Series: The Mountain: Book 1: The Awakening

A Display of Power

Liam and Vincent both stared at each other as the Elder gave the confirmation to begin. Crouching slightly as he positioned himself into the unknown combat style Shadow had previously taught him, Liam cocked his sideways in confusion as Vincent, who appeared to be unfazed by his stance, laughed uncontrollably.

"Do you really think you stand a chance against me?" Vincent asked in an amused voice, "Seems our standards really have fallen as the rumors say. Any riffraff can qualify for the trial nowadays!"

Ignoring his snark comments, Liam frantically flipped through the newly acquired abilities in his mind as a problem he hadn't thought of suddenly arose. Unlike his earlier assumptions, the powers he'd gained weren't as weak as he'd thought. 

As he stood scrambling through the various techniques, Vincent, who'd realized he was being ignored called out in anger, "You dare ignore me? You-you lesser piece of pond scum. Let me, the one superior to you in every way, teach you some manners!"

Eyes flashing with hate as he spoke, a baleful red glow emanated off of his fists forcing the air to shimmer as a growing flame flickered into existence. Taking a step back, Vincent raised his hands before punching his fists through the air at his target. The moment he did so, a ball of fire suddenly materialized, hurtling itself towards Liam at breakneck speeds. Battle senses kicking into gear, he sidestepped the heated projectile as it zipped past him. Mind slipping into overdrive, Liam dodged another missile as the crowd cheered wildly for their fellow disciple. Breaking into a controlled run, Liam continuously evaded Vincent's fireballs as he skirted the arena's border, still trying to think of an appropriate technique to counter with. 

"Just what is he doing?" Sylvie complained as she watched from their heightened perch, "He should've won by now!"

"Maybe he wants to take his time," Xavier proposed, his concerned tone betraying his words almost instantly. 

Gripping the handles of her comfortable chair, Helen, who listened in to her attendants' conversation whilst staring at Liam's performance, wore an uneasy expression on her face. She, who'd seen firsthand how powerful her companion really was, wondered what he was trying to accomplish by drawing out the match. 

"There's something we're missing," Helen muttered aloud, grabbing both Xavier's and Sylvie's attention. 

"Well aren't you the perceptive one," a familiar voice whispered from behind. 

Startled by the voice's sudden appearance, all three jumped out of their seats as Isabelle sauntered over to their private seating area. 

"Are the accommodations to your liking?" Isabelle asked with a smile as she greeted them, one eye focusing intently on the match. 

"The arrangements are fine," Helen replied, shifting the conversation to Liam's predicament, "What did you mean by your earlier statement?"

"It's obvious really," she continued as Xavier and Sylvie remained silent, "Liam has refused my offer and in turn has decided that he won't be using his Void Aura during this match."

"Void Aura?" Helen questioned, face slightly contorting in confusion. 

"Hasn't he told you?" Isabelle replied with a broad smile, "That's the name of his power and quite an ominous and boastful name it is. To think there are still some that dare to compare their abilities to that of the void itself." 

"Void Aura," Helen muttered to herself as memories of Liam's abilities popped into her mind, "I'm not too sure the name is that much of a stretch," she whispered, before continuing aloud, "Doesn't that mean he's going to lose?" 

"Personally that's what I think, however," Isabelle went on, fully focusing on the match, "He did act as though he had something else up his sleeves. Any clue what that might be?"