Where Angels Fear to Tread

That Wicked Grin

Moon

     Even as a child, nervousness was never a feeling I knew very well. The way I see it, there was never a reason for me to be nervous. In any task I've been assigned, any sport I've participated in, or any club I've joined, I have always succeeded.

My introduction to nervousness wasn't until my first year of high school, not very long before meeting Draco. As a first year, due to rigorous kenjutsu training with my mother, I was already more proficient with a sword than almost every student in Sapphire city. Because of that training, I became head of the kendo club in less than one week of being there.

     That simple feat spawned a myriad of nicknames for me, but only one of them stuck: The Prodigy. My name was heard of all throughout the city, bringing me about as much fame as any top prospect in any sport, but whether this was a good thing or not would vary by situation.

     Top students from every club would keep challenging me, every challenge doing nothing but adding another win to my record. Eventually, during the championship round of a tournament, I ran into an opponent extremely different from my previous opponents; she possessed a small and petite frame, yet she was the most ferocious Kendoka I've ever encountered.

     The speed and strength of her strikes with only a wooden sword were unlike any I had seen before, even to this day. Her skill was above average, but her skill alone would never have been a problem for me. It wasn't until after I had already been beaten that I realized why this opponent was able to deliver me my first loss: She cheated.

     Typically, if you had a gift and were in a sport or club, the use of it was outlawed. If you violated this rule, you'd never be allowed to participate in a sport again. This was enforced live during matches through the use of GIA sent agents called Monitors. Monitors were simply gifted agents who had enough strength to subdue any gifted student in a club or sport who might get out of control or break the rules. Although most people followed these rules, if you were sly enough there was a chance that you could get away with using it if your gift was on the less flashy side of things.

     I never knew the specifics of how this girl's gift worked, but I knew that it was impossible for someone of her stature to possess the strength she possessed, causing her to rely on a gift of sorts. The taste of my first defeat stung hard. Feelings of sadness and humiliation welled up inside of me at how easily I had been bested, but as I came to the realization that she cheated, every feeling I had morphed into anger.

     Against my better judgement, I let that rage take control of me. The entire room grew cold as my anger boiled over and ice began to form around me. Members of the audience began to leave, while others were too intrigued by the situation to leave the premises. I lifted my right hand as dozens of spikes made of ice began to surround me, but just before I could propel them forward, a cold metal blade was pressed against my raised wrist.

     "I will not use lethal force," a voice said coldly as I turned to face an older male Monitor. "But you will live the rest of your life missing a limb." As I began to truly understand the gravity of the situation, the room returned to normal, along with the ice spikes returning to moisture in the air, causing the monitor to ease up. Heavy silence and tension filled the room as the entirety of the remaining audience stared at me, some looking in disgust while others shook their head in pity.

What was once silence and tension became loud insults and thrown concessions. The nickname I had earned through countless hours of hard work and victories, was now being used to mock me.

All of their insults became blurred speech to me as I stood still, shame overpowering every other emotion I was feeling.

"It's pitiful actually." A voice said, gaining my attention. I met eyes with the person who had caused my rage in the first place, a smirk beginning to form on her face.