Aramith watched the two get out and smiled at Lia but she didn't return it. She went forward and picked up the bow she'd dropped earlier. There was a trolley of arrows and she pulled it as she moved toward the place where they normally trained. It was away from the range. There was a large cupola above that area and she stopped before arriving beneath it. Aramith and Mozrael passed her and went forward under the skylight where they were very visible.
Under normal circumstances, one would expect a rapier under normal fencing circumstances, but that was not the case when it came to Gebreth. They had never actually used one before. He made them train with different weapons every time they dueled. The last time, it was the spear, and this time the sword, but this wasn't the first time they'd used swords to train before. The only difference was that they were not to use the same sword they'd used before, so they could be versatile and not constricted to a small group of weapons when the time came.
Aramith stood opposite Mozrael Whose fencing outfit had a light blue color to it. She held the sword she'd picked earlier and pointed upwards as she kept her eyes on Aramith. He on the other hand held the short sword casually They both stood still, unsure of who would attack first. That's what an outsider would have seen, but no, they were both confident of their skills with the weapons they held, they were only trying to observe the other to notice any changes from the last time they'd dueled. Mozrael remembered how quickly Aramith had dodged the arrow earlier and concluded he was a little faster than before, but not so fast she wouldn't catch up to him. Without warning, Aramith shot at Mozrael with insane speed. She saw his sword swing at her abdomen when he was close enough and blocked the attack. She jumped back and he followed after, attacking slowly, but increasing his speed with every attack. She was on the defensive, spinning about and blocking his every attack. Due to their masks, one couldn't see the other's expression so it was difficult to know how the other was faring just from their fighting style. They kept up with what they were doing, slowly but surely picking up speed with every attack, block, and dodge.
Aramith lunged at her, but she spun around and used his momentum to her advantage, quickly appearing behind him. She slashed at him sideways, but he was faster than she'd expected and parried the blow. Still, that was far from enough to push Mozrael away; she attacked again and again with him parrying every attack she sent his way. That was when she noticed something about his sword. He only attacked with one edge, but blocked and parried with the side of the sword. That intrigued her, and she kept attacking him in various ways for him to use the other edge but he was no pushover. It took her some time to finally realize that, unlike her double-edged sword, his' was a single-edged blade. That would put a person at some disadvantage, but not Aramith. He fought easily with his weapon.
Lia watched the two move around back and forth, trying so hard to put the other off balance with no advantage. She'd been watching them for minutes now, but now, she was ready to do what she had been waiting for. She quickly aimed without hesitating and pulled the string very hard then released it towards the two. Aramith either didn't see it or he ignored it totally as it zoomed towards him. Just as it was getting close, he stepped back and its target switched to Mozrael, but she didn't focus on it either. It got closer and closer, and just when it was about to hit its mark, she slashed it quickly, snapping it into two parts that fell to the floor. She ignored it and went back to dealing with Aramith. Lia took another arrow and aimed at the two again. This one went even faster than the other, but just as before, they were prepared for Lia's arrows. Just as it was getting close, Aramith slashed at it. Lia aimed again and Mozrael destroyed it. The next was destroyed by Aramith, then Mozrael. They kept alternating that way, destroying the arrows Lia sent their way.
After a few dozen arrows, Aramith suddenly took off his mask and threw it to the floor away from them. He had a grin on his face and that irritated Lia. She aimed the next one at him and let it go with more force than intended. It flew in an arc that would miss its target, but just as it was getting close, Aramith parried an attack from Mozrael so strong it pushed her back. With that, he leaped toward the arrow and caught it with his free hand then as quick as lightning, hit it with the side of his sword. It planted itself firmly in front of Lia.
"Let your well-trained and mature big brother teach you how to send those arrows, will you?" He said as he went back to continue with Mozrael. Lia was annoyed at his remark but didn't let it get to her head. She focused and kept shooting those arrows at them.
