God of War: The Descendant

15th Chapter: I páli Énarxi

Adia sat by the tree with closed eyes, hands behind her head, listening contently to the humming birds. When she heard the sound of footsteps draw near, she sighed in exasperation. She shouldn't have allowed her temper to control her. The fight will be meaningless, one-sided. She knew that the foolish boy was only trying to coax her into agreement. Sadly, she concurred.

As the footsteps came nearer, she sensed somehow that this wasn't the one who had insulted her. The steps were light, too light for a man. Though light, they were firm. She inferred that it came from the young girl she challenged first. Opening one eye, she peered up at her contender.

"What happened? Did he back out?" Adia closed her one open eye, and rested her hands on her chest. She was right, it was the redhead.

There was silence for a moment until the redhead finally decided to speak. "You said you wanted me, so I'm here in place of Natsu."

Adia sighed. "You didn't answer my question."

"No, he didn't."

"Where is he then?" Adia opened her eyes when she sensed more people move toward her. She looked past Erza and sure enough she saw the whole guild walk out the front door.

"I knocked him out."

"And why did you do that?" A barely noticeable smirk played at the corners of Adia's mouth as she looked the redhead straight in the eye. Based on her word choice, she could tell she was anxious. Her tone of voice was also a giveaway. It was dense at the same time feeble.

"I have a proposition for you," Erza said, a bright light emitted from her right hand, and as it died down, a sword was suddenly in her grasp, "If I defeat you, you will no longer fight Natsu. You will call off the challenge."

Adia looked at the blade pointed at her with superiority, then back at Erza with amusement. "And if I win?"

The redhead looked sharply at her and made a 'hmph' sound. "I can assure you, you won't."

***

There were a lot of people surrounding the two of them, all of whom were members of the guild. The faces were already familiar to Adia. She tried spotting a mop of pink hair amid the crowd but found none. Guess the redhead really wanted to protect the boy.

"You won't find him."

Turning her attention back to her opponent, Adia locked eyes with Erza. Her blank stare made the redhead look elsewhere and she lightly smiled. "You're overprotective."

Erza's eyes widened. "Of course I'm protective of him. He's part of my family."

"You've got to learn to trust your family's capabilities and capacities. How are they going to grow if you keep covering up for them?"

This time, the redhead made direct eye contact. "What do you know about family?"

Adia raised an eyebrow. "I could ask you the same question."

White light, which appeared perceptibly brighter than the first one, engulfed Erza's body and it soon revealed her in an armor. The armor was composed of feather-shaped plates and every part seemed to be made of silver metal. It sported two pairs of large metal wings and a tiara made of the same material.

"Enough chitchat, let's fight." Erza's voice was commanding and some flinched at her tone. Adia just blinked at her.

"I don't have any weapons... This is a bit unfair, don't you think?"

"Use your magic."

Adia narrowed her eyes as she smirked. "As if I need to with a weakling like you." She turned her head and looked at Makarov. "Did the council return my sword?"