The Throne is Mine

Damon

Damon's POV

A smirk dances across my face as I clench the muscles in my legs. Lucretia stretches beside me, preparing herself for our second match of the day. Her gaze levelly matches mine, as if appraising a pair of winter gloves she has no interest in buying. I catch a straying wisp of her thoughts in the breeze and glance down at her feet. She intends to move her right foot first.

Lucretia lifts her eyebrows and continues to stare, like she fully expects me to start first. I raise my eyebrows playfully in return and stand my ground.

Without further warning, she attacks. She comes at me in a blaze of rapid right kicks, in a well-organized pattern. I side-step every advance and laugh at her feeble attempts. I put space between us and motion for her to try again. This only angers her. She slides one leg back for balance, bends her knees and squares her shoulders, meeting my charge head on.

I drew in time's essence, and latched onto it until it obeyed my command. Lucretia and everything around me stilled.

The moon shone brightly in the sky, daring me to resume time's wheel. I could only stop the world for a few moments before it broke through my grasp. The edges of my mind over heated, to the point where a small headache formed in my right temple.

If you were observing this from the side lines, it would be hard to miss the smooth, animal-like grace in Lucretia's movements or the inhuman strength coursing through her body as it slams into mine.

The force of the impact left me breathless, concluding a wide topple of two bodies. I grabbed her left arm and pulled. This caused her to reel head-over-heels into a muddled patch of grass beside us. She lets out a shout of alarm as she peeled mud off her face.

You're going to regret that.

As fast as lightning, she darts forward and leaps straight into the air. She shoots down and lands a roundhouse kick to the side of my face. Pain overrides my senses. Blood gushes from both my nose and mouth. Smiling through the pain, my eyes light up at Lucretia's surprise.

I latch onto her elbow and flip her effortlessly over my right shoulder. She lands with a loud thump on the grass. She meets the ground squarely on her feet and attempts to mimic my actions. I block the elbow-grab and go to jab her in the sides. Her stomach dances from side to side as I attempt to jab it multiple times. She pivots her left leg and rams her foot into mine. I nearly collapse to the ground as I grind my jaw in response.

Finally, drawing power from the moon, I sipped its strength. Lucretia shifts from one foot to the next, as if trying to decide the best angle of attack. I shift positions along with her, mirroring her actions, my lips turned up slightly at the corners.

Suddenly, Lucretia stops. She reaches for the daggers on either side of her legs. She pulls out the dark blades and tosses me one. I catch it instinctively, and twirl it around my fingers.

A weapon given to a guardian is unbreakable. Every weapon is forged from the Goddess's Forge, given to us by the Divinity. The Divinity claims that Lucretia would be the most skilled at daggers, while I would be the best with the bow. Sensing an unfair fight, I close my eyes briefly and take in more of the moon's energy. My body feels invincible with the super charged energy. I sprint towards her with inhuman speed.

Lucretia's arms are thrown up too late, as I easily press the dagger to her throat. Her dagger drops to the ground. For one long moment, everything seemed to hang in suspended time. I stare into her eyes, while she stares right back, her mouth gaping open in disbelief.

Then, by a non-verbal command, we smile at each other and I remove the dagger from her throat.

A few laughs reverberate from behind us. We turn to face Aarad and a few guardians that have stopped to watch the show.