As Luka finished his sentence, electricity crackled at his fingertips. My eyes widened.
This was getting serious.
With a flick of his hand, electricity shot towards Astrid. I instantly raised a wall of ice to block it. I grabbed Astrid's hand pulling her to the ground. I created a ball of light and dropped it into the ground.
Luka was coming towards us and Gram was coming up on the side. I sent it towards Luka. A boom resonated into the air in the next second. Luka was blasted a couple feet back, but he seemed unfazed. I looked at Astrid. She had a fireball in her hand and one of her swords in the other. I clutched her other sword tighter. Astrid fired at Gram, making him dodge the fireballs, but he kept coming.
Finally, Astrid looked at me. "I will get Gram out, but you have to promise me something," Astrid said. I nodded, urging her to continue, "You can't lose."
I opened my mouth to respond, but she was already gone, charging straight at Gram. Gram, noticing her coming in fast, sent a wave of ground at her. Astrid completely unworried, gracefully leapt over the wave, landing softly and reaching Gram. She grabbed him by the collar and promptly threw him out of the ring. The next second she was blasted out of the ring by Luka. I swallowed hard.
It was only Luka and me left.
I stepped out from the ice wall and faced Luka. I had never actually seen him use his powers. On missions, he took down his opponents with a gun, dagger, or with his bare hands. Now, here I am, facing him and seeing his powers for the first time. But this time, it would be directed at me.
I flexed my hands and stared Luka in the eyes. They seemed to glow even more now. A gentle breeze blew my hair off my face. In that breeze, I heard a whisper. It was that voice.
'Come on, Amara. You can beat him.'
I threw Astrid's blade out of the ring and drew out my pocket knife. I poked myself and spread the blood over the ornate carvings. Immediately, it changed forma simple pocket knife to a beautiful sword. I relished how light it felt, even though it was more than half the height of me. Luka drew out his own blade. It was his dagger.
It had a wicked curve to it and an evil glint from all the damage it had inflicted. My grip tightened. I fixed my stance, waiting for Luka to make the first move. He noticed this and smirked. He came at me almost like a blur. When I raised my sword to meet his, I almost dropped it upon impact. I would not be able to withstand another hit like that. I simply did not have the strength.
I had not been able to bring forth my other form since the incident. I honestly didn't feel any different when I switched, but Taliya insisted that there was something different. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention. Now, I wished for more than anything that there was a difference and that I would be able to use it. The voice suddenly shoved itself into my brain.
'Hmm, maybe you are ready. Let's make this a test. If you can handle your other form, I will let you access it anytime you like, but if you can't at least it will gauge where you are. Although, just a warning, it can have consequences if you can't control it. So, Amara, prove to me that you are worthy of this power.'
What choice did I have? I was going to try. I felt something in me surge with new found power. I was able to throw Luka backwards with my sword. His eyes widened, noticing my strength. My senses were heightened and I was aware of everything. The world seemed to be put on slow-mo.
Luka came at me again, yet in my vision, he seemed slow. I followed his movements with ease. This time when our blades clashed, I held firm. Luka was thoroughly alarmed. I grinned with satisfaction.
It was my turn.
I ran forward. I pushed Luka backwards, closer to the edge of the ring. Suddenly, he moved faster, retreating away from me. His body began to change. He seemed to sink into shadows and emerged as a giant black hound. His bright yellow eyed remained and a jagged line of yellow raced down his back. A voice whispered into my ears.
'Hellhound.'
Luka was half-hellhound. But, there were tell-tale signs that he was not a full one. For example, his eyes. They were not red. He did not have a foul odor nor did he have mangled fur. Rather, his black hair was silky and appeared to be soft. Smoke curled from his mouth.
He leapt at me. He was much faster now. I was still able to follow his movements, but he was definitely faster. I dodged his claws and slashed his side. He stumbled back, but the cut closed almost immediately after I had cut him. Stupid Amara, hellhounds are already dead! He came at me again and I could only slash him with my sword. I gritted this wasn't working.
I resorted to my powers instead. I dropped a ball of light, blowing it up in his face. He recoiled, his nostrils flared and pain crossed through his face. I caught the movement and smiled. Light! Light can hurt hellhounds! I dropped a bigger ball of light and split it up, placing them in spots like bombs. Luka walked carefully, watching for any light bombs. Deciding that it was fine, he charged at me, only to be blown up by a bomb. He was sent tumbling backwards. Wasting no time, I blew the other ones up, making him stumble to the edge of the ring. I ran forward and kicked him in his big hairy flank, sending him flying out of the ring.
A whistle blew, signalling the end of the match, but I did not hear it. I only heard the wispy voice.
'It seems you can handle it. Alright, you have passed the test. Keep improving, Amara.'
It sank into the distance and I was surrounded by my teammates and Astrid. Gram helped Luka up and helped him over to the middle of the ring where everyone was congregated. Caspian announced in a loud voice over the cheers.
"The winner of this match is Amara and Astrid!"
I smiled as Astrid hugged me.
"Good job, Amara," she whispered.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A dark figure watched a group of cheering figures from a tree. Grey eyed glittered in the shadows and a smile formed on his lips. He let out a soft, deep laugh.
"You never cease to surprise me."
The figure touched his ear. He nodded; his smile growing wider.
'Report Nox.'
"She has manifested light, Blitz. She beat that hound all by herself and she was able to use her awakened form properly."
'Hmm, interesting. Keep an eye on her.'
"Aye, Aye Captain!"
The figure's eyes sparkled with a mysterious look. "Watch out little one. If your not prepared, this might just drag you down into the undertow. There is little mercy to be found in the deep."