Replies to Reviewers:

coincidencless: Great you got the Clinkz - Orchid thing, hehe. You're right - Pugna is a demon who possessed a baby.

Writing Rock: Thanks and hope you had a good Diretide! If you hate being silenced maybe you should play Silencer?

The Untouchable: LOL at the Nyx joke. Hmm yes, ice and fire. Reminds me of someone...

psipwner23: Thanks, not sure if I'll be bringing Clinkz in again.


Chapter 49: A Physical Martial Arts Session, an Artful P.E. Session

Chapter Warning: smut

Magina strode to the middle of the gym, gripping his crescent-shaped twin glaives. It was like being reunited with old friends; he had not handled the weapons for some time and the familiarity of their weight was comforting. With a bow to his opponent, he readied his stance and took in a deep breath to focus his mind.

The world around him faded away until all that remained was his opponent, Yurnero, and the Katana in his hands.

Excitement pulsed in his veins. The Japanese exchange student had approached him at the end of the training session, when everyone else had gone home. Despite having just recovered from chest surgery, Magina had readily accepted the challenge. How could he forgo the chance to spar with someone so highly skilled?

"Ready?" Yurnero asked, eyebrows arched in anticipation. He was dressed in all-black martial arts uniform and protective headgear, like Magina. It was dangerous to spar with weapons, but they were familiar with the rules – no hits to the face, neck or groin. And although they didn't know each other well, they trusted each other enough.

"Yes." Magina nodded, his muscles tense, his weight balanced on the balls of his feet. He was raring to go, but he knew he still had to respect his body's limits. Since his surgery, he hadn't been working out much and was only beginning to get back into shape. Moreover, his opponent was two years older, taller and bigger built. Known to be an aggressive fighter, every movement from Yurnero radiated raw energy.

"Fight!" Yurnero announced.

The beginning was straightforward. Yurnero dashed forth with his arms raised, bringing the Katana down in a wide, powerful arc. Magina raised his blades and parried the blow.

Clang!

The jarring sound of metal striking against metal rang through the silence of the gym. Both fighters stood their ground, neither giving in to the other.

Magina was the first to break away. Taking a second to readjust his grip on his weapons, he realized he was out of touch. Damn, he needed more practice, but who knew Yurnero would challenge him on this day? He'd always thought of his glaives as an extension of himself, but not today.

Keep your mind still and calm, like a mirror, he recalled Coach Mangix's words as he locked gazes with Yurnero.

Yurnero made a sudden movement with his shoulder, which brought Magina's eyes away from his opponent's blade for a brief second.

The feint worked; it was all the opening Yurnero needed. He bounded forward, raising his katana overhead. Jerking into sudden awareness, Magina resisted the urge to glance up at the katana, and instead peered into Yurnero's eyes, reading his intent and quickly thrusting his blades out to parry. Don't be fooled! Wait longer before he strikes, he reminded himself.

Yurnero disengaged, taking a step back. This time Magina whirled at him, glaives whistling. Yurnero turned his sword vertical and swiftly blocked each swing, retreating with a graceful backward gait. He retaliated with another stroke of his katana.

Back and forth they fought, neither gaining ground. The air was filled with only the sound of their blades colliding with one another, steel ringing sharply against steel.

Releasing a breath, Magina dropped back a step and brought down his blades, inviting attack. Yurnero, too relaxed himself and eyed his Mohawk-haired opponent, his stance even more open.

"Guess I just can't catch you off guard, eh?" Yurnero remarked.

Magina kept quiet, only concentrating on the fight. His respect for his opponent told him not to let the comment get to his head. From his prior observations, Yurnero was not the sort who resorted to magic or trickery; he fought straight and hard, overwhelming his opponents with pure skill, agility and strength.

Sound comes before sight. Concentrate on the sound. Magina forced his own breathing to slow down, forced his mind away from the thumping of his own pulse, and instead listened carefully for the tiniest change in his opponent.

A slight hitch in Yurnero's breathing. He's coming at me again! He readied his blades as Yurnero lunged at him and they engaged in another rapid trade of blows. The Japanese fighter's attacks were growing in ferocity. Magina found himself being forced to keep on the defensive, mostly dodging and parrying, while retreating with a controlled backpedal.

Their momentum slowed, and the two young fighters drew back a couple of paces, circling each other warily, their eyes attempting to predict each other's next moves. Magina kept a close watch on his opponent's footwork.

