Rey was as nervous as could be, yet outwardly as calm as a still pond. After several minutes of intense staring, his mother sighed deeply and set the bottle down on the table.
"Okay, I believe you, but listen carefully. If I find anything suspicious about you, or if you're not my son but a stranger in his place, you'll be dead," Jasmine declared, placing a knife against his neck and mimicking a slashing motion.
"Alright, Mom, I get it, but could you please move the knife away from my neck? It's positioned in a way that could cut me," he said, edging back slightly.
"If I'm indeed innocent, could someone please make an effort to feed me? I'm extremely hungry at this moment," Rey added, stepping back as his stomach emitted a low growl.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, I forgot about dinner," Jasmine apologized, setting aside the plate she and Emmy had been eating from, as the food had gone cold and no one desired cold food before bed. After placing a fresh one on the table, they began to eat quickly, and within five minutes, the food was gone. Rey's eating speed was astonishing; he consumed a portion meant for two, which only increased his mother's suspicions.
Once dinner was over, Jasmine moved to wash the dishes, but Rey stopped her, suggesting that they watch TV while he took care of it.
Witnessing this, his mother recalled that the old Rey would often do the same to reduce her workload. She sighed, giving herself a light slap for doubting her child and mistaking him for a stranger.
Despite the changes on the outside, inside, he remained the same.
While Rey was doing the dishes, they both started watching TV.
He could hear the sounds of news channels and occasionally a movie channel, recognizing that Emmy must be holding the remote. He sighed softly, a small smile on his face.
"Today is the final match between our two contestants in the High School Martial Artist Tournament," announced the TV from the living room. Eager to watch the match, Rey quickly finished washing the dishes.
He rapidly cleaned all of them, checked that everything was in order, washed his hands, and, after drying them with a towel, joined Emmy and his mom in the living room. They were watching the match as two high school students took the stage.
"On the left side is David Bennett, the young master of the Bennett family, and on the right side, we have Aria Frostheart, the young miss of the Frostheart family and the top star of the tournament," the referee announced loudly. The crowd in the stadium began cheering for both, but the cheers for Aria grew louder and louder, eventually overpowering those for David.
"Hush, Aria, I think you're quite famous in the crowd as your fans are increasing," David said, looking around at the cheering crowd.
"You should worry about yourself, David, as you won't be able to walk off this stage on your own today," Aria replied with a cold, uncaring voice.
"Ho, we will see who is going to win today," David said in a low voice.
Aria looked so beautiful that every time she moved, it seemed as if an angel were dancing for everyone. This isn't just my opinion; it's what the mindset of the people sitting in the crowd suggests.
Standing at 5 feet 6 inches tall with an hourglass figure, age of 17 years old and every angle of her body appeared as a masterpiece crafted by a god of perfection. Her long white hair cascaded down to her waist, complementing her light blue eyes, tender and soft skin, and a demeanor as cool as ice. She could become an ideal model, capable of making significant changes in the modeling industry. There are rumors that a prominent company offered her a contract, which was immediately declined. However, as rumors are just that, their veracity cannot be fully trusted. {Character design in comments.}
David stood at 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a muscular build and dark brown hair. His eyes were a striking dark orange shade age of 18 years old. His face could rival that of a model, reminiscent of a main character from a fantasy novel, but who cares about that. {Character design in comments.}
He returned to the outer area of the stage and retrieved a large suitcase from his servant, which was held by three people.
He opened it and took out a broadsword with a handle made from a strange black metal, and a blade that shone like silver but was stronger and more durable. {Weapon design in comments.}
Aria also returned to the outer stage area to receive a sword held by a girl.
"Sis, are you sure you can win this match? Look at his sword, crafted by his family's advanced blacksmith, and you have your regular sword. How are you going to win?" Elara, Aria's sister, who stood at 5 feet 7 inches tall with blonde hair, 16 years of age, and black irises, questioned her while eyeing the broadsword in David's hand. {Character design in comments.}
"There's no need to worry, Elara. I am confident in myself that he will be the one visiting the hospital today," she replied, returning to her position and quickly assuming the stance she wanted for the attack.
Both were ready, and the referee was about to start the match as the crowd's curiosity grew, wondering who would emerge victorious.
Both began to emanate their auras; Aria's body emitted a cold, freezing aura that began to frost over the stage, while behind David, an image formed, taking the shape of a demon composed of orange flames.
Some spectators exclaimed at this display of aura, which even caused the referee to step back a few paces to avoid injury.
"He has begun to use their family's unique technique, Infernal Pyroclasm, which only a few can master," Elara heard her friend say, eyes fixed on the image that grew larger as the flames spread across the floor.
"But my sister is not to be underestimated; she has also mastered our family's secret technique, the Glacial Abyss Technique, only mastered by those in the family with the royal frost bloodline. She is also proclaimed a genius, even greater than our ancestor," Elara declared.
"Begin," announced the referee, standing just outside the stage. The two competitors lunged at each other, their swords clashing with a resounding impact. David's superior strength forced Aria to retreat a few steps, her sword showing cracks from the collision.
The visible cracks highlighted the disparity in their weapons' quality, a gap that could only be bridged by a rare few qualities.
Qualities that Aria evidently possessed, as her sword began to freeze over. The entire blade transformed, encased in ice, morphing from a standard sword into a longsword. The ice qi she conjured with her technique filled the cracks, reinforcing the weapon's structure.
David, not to be outdone, initiated his technique, channeling his Qi to hurl fireballs at Aria, who deftly shattered them with her newly forged frost blade.
"Let's see if you can handle this," David declared, conjuring a large fireball above his head and hurling it at Aria. She was momentarily startled but quickly raised her guard and slashed her sword, sending three icy strikes towards the fireball. The collision resulted in an explosion, and the stage was engulfed in smoke. As it cleared, the audience saw both combatants breathing a bit faster, yet unharmed, which only fueled their cheers.
The battle raged on with an exchange of slashes and advanced movement techniques. Both sides sustained injuries to their hands and legs, and Aria received a scratch on her cheek. As their stamina and Qi began to wane, they both recognized the signs and started preparing their final moves to conclude the match.
"If you can withstand this, you win Aria, but if not, be ready to go on a date with me as per our bet from a week ago," David said with a wink, inciting jealousy among many male fans. Rey was also envious, wanting to thrash David so badly that he'd be bedridden for life.
"Huh, we'll see who wins and who loses after this," Aria retorted with her usual cold demeanor, beginning to prepare her move.
David began to channel the remaining qi into his blade, which grew hotter and glowed orange. The handle bubbled from the intense heat, and even the floor began to melt, but he didn't stop, continuing to amass more energy.
Meanwhile, Aria was executing her move; the wind swirled beneath her, gathering momentum, and an ice blade began to form within it.
Both were prepared, and the breaths of the entire crowd were held in anticipation. Suddenly, both unleashed their attacks.
"Wrath of the Flame Demon!" David bellowed, swinging his sword towards the tempest encircling Aria.
"Glacial Storm!" Aria countered, her blade slashing through the air towards David as his fiery assault approached.
The two attacks collided, resulting in a tremendous explosion that created a dense fog. The forceful winds generated by the blast swept over the spectators outside the arena, shattering the glass windows in an instant.
The crowd composed themselves after a few minutes.
Then, someone yelled, asking what had happened to the two of them.
Everyone waited for the fog to dissipate, as the outcome could only be determined afterward.
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What's going to happen next? No one knows but there will be a winner for sure. I think so. So just wait for the next chapter to find out.