So, here I am again, starting something new again. Let's see if this will turn out good, huh? ...Probably not...
Alright, jokes aside, this is a little idea I've been thinking of, and instead of killing my mind with my debate on whether or not I should write this down, I said, "Screw it.", and just went ahead with it.
Btw, for those wondering what will happen to Something to FEAR about, I'll be taking a quick break from it. Need to refresh my head and rework the timeline.
Hopefully this will be a good story. Maybe. Maybe not. But enough talk. I should probably start.
So here...we...go.
Prologue
The enemy was right in front of her.
Quick, intelligent, and powerful, she felt as if she were fighting a copy of herself, similar to facing against your own reflection or shadow. It felt like every muscle in her body was going to pop, yet she pushed harder, ignoring the painful strain in her left arm. She would win this match: she felt the confidence flowing through her veins.
A jab at the left. She ducked out of the way of the incoming attack and threw a roundhouse kick as her counter. Much to her disappointment, her adversary managed to jump out of the way right before her kick could connect with their body.
Now a punch aimed at her stomach. She responded by intercepting the punch and flipped her opponent in an attempt to stun them. Not wasting time, she then brought her right leg up, now targeting the opponent's stomach.
Quickly recovering from the flip, her opponent did a backwards leap to separate the distance from each other and unintentionally dodged the kick. She raised her eyebrow in surprise; she did not expect her opponent to suddenly withdraw from their little exchange of blows. It looked like her opponent was paying attention to her fights.
She took a deep breath, regaining the energy she used in the attacks. Her eyes now flashed with such vigour and vitality: she was going to end this fight now.
For a split second, the two figures stared at each other, gazing at who they were facing against.
Then, they were gone.
Running at incredible speeds, the two met at a point where they clashed against one another. A flurry of punches, dodges, kicks, and blocks. Flashes of light flew everywhere. It was incredibly difficult to make out who was who, or more importantly, who was winning in the exchange of blows. Finally, after what seemed as an eternity of fighting, the two threw their last attacks. For her, it was a left punch. For her opponent, it was the opposite: a right punch.
This would determine who would win the fight. It would declare the winner. The victor. The last one standing. And just like in regular movies, everything seemed to slow down: their attacks slowly approaching their opponent, and it would only be a matter of time before the attack would connect and-
Bzzzzz.
The sound of a timer going off echoed throughout the area. The two combatants froze at the sound, fists hovering midair in front of their opponent's face. Slowly, the fists pulled back, and the two figures merely stared at each other, almost as if it was a contest of sheer will power. Finally, her opponent fell to the ground, gasping for breath and waiting for the amount of pain her body would endure after the fight. She too relaxed, almost to the point of collapsing out of exhaustion, but still standing.
"Shall we call it a draw this time?" she asked, her strength slowly returning to her body.
Not looking up, her opponent grumbled back in her usual icy tone. "You had me cornered for most of the fight. I think it's pretty clear who would have won."
"It wasn't like this was a walk in the park for me either, Azure. You improved greatly from the last time we had a fight like this. You don't always be so hard on yourself, okay?"
A sigh was all that was emitted from Azure, the expression on her face describing her frustration. "I know. It's just that no matter how hard I try, I can never reach your level. At times, it almost seems impossible to even-"
Azure stopped when she felt her mentor wrapped her arms around her, embracing them in a hug. A stern look appeared on her mentor's face. "Stop. I know where you're going with this, and we've went through this already. I didn't choose you as my apprentice for no reason, and I certainly didn't decide to train you because the Operatives forced me to. I saw potential in you, and I followed that instinct to teach you everything I knew. Look at where you are now." Her mentor pulled back slightly to emphasize the sentence with her arms. "With your determination of overcoming any hardship, you are considered one of the most deadly warriors in the league. So that's enough with the pessimism. Am I clear?"
It took a few seconds to get an answer out of her apprentice, but Azure gradually nodded and separated from her mentor's arms. When she spoke again, there was a hint of gratitude in her voice. "...Thanks. For lifting my spirits, I mean,"
The mentor merely shrugged, the blank expression returning her face. "It's a mentor's job to make sure the student is ready to fight, both physically and emotionally. I'm simply doing what is needed to be done."
