My knees shook as I gripped my staff with two hands, it's moments like this that made me regret telling my brother to make my staff as heavy as possible.
I twirled my staff in two hands, maintaining a front was the only thing going for me.
I stared into the eyes of my opponent, he stood in between me and my personal sense of acceptance.
I was the only powerless one, I had to prove myself.
He walked towards me slowly, a calm smile on his face, he didnt even seem to pay much attention to me, and something within me finally snapped.
....
My son glared daggers at me, it was clear he was pissed.
I looked at my wife, she too stated daggers at me. I sighed internally, everyone else seemed disinterested in the battle except her.
My two eldest kids talked to each other in a corner, Dahlia kept everyone together, she was the one I was most proud of despite her... oddities.
Though Theo my eldest was very accomplished, and a working citizen, he was such a shut in I worried for him.
It's a mystery how he keeps his job. Dahlia on the other hand was her mother's right hand.
She was a nurse in the hospital. Her powers didn't aid healing, at least not physically, but she made herself invaluable.
I looked back at my youngest, he looked at me like the enemy, it stung, but I caused it upon myself.
Be It from fear or weakness he waited for my approach. I could see the slight shake in his knees and the drops of blood on the floor.
It was time to end this.
He stood near the middle of our makeshift battleground. I suddenly exploded with speed, I was behind him in a heartbeat.
He couldn't turn around in time, good a kick would end this game.
It was more a shove than a kick, crack....
"Gah" I shouted in pain.
He struck me without looking, I dropped my leg and it buckled under my weight.
Using my other leg I did a backflip twice to open up distance.
He was there, his staff worked as a spear dealing deadly jabs that ruined my balance.
He was faster than I've ever seen. Everyone in the family was blessed, none more than the other.
But Vicas... ever since the accident he could never explore his powers.
Deep down I was glad he couldn't, be it from fear or trauma, despite his isolation and suffering.
Not everything could be allowed to grow.
He was the second greatest mystery of the family, second after the very source of our powers.
I dodged every attack, despite his new speed and my injured leg, the difference between us was that huge.
I needed to end this game quickly.
.....
He dodged my attacks, never getting off balance.
Everyone was paying attention now, it was not often that I put dad in a corner.
I switched up into swings, I held my staff a quarter away from it's edge with my right hand and supported it with my left a bit above it.
My heart was going to explode.
I tried my hardest to control my breathing.
Everything hurt, I had to keep swinging, I had to win this time.
A slap parried my staff and I got pained in the chest with the other hand.
I skid across the ground using the staff as an Anchor.
We both halted our attacks.
My energy was bubbling wildly, I could feel it burning me up, my vision turned red, and the top of my forehead burst with pain.
It felt like there were spikes tearing through my skull. But my opponent was right in front of me, I had to destroy the opponent.
I charged first this time, I could feel I was faster than I've ever been.
This fight was no longer in the realm of normal humans.
I know that, but I had to prove that I was worth something in this family of supernaturals.
My grip changed, now I held the staff at the tip, the other hand as support.
I attacked rapidly, twisting around my opponent, all he could do was defend.
It was finally time to go all out. I eases my grip only using one hand striking with my staff like it was formless, like a whip.
The second my opponent changed his defense style I gripped the staff firmly in my hand like a spear.
Slap.... my staff flew out of my hand, It flew away, definitely out of the line now.
A backhand hit me on the jaw. I screamed in pain, landing on the floor. Spitting out a tooth "fuck" I muttered softly as I lay on my belly.
Everything slowed down, this was it, the final moment.
My head throbbed and I could feel myself loosing consciousness, my dad moved forward very slowly.
Not yet.... he stopped and looked down at the tooth and winced, I could see pity in his eyes.
"No" i said with a strength I didn't have, this had to end now, he finally looked at me after hearing my voice.
I struggled to get up, the concrete around me had splatters of blood and sweat making it a little slippery.
He didn't let me stand. Instead grabbing me by the arm he dragged me to the line, I shouted and clawed at his hand but he didn't even flinch, even as the hand started to turn red.
I sensed his energy, it was firm, not like mine that burned to keep me active.
We were near the line now, it was time for the battle to end.
My hand and his was in contact and through it I pushed my energy into his.
The scream shocked everyone including me, I didn't know how it would affect him only instinctively knowing it could let me win.
He let go of me in an instant, instead curling up on the ground.
I stood slowly, I could win this.
....
Pain is all I felt, I dug my nails into my hands, tearing at the skin. I bit on my lip till I tasted blood.
I could feel my energy trying to reject the thing crawling through my body.
It flooded my body, time stretched for hours and I could remember back to the first time I was tased, or sprayed with pepper, I remember lying in my wife's hospital after being shot in the leg once. Through it all I felt someone touch me.
"No!! No!!!" I screamed. I got pulled back to the moment, would lose this fight, I opened my eyes but all I could see was red.
I touched the hand that held me, I could tell it was vicas' I resisted through the pain.
But I couldn't resist. I was being dragged exactly the same way I dragged him.
We must be close to the line, but he was slow, I could tell he was tired.
I tugged on his hand and he stumbled backwards falling down.
The pain eased slowly, at this point this battle could go either way, but I stood first.
I took a good look at my self, bloodied from staff wounds and self inflicted injuries, both my arms were red, and swollen.
My leg still hurt, but it wasn't broken.
My son was in far worse shape, and I was the one who inflicted all those injuries on him.
Why did I have to win this game ?, I considered just walking away from this, leaving the line and ending it all.
Why did he want to prove himself ?, if it was to prove his strength, everyone could agree he was well past an average human.
But that last move, I'd never seen anything like it. That was In the realm of the supernatural.
One more touch like that at It was the end of it for me, my mind went back to that pain and I felt like throwing up.
He stood slowly, as I watched him.
We both stood watching each other, the line as less than a meter behind me.
I stepped back, his eyes widened and he ran towards me, he wouldn't let me give up.
That would be an insult to the whole fight. So I didn't continue, instead I ran towards him, deadly touch or none I won't back away from this fight.
It took me a second to realise he was slower, much slower, i stopped in front of him and he threw a punch that any regular person could block.
I didn't block it though, it struck me in the face and I hit him on the neck, catching him as he crumbled down.
I won. Again....