Chapter 16
[With the massive explosion caused by Clay, the environment the candidates were were up in smokes. Clay, however, was protected by a barrier he made but his clones weren't so lucky he didn't care about all that. He kept staring at the smoke checking if his victory was secured and if he has finally permanently dealt with Aiden.... But then he heard a voice coming from the smoke his eyes widened with disbelief]
Aiden: Wow, that's a huuugggee egg-splooosssiiion!! You could do some serious damage with that if you had shot at anyone else.
Clay: How...
[Clay's jaw dropped in disbelief at hearing his voice, he wondered how Aiden survived such a blast that would level a city. When the dust settles he saw Aiden and his siblings in a transparent Ice dome. Aiden was waving at him through the ice. Even the student Crysta froze were alright. Her Ice was quite sturdy]
Akeru: H-he just cleared the entire forest!
Aiden: There, there Akeru, don't cry, Don't cry. It'll be alright.
Akeru: B-but that's not right. He just destroyed all those other living things in the forest that had nothing to do with this.
Aiden: I'm... sorry about whatever you lost in there, how can I make up for it?
Akeru: Don't worry yourself over me Aiden, I'll be fine
[Akeru sounded like he was about to cry]
Aiden: I can't leave my brother sad like this, Hmm.... Oh! I have got an idea; How bout you beat the crap out of him.
[Aiden pointed at Clay. Clay still disarrayed from this snapped back to reality immediately]
Clay: You're putting me against him? You don't care for your brother. But even though... I don't want him. I want you Brightfil! I want to kill you!
[When Akeru heard the threats Clay was spewing against the person who saved his life he clenched his teeth in anger]
Akeru: A-aiden... you'll let me fight him alone?
Aiden: Yep, I won't move from this spot until you've brought him down. Hehe, Even you have to vent your frustration sometimes.
Akeru: Thank you.
[Akeru said then bowed his head in respect]
[Akeru walked toward Clay's direction. Gripping his sword I'm his hand. Clay took an instinctive step back, it was like he could feel Akeru was dangerous. But he couldn't let it show so he put on bravado]
Clay: You let him make you think you've gotta chance against me! I'll kill ya then I'll head for the Brightfil's.
Akeru: Clay-san you hear what he said before, right? He said I was his brother...which makes me a Brightfil.
[Akeru breathed in then let out a narrow sigh. His expression became cold and deadly serious.]
Clay: Tch, Oh woopie for family [Gun magic: letter P: Poison pellets]
[He did a quick draw and shot Akeru
His remaining clones adjusted their guns too and shot at Akeru, but he cuts every single one of those rain of bullets shot at him in half, he didn't look tired or scared, he looked indifferent but there was a bit of anger within him.]
Clay: Grrrr, What are you dolls doing?! Kill him!
Clones:[ Gun magic: Letter D: Double shots]
[They mixed their poison pellets with double shots, so when it hits another shot will be fired from those very bullets. They were double hit, double the speed, double the impact, and double the potency of the regular pellets]
[Akeru now began to dodge them instead of cutting them in half, the ones that passed him were headed straight for Aiden.]
Aiden: Woohoo, you're soo cool Akeru!! You're doing the whole badass hero who dodges shit with a straight face, go lil bro!
[Aiden was unfazed by the incoming bullets that were about to hit and kept cheering his brother like a mother who came to watch her child at a school sports event. He then caught all the stray bullets with his bare hands, not because he couldn't dodge them he was defending Tanya who was behind him.]
[Akeru went to attack the clones who were a hindrance he dodged an attack, came in between two clones, disabled one of them then used his sword to block a bullet from the other then shot it with the gun he got from the former]
Clay's POV
Dammit! What do I do?! I've never been put in such a situation like this in my life!!
Tch, I'll have to retreat for a while and discuss plans again with "Him" but he may be pissed off at this so I might just pass.
Anyways, time for a tactical retreat.
[Clay turned around to escape but he saw Akeru behind him.]
Clay: Ahhh! How did you get here what of my clones?
[ Akeru didn't speak he tilted his head as if asking "What clones?" They'd have all been destroyed in the brief moment Clay was thinking of a plan to escape]
Clay: L-l-let's talk this out, I didn't kill anyone we can just let this go.
[Akeru's eyes narrowed looking at him. If he could talk at the moment he would ask "Can you bring them back to life?"
]
Clay: I didn't kill anyone, c'mon. I was just kiddin' around.
[Akeru held Clay's head and faced it towards the destroyed forest.]
Aiden: He's asking "Can you bring those back to life?"
All the wildlife and plants you supposedly destroyed. All the lives that were wasted in this forest, due to your pettiness, can you bring them back to life?
[Aiden knew what Akeru felt, Akeru didn't talk while he was in this state so Aiden interpreted it for him]
Clay: I... can't.
[Akeru quickly went toward Clay before he could draw his gun. Then he put his sword next to Clay's neck, then he narrowed his eyes in annoyance]
Aiden: "Then what reason do I have to let you go?"
[Clay's lower lip was quivering then it turned to a smirk]
Clay: Don't worry, you'll soon die along with em'
Akeru: Huh?
[Akeru snapped out of that previous state he was in. A clone popped out of Akeru's blind spot and shot Akeru in the back.]
Akeru: Arghh!
Clay: Hahaha, Did you see that Aiden Brightfil, you're brother is now going to die because of your arrogance...Huh? Where is he?
[He looked at Tanya we're Aiden formally was but he was nowhere to be found... then a voice behind Aleru was heard]
Aiden: Phew, that was a close one, Akeru, he nearly had you.
