Dragons Fear

Lightning that strikes twice

Xue

The Kusanagi. A blade hailing from Raijin, or as the ancients called it, Japan. A sword that allowed Xue's brother to wield awesome power. And a sword that he couldn't use for more than a few seconds until now. Weapons used by royals operated under different rules than the mark that gave her the title of supreme Empress. They chose the royal that acted closest to its original owner. For them, it had been Susano. Their father, who hailed from Raijin had been the owner up until the attacks, but even then Jianyu had been able to summon the blade for around 30 seconds, which in tandem with his personality gave him his iconic nickname. Due to the sword being a royal mark, Not only did it make his lightning powers stronger, It gave Jianyu a second affinity besides lightning. Just as Xue's dragon head mark gave her an affinity to water magic, Jianyu gained an affinity to wind magic, which was why both of them mastered those respective elements years before they gained the markings. There had been controversy when Xue had revealed she was practicing water magic at the age of 9, as many thought the mark of the emperor would have gone to her brother, or that she should not be practicing offensive magic due to her gender. But for as long as their empire had been around, the mark had been chosen based on age, not by any other factors, and the empress of an entire continent needed to be able to handle herself in a fight. Though the mark of the dragon was on her arm, Xue had always worried if it really would choose her or not. Either way, the blade in the ground hammered in the fact that her parents were dead. You'd think that the mark would be enough, but the tears that sprang to her eyes suggested differently. Xue whipped her tears and as she watched, Jianyu pulled his birthright from the ground, wind spiraling all around him. The medjay standing with a khopesh pointing at her brother started to waver, But ultimately, he charged. As the man rushed into the spiraling wind, his feet took on the red glow of strength enhancement magic, His feet crashed into the ground, stabilizing him and stopping him from being blown away as he swung, his entire body glowing again. His swing hit nothing. All of a sudden Jianyu was in the air, Spinning over the man. Xue's brother landed squarely behind the medjay, as the man spun around, swinging his sword with him, only to have his blade blocked easily by Xue's brother. The medjay smiled as Xue realized what was about to happen. The man had struck the inside of the curved end, and as he yanked back, Jianyu's sword went flying. "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU UNDERESTIMATE THE medjay." He yelled, swinging his blade straight for Jianyu. Xue threw out her right hand, the other hand clutching her tome. A barrier was a tricky thing. Psychical protection barriers had their roots embedded in earth magic, which just so happened to be what the people of Leigong struggled with the most. Normally Xue's magic was strong enough to overcome this challenge, but what if it failed like last time? Images of blood filled Xue's vision. What if her brother died? Time froze around Xue. She knew that she had to make the barrier, she just didn't know if she could. Even without that empty feeling that had grabbed Xue once before, Earth magic required confidence to work. You had to believe that your magic would be strong enough, or it wouldn't be. Xue had no belief that her magic would work. She felt like it would break. She felt like she would fail. Xue extended her palm. She had to protect her brother. A barrier instantly formed around him, but as the sword struck the barrier, it instantly shattered. Xue had failed. Jianyu was gonna die. As Xue felt despair gripping her, Jianyu stumbled back, falling on his butt, as the tip of the medjay's sword just barely missed him. Xue's barrier had given the boy the split second that he needed to dodge it. The man tried to swing again, but this time, Xue called on her water magic with a renewed sense of confidence, creating a wave to knock the medjay over. Both Jianyu and the medjay got up at the same time, but the only difference was, Jianyu was weaponless. Sure he could summon the Kusanagi again, but it would take time. The medjay took full advantage of this, slashing in short, powerful intervals as Jianyu frantically ducked, jumped, sidestepped, and dodged, all the while the medjay screamed at Xue, yelling at her to show herself or her brother would die. Jianyu tried to dodge towards his fallen weapon, but the man tactically switched between blasting fire and swinging, creating an even bigger distance from her brother and the Kusanagi. Xue jumped into the square, rushing towards the man. Taking a deep breath, she pressed her palms together, and lightning extended from her hands around her, condensing and taking the form of a spinning group of weapons. Golden Swords, axes, bows, and spears surrounded her, from multiple different cultures and kingdoms. She grabbed a double-edge broadsword, throwing it to her brother while picking a Dao for herself. As the weapons around her disappeared, she filled her blade with electricity. She'd seen the medjay fight. He took the high stance 90% of the time, preferring to strike over his head and let gravity do the work, maximizing his damage. But he was too strong. He tended to overswing with his slashes, leaving a small window for attack. All Xue had to do was bait a swing, and it was over. Her brother charged his sword with electricity, swinging wildly and making the man dodge towards Xue. Sure, her brother didn't know what Xue was thinking, but he knew that she always had a plan. Xue took advantage of the man's training, purposefully making a sloppy wide swing at him as he turned around to see her. He ducked and rolled so that he was facing both of them. Xue tapped Jianyu with her elbow, and he knew what to do. The boy moved to the side, spreading out so both of them were at the man's sides, almost forcing him to take the opportunity so clearly presented to him. He swung in a wide arc, trying to get them both at the same time, starting with Xue. But Xue ducked under the blade as it came swinging past her to strike Jianyu, and advanced. In less than a second, her blade was pressed against the medjay's neck, and Jianyu flicked The man's sword out of his hand. "Revenge," he said plainly, a smile creeping up his face as he picked up the fallen khopesh. "Now." Xue said, running electricity through her blade, instantly knocking the medjay out. "What was that about the food?" she turned to Riku, who stood with the crowd, dumbfounded.