerie chill.

‎" Something's wrong..."

‎Talia spared a glance back at her pursuer.

‎Emily pursued her across the hall like a vengeful spirit, freezing off any routes of escape.

‎" The ice shouldn't be affecting me this much," Talia thought.

‎Gripping the dark blade strapped to her back, she rolled, slicing through the ice bridge Emily was using to get around.

‎The Talented tumbled to the ground, rolling to her feet with a hiss.

‎Talia grinned victoriously, darting forward.

‎A moment later, she stood in front of Emily with her blade at her throat.

‎" I think I've won this match," she said with a smug smile.

‎" What's she so proud of?" Lucian muttered, shaking his head.

‎" That's the expected outcome."

‎Emily remained crouched on the ground, with her back turned towards the others.

‎ She remained motionless for a few moments with her head downcast.

‎Then, without saying a word, she slowly raised her head, staring directly into Talia's eyes.

‎The smug smile on Talia's face vanished instantly.

‎Her eyes widened slightly, and she suddenly took a step back.

‎Lucian frowned slightly at the sight.

‎"What's going on here?"

‎Suddenly, the chamber felt colder and darker.

‎Everyone noticed the sudden change in the cadence of the fight.

‎" Hey, Morgan, does Emily have another ability?" Amanda asked.

‎" None that I'm aware of," he said with a shrug.

‎" This feeling, it's familiar..."

‎Lucian felt his blood run cold. Looking at the dark-haired, Talented girl, Lucian could tell that something was different about her.

‎Emiky emanated a slight sense of danger, one that he'd felt before.

‎" Does any of you feel that?"

‎Cassius threw him a surprise look.

‎" Feel? Feel what?"

‎Lucian's eyes widened slightly.

‎In the centre hall, a light breeze stirred.

‎The two girls remained motionless, one crouched and the other standing.

‎" Huh, what are they doing?" Cassius asked in confusion.

‎" Hey guys..."

‎Cassius fell silent at Morgan's glare.

‎" What the hell is going on here?"

‎None of the others moved forward to intervene.

‎Emily slowly rose to her feet, staring at Talia with a blank expression on her face.

‎The tips of Emily's hair slowly turned a faint blue, the change subtle yet unmistakable.

‎Everyone watched the phenomenon in a stunned silence.

‎Emily walked forward, slowly, ice blooming on the ground before her.

‎Talia's eyes widened in surprise.

‎She shook her head slightly, then bolted, evading the trail of ice flowing on the ground at her heels.

‎Her heart pounded frantically in her chest, and blood rushed to her head.

‎" What's happening? What's going on here?" she thought frantically.

‎" What is that?"

‎Eventually, the ice caught up to her, creeping up her legs first, then her torso, holding her in place.

‎Emily came to a stop, raising Talia into the air with the ice.

‎" I win," she whispered.

‎Talia shrugged helplessly.

‎" Sure thing. Can you dismiss the ice now... I'm freezing..."

‎Cassius stared at the two girls in shock.

‎The others wore similar expressions of disbelief.

‎" Wow, what just happened? Talia lost?"

‎Lucian stared at the blonde-haired girl with an inscrutable expression on his face.

‎" Weird..."

‎Emily walked nonchalantly back across the temple.

‎With a wave of her hand, the frost and ice began to dissolve, disappearing into thin air.

‎Emily walked back, plopping silently on the ground. Her hair reverted to its black colour, the blue highlights slowly fading.

‎"You won..." Samantha said quietly.

‎Emily grinned, then smiled brightly.

‎"Ye,s Sammie, that I did."

Samantha laughed, hugging her tightly

"You've really changed a lot, Em," Samantha thought, staring at her friend.

" And to think I once had to stand up for you.

Morgan turned to Lucian with an amused smile on his face.

"Well, Lucian, what do you think?"

Lucian shook his head, then pursed his lips, one of his eyes twitching in irritation.

‎A short distance away, Talia shivered slightly, staring off into space.

‎"What was that?"