Blind Phoenix

Power Creep

With the words of Liam left out in the wind, our group of fighters set out to train themselves to their limit. The day was mundane. The weather was neither hot nor cold. There was no wind, few clouds. The sun was just bright enough to bother your eyes. Calmly walking to Lynn’s high-tech arena, Byur was lost in thought, but had no clear subject in mind. He quickly diverted his thoughts to training. He felt fiery passion within him as he prepared to revisit the power he experienced when in action. He was a young man who was perhaps far from a hero. That did not matter. Wherever fighting went he would follow. It was a shame that his love was also filled with hate. The very thing he cherished well reminded him of the existence of that man, the black villain that stood currently unpunished, hopefully not for long.

            The door had been opened again for what could have been its final proper opening. Nico entered, then Lynn, then Maria and then hesitantly, Byur.

Nico turned to Byur and said “Something wrong, bruv?”

“Na, I’m fine” Byur said as he knelt down to feel the ground with his hand. “Hey, Lynn. Let’s fight.”

Lynn stared at Byur for a bit and replied “Is a screw loose in your head? What you could even want to fight me for, I wonder.”

“Well…If anything does happen to either of us, we won’t have any more chances to fight each other.”

Before Lynn could say something, her brother said “Oi, if anyone is going to die, it won’t be any of us. I’m not going to let my friends pass on to the next life anytime soon. You were nowhere near this negative the last time was talked about things. You sure you’re ok?”

Byur then stroked the bandages around his eyes and said “These eyes cannot see, but I can definitely feel the fear in your hearts. You’re the one that’s most afraid, Nico. It makes sense. You’re the strongest here and you have the most experience. Out of everyone here, you of all would know just what we’re rushing into. Because of that fear of yours…I am also beginning to doubt myself.”

The young man brought up a good point, yet he was no mind reader. Nico had cause to be afraid. That didn’t necessarily mean he was. “Ahaha,” laughed Nico, “I can see a bit of doubt sprung into your mind. Not to worry, no, not at all. In fact, I don’t think we’re quite done with our little fight either, bruv. You owe me another one.”

Byur surprisingly responded “I owe you a match, you say. I don’t understand why you would think that.”

“It’s simple,” said Nico, “You held back from me yesterday. You think no one noticed? I didn’t mind since yesterday was just for meditation. Still, before anyone gets a c***k at you, they’ll have to wait until we’re done!”

Byur reluctantly accepted the request and warned Nico that Liam would be furious if anything were to happen. With Nico’s convincing Byur left his worries behind and decided to give everything he had in this fight. Inspired by their efforts, Kal and Maria offered Lynn a two on one match. Even the two of them had little chance of giving Lynn trouble, but it made it all the more challenging for them which in turn filled them with interest.

Byur then asked “You guys aren’t going watch? Damn, I was looking forward to showing you guys that I’m ready for all of this. Good luck beating Lynn you two, we’ll both need a miracle to even scratch these guys.”

“I’ve never beat Lynn, even in a fight where she lowered her power level to mine” said Maria. “Time to see if she’s still got it. Kal, don’t be intimidated. If she overpowers you, I’ll come to the rescue” she said with a smile.

With that, the Arena formed its landscape and the groups split. Lynn was not looking forward to fighting her friends, yet at times like these, it was absolutely necessary. Everyone changed into their fighting clothes, save for Kal, who wore nothing at all times (thankfully, his own scales covered anything that didn’t want to be seen). He had never seen the extent of the power the siblings harbored. Most of the fighters in OWL had experienced exceptionally strong martial artists and Lynn and Nico still were on a level of their own. No one quite knows how two humans ended up being some of the strongest fighters in the universe. Humanity was still painfully behind on technology and while it was not the worst, it could not compare to most other races. Kal’s people, the Zinols, as a race were twice as old as the humans and at least three times as intelligent. They were a race who strongly valued knowledge. However, they were also fine warriors, far better than most humans. They did not have a single fighter anywhere near as strong as the two siblings, a bewildering contradiction.

“You humans are quite the mystery sometimes” said Kal.

Lynn then responded, “Oh, trust me, we are far from the most interesting race. My brother and I were just blessed with great power…Even I don’t know why!”

Kal replied “I see, I see. How very fortunate. However! I have no intent of staying weaker than any you. After this is all over, I’m working to surpass you fellows.”

“Ahaha, that’s a good way to go about it. I believe in you, Kal, go ahead and try to surpass us” said Nico cheerfully.

