The Oracle

Chapter 14: Blood Ties

AKARI

"Sander, your left!" Kit shouts as she fights against Shae, and Sander nods before he whirls to the left and swings his naginata upwards only to connect with three arrows that Darius shot towards him.

On the opposing side, Evory has been keeping up defensive aura shields and has been healing the others while Shae has been focusing on defense and Darius has been doing long-ranged offense and defense while Clea, well...

"Come on, is that the best you've got?" Clea shouts with a grin as she races around me and seems to almost run in a pathway of silver energy at inhuman speeds, a curvy silver dagger in each of her hands.

Clea and I have both been focused on offense while Sander has been switching between defending Isabella and offense and Kit has been offense as well. Isabella has been casting spells and protective charms and traps the entire match, similarly to Evory in a way. She's also cast protective auras and healing spells as well. Clea has been mainly focused on targeting me and I don't know what I did to become targeted by her but all of her running around has been draining my patience.

"Fine, you asked for it," I grumble and swing my scythe around before I take off in a run towards empty air where I expect Clea to run.

I lunge towards the air and raise my scythe behind my head in a similar position to a baseball bat before I swing through the air just as Clea appears and she gasps as she backflips and my scythe collides with the ground instead, sending up a cloud of dust and dirt. I immediately continue swinging at her and she jumps back and forth as she makes her way backwards, using her blades to fend against my scythe whenever it gets too close for her comfort.

"That's more like it," Clea laughs happily.

"Are you trying to get killed?" I snap.

"Come on, what's with that attitude?" Clea frowns. "I just wanted a fair fight."

"Fair?" I scoff. "Who do--"

"Go, Akari!"

"Huh?" I glance over towards the audience to see Sora and Merrick cheering for my team, Sora grinning and cheering while leaning over the edge of the railing and Merrick smirking with his hands in his pockets.

In the split second that I look away from Clea, she runs by me in a streak of silver and gold energy and my eyes widen as I watch in what feels like slow motion as she throws up her daggers several feet in the air only to body slam me to the side with a burst of golden energy before she back flips into the air and catches her daggers as a pair of golden and black wings form on her back. The crowd hushes as my feet slide along the dirt and I ground myself while watching the spectacle before me and Sander's breath hitches as him and Darius both lower their weapons to look at Clea, Kit's eyes widen, Shae pauses in his place, and Evory and Isabella watch in surprise.

"She's..." Sander trails off, eyes wide.

"The Oracle," Evory breathes out.

Panic fills me and I immediately look towards Sora, knowing what will happen if Clea summons her true weapons. Merrick frowns deeply as he places a hand on Sora's back and says something quietly to him before he ushers him through the crowd, Sora looking confused through the entire process. Clea puts her daggers back at her sides before she holds out her right hand and begins to summon the true weapon of the Oracle, sending dread through my spine.

"No!" I shout and begin to race towards Clea as if that would help.

"Enough!" Gambit shouts and leaps from her spot on the balcony and lands in the center of the arena, dust flying up from the impact and dark purple energy radiating off of Gambit from her anger. "This game is over. Everyone, go back to your classes! Now!"