The rain had started in full now, a torrential downpour that soaked the world around us. As the water cascaded from the heavens, my sword seemed to come alive, pulsating with otherworldly energy. It began as a faint, ethereal glow, a subtle shimmer that danced along the blade's edge.
But then, the magic surged, coursing through the metal as though it had a life of its own. I could feel it, a powerful force, swirling and writhing within. The air crackled with anticipation, and the heavens themselves seemed to hold their breath.
And then, with a deafening roar that echoed through the storm, the energy burst forth from my sword. It erupted into a brilliant display of sapphire light, forming the figure of something that looked like a dragon.
Aurelia stood before me, watching in awe as my sword's manifestation took shape.
"A-are you seeing what I'm seeing, Valeria? Usually, it takes quite a lot of mastery over your powers to bring forth a manifestation." Zorro asked from the sides, his gaze fixated on the dragon.
"Not even dominion-level bloodbearers can usually do that, only those in the master tier of mages and bloodbearers can summon manifestations," Valeria said, also enamored by the sight of the beautiful sight in front of her eyes.
Even I was surprised to see a sapphire dragon take shape, but whatever. Manifestations usually bring with them a general boost in overall stats as you'll be able to play to the fullest strengths of your powers. It often is an indication of the user being in what martial artists call "The Zone."
"Wow, you have enough mastery to bring forth a manifestation? It seems like I've underestimated you a lot, heh." Aurelia said as she gritted her teeth.
I saw her grip her blades tightly, and all three of the arrows now gleaming a brilliant white, as they started to spin on their axes rapidly, turning into deadly projectiles that could obliterate anything with a touch.
They spun with so much force that a small pocket of air started to form behind them, preventing rain from falling there.
She knelt on the ground and started to chant something under her breath.
"What are you doing?" I asked, with the voice of my older self.
She looked up and seemed to have a smirk on her face. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared, and all three of those arrows started to come at me with blistering speed.
"I'll finish you off right here, right now!" She said with a calm yet threatening voice, as she manifested a three-headed hydra from her blades.
They were so fast that despite managing to dodge two of them, one of them grazed me. As all three of them passed me, Aurelia appeared out of a blind spot and brought her blade down on me with full force.
I managed to perfectly parry, but before I could counterattack, the arrows came to her rescue, putting some much-needed distance between me and her for her own sake.
I didn't know what I was even doing or seeing, for I was merely an observer in this high-class fight, in my own body.
As I narrowly dodged another volley of arrows, Aurelia reappeared once more, her blade gleaming with deadly intent. This time, I anticipated her attack, ready to parry her strike. But before I could counter, the arrows surged forward again, creating a barrier between us.
Realization washed over me like a cold wave. Aurelia's rhythm was clear now; she was capitalizing on the small recovery window the arrows provided, ensuring I couldn't retaliate. It was a masterful technique, one that could hold it's own, even in close quarters combat.
"Nice strategy you got there, but there's something I can exploit," I said, my voice dripping with confidence.
The tension in Aurelia's face grew more as she dove in for an attack with all three of her arrows in unison.
I managed to dodge two of them again, but this time, a third arrow struck me in the chest, and a wave of pain radiated throughout my body as I was sent flying back into a wall and breaking through it.
I managed to stick a landing somehow and was still standing on my feet. I looked down as blood started to drip from the wound. "Ed!" I could hear Valeria and Zorro's screams in chorus, as they watched the battle go on.
Adante had managed to get up with his catalyst and was running towards me to try and help me in any way possible.
"Hang in there!" Adante screamed as the second and third arrows made a beeline for me from the front.
"Got you," Aurelia said, as she saw me stumble.
She disappeared, reappearing behind me, ready to finish me off with a decisive strike. Just then, I shifted my body just enough to narrowly avoid her thrusting attack. Before she could realize what had happened, my blade had made a deep and grievous cut across her torso. All Valeria and Zorro could see were red.
"Seems like you fell for the oldest trick in the book," I whispered to her as she fell, not realizing what had happened.
"I pretended to get struck so that I could lure you in for the kill," I said, a smirk on my face, as I pulled the arrow out of my chest and inspected it.
Suddenly, I felt a jolt in my body as I could feel the control coming back now, along with the pain of the arrow, and also the physical exertion set in now. Just standing there not doing anything felt like I was standing and holding up a mountain.
"H-how are you not hurt by the arrow?" Aurelia coughed out, her voice weak and raspy now.
"Well, If you protect your vital organs and your blood vessels, it actually turns out that the human body is surprisingly sturdy," I said, now healing the wound on my chest, the Older Ed's voice fading out, being replaced by my normal voice.
I showed her the arrow, the point of impact dangerously close to my heart. "Had it gone a sliver to the left," I continued, "I may not have been breathing now."
Aurelia's gaze faltered, a mixture of pain and realization dawning in her eyes. Valeria and Zorro watched in stunned silence, unable to comprehend the sudden turn of events.
Aurelia managed a weak smile, acknowledging her defeat. "You got me... fair and square. But just so you know, this isn't over yet."
Saying that she whipped her fingers skyward, and one of the arrows followed suit, going up into the sky with the same brilliant white shine.
"That should alert the others. And trust me, If you think I was a handful, I pale in comparison to them." She said as she started to cough up blood.
"We should go guys," Zorro said, as Valeria hoisted him up, and they were walking towards us.
"Where do we go though?" Adante asked, his voice filled with concern on the fact that foes more powerful than Aurelia could show up.
"I know a place," Valeria said, as she shot a wink at me. I think I immediately knew what the place was going to be.