Tuesday, August 6, 3074 AE - Morning
"Yawn... Why does she make us wake up so early? And where even is she?" Blaze grumbled, still half-asleep, rubbing his eyes.
Scarlett, already stretching and warming up, chuckled softly. "It's not so bad, sometimes it's good to get up early."
"I don’t want to hear that from you," Blaze retorted, annoyance seeping into his voice. "All you do is train."
"Hey, I don’t only train. I go shopping, I dress up, I cook—lots of things. I just like training more," Scarlett responded with a teasing smile, unfazed by his attitude.
"Could you both not argue so much? I'm trying to sleep here before Sensei arrives," Lyria murmured from where she lay, glaring at them through half-closed eyes. It was far too early for their bickering.
Both Blaze and Scarlett fell silent immediately, not wanting to incur Lyria's wrath. Still, they exchanged irritated glares, silently fuming at each other.
Minutes ticked by, the silence only broken by the occasional rustle of clothing or a stifled yawn. Lyria had quickly fallen back asleep, unfazed by the tension in the air, while the others grew increasingly restless.
"So, Blaze, any idea what Sensei has in store for us today?" Scarlett asked, breaking the quiet.
"Not a clue," Blaze shrugged. "If anything, it's probably A.) A dangerous mission or B.) Some extreme training."
"Both sound appealing," Scarlett mused, tilting her head thoughtfully. "After our recent battles, training might not be such a bad idea."
Blaze's body stiffened, his eye twitching as memories of their recent, overwhelming encounters flooded his mind. The fights had been brutal, pushing them to their limits. "Yeah... Maybe you're right. Maybe training is what I need," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
Scarlett noticed the change in his demeanor and frowned slightly. Even Lyria, still lying down, opened one eye to glance at Blaze before sighing and closing it again. Though she seemed asleep, she was clearly listening in.
The sun began its slow ascent, gradually brightening the sky and reminding them just how long they had been waiting. Still, there was no sign of their sensei.
"She's always late," Blaze grumbled, his patience wearing thin. "When will she learn she can’t keep doing this?"
"I'd normally tell you to calm down," Scarlett admitted, her tone more serious, "but this time, I'm on your side. She's even later than usual."
Lyria, fully rested, sat up and stretched languidly. "You both should have just gone to sleep like I did. I knew Sensei would be late today, and I’m pretty sure it was on purpose."
"What do you mean?" Blaze and Scarlett asked simultaneously, their curiosity piqued.
"Well," Lyria began, "based on our recent experiences in battle, we work well together, but we’re too impulsive. We don't take the time to come up with a foolproof plan. She's probably doing this to test our patience."
"So, you're saying she's doing this just to see how patient we are?" Blaze's voice dripped with skepticism.
"Exactly—" Lyria's explanation was abruptly cut off as two massive pillars of flames erupted into the sky. Both Blaze and Scarlett, visibly ticked off, had lost their cool.
"When she gets here, I'm so going to give her a piece of my mind," Blaze seethed, his flames still burning fiercely.
Scarlett nodded in agreement, her eyes narrowed in shared frustration.
"Oh? And who are you going to give a piece of your mind to?" an unfamiliar voice called out from above, interrupting their thoughts.
All three of them spun around, eyes wide in surprise, as they searched for the source of the voice. Above them, a boy around their age sat lazily on what appeared to be a cloud.
"And just who are you? And why are you eavesdropping?" Blaze demanded, his body tensing as he prepared to attack.
"No need to be so hostile," the boy responded with a carefree grin. "I saw two bright pillars of flame and decided to check it out. And look who I found—an aggressive flame head, a battle maniac, and a sleeping beauty."
"Who are you calling an aggressive flame head?!" Blaze roared, leaping high into the air, his scythe at the ready. But before he could strike, the boy extended a staff, sending Blaze hurtling back down to the ground with ease.
