Elements of Earth: The Element Trials

Synchronous 11; The Brutal Trial: Part 4 - The End of the End

Kira continued her slow walk to Zirc in silence. She'd already taunted him but couldn't intimidate him or think of anything else to say. Because no one spoke, she heard the footsteps of someone trying to move quickly but not arouse attention. A potassium element, a girl with short black hair, was approaching her. 3 was supposed to be covering that flank. What was she doing? Kira could see 3 fighting. She only had six opponents still left on the killing field and still looked uninjured. Why did she let this element slip past her? A distraction. She's trying to slow me down until she beats her opponents and can back me up. That's how they'd always been, she thought. Always saving each other's lives at the last moment. But she couldn't let herself depend on 3's help. Time wasn't in her favor, and she had a life debt to Silver to repay. She shouldered the spear and aimed. This wasn't like before. She couldn't spare the girl, it wasn't just Kira's life anymore. The spear was well balanced, she'd regret losing it.

"Put it down Silicon, " Zirc said.

Kira didn't look away from her target, still running towards her. "She's trying to interfere in our match." She said.

"I'll allow it and so will you. Consider it a preliminary round for you and a show for me."

"You just want her weakened before you fight her yourself, coward." Silver had grabbed Zirc's wrist and pulled himself up high enough in the one-handed choke hold that he could not only breathe but speak as well. Zirc hit Silver's face. He immediately fell unconscious, blood already flowing from where gemstones broke the skin. Zirc was going to hit him again but stopped when he heard the sound of Kira dropping her lance to the ground.

"A hostage is no good to you dead." Kira stated flatly. And then she put him out of her mind. She was about to fight close quarters with an alkali metal. Looked like one of the potassiums, an explosion puncher. She was going to need every ounce of concentration to survive.

The sprinting potassium girl arrived punching. Kira sidestepped. She ducked and dodged. She couldn't risk blocking or redirecting a blow, but her hands hovered on either side of each punch. Eventually, Kira ducked under a blow, forgetting not to favor her injured leg and lost her balance. She braced herself with her other leg, but her knees were bent and she was leaning back. She would have to rise to regain her balance before she could dodge again. The magnesium girl found the opening and went straight for her throat. I watched in horror, knowing that this was the past and there is nothing I can do to stop her from exploding Kira's head off. The punch landed... And Kira coughed. She kept coughing, reeling back. This stunned the Potassium girl into inaction. Kira glanced quickly to see if Zirc was going to strike. He was edging closer, but from his posture, she thought that was more out of curiosity than malice.

"How?" the girl growled.

"First, introductions." Kira's hoarse voice was barely above a whisper. "I am Silicon." It had two meanings: her element and that she was the commander of it. The girl who was creeping closer to hear, took a step back at the reminder that she faced a five who, as far as she could tell, hadn't used her trait. "You?"

"K."

"How does your trait work, K?"

K had a look on her face that said, 'As if I'd tell you.' Until she realized Kira must have already known. "Pure Potassium wants to give away an electron. The water in your blood receives it, breaking the hydrogen and oxygen atoms apart into an explosive mixture. Then boom."

"Right. What is my trait?"

"Electricity."

"What is electricity?"

"The movement of electrons." K looked confused. "So just like that my trait doesn't work on you? When I hit you, you take the electrons before they reach the water molecules?"