Everyone finished up their chats and readied themselves to show each other their very best. Nico lowered his energy level to match Byur’s. It would be a match of skill. Nico said that he would keep his energy level exactly equal to Byur’s. It would still be an unfair fight due to how polished his skills were. The difference in their experience and prowess was great and no amount of spirit could change that. It was an impossible scenario with no victory in sight for Byur, but it was a necessary test for him as Tenno’s men would have no mercy on him either and would even have power above his own at times. So in truth, today would be an easy day relative to what lay ahead.

       As the friends squared off in front of each other, Nico said “Take in everything you can, bruv. I will mold you into a true warrior with the little time we have left. I know that all of this must be hard for you and you sure can take a beating, physically and mentally. Even a person like you has a limit. I’ll ask of you one final request for today. Fight like your life depends on it!”

Nico rushed in and kicked Byur in the chest, sending his feet sliding into the rocks as he attempted to steady himself. What a powerful blow it was, he nearly lost all balance. Nico was in front of him again and attempted an uppercut, but it was dodged and met with a downward right and a left hook. Byur backed up and threw a kick, hitting only air.

“I haven’t felt pain in a long ass time, bruv. You really woke me up with those punches!”

Nico tried an axe kick, his favorite attack and missed Byur, digging his foot into the ground. It sent a shockwave throughout the floor. If not for the advanced tech of the room, it would have been felt all across the city. A dangerous exchange of blows followed. The winner of the exchange was Nico as he pushed Byur back with a perfectly timed straight right. He flew into the air and launched a sharp energy wave at Byur who scarcely avoided it.

            “Hmmm. That was quite intimidating. Could that have taken my head off?” asked Byur.

            “You’d probably be dead” Nico joked with a smile.

Byur flew up into the air towards his friend and chucked an energy blast behind him. It exploded and produced a thick cloud of smoke around Nico. Punches came from all directions, giving him no chance to disperse the smoke. A small spark of fire appeared in front of him and nearly crashed into his face. It was a punch thrown by Byur. It caused a dispersal of the obscuring smoke. The sound his swing produced was frightening. It sounded as if a flail surrounded by fire were to pass by right next to your ears.

            “That move…” said Nico, “You used it against James, right?”

            “I did” responded Byur. “So far it’s the strongest skill I have. So you’d better dodge it.”

            Nico advanced and threw a flurry of jabs, putting Byur on the defensive. Even jabs by him were powerful and quick in addition to being precise. Even with a decent defense, the punches were still getting in and building up damage. He ended his jabs with a kick to the head with his right leg, putting Byur in an uncomfortable position and rendered him unable to block a body shot to his left side. He nearly keeled over from pain and was hit with a knee on his way down. “Damn…he’s amazing.”

            Byur was overwhelmed by Nico’s combinations. He was in deep thought as he flew back from the knee, “I can’t let this go on…how will I ever stand a chance against Tenno if I fight like this!?”

            Byur forced himself to rebalance. He grasped the bandages on his face and ripped them off in frustration.

            “Byur, what’s up?” asked Nico worryingly.

            “Those bandages are useless to me. Keeping them on is insulting to me now…I cannot see anything either way, I will not hide my eyes from anyone.”

            Under the bandages were his mangled eyes. The pupils were gone, in their place were the small holes made my Yuig. The whites of Byur’s eyes were tainted red as well, yet you could still see the fire in his eyes, as if they were still filled with the same life they had before.

            Byur’s normally grey aura turned orange as he was engulfed with fire-like energy. “Prepare yourself Nico, I’m not holding myself back anymore!” Byur yelled as his energy rose.

            “You shouldn’t have in the first place” Nico said with a smile. Byur flew towards him and threw several aggressive punches. This time, every single one of his attacks was surrounded by flame. Nico took the chance to respond with counters, but they seemed to not affect Byur all too much. Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that all of Nico’s punches were being softened by Byur’s energy aura, which acted as a shield to his attacks. Byur grabbed both of Nico’s arms and clashed their heads together. As Nico flew back from the impact, Byur grabbed his arm yet again and kicked him in the temple. Nico’s entire body was shook.

            “W-what?” Nico thought, “our energy levels are the same, why did that do so much damage?!” Nico then swiftly blocked a strike and hit Byur with a beautiful uppercut. Yet again, he was in the lead. He slightly raised his energy level to surpass Byur’s. He clasped his hands and legs around his friend’s left arm and used his energy to force himself and Byur into the ground.

