Enter The Ninjaverse

CHAPTER 97

"Again!" Skales snapped at Ophiod.

Without hesitating, Ophiod snapped his arms back and flung his body into Spinjitzu, arcing across the windswept grasses until he was near Skales. Skales focused, holding his hands together and remaining completely still as he did. He held still until Ophiod's tornado crashed into him with a sizzling crackle of speed, engulfing him in its blazes.

The moment Skales felt the centripetal force claw at his arms, he turned and grabbed golf of Ophiod inside. The two held each other as they spun, Ophiod's tail curling around him protectively. Skales opened his red swirling eyes to look into Ophiod's glassy slits. At once, he focused his mind on Ophiod, launching into his own Spinjitzu. Around the two, the Dyad tornado they formed grew in power and size, combining and refining the other, the copper and blue slowly twisting together into a glorious orange and gold.

Ophiod twitched. Suddenly, Skales felt a massive force crash hard into him, threatening to rip him right away from and out of Ophiod's grasp. Before it could pull onto him, Skales pulled his Spinjitzu out of the tornado, causing it to rapidly destabilize. A moment later, Skales threw himself out of the thing hard, cursing his body to hit the ground and roll away from the crackling and sparking tornado flickering in and out around Ophiod.

A few seconds later, Ophiod snapped his tail into the ground, canceling the motions of Spinjitzu and causing the tornado to flicker faster. With a massive burst of wind, the tornado halted around him. Ophiod gripped the ground with one hand as he panted, waiting for his senses to catch up to him as his own heart pounded with the fear of what had just happened.

"...You're holding back on me, again," Skales panted out himself, "You're still making our Dyad unstable, Ophiod!"

"I am doing all I can..." Ophiod shook his head, "I am doing what I must!"

"If that were true, we'd have completed the Dyad!" Skales hissed at him, "Why will you not trust me with your power? We have not had this issue in ages!"

Ophiod didn't say anything. Instead, he pushed himself up onto his tail, slowly moving over and slithering his body towards Skales. He offered the Hypnobrai his hand. Skales considered batting it away, but he could see the look it would give Ophiod in turn. He took the hand after a moment instead, just sighing as he dusted himself off and looked up at the Viper.

"I'm trying my hardest, Skales," Ophiod muttered, "But... but I am not sure why that-"

"You know exactly why this is, Ophiod," Skales frowned, "I won't have you lying to me. Lying doesn't suit you," He sighed, "You aren't very good at it."

Ophiod went silent, feeling something burning in his mind but being unwilling to ignite his lips. Seeing this, Skales walked over into the grasses and picked up his golden blade. The weapon shone in his hand as he gently slid it into the strap on his back.

"You won't talk to me," Skales shook his head, "Yet you attempted to use a Dyad with me. I'd assumed you hadn't been thrown into the dirt enough to forget why that is incredibly dangerous."

Ophiod remained silent, his hands curling into fists as he tried to figure out his response. Skales walked over towards a small patch of dirt to sit on, leaning forward pensively as he did. He looked up towards Ophiod again, fixing him with that same heavy stare. The wind blew around him, causing the grass to flatten between them, leaving nowhere for him to hide.

"I love you, Ophiod," Skales began, "That fact hasn't changed, and it won't change," He reached out to gently fiddle with his marriage band on his arm, "There is no doubt in my mind about that. And if you were to say that you were no longer fascinated by me, I'd wonder if you'd been replaced," Skales sighed, "And I know you far too well to not notice that."