Dance With the Nightingale - Chapter 8

[Awakening]

The world rumbled, as a shockwave erupted with her as a center, pushing the dirt on the ground back.

The mana in the surroundings crackled and buzzed as her aura, her magic, her perception, all of them including herself changed.

It was as if the world bowed to her, as it relinquished it’s the control of Mana, creating 50-meter domain around her, where the natural mana bended to her will

And at her behest, it rushed in her, pushing her body, her brain, and her spirit, to the limits, increasing the sheer power she held in that tiny body.

Outwardly her hair glowed with a faint light, while her eyes started shining like torches.

Her presence distorted, looking just like any other civilian to [Mental Sense], as if the mental world refused to peek into her.

A broken power, an unknown power, a unique power, a power belonging only to her.

But that didn’t matter, what mattered was the mountain-like Headmaster, her opponent, was waiting for her, unfazed by her demonstration.

And she didn’t want to keep him waiting anymore-

-Bang

With a stomp of her feet, she launched herself towards him, as the ground beneath her cracked, while the air around her howled a beat later.

In a single second she was there, in front of him, her sword aimed straight at his gut in a stab.

-Clang

-Clang

Weapons collided as the spear twirled around him, pushing her sword to the side, while trying to cut her in the same motion.

With a change in her gait, she took a step forward, let her sword slide along the spear’s shaft, before finally locking it with the blade on the end, using that as a support she twisted her body and kicked him, as a ball of fire appeared straight in front of his face.

-Bang

A big hand covered in icy cold energy blocked her kick, while trying to freeze her leg, but knowing her opponent being most proficient in ice magic, she had already coated her leg with fire, while her fireball was neutralized by another bout of cold energy, snuffed out without even being able to explode.

That attack didn’t do much except for pushing him 10 meters back, but rather that pursuing him, she quickly jumped to the side as several icicles emerged in the place where she stood, had she not spared a bit of her [Mental Avatar] to slow down the spell, then it would have skewered right through her, while she was still in mid-kick, though her armor would have protected her, it was still bound to be painful.

His magic was annoying as always.

So, knowing her domain’s advantages, she used them in full.

She increased the concentration of fire elemental magicules which were most useful against him, while simultaneously decreasing the water element magicules in the domain, this would cost him much more of his mana than normal to cast his spells.

And as if that wasn’t enough, which she knew wasn’t, she started casting another spell, but of course, her opponent won’t let her do it so easily.

But unlike her he didn’t charge, instead he imbued his spear with an icy cold energy, so cold that it sent chills down her spine despite their distance, and threw it at her, while also materializing many magic circles which increased the spear’s speed and weight.

As the spear which weighted at least a 100 kilograms came at her, she knew she couldn’t dodge it, the energy imbued within would certify her defeat if she tried.

So, decreasing a bit of focus from the spell which effectively slowed it down a bit, she flared her mana, pumped it in her armor and sword, increasing their strength and imbuing them with flaming hot energy, a counter his.

Her weapons started glowing, just like his spear, as she stood her ground.

In a split second the sword and the spear clashed-

–Screeeeccchhhhh

And a heavy screech of metal hitting metal resounded.

With one hand clenched around the hilt and the other hand on the flat of her sword, she somehow blocked the spear, but her hands were a bit numb partly due to the force and partly due to the cold energy in the weapon.

Also, she was pushed to the edge of the field.

Which meant the old man was out of her domain and free to use magic as he wanted, and that was dangerous.

She rushed back at him crossing the 50 or so meters in just 2 seconds and quickly completed her ongoing her spell.

Her spell, a tri-elemental one, was like not a single big spell, but rather a collection of a large number of small spells.

After having a lot of those big fancy magic circles disrupted at last moment, she knew she should form her spells as such, especially with her domain capable of fueling such a spell, with just a bit of her focus.

With fire element as a base, encased by wind element which strengthened it, while also concentrating the light element to further increase its temperature, hundreds of small bright red flaming balls formed in her domain, floating in the air, ready to shoot red hot lasers with nothing but a thought.

But, her expression wasn’t good, not because her opponent was surrounded but hundreds of spears of ice, but because of the way the opponent looked at her.

That intense gaze, was fixed on her, as it’s owner, Chris Gus Bellat, spoke, “I told you to go all out from the start, didn’t I?”, his voice bereft of any emotion.

And as much as she wanted to tell him that she was going all out.

She knew, that she wasn’t, she knew what he was talking about, she knew, that she was more powerful that way, especially now that she was using [Awakening] but, she didn’t want to use it, the power which ruined her childhood, killed her mother and marked her as devil’s spawn.

A slow but firm voice continued,

“No affinity is evil Eva.

This isn’t your backwater village, nor are you the only one with that affinity, here no one will discriminate you just because you have that affinity.”

