Chapter 8 - I Won't Be Left Behind!
Here I was, standing tall and proud. My first ever win at this school. A large grin spread across my face. "I won't allow myself to be left behind. Not now, not ever. And it all starts right here, at this moment, with this victory."
A voice echoed from below me, "I wouldn't be so sure if I were you!"
A sharp blade of wind sliced deep into my right arm, my body instinctively recoiled backwards, reading my sword, only to see my blood, falling and pooling on the cold ground. I blinked twice, it was all I could do. I didn't feel any pain, I didn't feel anything really. The only indication that the attack really happened was my blood, now on the floor, and my vision, which started to go black. I didn't even feel my body hitting the ground, nor did I hear Apollo falling out of my grasp. It was silent. A peaceful silent like I'd never felt before. I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. A blue flame. My attention quickly shifted to it. It was so majestic, so calm and yet, roaring with power, just beneath the surface. I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I don't know what possessed me to do so, but my arm reached out to it. And yet, to my disappointment, as soon as I touched it, the flame disappeared. A harrowing voice came from the depth of my mind. "SOON"
Mere moments after I heard that voice, I was shot back into reality, the pain of my wound coming at me with full force. Yet, I didn't care. All I cared about was winning, and figuring out what the hell that voice from before was. I looked down and saw Apollo, coated in blood, my blood, that had been staining the ground. I picked it back up, and shouted it's name, with all the power I could muster.
"APOLLO!"
The roaring, orange, flames came back, seemingly more powerful than before. 'I have nothing to lose anymore. I will win this. That is a promise.' I took one step forward, which then became two steps, then three, then it became a full on run towards my opponent. He charged up for another slice of wind, but this time I was ready. He fired the wind slice, aiming for my chest, but I used all the power in my legs to leap over it, and then used my momentum to hit him in his left arm, effectively dislocating it. Once I landed, I spun around, and used Apollo to hit him in the side of his chest, cracking one of his ribs, and setting his clothes on fire. While he was distracted by the fire, I brought Apollo up, and then slammed it into the side of his neck, knocking him out, and winning me the match. "Like I said before, I won't be left behind. Not now, not ever."
I placed Apollo back into its sheath,the flames dying out as I did so, before taking a few steps back. The adrenaline that was in my body quickly left, causing me to fall to one knee, panting and gasping for air. My teacher's voice cut through the air, "Amon wins!"
I looked up to see him smiling confidently, almost as if he knew that I would win.
The medical team quickly arrived, and picked up my opponent. A few more then rushed over to me. After a few well used healing spells, my wound closed up. However, once again, there was a scar, running from the crease of my elbow, to the bottom of my wrist. It was just another sign to me. A sign that I wasn't strong enough.
Shortly after I was given the ok to get back to practice, it had, unfortunately, ended already. I quickly rejoined my class back at the classroom and took a seat. Some looked at me in awe, some looked down at me still, like they were confident that they could beat me. And I'm sure that some could. However, I was ready for any challenge that would come my way. I refused to go down without a fight. I refused to give up. I refuse to be weak. As soon as that last thought entered my mind, I heard that same voice echoing in the back of my mind. "ALMOST THERE"