"Calm down, man. No need to be so hostile," the boy said, tilting his head in mock innocence. "I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?"
"This guy... sure is something," Scarlett muttered, eyeing the newcomer suspiciously as she assessed his strength.
The boy stood at 5'8", with a lean, athletic, and toned build. His lightly tanned skin and bright amber eyes, which held a mischievous glint, contrasted sharply with his untamed jet-black hair. He wore a playful smirk as he surveyed the group.
His clothing consisted of a fitted, sleeveless red vest with golden dragon and cloud embroidery, and a black long-sleeved compression shirt underneath. He paired this with loose-fitting black joggers with gold stripes and a golden sash around his waist. His hands were adorned with fingerless gloves, and a headband with red and golden accents rested on his head. A jade monkey charm hung around his neck, and his look was completed by sturdy black combat boots with reinforced soles.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
"Wow, look at him being all flashy," Scarlett remarked wryly. "But this guy's not ordinary. Something tells me he's strong."
"Well, him slamming my brother into the ground should tell you that," Lyria said, her voice flat as she continued sizing up the boy.
Blaze stood up, dusting himself off, his eyes narrowing as he tightened his grip on his Inferno Reaver. With a swift motion, he unleashed multiple arcs of flames at the mysterious kid, who merely spun his staff around, effortlessly deflecting the attacks before disappearing in a blur and reappearing behind Blaze, ready to strike.
"Not so fast!" Blaze growled, spinning his scythe behind him just in time to block the attack. The sheer force of the blow, however, pushed him back several paces before he could regain his balance.
‘This guy... he’s not only fast but strong. And that stick... just what is it? It's not normal,’ Blaze thought, his mind racing as he tried to figure out his opponent.
The boy, unfazed, continued to jump from side to side, slamming his hands above his head like a playful monkey before grinning widely. In the next instant, he disappeared again, reappearing right in front of Blaze to deliver a heavy thrust with his staff.
Blaze twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the strike, and retaliated with his own attack, swinging his scythe in an attempt to cleave the boy in two. But the boy's staff elongated, carrying him high into the air before he spun it around his head, creating a mini twister that slammed down with tremendous force, causing the ground to implode and shoot debris everywhere.
The battle between the two raged on, each trading blow after blow, dodging and countering with lightning speed. Neither one could gain the upper hand, their movements a blur as they pushed each other to the limit. Sweat began to bead on both of their brows as the fight dragged on.
“You’re quite good,” the boy finally said, his voice tinged with genuine admiration. “A hot-headed flame boy you may be, but you’re a good fighter.”
"Don't call me that, or I'll cut your head off," Blaze threatened, his voice low and dangerous, but the kid in front of him just smiled, seemingly oblivious to the venom in his words.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself! The name’s Sun—Kai Sun. Pleasure to meet you…" Kai said, his tone bright and carefree.
"Blaze. Blaze Rook," Blaze responded, his grip tightening on his Inferno Reaver.
"Blaze, huh? That’s a fitting name for a hothead like you," Kai quipped, flashing a mischievous grin, completely unaware—or uncaring—of how much he was getting under Blaze’s skin.
"I don’t think he realizes how irritating he is," Lyria whispered to Scarlett, who nodded in agreement. "No, he definitely doesn’t."
Before Blaze could retort, a familiar presence made itself known, one that immediately drew all of their attention. It was their sensei, Aeloria, arriving in her usual dramatic fashion. Without missing a beat, Blaze and Scarlett unleashed twin torrents of fire at her, their frustrations finally boiling over.
"Now, now, is that any way to greet your teacher?" Aeloria chided playfully, effortlessly dodging the flames. "And who might this be?" she asked, glancing at Kai, who was standing close by.
"Just some kid who showed up and started a fight," Blaze muttered, though Scarlett and Lyria quickly chimed in, "Aren't you the one who attacked first?"
Blaze huffed and looked away, clearly not wanting to admit they were right.