            “You’ve never really been in a grappling match before, try getting out of this if you can!” exclaimed Nico.

             Byur struggled with monstrous effort but could not set his arm free. A pain started to form in his elbow and he clenched his teeth together. He was slowly losing hope as the arm-bar grew tighter. He was able to flip himself onto his stomach. He then planted his right foot onto the ground and powered his way up, now standing on both of his legs. He raised his trapped arm into the air. A bead of sweat dripped down Nico forehead as he foresaw what was coming. He unraveled his legs and kicked Byur in the head before jumping off.

            “That’s the first time I’ve seen someone get out like that” said Nico.

            The ashen haired young man was out of breath and panting while slowly brushing his sore left arm with his hand. With an angry demeanor, he started at the ground.

            “Hmph, I should have known. Not even someone as calm as you can keep so much anger bottled up inside. That power you have inside of you…Many would say it’s an unfair advantage. It’s almost like you were born to fight, your talent itself is astounding. However, the price you paid was more than enough for you to be given such strength. I think that…I think that you and no one else in the world should have that power.”

            Byur exhaled loudly and shut his eyes, “Thank you, but…I am not among the least fortunate. There are others in this world that experience things much worse than I do. Being crippled for so many years…the gnawing itch and pain of my burnt skin was grueling. I felt like crying every day, but I didn’t.

            “All those great books I read have taught me many things and while I fight against Tenno primarily for my own, selfish reasons, I fight for everyone else who suffers in life. I have been blessed by all of you. Without you guys I would have continued to live my life as a victim of the man who killed nearly all that I am and nearly all that I loved.” Byur was able to look at Nico in the eyes despite not seeing where they were. Nico was startled by this and Byur met his friend’s surprise with a smile. “Thank you.”

            “D-damn, you’re going to make me tear up if you do s**t like that, bruv!” said Nico with a sad grin.

            “A tear from you, Nico? You don’t seem like the type, heh” Byur chuckled.

            “In all seriousness, it was our obligation. If it wasn’t for OWL existing in the first place, I don’t think any of this would have happened to you.”

            Byur shook his head and responded, “You can’t say that for sure. We cannot rewind time to prove you right or wrong, so there is no need to feel guilty about it. These powers, not every man or woman can obtain them. I am thankful that I have been given this gift.”

            Byur rolled his left shoulder and brought up his guard. “That is all I wanted to say. We have a fight to finish.”

            The fight raged on as both fighters’ energy level continued to rise. Nico still had the edge, but was getting caught with hits about as often as Byur was. With an impossible sense and talent for fighting combined with his determination, he was nearly every bit as dangerous as Nico was. Byur threw another head kick with his right leg and blasted through Nico’s guard. But he was ready for Byur’s follow up and swiftly ducked under it, going for a body shot. He pummeled the left side of Byur and ended a right uppercut, knocking Byur out cold for a moment. Before he could be finished off, he flied away.

            Nico pursued him relentlessly, attacking with no end in sight. Byur slipped one of the punches and delivered a devastating straight right hand before kicking Nico down from the sky with…an axe kick. By observing the previous moments where Nico performed an axe kick, he was able to replicate it with relative effectiveness. Nico was buried under the ground, not to be seen or sensed. Byur cautiously approached the ground and walked around quietly while hiding his energy in an attempt to draw out his friend from hiding. Occasionally, he would thrust his arm into the ground to see if he could force Nico out.

            The ground then shook tremendously, and from behind Byur, Nico emerged, with a sphere of concentrated blue energy shining in his hand. Byur’s eyes widened as he realized what was going on. Nico had hidden himself to gather energy for a powerful energy blast. As he turned, it was too late to escape. All he could do was raise his arms and prepare himself to take damage. Nico stretched his arm out and out came an overwhelmingly impressive and large energy beam. It was a beam shot from point blank and Byur was standing straight in it. The roaring sound it emitted gradually subsided and as the smoke cleared, Byur’s body was visible once again. His entire body was covered in cuts and first degree burns. His legs shook under him as he struggled to keep himself up.

            “When someone hides, look for them more aggressively…or else, stuff like this can happen.”

            Byur was grunting from pain as he lowered his arms, “S-s**t. That really did a number on me. Things aren’t looking too good…”

            “Tenno’s goons know you’re not an experienced fighter. They’ll use that to their advantage, like I did just now. Don’t worry if you fell for it. Even if you saw it coming, you probably couldn’t have dodged it.”

            “I expected it to some extent,” said Byur while panting, “But it still came as a surprise. However…I think I made the correct decisions.”