“But mine is different, isn’t it?” she asked completely unconvinced by his words, as she maintained her spell and increased the number of flaming balls.

“Yes, it is, indeed it is very different, unlike anything I ever have seen, aggressive, destructive, devouring, as if it has a life of its own.

But you can control it now, can’t you?

You spent all your time doing that, right?

…You said, you wanted to meet someone, who can finally match you.

If you really want to meet such monsters, then you will have to go higher, Eva.

Much higher, to the top, to the center of the Alexis Empire, there you will find them, those monsters who can match you.

But, you can’t do that, even you can’t reach that high while holding back.

So, Eva, use your affinity, control it, and reign it.”

She listened to him in silence, as he finished his short speech, only one sentence going through her mind, ‘Someone who can match me in the Alexis Empire’, but she didn’t act immediately, instead she thought,

Can she really find a place to belong to?

A small doubt appeared in her mind.

And a small hope, like a little flame sparked.

Surely, no matter how weird she is there is bound to be someone like, right?

Though doubtful, she still thought, the what if scenario….

If she really can find that someone, if she really find a place to belong to, then, there is no need to hesitate.

So, she made a decision, ‘I will come back and beat the ‘old man’ with the same power he told me to use, if I couldn’t find that someone.’

-huuuuuuu

With that she took a deep breath and channeled it.

Her [Darkness]

And like a hungry beast, set free after a long time, it howled, roared, as if showing the world, it’s presence, as it engulfed her whole domain, in darkness.

Destructive, devouring darkness, which made her domain look like some kind of black planet with purple rifts spread all over it.

Just when it felt like, the planet would explode…

Just when it felt like the girl couldn’t control her power…

It stopped.

At the behest of the Girl.

The Girl, who was shining like a star, giving off a silvery glow.

That despite being engulfed in darkness, didn’t weaken, instead it made her look like the only beacon of hope.

Like a single shining star in the night sky.

Her now purple eyes, glared at the darkness, as if reminding it, whose tool it was.

Then, she exerted her control on it, as if putting it under a leash…

Until, the Darkness relented, following her like commands like the tool it was.

Helping and supporting her as best as it could.

It expanded her domain, doubling its diameter from 50 to a 100 meters but rather than being invisible like before, it was like the day was being veiled by the curtain of night.

It also encased her spell, concentrating all the light in the domain on her shining orbs, while adding its own destructive properties to the orbs, changing their color from a bright orange to a shining purple.

That state of hers right now, of a shining girl, standing alone in the night, surrounded by glowing purple orbs…

That, was her true state, her finally being herself.

And it was beautiful.

So beautiful, so mystifying, and yet it was so powerful, so terrific.

If a normal someone walked in her domain, then fully vaporizing that someone, was a matter of few seconds at most.

“I hope you are ready.” She said in goodwill, as she knew what happened to those who weren’t, and she didn’t want that to happen to him.

What she heard in response was, “Hahaha, don’t worry about me you brat, worry about yourself, since you have kept such a good power hidden from me for a year, be ready for a good beating-, I mean, a good lesson.”

Though her mind went, ‘You just want to beat me in the end!’, she remained focused and once again charged at the mountain, to the top, which looked a lot more reachable.

Then, the fight started in earnest, as sound of explosions, and weapons clashing resounded.

Sword vs the Spear.

Purple lasers vs Ice spears

Mental powers vs Mental powers

And Destructive Darkness vs Icy Cold.

In a terrifying yet beautiful duel.

And those sounds didn’t stop,

…for the next 10 minutes.

***

In the end, she couldn’t shake him.

The gulf between the powers, the age, the experience, was too big.

The mountain, was too big.

Even if she could destroy the peak, she couldn’t shake the foundation.

-Haa haa hah haaaa

A completely exhausted Eva, lay in the middle of what can be best described as an apocalyptic scene.

At some places the ground was filled with craters, still scorching with a strange blackish purple glow, somewhere it was completely frozen as if a frozen tundra.

The air was still crackling with power, as tiny sparks still ignited here and there only to explode in a small blast of darkness or ice.

Even so she had an exhilarated expression on her face, as if someone had obtained victory.

And that expression wasn’t for nothing, even if she couldn’t shake the mountain, she had destroyed its peak.

That indestructible aura it gave off in the beginning had disappeared.

Just that, was enough.

For now.

-Step

-Step

-Step

The mountain, Headmaster Chris Gus Bellat, walked towards her, his appearance, would have been described as pristine, if not for his burned off left sleeve and slightly red hand.

With a smile on his face, a smile that was very different from before, a crazy a smile showing all his teeth, from his sharp canines to his molar’s, he said in a tone completely different from his expression, in a disbelieving tone, “You broke through my defense, my aura…..?, at the age of 13, really a brat did this…?”

After that,

“KUHAHAHAKUHAHAHAHA….

