Twist of Fate

Chapter 29: Strike

A/N: There are so many holes I couldn't fix in thus I almost didn't update...*sigh* Enjoy if you can.

I couldn't react to Issa's words as Tenran came at me far stronger than before, I could barely hold my ground. Hot sparks of fire licked my face and I nearly fell back, but I suddenly froze as I felt static crackle down my spine. My eyes snapped up and I saw a bright rod of white light shoot down.

Lightning.

I broke away from Tenran instantly and leapt back as quickly as I could. Less than a second after I moved, the rod of light hit the ground. Dirt exploded from the ground and a strong smell of burning grass made my eyes burn. The bright light of it blinded me for a second and I squinted until it winked out of existence.

I blinked repeatedly to adjust my eyes to the light as well as make sure I hadn't imagined being nearly struck by lightning. The crater of scorched soil and grass proved it was not my imagination. Three yards away from the crater, Tenran stood, he had jumped away at the same moment I had, but hadn't gotten away quite as unscathed.

His shirt was almost entirely burned away in the front, including his chain link undershirt, yet he was grinning even wider than before. I stared at him in disbelief, he was getting even more excited, but he wasn't looking at me. His eyes, now brown, were aimed at Issa. More static crackled down my spine as I laid my eyes on him.

The air around Issa crackled visibly with electricity. His long dark hair moved around him though there was no wind. As I saw his normally dark eye glowing a light greyish color, I knew he was the one who brought the lightning.

Tenran chuckled lowly, drawing both our gazes. "And the Nightingale makes his appearance."

Another rod of white light struck almost exactly where Tenran stood, but he leapt away before it could touch him. He chuckled again as he landed. I frowned as the electricity crackled around Issa even more. What was the "Nightingale"? And why had it made Issa aim at him again?

"You've kept me waiting far too long," Tenran said, his aura pulsing with excitement. "I thought you would never get to using your EM."

I stared at him in shock. What Issa did was EM? How could that be one of the elements?

"You want to be hit by my lightning?" Issa arched a brow at the fifth ranker. "What are you, a masochist?"

It wasn't funny but Tenran laughed. "Maybe. So..." His eyes glowed molten red and sparks glowed in the air around him. "Are you finally getting serious? Eh? Rank ninth, Issa Kano, aka Nightingale!"

What seemed like hundreds of bolts of electricity rained down on Tenran and the ground erupted around him. I lost side of him in the rain of bright electricity as I shielded myself from flying dirt, but I could hear his almost maniacal laughter echo around us, so he probably wasn't hurt at all by the attack that should've killed him. I couldn't imagine how that was even remotely possible until the rain of lightning stopped.

Tenran stood totally unscathed at the center of ravaged land scorched by Issa's lightning. Only the small area around his feet remained untouched, but not for long, I could tell. Tenrand body was entirely engulfed in flames yet he was clearly not burning at all, not even his uniform. That was how he remained as untouched as the grass beneath him. The flames radiating from his body clashed with the lightning before it reached him and nullified it.

So strong. I felt myself bristle at the show of sheer power. Both of them were so powerful. It was terrifying. Yet I wasn't trembling from fear, even as Tenran was cloaked by flames as my sister had been, but from the desire to join in. The desire was almost strong I nearly disregarded the fact Tenran had just said Issa was the ninth ranker. I wasn't surprised. You had to at least be in the top ten to fight on par with the fifth ranker. And to have a nickname, which I thought only the Select Seven had the privilege of, proved he was much stronger than I had thought.