Chapter Seventeen

Trying to feel each other’s strategies out, we both wait to see which of us will make the first move. Not budging on my end, Toriana decides to get things started. Fabricating an ice shuriken in each hand, Toriana hurls a shuriken toward me. Dodging out of its path, I prepare for the next attack.

She hasn’t circulated iris anywhere else besides her hands to create those shurikens. If those ice shurikens are her elemental power, then she still hasn’t used her realm or mind abilities. Those two will probably be tricky to deal with, but if her realm is anything like mine or Joey’s, there must be some sort of trigger to activate it!

The shuriken she had thrown circles back to her hand, bits of turquoise frost sprinkling onto the ground.

She’s keeping her distance, probably so I can’t overwhelm her with velocity pulse. She’s only seen velocity pulse used once, so I bet she doesn’t know I have three pulses to work with. I bet she also has a good idea of how compass ring works, so the first attack with velocity pulse will be critical to winning this duel.

Engulfing my right arm with flames, I launch three fireballs in quick succession. Pretending to use the same trick as I have in my past two duels, I act as if I’m following close behind a fireball.

If I’m going to draw out more of her abilities, I need to get closer!

Spinning her shurikens in her hands, Toriana’s eyes spark turquoise. Taking in a quick breath, she exhales in three quick puffs. She shoots out three potent ice beams from her mouth toward the fireballs rushing toward her. With each ice beam piercing my fireballs, my fireballs combust in the air and dissipate. But what I didn’t pick up on is Toriana has already located where I am and quickly follows up her defense with a counterattack.

Using the explosions as cover, Toriana outstretches her arms and clasps her shurikens together, sending a wall of gusted frost directly at me. Forced to dodge, I channel iris into my feet and leap over the ice wall. Pulling her shurikens back over her head, the ice wall behind me melts away, and Toriana casts both her shurikens at me.

She wanted me up here because I’m less mobile! I have to block if I don’t want to use velocity pulse!

Channeling iris into my arms, I brace myself to defend against her ice shurikens. Closely watching their trajectory, they release two spiraling ice beams at me. As I create a thick layer of fire around my hands, I look back over at Toriana and iris is channeled into her right index finger.

Damn it!

Her finger twitches, and the flames enveloping my hands solidify in place, unmoving.

What? I can’t control them!

The two ice beams slam into my arms, and my defensive flames are practically useless. I quickly channel more iris into my arms before I sustain any real damage.

I can still create more though!

Exerting more iris, I begin burning through the ice beams.

Now her iris is concentrated in her mind?!

The shurikens that were once straight ahead rapidly split apart to either side of me, shooting out another wave of ice beams from both directions. Still enduring the initial ice beam attack, I engulf most of my upper body with flames, wanting to incinerate through all the attacks in one go. Circulating iris back into her finger, Toriana twitches it, and my control over my flames is severed again.

Damn it! How do these damn abilities work?!

Forced to activate velocity pulse, a massive rush of energy flows through me as I channel iris into my palms. Pointing my palms toward the ceiling, I use my flames to burst myself down toward the ground. While descending, I quickly redirect my trajectory, locking on with Toriana.

You want to force me to use velocity pulse?! Fine!

Tracking me, Toriana’s ocular reflexes may be able to follow me in this state, but her body can’t do the same. I have been improving the mechanics of velocity pulse for three months, and only Joey can sometimes keep up. Swiftly approaching Toriana, I channel iris into my fist, but suddenly, my forehead jolts with a surge of agonizing pain. Thrown out of velocity pulse, my entire body ignites with a cool blue and white blanket of flames as I hover in the air. The tattoo on my forehead glistens as Toriana keeps her distance, smiling. Running up and pressing his hands against the window, Sorel’s captivation attracts the warden's gaze.

Jumping out of his seat, Ayden shouts, “What the hell is going on?!”

Watching closely, Joey replies, “He’s… evolving.”

Iris courses through my body at a frightening pace. It feels like more and more iris is being pumped into my veins by the second. It is just like a few days ago, but it isn’t just my head overheating this time. I feel it everywhere. My entire body somehow feels both strained… and powerful.

I can’t control it if I continue using this much…! No, this feels… great. It's not painful anymore, so let it happen, let it…

Trying to calm down, my iris begins acting on its own. The flames surrounding my body start to gravitate toward two regions: my upper back and face. My gemcore transforming, two wings sprout from my back and catch fire. My wings fiercely burn with blue and white, with a faint golden hue along the outer edge of my dancing feathers. A blazing, winged helmet materializes across my forehead and around my eyes and nose, a sharp beak dipping over my chin. While my flaming wings and helmet take a solid form, my feathers still flicker with undeniable beauty. Looking at my flapping wings, I grin.

Hell of a time I finally unlock the ability to fly!

My focus going back to Toriana, I hover above her, still trying to figure out her abilities.

Twitching her finger again, my connection with my flames is severed again, but my wings continue to flap. Flying myself a little higher into the air, I start to ponder.

If my wings are an extension of my body, her realm can’t affect physical bodies, only iris!

