Twist of Fate

Chapter 34: Block C

A/N: This is not one those inane chapters yet. That's not for till 38 I believe. This is actually quite short in comparison. (So terribly short.) Anyway...you know how I once mentioned this book is to help me with fighting scenes and his I'm an amateur? Yeah, this is one of those amateurish chapters. It may be hard to visualize but...enjoy! Thank you for reading.

Block B's match concluded similarly to Block A. The battle was between two stunning fighters possessing the ranks of 171st and 238th. They were surprisingly evenly matched despite the hundred difference, but rank didn't mean everything, I supposed, when there was an upset as the lower ranked man defeated his opponent after being cornered momentarily. He used some strange advanced technique that was likely taught by one of the few Masters in the Academy, so it wasn't surprising he conquered the Masterless student.

Or so Deth informed me in his usual 'holier-than-thou' voice. Though I noticed it was a bit more subdued than it was earlier. I looked at him from the corner of my eye curiously. To my surprise, his face was set in an almost grim mask of determination. As he pressed his lips into a line, his fingers clenched the nbiceps of his crossed arms. My brows furrowed in disbelief. I'd never seen him so...taut before. He almost seemed...nervous.

"Who's your opponent?" I asked, watching him closely.

There was no physical reaction, but the slight waver in his cover over his aura reassured my observation. He was anxious. Not surprising, he was in Block C.

Deth didn't respond immediately, merely staring at his soon-to-be battlefield as teachers came out to fix what disturbances in the land caused by the previous match, which were more extensive than the first so the break before the next was longer. I almost thought he hadn't heard my question, so caught up in his staring, but the small denting in his brow assured me otherwise.

"Over there."

"Hm?" I followed the quick flick of his hazel eyes and blinked. Then blinked again in surprise. "That boy is your oppon-"

"No. He is my father," Deth interrupted tersely. "Of course he is my opponent. Why else would I point him out?"

With great restraint, I ignored the sardonic remark, making sure to remember the moment to use against the boy when her turn came and he decided to mock her for her anxiety, and examined his future opponent. He wasn't quite what I expected, not that I had known what to expect of someone who made Deth nervous. But still, Deth's opponent, to be honest, like me. Not appearance-wise, he was blond and had teal eyes after all, but in physique and style. He was petite and had a lithe figure that allowed great mobility like myself. From where he stood leaning against the doorway that opened to the stairway down to the arena, he was about my height, maybe an inch or two taller. He had discarded his uniform jacket, showing his lightly muscled body that revealed an apparent leaning of speed specialization over strength. At the small of his back were two long, curving daggers, crossed for smoother drawing; another sign of speed specialty. The boy also happened to possess a deceptively adorable face that had yet to shed all its baby fat. It gave him an appearance that would have deceived even me into thinking he'd be a quick defeat were it not for the fact I could tell he was more similar to me than in physique. And I was quite sure I was right since I could feel the pressure of his aura. It was hidden like Deth's, but unlike Deth, it was beneath a pretense of weakness and childish looks; he was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Interesting.

"He feels..." I murmured lowly, tilting my head in consideration as I tried to get a sense of his aura. "Like a double-digit." The slight twitching of his fingers alerted me to Deth's agreeance. "Do you think you can win?"

I almost did a double take as something akin to fire blazed in Deth's normally flat hazel eyes. "Of course," he said, practically hissed, snapping his gaze to me. "If I were to believe I had no chance of winning, I would have already lost. There is little point in going into battle with the belief of inevitable defeat. That is disgusting and as cowardly as going out to battle with the intention of not surviving."