Siren's Elegy Volume 1: Orphans of Ashen Earth

Chapter 28: Awakening

August 01, 4021 09:04 [Matriarch 04- Makeshift Arena]

Weightless. Cool air passed through Indra's hair, causing it to flutter over his face gently. Did the birds always feel this way? Simply catching a stream of wind underneath their wings and lifting themselves high above the earth, away from the realm of responsibilities? Sunlight danced between the clouds as they rolled along a dark blue sky. The morning air was fresh and crisp, street lanterns down in the city still lit during the early hours of the day. He had shut out the world momentarily, no longer listening to the voices below; their presence was forgotten entirely. Indra wished he could stay up here forever; a boundless sky to explore without shackles to bind him to the mortal plane. Freedom. He felt a pang of remorse. If only.

A blur of auburn slammed into him, sending him reeling to the ground. The tiling shattered underneath his body. The pressure was intense, though the DIVE Suit absorbed most of the impact. Indra was sure he would be leaving with some bruised ribs after this. Better bruised than broken. He rolled out of the way as his attacker slammed into the site of his landing, kicking up more debris.

"Stop running! Get back here and fight, coward!" Kaluza yelled furiously.

Indra grimaced. With his resilience and the DIVE Suit, he could absorb most physical attacks from Homunculi without sustaining any damage. When a Trait was thrown into the mix, however, his defenses could only do so much. He would need to find a way to counter his opponent. I'm sparring again, without any lessons to prepare me. What does this have to do with Shakti? They haven't even taught us how to use it!

They moved at a breakneck pace, neither person letting up on their end. Kaluza released a flurry of jabs and hooks, switching to a series of high kicks which Indra managed to slip through with some effort, ducking and weaving as best as he could. He struck back, returning a volley of punches when the opportunity arose. As the fight progressed, both managed to land a few blows, though none rattled the other too much, keeping focus as they carefully watched their opponent's movements.

The fighters separated, creating some distance between themselves. Kaluza ground his teeth in frustration, his auburn hair flaring up, burning even brighter than before.

"This is taking too long! You're getting on my nerves!"

"Ha! I could say the same thing! Why don't you do us both a favor and forfeit?" Indra taunted.

"Like that's ever gonna happen!"

Kaluza lunged forward, kicking up dust as he accelerated towards Indra. Though the attack was straightforward, the window to react was just a fraction of a second. Indra barely had time to cushion the blow with his open palms, layering them over his sternum. The force of the punch rippled through his muscles, sending a cascade of shock waves across his chest, running down his arms, and reaching all the way back to his upper spine. The impact would have given him whiplash if not for the DIVE Suit's built-in spinal stabilization. Indra crashed into the far wall, the compression against his back wringing the air out of his lungs.

Now familiar with his opponent's aggressive style of fighting, Indra knew there would be no time to recover. Instead, he crumpled to the floor moments before a fist landed where his heart would have been if he were standing upright. Fragments of the wall showered over him as he braced himself. A foot connected with his crossed arms, sending him sliding across the floor. The intervals between Kaluza's attacks were too short. Indra could only react defensively, relying purely on reflex and muscle memory. The chance for a counter-attack became slimmer the longer this bout went on. His defense would eventually give. He needed a way to stop his opponent's movements before that happened.

Indra bit his lip, trying to think of a way to interrupt Kaluza's flow of attacks. It was difficult enough, tracking him at such speeds with only one eye. Now, he would need to pinpoint any discrepancies that appeared as each attack moved seamlessly from one to the other. He analyzed the situation, looking at the fight from an external viewpoint. His opponent seemed to be using momentum to amplify the strength of his attacks. He most likely kept that momentum going by following the path of least resistance, feeding it into his next attack. The seedling of an idea emerged within the depths of Indra's mind.