The Phoenix's Prophecy

*Chapter Twelve*

*Chapter Twelve*

I could feel his gaze boring into the back of my head. I continued to ignore it and concentrated on dodging and jumping from the demons' attacks around me. I mercilessly decapitated a demon that just tried to sneak up on me from my back. I ducked and stabbed another one right in its heart, instantly turning into a pile of ash.

“Enough,” I heard his monotonous voice, and the faceless demons all around me stopped their attacks.

The demons around me parted away to let Ray to enter and closed the circle so that they were surrounding me and Ray.

I narrowed my eyes at him. I was already trying to ignore him ever since I knew he was watching me at the start of this so-called 'test' by 'Master'. Was he thinking of fighting against me?

“Attack me,” he said in an even tone.

I was only too glad to do so.

I lowered my sword and placed my left hand behind my right on the hilt. I charged at him. He didn't have a weapon, yet I knew how lethal his hands can be from the crystal clear image of his hand passing through Roland's skull.

I swung my sword in a smooth arc to where his neck was. My eyes widened slightly when he didn't dodge; however, at the last possible moment, he leaned back so that my sword passed harmlessly before him. I quickly jumped away just as he was about to swipe my leg from under me.

I held my sword in front of me and carefully watched him. His face was like a statue; his expression never changed ever since I found out that he betrayed me - or more exact he was never on my side.

A new determination set in my eyes, and I lunged at him. I aimed my sword right at his stomach. He easily side-stepped and used the side of his hand to hit my back. My eyes widened at the pain that shot through me, and I fell to my knees, blood dripped down the corner of my mouth.

I tried to get up, but my legs won't let me. I turned around just in time to see Ray pull his hand back. I had a horrible feeling that the hand in front of me was going to pierce me in a second. Ray's hand shot towards me. I barely had the time to prepare myself for death before a figure jumped in between me and Ray. The tips of his hand centimeters away from Aria.

“That's it, Ray,” I heard Aria's voice. “You'll kill her if you continue to fight her.”

I saw Ray lower his hand and walked away from me, not saying a single word.

“A-Aria?”

“Hey, you okay?”

“What do you think you were doing?! You could have gotten yourself killed!” I yelled.

I curled my hands into a fist. How was I going to avenge my parents if I couldn't even scratch a mere prawn under 'Master'? The copper-haired girl gave me a smile, and I stared at her. How could she smile when she was this close to getting herself killed because of a stranger who she had not only met just the day before also who had made it clear that she wouldn't trust her right to her face? This girl...

“Ray wouldn't kill you.”

“What are you talking about?” I looked away. She has no idea how much it hurts to think that he would kill me. Damn it. I told myself not to care. I have nothing to live for other than saving Zach and Rhia from here.

“Ray was here to test you not to kill you.”

“You were this close to being dead, you know?”

At my words, she suddenly looked down, an unreadable emotion crossed her face. It was gone as soon as it came.

“Healers,” she called.