Iris is quickly channeled toward Toriana’s brain, and her eyes spark again. Her two ice shurikens reel back to her hands, and a chill shoots down my spine as she grasps them. Holding her shurikens out in front of her, iris is concentrated back into her hands.

Even though I feel like this… why do I still fear her?

Using velocity pulse again, time becomes visually slowed as I dodge her lasering ice beam. Sliding off my ring, I quickly activate compass ring just to be safe.

I have the aerial advantage, but she’s been holding back. How fast can she shoot those ice attacks? Maybe getting into close range is still the right strategy!

Circulating iris into my hands, I prepare for countermeasures in case she ambushes me. Flying toward her, iris is already starting to be channeled into Toriana’s finger, but I’m too close for it to matter. Blasting a point-blank fireball at Toriana, she’s already begun dispersing iris back into her hands. With the effects of velocity pulse wearing off, time speeds back up.

Negating my attack with her shurikens, my fists burst into flames. Going hand-to-hand with her, I notice she leaves an opening when blocking with her left arm. Quickly circulating iris toward my rising foot, I grin.

You may be able to stop my flames, but you can’t stop the iris flowing through me, can you?!

Kicking Toriana in the gut, a chime resonates, and embers fly as she’s sent flying back, her shurikens thrown into the air. Her feet scuffling back along the ground, she is able to withstand the full strength of my kick.

Damn, I can’t let her have time!

Her shurikens falling through the air, iris circulates back toward her brain as I close the distance.

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What now?!

Hearing two chimes, I channel iris into my hands and swivel around to catch her shurikens before they’re able to pierce me in the back. Another chime goes off, and one shuriken plummets down into my foot, burying itself.

Infuriated as I holler in agony, I circulate iris into my free hand and extend it toward Toriana, wanting to incinerate her. My realm then chimes again, and the shuriken that’s dug into my foot fires back upward and cleanly cuts off my right hand.

Blood spews everywhere as an indescribable amount of pain rips into my consciousness. My severed hand flopping onto the ground, another chime goes off, and this time, both my legs are severed. Unable to withstand the momentum of her other shuriken now, it tears past my only remaining hand, cutting it deeply. Falling forward, the pain is the only thing keeping me conscious.

Coughing up blood into my helmet, I try to push myself up with my left hand, but an icy sharp material is held against my wrist.

“Don’t move,” says Toriana, crouching down beside me.

Tears welling in my eyes, I grab onto her wrist with my left hand, wanting to scorch it to dust. However, with my injuries, I’m unable to channel iris anywhere other than my wounds. Losing strength, my grip gives, and I drop to the floor. Trying to funnel iris into my legs to heal them, I don’t feel the cozy warmth of my flames burst to life.

Why… why aren’t my heavenly flames working?! Aren’t they special?!

Picking up my left hand, I press it down into the ground. Slowly and painfully, I try to inch myself away from Toriana, but my wings struggle to support my futile endeavor. Holding the edge of her shuriken against my wrist once more, frost spreads across my skin.

“Move again, and I’ll put you down for good.”

Pure terror overwhelms me, and my hand gives out again. The tears from pain transform into sobs of vulnerability, fright, and absolute weakness. At this moment, it fully dawns on me that, for the first time in my life, there’s not a way out. Even with this new rush of power, I can’t do anything. There are no quick tricks, no shortcuts, no outside help, and no amount of ego that can scare my problems away.

The fate of my life is entirely in the hands of another person. Even with all my hard work, all my power… whether I live or die, is not up to me. And howling like a baby in front of Toriana and everybody watching; they’re finally seeing me for who I truly am.

Just like so many times before in my life, the fact that I am still completely and utterly weak is shoved back in my face.

But still, even now, I have something to fight for.

Stifling my tears, I pick my hand back up, letting the blade cut through my skin as I cast my hand forward, only to push myself a centimeter at most. I do this once, twice, three times, five times, ten times, twenty times. I crawl because it’s the only thing I can do.

Observing me without saying a word, Toriana’s gaze narrows. Walking around to the front of me, Toriana steps on my hand as she kneels down.

Looking up at her face, I say, “I– I give up… please, please don’t kill me. You win. I’m begging you, please don’t kill me...”

As Toriana’s countenance barely exhibits cogitation, I add, “I’ll do anything… please. Please let me live...”

After a long pause, Toriana says, “Everybody is different, but some things ring true for all human beings. In the face of death, it’s in our nature to want to live. But only those who value another person's life over their own fight and beg for mercy like that.”

My face a disgusting mess of blood, snot and tears, Toriana continues, “Most would say it’s pathetic, but to me, there’s nothing more virtuous than what you just did.”

Rising back up, she walks past me toward the arena's exit.

“Once you're healed up, let’s have a chat.”

Succumbing to my pain, I lose consciousness.

***

Lights flash from above as sounds and smells overwhelm me.

“We’re losing him!”

“Garrett, give him two more doses of Herisin!” orders Sorel.

“But sir, he’s already been given more than double the amount–”

“Do it! I’m not about to lose a legacy of the Halos Legion after all this time! He’s come so far, and I won’t risk my research being forced to restart from the beginning!”

