In the four walls of the academy, at a certain training room, two individuals gazed at each other intently.
One with hair and blue eyes looked prepared, his features and stance showed how serious he took the present situation.
The other individual, having a lean physique with hair as black as ink. A playful smile was etched onto his face, making the situation at first glance look like an exchange of simple pleasantries. If not for the aura of strength he was exuding one would think nothing more of this person. These individuals were none other than Zahad Dimworth and Benjamin Ferell.
Currently, the air crackled with tension as they both faced each other in the expansive training room. A brown wall, well lit in all areas but eerily silent with no sound leaking out except for rhythm of their steady breathing.
"Why did you pick a private room, were you afraid of someone witnessing your loss?" Zahad sneered as he spoke.
"...Is this how you start a fight? With goading tactics? Really?" Benjamin instantly frowned at his behaviour.
"So now you know how to act seriously."
"There is no need to take this fight seriously." Benjamin said as he walked forward.
"Like I said before, you are weak."
"Whatever, we'll see who's weak once I'm done with you." Zahad replied his body overflowing with power, he clenched his fist circulating his mana rapidly as he initiated the first attack.
He shot a ball of flames at his opponent, who unsurprisingly dodged. But instead of stepping back and putting some distance between them. Benjamin went forward, confusing Zahad.
"Are you trying to fight me at close range? That's a foolish idea." Zahad ridiculed Benjamin's decision, however Benjamin did nothing but smile in return.
Zahad lunged forward, unsheathing his dagger in the process. He struck or at least tried to strike but the hit didn't land, Ben had darted to the side dodging the attack once again.
Benjamin moved with a certain fluidity, he was a wind mage and this only boosted his speed making him extraordinarily quick.
He appeared behind Zahad almost catching him off guard, and Zahad quickly turned launching another ball of flames at close range. This time he increased the intensity of the flames as it burned brighter and increased in size.
"Let's see how you deal with this!"
"Hoo!"
The flame was quenched.
"..." Zahad was astonished for a second at Benjamin's unique spell and that second was enough for him to initiate a counterattack.
Boom!
He was blasted to the other side of the room, bouncing from the wall to the ground. The collision was abrupt and almost devastating. Luckily he fortified his body with mana before the collision. Yet, he sustained damage as it only reduced the strength of the attack.
Zahad wanted to get up immediately however the hit was significant, his body felt sluggish. He focused on circulating his mana for a quicker recovery. It took him a few seconds before he stood up.
Benjamin didn't rush forward, he let Zahad recover as he stood with his signature smile still apparently on his face. This alarmed Zahad.
"You had an opportunity to likely end the fight, why didn't you take it?" Zahad questioned in anger.
"Likely?" Benjamin's smile receded.
"You talk as if you are my match, let me make it clear to you. I could end you right where you stand and you wouldn't be able to do anything." His tone was cold, seemingly one of indifference.
"Then why haven't you done so?" Zahad asked, unfazed by Benjamin's tone.
"You see, you remind me of myself. My past self, I was a lot like you; bold, audacious, only thinking of nothing but your strength."
"What is wrong with that?"
"Nothing actually, thinking of ways to grow stronger is not much of an issue. However, your mind has been clouded by it, it may not have been present before. But after you got validated as strong, your delusions of already being the strongest started to set in."
"They are not delusions! I am strong!!" Zahad growled out.
"You mistake talent for skill."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You were declared to have high grade talent and after that you trained for six months."
"You also trained for six months." Zahad retorted.
"No, we high nobles have been training for a long time. Do you really think you could surpass us when we awakened the same high grade talent and have gone through a more rigorous training method that you?"
"I--" Zahad tried to speak.
"You don't have to answer that." Benjamin calmly stated. Moving to the centre of the training grounds he breathed deeply, then stared at Zahad.
"Do you still think I'm wrong?" He questioned.
Zahad thought for a second before raising his head to face Benjamin.
"Yes, I think you are." He replied.
"Then prove it." Benjamin spread his arms, seemingly waiting on Zahad.
For a moment, none of them moved. Then, with a sudden burst, Zahad lunged forward, his dagger at his right hand and a flame spell on the left. He ran towards Benjamin with the force of a wrecking ball, he shot the spell forward before him, waiting for Benjamin to dodge so he could intrrcept his movements with a dagger.
Benjamin dodged the spell as he predicted but he shifted from the space before Zahad's dagger strike could touch him. His speed was like a blur to Zahad.
"Is dodging the only the thing you can do!" Zahad shouted.
Though he spoke too soon as Benjamin headed towards him. Fast enough for his body to look obscured.
Zahad created a flame barrier in front of himself but Benjamin darted to the side and swept Zahad upwards with a wind spell.
Losing his footing and now a few metres above the ground Zahad's thoughts spun as he tried to cast a spell midair. He didn't get a chance to as Benjamin launched attack after attack sending him higher and inflicting more injuries to his body.
His ribs, his legs, and his face were all bombarded with attacks. Zahad coughed blood at one point seeking an end to the continuous strike but seeing none. But seeing none.
He endured and waited for an opening, a minor delay between Benjamin's hits but his opponent didn't let on. Zahad was lucky that the ceilings were high if not he would have been bounced around like a ball.
Afraid of getting too injured, Zahad's survival instincts kicked in as he unleashed a torrential downpour of flames from above.
He concentrated almost half of mana pool on the attack, the whole area was shrouded in flames. Zahad smiled as he felt the attacks cease, but his expression changed when his body was blown back by a violent gust of wind.
The flames he had created were once again doused and quenched to nothing by Benjamin's wind skill.
Zahad didn't have time to get shocked as he focused on cushioning his landing, which he did with a flame spell.
The whole place was covered in smoke an aftereffect of the fire that was quenched.
The large training room was eerily silent, only the sound of footsteps from the wind mage, Benjamin. He had a faint smile on his face as he walked.
"Come on, is that all? Is that everything? Don't disappoint me Zahad." His playful smile now looked sinister to Zahad.
He was unnerved, his opponent was not only fast but strong. He had not been able to lay a finger on him since the beginning of the fight. In just a few minutes he was already battered and bruised.
'I am not giving up.' Zahad thought to himself.
He charged forward, fortifying himself. He knew he was no match for Benjamin's speed but just one hit was enough.
"You think I'm going to wait for you this time? Let me show you the power of a wind mage." Benjamin grinned maliciously.
Before Zahad could get closer Benjamin slipped out of his range without much effort. His increased swiftness caused Zahad to be alarmed. They had circled him.
He growled in frustration but braced himself for Benjamin's next move.
Benjamin kept casting spells in quick succession, keeping Zahad on the defensive and wounding him more in the process. His body was receiving cuts of different variations as Benjamin used the wind making it as sharp as a blade.
Each hit was like the sting of a bee, painful and sharp, but not enough to take him down completely. He let his emotions take over as he poured out more flame attacks hoping for one to land on Benjamin.
Unfortunately for Zahad, none did. This wind mage had always been one step of him throughout the fight.
Strangely enough, the attack stopped. Zahad was confused.
'Did he run out of mana?'
'Is he trying to bait me?'
Many scenarios played in Zahad's head.
"I am bored." Benjamin spoke out confusing Zahad further, then it dawned on him causing him to feel rage. But what happened next was astounding.
The air shifted and the wind kept moving in a particular direction. Almost like...
"A cyclone?!" Zahad cried out.
"I'm ending this." Benjamin calmly replied.
"!!!"