Daughter of the Naga | Lesbian Story|

Chapter 41

Everyone turned to me. I caught a glimpse of Amarisa from the pavilion. She looked at her parents before turning her shock-filled eyes to me.

Her brow creased with worries. I wished I could reassure her that I would be fine, even it was out of falsehood.

Then there was Kesar. An anxious look on her face just clenched my heart. Her hands clutched her golden flute tightly, I could see the whiteness of her knuckles.

The avatars from my team were speechless. Samudra handed me a sword. No words passed between us, except gestures of encouragement. Tepi and the rest of the girls patted my shoulders before I went forward.

The silence almost deafened my ears as my feet stepped into the field. Ravi's piercing eyes looked straight in my direction.

"I wish you no harm in this fight," she said more out of pity rather than making a sarcastic remark. The girl already knew I wasn't her equal. "But as a warrior, one must fulfill one's own duty. If you're wise, you must yield and I shall set you free."

She had shown her mercy to me. It would be easy. I would leave in one piece if I submitted to her.

"No, I won't surrender without a fight," I said and unsheathed my sword. For a moment, I could see a flash of respect in my opponent's eyes.

The Wind God's daughter nodded back. She took a step forward. The air around us started to twirl and whizz, picking up speed. The wind whirled and raged, making my heart drum inside my chest. Having witnessed her power before, I had no doubt that this girl could kill me with just her breathing alone. The trees swayed, causing the leaves to scuffle. Yet Ravi did not open her attack. I couldn't stand the tension anymore. I lifted my sword and lashed out at her. Ravi flicked her wrist, and a gust of wind knocked the breath out of my lungs. I landed on my back, skidding across the ground.

"Nikita, stay calm!" Tepi yelled out her warning. "You must fight with your wits instead."

I got up and sprinted towards the girl again. Ravi opened her palms. A pair of ghostly miniature whirlwinds magically formed over her hands. She held the end of the whirlwind like a tail of a serpent and hurled it at me.

I rolled out of the way, dodging it. Another blast of wind slammed into me. I fell to the ground with a thud that almost shattered my bones. Ravi kicked the air, sending an air blast into my stomach. I was sent flying into a displaying rack of shields and spears. A constellation of dancing stars burst into my vision. My sword got tossed into the air and impaled the earth as it landed a few feet away from me. The girl spun herself around. A wrath of wind rushed at me. My eyes widened. The raging storm spun like blades. I dove out of its path just in time. The force of the gale smashed the wooden carriages into tiny fragments.

Ravi watched me struggle to my feet again. Her expressionless face remained unchanged.

"You should yield before it's too late," she said.

"No!" I said, gritting my teeth.

Ravi spread her arms out to summon the wind again. Furious storms streamed into the arena and wagged with uncontrollable force. The air-pressure pressed into my chest. I had trouble breathing. My ears were ringing. Then I gasped at a sudden pain on my body.

It felt as if I was being pulled apart by invisible hands.

I screamed.

Painstakingly, my hands grabbed hold of a bronze shield and threw it at Ravi with all my might. Yet instead of ramming into her, the shield spun away from her and rotated back at me. The hard shield knocked my body to the ground. This time, I had a feeling that I wouldn't be able to get up again.

"No! Please, ask them to stop the fight!" a familiar voice came from the Pavilion. It was too faint to my ringing ears, I didn't know who was speaking.

Ravi sent another force of air element. It uprooted the grass and soils. The airstream scooped my body off the ground. Then the winds felt like blades, piercing my skin with a flare of sharp pain. The mad current became as thin as splinters of metal slits. Tears sprung from my eyes as I screamed. Blood started oozing out from my cheeks, my arms and legs.

"It's wise to yield now!" Ravi cried against the winds. "You're hurting yourself with your stubbornness!"

"No!"

Gritting my teeth, I managed to tear my way out of her stormy grip. Then I fell to the ground again, yet I remained standing. Ravi stepped back with a shocked look on her face. She kept staring at me.

"Are you truly the Destined One?"

"I am whatever the gods made me," I croaked back.

Then everything came to a halt. The winds died away. The trees stood still. I could see the blades of the grass floating in front of me as if time had frozen. It lasted for a brief moment before it fell to the ground.

"Stop!" the Guru's voice boomed from the pavilion. "The duel is over!"

My legs gave way from under me, and I collapsed to the ground in a heap. My mind was flitting in and out of consciousness, but I could hear a soft voice calling my name over and over. A pair of gentle hands pulled me up. Although I was sure my eyes were wide open, it seemed as if a black veil had covered my face.

"Amarisa?" I whispered.

"My lady, it's me," Kesar's voice became clearer. When my vision returned, Kesar's tearful eyes stared down at me. She rested my head on her lap and tried to wipe away the blood and dirt off my face.

"Kesar," I gasped. "Did I lose the fight? Did I?"

"Oh, my lady," she said and started sobbing.

I could hear more people rushing towards us, but the darkness overcame me at last.