Clay: Wh-when did you get there?!
[Aiden caught the bullet 10 millimeter before it could hit Akeru, what Akeru felt was Aiden's slightly forceful hand on his back.]
Aiden: That was too close.
Clay: What type of monster are you? You were over 25 meters away from us, how did you get here so fast?!
Aiden: Uhh... I ran? Anyways I'll just kill these clones so Akeru can do whatever he wants with you,
[His flames destroyed the clone but scorched the land, even more, he still didn't have his magic under control too much]
[Akeru repeated that breathing process again then became as cold as Ice again, he kicked Clay so hard that he flew and landed on a large rock that wasn't destroyed by that blast, and rolled around in the dirt covered in sand. The kick and where he landed was so hard that Clay passed out from the pain whole foaming in the mouth.]
[Akeru walked away to look at the damage Clay caused.]
Clay: I... can't believe I lost to a void kid.
[While he barely had any strength left he uttered a few words]I
Aiden: "Void"?
Clay: People who don't possess at least an ounce of magic I refer to as "Void" meaning empty, he's an empty vessel.
Aiden: Akeru's not empty he has me and his family with him, he has the people of Sheates who love him so that "emptiness" doesn't apply to him. Oh isn't losing to a void kid means your empty yourself? Haha.
Clay: I... only lost cos of YOUR interference, Brightfil.... He is not going to last to see a tomorrow if you're his guardian... he'll die with all da assholes close to you, and... your flame's gonna be the cause...Bright...fil...
[Aiden stared at him as indifferently as Clay truly passed out.]
Aiden: Phew, I'm so glad this is finally over. And what's with that ominous threat? I just started an arc and I'm already being threatened! Nooo!
[He knelt with his hands on the floor depressed. He raised his head after his dramatic fall to look at the frozen students. He then asked Crysta to release them.]
Crysta: And with this never ask anything of me again.
Aiden: Heh, I get it, I get it, thanks for all your help.
[He tried to pat her on her head, then she froze his hand before he touched her then she walked away]
Aiden: She's petty! Hmph!
[He said holding his frozen arm]
Akeru: S-so what are we going to do with him?
Aiden: I don't know. Probably should hand him over to the knights...Oh yeah, they're all dead...
Wait! How are we gonna leave here?!
I don't want to live in some strange forest with a bunch of weirdos! Yo Announcer can you hear us?! Announcer!!
Akeru: N-no answer.
[Areli walked up to Aiden and slapped him across his face. She was enraged by Aiden holding her face and threatening her to get information out of Clay. But since she couldn't use magic at the moment that slap was the next best thing]
Areli: Never use me in your plans again, Brightfil! Next time you'll get off with more than just this.
Aiden: I guess I did overdo it with my actions, I'm sorry.
Areli: I don't need your apologies, next time you touch me without permission I'll have you beheaded.
Aiden: Great then, byeeee....
[Leaving Areli in confusion he dragged Clay's unconscious body to tie to a faraway tree.]
[Aiden looked around and found there was something weird here, he noticed that the explosion didn't clear the mass of land it was previously shown to destroy. But he also knew that Akeru wouldn't get as upset as he did if only parts of the forest were destroyed... He started to mutter "This doesn't seem right"]
Aiden's POV
A tree? Maybe it's one of those coincidences where everything else is destroyed but one random object remains unharmed. But do I really wanna believe that?
[Aiden walked over to Akeru who was flipping the soil over. He noticed the place Akeru was flipping over wasn't even destroyed nor was it scathed]
["Why was he doing it then?" he asked himself]
Liana: Oh heavens, I can't believe what has become of this great forest, those fiends will have to suffer the worse fate in prison.
Liana: With my still recovering magic the best I can do for now is.... [Vine magic: Forest rebirth]
[She regrew back 50% of the parts of the wide forest service deemed destroyed up to the tree Aiden tied Clay to. Aiden still put a confusing look on his face wondering why she overdid her spell. Only parts of the area they were got destroyed so why did she overdo it?]
Liana: Too bad I don't have my full magic back, I could help have grown it all back.
[Akeru who was no longer flipping the soil over muttered the words: "Thank you" and left.]
Liana: A pauper who also loves nature as much as I do? Hmph!
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Aiden: Sigh... How long do we have to spend here before we get to leave? Who am I talking to?
I wonder where Luna and Calico are? I hope their still alive though since that Vine chick casts her spell. This place is even denser than before. And I feel like I'm overthinking things. I'll take a walk to kill some time, my fish is still frozen by Crysta so I guess I can wait for a little before I get cooking.
[Aiden with his doubts walked into the now denser forest to clear his thoughts]
Hehe, I've been walking for hours, I think I'm lost. There's gotta be a way back, it's evening! I was gonna walk and then find Luna and Calico but I have no idea where I'm headed to.
There's that saying: "If you don't know where you're going, go back to where you're coming from"
But in a forest where everywhere looks like "Where you're coming from" that saying becomes null and I've become lost. Oh well.
I'm so tired, ya know? I've been in a fight against a giant fish, I fought and burnt a girls clothes, I got poisoned, I fought an assassin and his clones and won.
Today has been really active and fun hasn't it? I'll just sit here and take a breather, what about you? Aren't you tired of using your illusionary magic all day... Brian Akill?
[Aiden was talking to no here in particular but after he muttered that name a silhouette walked out of the shadows]
Brian: So you knew...
Aiden: It got obvious after a point though.
[Aiden narrowed his eyes at him]
Aiden: ....You're a terrible illusionist.
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[What's this new development?]