Looking at them, one would be mesmerized and stand watching the two duel. Their movements had taken a form that was nothing short of mesmerizing. Their footwork was truly amazing and it had turned into a dance that looked beautiful, so beautiful it was easy to ignore the fact that they played with sharp swords that could easily slice through weaker metals or the fact that armor-piercing arrows were flying toward them at insane speeds the eye couldn't easily follow. The kind of skill they trained with would be commendable even to a master swordsman. It could take someone at least a decade to reach the skill they moved with, and even such a person would be known as a prodigy to people; someone people would talk about far and wide, but these kids were pulling that off so easily without a second thought. They were amazing alright, but that was what made it even more amazing if one were to think of the person who'd trained them. What kind of skill did Gebreth have to be able to turn such kids into such scary people? They were now like beasts and if that were so, what was Gebreth? A greater monster? He truly more than passed as the advisor to the king. It was now something to think of whether a greater proportion of this being possible was because of the skill and versatility the kids had, or Gebreth. Both sides were scary no matter how one thought about it.
Lia was now shooting two arrows at a time, or that's what it looked like to the untrained eye. She was shooting them at different intervals but timed them so they moved at the same speed. The first was shot a little slower than the first, and the second was shot a little faster than the first so they ended up moving together. She did it so fast that it would confuse one to think she shot two arrows at the same time. But even with that, Aramith and Mozrael didn't hesitate to destroy her arrows. Lia shortened the time interval of her shots but the two maniacs kept swatting them without batting an eye.
Aramith swatted two more arrows away and grinned at Lia. "You're getting slower. Should I come to teach you? I could dodge those shots even if I had one leg with my hands tied at my back and wearing a blindfold. How disappointing" Lia was getting annoyed at his remarks.
"Shut it would you?" She was getting more and more irritated
Aramith's sword clashed against Mozrael's with a resounding ring, their weapons sparking in the dim light of the training hall. The space between them hummed with energy, each move a silent promise of what was to come. Mozrael's eyes never wavered, her grip firm on her blade, but there was something in her stance that suggested doubt—a hesitation she couldn't quite shake.
The duel had been ongoing for what seemed like hours, the tension rising with every strike. Aramith moved with the kind of precision that only years of training could create. His attacks were quick, decisive, yet Mozrael, no stranger to battle herself, kept pace. But something about today felt different—faster, fiercer—like the very air between them was charged with more than just the clash of steel.
"Come on, Mozrael," Aramith taunted, a grin pulling at the corner of his lips. "You're not holding back, are you?"
Mozrael's eyes narrowed, the words fueling the fire within her. "You wish," she muttered, sidestepping his next blow with a graceful spin, only to feel the sharp air of his blade skim past her cheek. The duel intensified, both moving with heightened desperation.
But then, everything shifted in a heartbeat.
A single arrow whizzed through the air, its tip glowing with a dangerous energy. It hit its mark—a glimmering stone near the heart of the hall.
The explosion was immediate.
It was as if time had momentarily stopped.
The shockwave slammed into them, knocking them both to the ground. The world seemed to explode into flashes of white light and violent, twisting shadows. Aramith screamed—an unearthly, gut-wrenching sound that cut through the air with the force of the blast.
Mozrael's heart stopped. The scream echoed in her ears as she pushed herself up, disoriented. Aramith's body was limp, his head crushed into a pile of broken weapons. His form crumpled like a ragdoll, and a thick silence filled the space where the chaos had just been.
Her hands trembled as she reached for him. She slid across the debris, her breath short, desperate. "Aramith?" she whispered, her voice trembling with something she couldn't name.
He didn't respond.
Mozrael's chest constricted as her mind spun. Was he… gone? The scream had felt like it had shattered something deep inside her, and now the weight of it crushed down on her, threatening to suffocate her.
She reached out, her fingers brushing against his head, the warmth of his skin a faint comfort in the midst of the storm. His body was cold, too cold. Her throat tightened.
This can't be real. She couldn't process it. She couldn't lose him, not now, not like this. Not when they had so much to—
"No," Mozrael whispered, shaking her head violently as though the motion could wake him. She held him tighter, pressing his head into her lap. "Please… Aramith. Please, wake up."
