Cross Worlds

Chapter 13-1: "Flash Bee" (Side- Reality)

On this fine morning, two whole weeks after my very first training session with Artemis, we are sparring yet again. Our training blades clang against one another and we push each other back. We're both sweating from how much we've been going at it now. At long last, Artemis lowers her arms and smiles. "Alright, that should be enough for today." She flicks her wrists and her blades sheathe themselves.

"Huh? But we usually go quite a bit longer. Are you tired Artemis?" I tilt my head before doing the same as her.

"Not exactly. You're not done for today just yet Riku, so I suggest keeping your gear on." The confused look on my face only worsens as Artemis' smile begins to get more playful. "Konba, you can come over here now." She says without looking away from me. I hear some footsteps from behind me and turn around, watching as a rather muscular man walks up the plateau. He has caramel-like tanned skin, purple hair that's messy and is a little bit longer than the average male's, and bright, neon orange eyes.

"Okay, you've got me, I'm scared now..." I look to Artemis for answers.

"I want you to spar with Konba, Riku. He trains with the same weapon as you, and you've gotten pretty far in these past two weeks. I wanna see how you hold up against someone whose skill is similar to yours. Not to mention, Konba's also a student who's just a little less new than you." Artemis' smile is hard to refuse. Considering that she holds nothing back when we fight, I shouldn't have much to be scared of. However, I don't know this guy nor do I know how he fights. Just looking at him I can tell he's strong, and he's only using one wrist blade.

"If we're going for people who fight using similar styles, shouldn't he use two wrist blades?" I ask, looking back at Artemis.

Nonetheless, Konba himself answers this time. "It doesn't matter if you use one or two wrist blades, whether or not you have the advantage is determined by who has the better style and who fights the smartest. Even if you have two, you could technically choose to just fight with one of your swords, if not your bare fists."

"I guess you have a point there..." I chuckle nervously.

"There's no need to be nervous. Artemis said I'm not allowed to use magic in this fight, but she did ask me to hold nothing back. After all, you're one of her brightest students as she says." Konba chuckles and gives a light-hearted smile.

"K-Konba..." Artemis mutters, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"She really views me as one of her brightest students..? To the point she'll even brag about me..?" My heart sputters in quick succession for a moment.

"Regardless, just from watching you two fight, I can see you're a quick learner and a skilled warrior to be. Trust me, you'll definitely be giving me more than just a hard time." Konba's smile turns more confident as he holds up his left hand and aims his right at me, his wrist blade popping out on his right.

"Alright then...I won't go easy on you either." I take my own stance, my blades sliding back out as well.

"The first one of you two to knock the other off the plateau wins. Don't worry about falling and hitting the ground, there's proper cushioning prepared for you all around us." Artemis explains and the two of us nod in unison, not taking our eyes off of each other. "Ready...fight!"

We both dash at each other and I'm the first to swing. I swing my left blade against his, trying to knock it away so I can strike his chest. Unfortunately, he's rather strong; even keeping his blade at bay is hard enough. I thrust my right blade at his chest, but he reacts instantly. He grabs my wrist with his free hand just before my blade makes contact and falls to the ground, bringing me with him. As we fall, he presses his foot against my stomach and continues to roll, kicking me toward the edge of the plateau.