Shattered Remnants of a Dream

68. Premonitions of Destruction

"Say hello to contestant #1673, the lithe and limber Sabine Cune! Sabine exhibited amazing finesse and grace in the second preliminary round, where she took a flying leap across the entire elevator shaft!"

Sabine was stone-faced as she and Amyr walked up to the platform. Next to the burly warrior, the woman looked even more petite than usual.

"Right beside her, we have contestant #1672, Amyr Jaq! He also showed his physical prowess in the second round by scaling the whole wall! Bet he burned some carbs on that one!"

Amyr stepped up onto the platform with troubled eyes. "Sabine. This–"

"Alriiiight, you two!" Trunculo cut in yet again. "Let's see some bloodshed! Goooo!"

Sabine let out a sigh as she turned to face Amyr. "I guess the upside is that one of us will get to relax for the rest of the day."

"Not someone," Amyr spoke quietly. "You."

Sabine's eyes snapped up. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Let's not drag this out any more than we need to, Sabine," Amyr said. "With Cliff out of commission, and now this, there will only be two of us left to handle the three remaining Dark Zodiacs in the semi-finals. We can't mess around."

Sabine arched her eyebrows defensively, "So you think I can't handle them?"

"It's not that, it's just–"

"Yes it is!" Sabine shouted. "Amyr, if anyone should sit out, it's you! You nearly killed yourself in the preliminaries! You think it's the chivalrous thing to do, just because I'm the woman?"

"I'm healed now," Amyr said. "Come on, Sabine, Don't get defensive. You know it's not about that."

"I know it's not," Sabine sighed. "It's because it's me."

"Sabine–" Amyr moved forward, trying to comfort her.

"Heeey!" someone shouted from the crowd. "What is this, a soap opera? Let's see some heads roll!"

"Oh my!" Trunculo piped up as the shouts and screams from the audience increased. "It looks like the audience is getting restless! If we don't see some action soon..."

"I'm mad now." Sabine was seething as she unsheathed her rapier from her side. "Let's go, Amyr. We'll find out which one of us will really be more useful in the semi-finals, right here and now!"

Amyr stared at the seriousness in the woman's eyes as she approached him with her weapon outstretched. "Sabine, there's no need for this."

"Sure there is. This is the only way I'll be able to move on to the next round, right?" Sabine pierced Amyr's defenses with her desperate brown eyes. "I'm only doing this because you're giving me no choice. En guarde, Amyr!"

"I'm not letting this happen, Sabine," Amyr muttered in his deep, gravelly voice. "You mean too much to me."

The vice-captain of the 1st division closed his eyes, concentrated for a moment, and instantaneously produced two extra

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arms from just below her armpits.

"Seal #2...Svadisthana...I release you!"

Feeling the rush from her second chakra seal, Ravi Katjagaarda sped forward through the air and hooked her four arms around Cecilia's legs. A painful grunt escaped the Sheep's throat as Ravi spun her body and sent it sailing toward the streets below.

Before she collided with anything, Cecilia displaced gravity once more and caught herself in mid-air. Her mothball psynergy aura still felt as powerful as it had always been.