"Anyway, now that we're all here, it's time to start our mission," Aeloria announced, clapping her hands together with a bright, almost mischievous smile.
"Oh, can I come?" Kai asked eagerly, only to be met with a resounding "No!" from both Scarlett and Blaze.
"That’s not fair. It sounds like fun," Kai pouted, visibly deflated, before suddenly perking up again, his energy seemingly inexhaustible.
Just as Kai was about to speak again, a soft, childlike voice called out, "Big Brother, I found you!"
Everyone turned to see a young girl, no older than ten, with a mischievous smile that mirrored Kai’s. She had long black hair tied into two pigtails, and her eyes sparkled with the same bright amber as her brother’s. She was dressed simply in a T-shirt, a skirt, and sneakers, but her presence was anything but ordinary.
"Huh? Li Mei, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at home doing your homework?" Kai asked, clearly surprised to see his little sister.
"I snuck out to find you. I want to train with you today, big brother. Teach me some more techniques!" Li Mei replied with a grin.
Kai sighed, realizing the trouble he was in. "Mother’s going to kill me if she finds out. Come on, let’s get you back home before I’m grounded for life."
He scooped up his sister, leaped onto his cloud, and prepared to fly away. But before leaving, he turned back to the group with a grin. "Well, I’ll catch you guys around. Gotta take lil’ sis back before my mom finds out. See ya!"
And with that, he flew off into the distance, leaving the others standing there in stunned silence.
"What just happened?" Scarlett, Lyria, and Blaze all asked at the same time, still processing the whirlwind that had just swept through their morning.
"I hope I never meet him again," Blaze grumbled, still seething from the earlier fight.
"Geez, get over it already," Scarlett sighed, rolling her eyes at Blaze’s lingering frustration.
Aeloria clapped her hands again, drawing their attention back to her. "Well, now that all of that is done, it’s time for your mission."
Scarlett eyed their sensei warily, noting the excited glint in her eyes. "I don’t like the look on your face… but tell us what this mission is."
Aeloria smiled, a smile that was both sweet and utterly terrifying. "The mission is simple: all of you have to land a single hit on me before the week is over. No sleeping, no eating, and no resting until you do. The mission will not be over until all of you manage that."
Her tone was light, almost as if she was suggesting something as easy as fetching a glass of water. But the challenge in her words was clear. "And I will not be holding back… much," she added with a whisper, her eyes twinkling with anticipation.
Scarlett’s shoulders slumped. "What have we gotten ourselves into? This might just be worse than hell… or dying."
Lyria nodded in agreement, her usually calm demeanor cracking just a bit. Blaze, however, was uncharacteristically silent, deep in thought.
"So, all of us have to land an attack on you, and we can do this any way we like, right?" he finally asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Correct. Any way you like, as long as you land an attack," Aeloria confirmed. "But in order to start the mission, you’ll have to find me first. And it starts… now."
With a wave of her hand, Aeloria vanished into thin air, leaving her students standing there, still processing the task that lay ahead.
"She did this on purpose," Lyria muttered, her eyes widening as realization dawned on her. "She waited until we were tired, hungry, and overall annoyed before starting the mission, knowing it would mess with us."
"That’s evil. Oh, so evil," Scarlett agreed, shaking her head. "Now we have to go a week on empty stomachs, and we’re already exhausted from being up so early. Plus, Blaze just got done with a fight. This mission is going to be tougher than we thought."
In the Celestial Realm, far above the mortal plane, the goddess Nyra was still pouting in her corner, her usual vibrant energy dampened by her complaints. "I just want to watch. I won’t do anything, I promise!" she whined. "This is cruelty, I tell you, cruelty!" But her words fell on deaf ears as the angel Seraphina went about her tasks, ignoring Nyra’s protests.
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Will Blaze, Scarlett, and Lyria be able to find their sensei and complete the mission? Find out in the next chapter!