The Water Phoenix

Chapter 16:Showdown

I smiled proudly and rolled my neck.
General Tang seemed proud as well. "Let's continue." I nodded and did as I was told, putting myself back in position.

I will skip all the restless hours of martial arts training. Believe me it would bore you. Sometimes we trained for so long, I didn't feel the pain in my body anymore. Just the numbness. One time, we fought until dawn. Two soldiers had to pull as apart. We were both sleeping on or feet.

We slowly started to become closer as well. This little details I'll share with you.

At one time, we took a break, and we were just munching on some fried bananas when General Tang gulped down his piece and looked at me.

"Why were you in the army?" He asked quietly.

I almost choked on my banana piece. I managed to swallow it down. "I had to. My brother," I gulped back weak tears. "That is here at the moment, made us poor. We needed money." General Tang nodded.

My eyes widened. I turned around to him and bowed down. The dust seeped down my throat, but I didn't flinch. "General Tang, I beg of you, could you please try and find out the reasons for my brother being here?" I asked. I looked up. My eyes pits of sadness. Tears collected in my eyelids became of the sand.

The General's eyes softened. "I will do as you ask Lady Keiko." He said, smiling.

I coughed the sand out and dried my tears.

Then, I got up and beamed. My smile illuminated all the surrounding area. A solider who was passing behind me, his hands stacked with boxes, stared at me. His feet tripped over each other. He fell on the floor.

Me and General Tang turned around, as well as almost all the trainees. All the actions were stopped to go and help the poor man.
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After two whole months of training until dawn, alone and with my general, I had finally mastered
the Martial Arts.

One day, after a match, both of us panting and bruised, General Tang got up. He massaged his jaw from my last blow and smirked. "It seems you are ready. We will fight tomorrow at dawn. If you defeat me, we will pass on to weapons."

I nodded. My eyes ablaze with flickering fire. My mouth moulded into a grin. 

The showdown had come. It was dawn. The decided day. Most of the camp was still asleep. The sky was a deep russet. It reminded me of the blood of my old companions.

I was waiting in the ring. The cold wind blew on my face. It bit at my nose and rearranged the sand around me feet. It moved in swirls.

General Tang said he'd meet me here. I came at 3 A.M.. While the appointment was at 4 A.M..

My eyelids closed to stop the burning that lingered behind them.

I didn't sleep that night. I trained. Until I couldn't manage anymore. I then dropped, fully clothed on my futon, and slept for 30 minutes before I wriggled out.

I was left alone with the sound of He dawn breaking in the night sky, and pushing away the cloak of the night.

At a certain point I thought I heard some movement. My eyes snapped open. No one.

I closed them again. This time, I was sure a presence was lingering next to me.

My eyes scanned the area. The darkness was working to my disadvantage, while it hid my enemy.

I felt paranoid. Every sound made me jump. "Just an animal." I muttered.

As I started to put myself back in position, I felt someone press a dagger at my throat. I tried screaming, but the dagger was pushed slightly deeper.

A rivulet of blood slowly slithered down my neck.

"I didn't want to this Sis. But, they brainwashed you." A voice said.

My eyes widened. My blood froze. The only sound audible in the whole first, who seemed to have quieted down, was the drop of my blood hitting the floor.

"Brother?" I stammered, in the dark.