Her voice cracked, a tear slipping from her eye, but it wasn't just fear or panic that made her weep. It was something deeper—something she couldn't face. A feeling she had never allowed herself to acknowledge. Was this it? Was this the end of their bond, their friendship, everything?
Her eyes darted across the room, searching for the source of the arrow, and there stood Lia, her face pale, her hands covering her face in horror.
Mozrael's heart twisted painfully. She had never seen Lia like this before—not in all the time they'd known each other. The girl was shaking, her lips moving but no words came out. It was clear, though—she knew. She knew what she had done.
"Lia," Mozrael's voice was hoarse, as though the words were too heavy to say. She lifted Aramith's body gently, trying to find a way to move him, trying to shake the cold from his form, but her eyes remained on Lia.
Lia's eyes were wide, her breath coming in short bursts. Her hands trembled as she looked between Aramith and Mozrael, her expression contorted with guilt, with disbelief. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
"I didn't mean to—" Lia finally choked out, but her words were a mere whisper.
Mozrael's mind screamed. She wanted to shout at her, to demand what she had done, but the anguish that cut through her heart left her too paralyzed to move. She just stared at Lia—her best friend, her closest ally—and all she could feel was the raw, hollow emptiness.
Lia took a faltering step back, her face crumpling as she turned to leave, running without looking back. She stumbled through the broken hall, her hands covering her face as if to shield herself from the truth of what had happened.
Mozrael's chest tightened again. She couldn't—she couldn't let her run. She couldn't let Lia escape the pain. But before she could make a move, the door slammed shut behind her, leaving nothing but the deafening silence of the aftermath.
Mozrael's eyes fell back on Aramith. His body was motionless, and the only sound in the room was the faint rush of blood pounding in her ears.
Don't leave me, Aramith. Please don't leave me.
Her vision blurred, and for a moment, everything spun. She was losing him, and the realization crushed her more than the explosion ever could. She gathered him close, holding him as tightly as her shaking arms would allow. The tears fell freely now—silent, unstoppable.
Suddenly without warning, Aramith let out a scream.
As Aramith's scream pierced the air, raw and primal, the force of it ripped through Mozrael's chest, causing her to freeze. The sound was too much to bear—an agonizing, heart-wrenching cry that seemed to tear the very fabric of her soul. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, and without thinking, she released him, his body falling limply to the floor. The world around her seemed to tilt, the edges of reality blurring into the roar of her heartbeat.
Her breathing quickened, panic rising in her throat, but beneath the fear was something else—a surge of power, something dark and ancient that stirred deep within her. As she gazed down at Aramith's lifeless form, a faint shimmer of scales began to appear along her skin, spreading from her fingers up her arm, glowing with a ghostly light. The transformation was subtle, yet undeniable, as the scales began to pulse in rhythm with her rapid breaths. It was as if a part of her was awakening—something wild, something untamed, and something she was far from ready to face.
Just then, the door slammed open, and Jareth rushed in, his eyes wide with panic as he took in the chaotic scene before him. Mozrael barely registered his presence, her gaze fixed on Aramith. Kneeling beside him, Jareth quickly checked his pulse, his breath catching when he saw the extent of the injuries. "He's alive," he muttered, his voice barely a whisper. "But just barely."
Mozrael's heart clenched as she reached toward Aramith, her hands shaking. Desperation laced her voice as she whispered, "Please, Jareth, you have to help him. I—I didn't mean to... Please, don't let him die!" Tears streamed down her face, but her eyes were wild, the transformation creeping further along her neck and jaw, sharp, pointed scales now gleaming against her pale skin. "I can't lose him, not like this. Please..." she begged, her voice cracking as the fear and guilt overwhelmed her.
Jareth, still kneeling by Aramith's side, was silent for a moment. His eyes flickered between Mozrael and the young man he was trying to help. "Mozrael, calm down, he'll be fine. But you need to stop this… Whatever this is inside of you." His voice was gentle but firm, but Mozrael could only nod, her breath coming in erratic gasps as she fought to suppress the growing urge to transform fully.