𝐌𝐘 𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐈 || 𝐃𝐎𝐔𝐗𝐈𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐍

𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐇 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 | 𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐕

WE JUMPED THROUGH the shadow portal, much to everyone's surprise. They all instinctively stepped back, and that gave Claire a wide berth. I held on to her upper left arm, so I could help her when she collapsed. Her arms immediately thrust out and I could quite almost feel the concentration and willpower radiating off of her. My chest swelled with a sudden pride for her.

I could see the Ice Titan on the other side of the large area. In my own mind, I willed Claire to be strong enough. She did not disappoint. Violet irises clouded over her normal warm brown eyes. A shadow portal- that looked like a not-so-small galactic storm- materialized in the air, growing larger by the second.

I could feel her power waver then push on.

"You can do it, Claire," I murmured.

She couldn't answer of course. And I didn't expect her to. Finally, Nari's titan dropped down from the yawning portal with an enormous thud. I was surprised it didn't leave a crater from where it touched Mother Earth.

Claire's eyes rolled up to her head and her legs unsurprisingly gave away. I slowly eased her down while Jim fussed over her. Usually, I would only have eyes for an injured friend, but I had to look up to watch the two titans clash. And, di immortales, it was apalling to watch.

Nari's Titan started in a slow gallop, while Skrael's began to run. Already, my eyes were alert, analyzing and absorbing everything. Every detail.

Nari was faster, due to the four legs of her titan, but it would make it harder for her to dodge. Skrael's titan was more humanoid and could grapple with her easier with those two arms. However, I knew they both weren't really relying on tactics or wit for the fight. They were both relying on brute strength and their own elemental power. That much was pretty clear when the rammed into each other, limbs outstretched.

A shockwave from the impact resonated throughout the entire clearing. The ground shook with thrice the force from one of my earthquakes. Even I had to fight to keep my balance.

I heard Douxie suck in a breath, every bit on the edge as I was. His hands were curled into tight fists, knuckles alarmingly white. Without thinking or looking, I reached out and gently uncurled his left hand. My right entwined with his left. I felt Douxie's gaze and I was determined not to look his way. Soon, his eyes trailed back to the fight.

The Titans were both holding each other at arm's length, trying to push one and other over. But their strength was the same, putting each other at equilibrium. That gave them room for a conversation, and Skrael began it in a low snarl. "Nari, what are you doing? How did you slip from our control?"

Her snarl matched his. "My friends set me free" -one of her front legs lifted high in the air, posed to strike- "so I can stop you."

Skrael saw how Nari was going to break the impasse too late. Her blow knocked him back... and toward an Arcadia High school bus. What the hell were Arcadia High students doing here? A field trip probably. Obviously, this was probably going to be the worst field trip ever recorded in Arcadia High School.