HAHAHAHA…”

He laughed, hysterically so.

And his laughter didn’t stop.

…for a good 2 minutes.

Enough for Eva to catch her breath and stand up, her expression a bit perplexed.

Yes, she broke through his defense in her last-ditch effort.

Even with all her power, that was the only thing she could do.

***

[Just before the end of fight]

Eva was frustrated.

Her [Darkness] could destroy his ice, for sure, but he just kept sending more her way.

He would avoid her most critical attacks with minimal movements, and strike her down when she was catching her breath, like he was the weaker one here.

Her surprise attacks and feints which should have worked, since Mental Sense was blocked off her, didn’t work, as if he could read her.

And all this frustrated her.

She hoped to at least scratch him, but at this rate even that looked impossible.

In the end, she sighed, –

-Huuuuuuu

, calmed and prepared herself, for the last-ditch effort she had prepared.

The only attack which had a chance of succeeding.

So, without waiting any further, Eva acted…

She unfurled the leash, she kept on her Darkness, letting it reign free.

This gave her an advantage, the advantage of being unpredictable, and unnoticed just for a moment, though short still very useful.

Using it in full, she sneaked in, getting closer.

Until, she reached him.

Now at a close range, she simultaneously collected every purple orb she had made, who gathered like shooting stars having the same destination, and then exploded.

Like an exploding supernova, it created a chain explosion, melting out her opponent’s offence.

Her own magic couldn’t hurt her, so she ran straight through the explosion, while her armor protected her from the side effects, which she wasn’t immune to. (A/N: That is a fact in this world, applies to everyone.)

Calling back her Darkness next, she concentrated the five purple orbs she had hidden in it, the maximum she could, on her sword and stabbed.

In response, her opponent created an ice wall which kept getting thicker by the second, but her sword was hot and long enough.

It pierced the wall before it could get any thicker, and blasted her flaming Darkness right at the magic circle behind it.

Her Darkness devoured the circle, this devouring property, she had not used in the battle yet to catch the Headmaster by surprise, and it did.

For one last time, mustering all the power she could, she blasted it off of her sword straight at the Headmaster.

This attack made short work of the makeshift shield, the Headmaster had conjured, disintegrating it before finally burning his sleeve off.

With her attack finally being able to scratch him, with his expression finally changing, she completed her goal.

And the exhaustion finally kicked in.

***

[Present Time]

Despite being dishevelled and completely exhausted.

Eva was happy, satisfied, satiated.

This time she had done it, she had finally checkmated the ‘old man’.

At that last attack there was nothing he could have done.

All his magic on the other side of the wall, would have melted off before it had even formed, while on the other side only the tip of the sword had emerged from the wall, there was literally no way out for him, at that time.

Indeed, a checkmate as she thought.

So, seeing him laughing like a madman, as he laughed and shouted ‘those bastards’ or ‘I will show them’ was perplexing to her at best.

Even more so, when he suddenly stopped and appeared right in front of her, in a speed which she couldn’t follow, and asked her in a serious voice, “Brat, will you become my disciple?”

“Disciple?, but I’m already an academy student, ain’t I?”, asking another perplexing question.

‘Has he gone mad’ was what she was thinking as she answered that.

And yet, his actions further cemented her guess, as he lowered his head mumbled to himself, ‘looks like I have to teach her talking first, but for now the most efficient way to convince her would be….’

Before stopping looking back at her, as he explained, in his teaching tone, “It ain’t that brat, right now I’m just giving you a helping hand, but if you become my disciple I will give you resources to grow stronger at least twice as fast-” though halfway through, his sentence was cut off…

By an immediate, “I accept!”.

For Eva just hearing the ‘twice as fast’ was enough, weather he was mad or not, that didn’t matter, as long as it increased her growth rate nothing else mattered.

So, as the Headmaster said, “Hey brat at least listen-“, she cut him off again with a, “It doesn’t matter, I accept!” spoken in a resolute tone.

Hearing that, the Headmaster didn’t continue instead he looked like he was holding back his smile as he directly said,

“Okay, from now on you are my Disciple!

Now go and rest, we will sign the official contract tomorrow.”

And as soon as she heard that, she turned around and started walking towards the exit for she was exhausted, completely ignoring the hysterical laughter behind her and the loud bellows of, ‘She accepted just like that, perhaps this is fate, HAHAHA…’ or ‘Just wait you bastards I will send a little monster to you HAHAHA…’

Right now, Eva had only two things on her mind, first the and more prominent one, ‘Finally, I can grow stronger faster, yesssss!’ and another a fleeting one, ‘I hope the ‘old man’ hasn’t gone mad, I heard it is hard to understand mad people, but well, if it doesn’t affect his teaching ability, then it doesn’t matter, right? It’s was his choice to become mad after all, but then, why do I feel like I’m thinking something rude…?’

‘I’m not, right…?’