Silence quickly filled the area. Azure watched as her mentor also sat down beside her, head tucked down between her arms in a resting position. For a moment, they stayed like that, their bodies eventually regaining their energy. But that moment of tranquil silence was interrupted when the sound of another alarm went off, this one almost sounding as if someone was trying to contact them.
Sighing, her mentor pulled out the device out of her pocket and turned it on, reading the notification. Azure waited patiently for her mentor to finish, in which she did so in a couple of seconds.
"The Operatives request our presence. Immediately." She stood up and gestured for her apprentice to follow her. "Come. Let us not test their patience."
Azure nodded as both the mentor and the apprentice quietly left the battle area. It seemed like the Operatives had another mission prepared for them, and she always knew that the missions were a bad omen. A warning that something terrible would happen.
"We are here at your request." Both of them bowed out of respect.
Inside the room, it was pitch black. No light was visible. Everything was either covered by shadows or darkness.
"Thank you for coming at such short notice. We truly appreciate it." A monotone voice rang out, disrupting the silence. Then, the shadow of a figure was apparent, covered in what seemed to be a cloak.
"It's nice to see y'all again! How are you guys doing?" A cheerful voice was heard next, followed by the second appearance of another cloaked figure
"Tch. As if we would be glad to see you two together again..." This time, a dark tone came from the first speaker's right, and no appearance from the bearer of the voice was shown.
"Ignore what my comrade said." The first voice apologized, bowing its head to display its apology. "Now, I believe we should move onto business, correct?"
Azure nodded in agreement. "You have called us for another mission. What is it?"
The cheerful voice spoke out again, as if it had suddenly remembered the purpose of the calling. "Oh, right! Well, as you know of the current situation, we're running out of watchers to put out in the field, and apparently another...place is in trouble again! So, we kinda need your help to simply watch out for any trouble. Like I dunno, a giant monster or something? Ooh! Or maybe a huge army! Or I know! A massive war that would kill everyb-"
"What my comrade was trying to say," The dark voice interrupted the cheerful voice and almost sent daggers towards its direction. "Is that we're assigning you to another area in your sector. And the rant was unnecessary."
The monotone voice continued it from there before another argument would arise. "You will be simply instructed to watch over said location and make sure that anything that is not supposed to happen will not happen. Is that understood?"
The mentor nodded to show her understanding. "'Everything that happens in a world is meant to happen. There is no such thing as luck, nor is there anything known as a coincidence. From the moment that world is created, the events have already been pre written and recorded. They are waiting to be taken into action, and it is our role to assure that the balance of these events will not be disrupted.'" She recited the old saying that was taught to her apprentice, and to herself when she was an apprentice as well.
"Heh. I knew that you would be able to memorize our motto." A fourth voice, this time filled with pride, confidence, and admiration, could be heard. "Well, we'll be giving you the mission briefing and your transport in a few days, so I suggest you take the time to study the knowledge of this place and prepare yourselves. You two have a long journey to overcome!"
Azure bowed again. "We understand. May we receive these mission documents?"
A snap of the fingers, and said documents suddenly appeared in front of them out of thin air. But this was nothing new: the Operatives were able to pull these tricks with no effort required. As Azure bent down to collect said documents, her mentor bowed one last time in gratitude and respect. "If that concludes the meeting, my apprentice and I will depart to make preparations for the mission."
"Yeah, yeah. Permission granted." The dark voice grumbled, almost wondering why he was assigned to take care of lousy people like them. "Now scram already!"
"Understood, my lord. Until next time." Both of them made their way to the exit of the room. But just as they were prepared to leave, the final Operative's voice could be heard.
"Um...Th-there is something we should probably tell you two." It was different from the other four: quiet, scared, and almost childlike.
Her mentor turned around and looked towards the area the speaker was heard from. "And what is it, my lord?"
"U-um...W-well..." If she could see through the darkness, she swore she saw the last Operative shaking in fear now that everyone's attention was fixed on it. "...He was spotted again...Near the place you're headed to..."
Silence filled the room as she took the information in. Azure quickly stole a glance at her mentor's face, worried that the news would unsettle her. To her surprise, and to the Operatives' as well, she simply sighed.
"There is nothing to be worried about then. Many times we have fought in the past, and I was able to get the best of him. If he chooses to interfere, let him. After all..."
She brushed the hair out of her eyes, remembering all the fights she had with her enemy. He was a persistent one, she would give him that. And it would soon be his downfall.
"It will lead to his death."