            “Err, I’m not sure I agree with that.”

            Byur gave the grin of a trickster and looked marginally smug. “You see, veterans can also make mistakes. Something you failed to notice was the tiny energy balls I set into the rocks with each punch.”

            Two enormous bands of energy broke up from inside the rocks and latched onto Nico before he could move. They bound him to the spot he was standing. Byur motioned his hand upwards, and dozens of small energy balls surrounded Nico.

            “It was worth the damage I took” said Byur.

            The energy balls floating around Nico started to light up, making a pleasant but high pitched noise. “Oh shi-“ Nico tried to say. Without letting him finish, the energy exploded with a tremendous boom. The entire area became unsteady and even tripped Kal from the other side of the arena, who was preoccupied with his own fight.

            Byur’s counter keikaku (keikaku means “plan”) had succeeded. The dust was clearing and the damage done was about to become apparent.

            “Hey…” said Nico, “That was pretty smart.” He was on knee and in a situation similar to Byur. He had not thought for even a moment that it was possible for his friend to formulate a plan such as this. It was nothing complex, yet it was something Nico had never seen before. It was an idea that came to Byur during the fight, not something he had planned before in his training. Still taken aback and in pain, Nico did not move.

            Nico looked at Byur and said “I can see now where your confidence comes from. Your fighting instinct is extraordinary. I won’t fall for something I’ve seen before, so I guess you’re lucky in that regard, catching me off guard like you did hehe.”

            “I agree” said Byur as he took a step forward. In response to this, Nico forced himself to get up.

            “You know, it’s kind of weird that I’m actually able to be damaged by you. Energy levels reinforce the body itself, so even with my energy down to yours I should still have the advantage. Your energy must have some sort of special properties I don’t know of…but we’ll figure that out” Nico said, “after we finish this!”

            With the last of their energy, both fighters squared off against each other. It was a slugfest, hard shots landing one after another. It was a fight of souls, Nico refused to lose to a student of his sister’s and Byur would not accept defeat after such a rare chance of victory was opened up to him. Their legs did not falter, this punches grew no slower. In an instant, Byur pulled back his head to dodge one of Nico’s shots, c****d back his right hand ready to counter, and unleashed a punch with every inch of force he could dare to put into it. Nico, still off balance from his punch could only hope for his reflexes to save him. As Byur’s fist grew closer time was running out. He was able to scarcely dodge under the punch and launched a punch of his own, a winding uppercut with his right.

            Miraculously, that punch was dodged as well. Both of them rebalanced and pulled back their fists for a final blow. The two landed their hits at the exact same time with great force. The impact could be heard by everyone and even caused Kal, Maria and Lynn to look back at them.

            “Wow…who do you think won?” asked Maria.

            “Hard to say” said Kal. “Let’s see who falls.”

Nico’s body gave way. His legs crumbled from beneath him as he fell back. The tenseness in his muscles faded. Nico had a smile on his face as he looked up at the ceiling. His body smashed against the floor and he spread his arms and legs out in exhaustion. Nico let out a grand sigh. The victor seemed to have been decided. Byur was still standing and had not moved an inch. He had not moved because he was already out cold. As much as he tried, it really was impossible for him to turn out victorious. Or at least it seemed that way. It was a valiant effort was put forward by our young hero. He did all he could, after all. He gave a respectable show of his strength, will and skill. The one crucial difference is that here, failure did not result in death. With time passing even now, the day came closer. Byur would not budge from his position. He stood like a statue under the gleaming light above him. Lynn walked over to him and gently eased him into her grasp. “I’ll take care of him. Once he comes to we’ll have him do some meditation. You guys were really something out there.”

            Kal set his eyes on Nico and studied him. “So? How was it? Is he strong enough?”

            “Yeah, he is. He’d probably beat you in this state, bruv. Ahaha!”

            Kal smiled and said “I heavily doubt that. I have a few tricks up my sleeve even you haven’t seen.”

            Nico raised a brow and said “Is that so? Well I can’t wait for you to show me.”

            Kal chuckled and tilted his head down, clutching his fists saying, “Why wait when we could do it right here?”

            Lynn pouted and joined in on the conversation, saying “Hey, you aren’t done fighting me yet…”

             “You know me, Sis. Always love to bully people weaker than me” said Nico jokingly. With Kal and Nico preparing to fight, training would come to an end soon. Everyone mentally braced themselves for the fateful day drawing near, the day that will decide everything.