“Very well, sir. Injecting two more doses…”

Weakly groaning as a needle inserts into the side of my neck, my vitals start to crash.

“His body is rejecting the Herisin! Temperature rising rapidly!”

“That doesn’t make any damn sense!” yells Sorel. “The Herisin should be helping him!”

“It must be because he’s a legacy!” says a doctor, my body bursting into flames. “His body is rejecting the drug now!”

“Sedate him! We can’t lose him!”

“But sir, we’ve never tried to sedate an iris wielder in this condition! We don’t know–”

“Do it!”

Another needle is injected into my neck while a breathing mask is placed against my face.

A few seconds later, I’m out again.

***

“I– I didn’t know that the stores closed early!” I say, my father furiously walking toward me.

Tripping over my feet and falling backward, my mom yells, “Sergio! Sergio, stop!”

Walking over, my dad grabs my arm and lifts me back up.

I had been playing basketball with other grounders for the past few hours and was told to pick up medicine for my sick older brother afterward. But when I got to the store we usually go to, it was closed—as was the next one and the one after that. When I arrived home empty-handed, my father, who had just gotten home from a long workday, became enraged.

“What is wrong with you?!” shouts my father. “All you ever do is mess up! Over and over and over, and you always have an excuse! Can’t you do a damn thing right?!”

Wrapping her hands around my father’s arm, my crying mother pleads, “Please, Sergio, it’s my fault! I forget to tell him what time they closed and–”

“Just like last time, Lucy? And the time before that?” replies my father, separating us from my mother.

“You’re always the one to blame, Mateo! Why can’t you be like your brother?!”

“I– I want to be–” I tearfully whimper, and my father strikes me in the gut.

As I yelp in pain, my father pulls me back up, “No, you don’t! He’s smart! He works hard! He actually has a future! Every day he spends sick in that bed limits his opportunities! Our opportunities! Don't you understand that?!”

“Sergio! That’s enough!”

Bracing myself for another hit, my father just drops me on the floor, “And you’re taking that away from us! You’re a mistake! No food for the next three days!”

“Da–Dad, please! I’ll get the medicine first thing tomorrow!”

“You’re going too far, Sergio!”

Crouching down to me, my father reels me in close, “This is how it is for us grounders. Listen closely, Mateo. If you want to make a difference in this world, you need to wake up!”

***

Grimly opening my eyes, each blink feels heavy and lethargic. I'm wearing a blue hospital gown, and a soft, steady beeping resounds behind my head.

Is this… Soulbell?

Laying down in a hospital bed, there are wires connected to my chest, arms, and into my nose. As I try to sit up, a dull, persistent ache announces its existence across my entire body. Groaning, I note that I’m alone in an enclosed room, the sole window to my right offering the only insight into where I might be. Cots are in a line in the neighboring room, and an injured man is lying on one.

What happened? Am I in the infirmary?

I bring my right hand to my throbbing head.

Is this real?

Moving my right hand across my body, I pinched the back of my left hand.

Definitely real. Wait…

Holding my right hand in front of my face, I close and open it while rotating my wrist. A narrow tan scar encircles my entire wrist.

Didn’t I… lose this hand?

Lowering my hand back to my side, my feet poke out from under a thin white blanket at the end of the bed. Wincing, I try to move my feet, and they stir a little.

How is this… possible? The duel, I remember now. But how have my limbs been reattached?

Pushing the blanket up, similar tan scars wrap around both legs just under the knee.

Did Sorel do this?

A door to my room then opens, and a young female doctor I haven’t met yet walks in. She has long ginger hair and is carrying a clipboard holding her attention. Flipping through the pages, she walks over to me before realizing something is different.

“Oh my! You’re awake!”

“I am,” I weakly croak, trying to give her a smile.

Grabbing her radio, she quickly relays to presumably other doctors, “Mateo is awake!”

Releasing her radio, she quickly checked my vitals and wrote some things down. While she shines a light into my eyes, she asks me, “How do you feel?”

“Besides the feeling that I’ve been hit by a train… not all that bad.”

She chuckles and puts the flashlight away, “Do you remember what happened?”

“I think so. I was dueling Toriana, and things didn’t exactly go my way.”

“Do you remember any injuries you sustained?”

“Yeah. My right hand and my legs were cut off, but I guess I’ve… regrown them?”

She laughs again, “Not exactly. We were able to reattach them, but we still don’t exactly know how your body allowed it. When it comes to reattaching limbs as large as the ones you lost, it shouldn’t have been possible, even for iris-wielders. Sorel believes that your legacy ability is what sets you apart.”

“People keep saying that. That I have a legacy power, what is that?”

“We don’t know much ourselves. But the mythic class seems to be tied into history.”

“Are you talking about–”

The door is abruptly thrown open, interrupting our conversation. A man enters this time, breathing heavily like he has arrived here after running for several minutes. He isn’t wearing a doctor’s coat but a suit and tie. It isn’t Sorel, the warden, or a friend I’ve made here.

It is a friend I made a long time ago.

“Ray?”