Yurnero sprung into the air bringing his katana down over Magina's head. This time, Magina pivoted out of the way, turning his own blades horizontal and swiping them at his opponent's belly.

But Yurnero, too, had a surprise for him. Roaring a battle cry, he launched into his signature move.

"Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Kicking his right foot off, Yurnero spun round and round like a twister, charging at Magina, his body and blade whirling around so fast that everything was a dizzying blur. The sheer elegance and speed of the spinning attack threw Magina off balance and caused him to stagger backwards. Raising his glaives quickly, he barely managed to fend off the relentless hurricane of blows that forced him to retreat into a corner.

Giving him no chance to recover, Yurnero lunged forward and thrust his Katana at chest level. Magina barely registered the clash of steel as he brought his arms together, trapping the katana between his blades. Shit. It was too damn close.

Yurnero raised his brows and nodded, seemingly impressed at his reflexes. Amazingly, he was still able to maintain his balance after all that spinning.

His confidence raised, Magina grabbed the opportunity to swing his leg up, kicking Yurnero's knee out from under him. Yurnero fell on one knee but circled his Katana in a low arc at Magina's leg. It was expected; Magina leaped easily over the blade's course.

"You're fast," Yurnero chuckled.

"So are you," Magina replied, breathing hard, eyes locked on his opponent. He had hoped to wear him down, but Yurnero's speed and strength showed no sign of waning. His bladework was still flawless and allowed little room for error, and he was one of the few fighters who could maintain his balance whether on the offence or defense. There was no way Yurnero could lose this fight.

Narrowing his eyes, Yurnero initiated again, running full speed at Magina. But instead of slashing directly, he suddenly jumped and somersaulted over Magina's head, twirling around and swinging the Katana back before landing.

Whoa here it comes. Magina recognized the stunt. The few times he had the privilege of watching Yurnero execute it - a final move which he apparently reserved only for the most worthy of opponents - he had planned in his mind how to counter it. But nothing could have prepared him for the actual experience. He had no time to think at all, his muscles relying purely on instinct and reacting faster than his mind.

The Japanese fighter leaped and danced nimbly around him, his Katana singing as it sliced through the air with lightning speed, it was almost hypnotic. Magina was barely able to parry the flurry of slashes that Yurnero rained upon him. He was tiring out, barely able to catch his breath. Sweat dripped from his brow and stung his eyes, his shoulders burned and his calves knotted with fatigue. He could not hold out any longer. Not that he minded losing, as he had never seen anyone overcome this stunt of Yurnero's, one-on-one.

But there was one thing he hadn't tried yet. His eyes darted to the octagon cage behind his opponent. A thought flashed across his mind - what if he was inside the cage?

"Hah!" Yurnero lifted his katana for the final blow. Instead of tensing up, Magina closed his eyes and relaxed all his muscles, knowing the Katana would stop short of his neck by an inch.

Maybe, if he tried really hard…

Fixing his mind in meditation, he felt his body dissipating from top to toe, the molecules disassembling and reassembling themselves in a fraction of a second.

He was inside the cage.

Panting, he fell to his knees, looking through the fence at Yurnero, who was suddenly left fighting alone. Magina frowned, feeling disoriented at his sudden change of location. Did I just blink? Right here? It was the first time he had tried using his powers since coming back from the Dire worlds, but almost immediately he regretted doing it. He felt as if he had just cheated.

His opponent having literally disappeared, Yurnero whirled around and found Magina.

"Is this some kind of magic?" Yurnero asked, head tilted in confusion.

Magina felt his cheeks grow hot. For someone to comment that he was using magic was the ultimate insult to him. Yet that was exactly what he had done - he had willed himself to blink away, so saying it was unintentional would be a lame excuse. It was only a sparring session after all; what he should have done was to surrender there and then, but instead of taking his defeat graciously, he had chosen to escape.

He put down his weapons, removed his helmet and stepped out of the cage towards Yurnero. With a humble bow, he said, "you win."

Yurnero returned the bow and took off his headgear as well, revealing a tanned face and black hair that was pulled up in a short ponytail.

"It is my honor," he replied sincerely. "You are a worthy opponent."

Magina nodded. "We'll spar again some other time."

The two returned their weapons to the weapons rack. Yurnero started packing his belongings while Magina chugged some water, sat down on the floor and wiped the perspiration off his face with a towel.

"Yurnero-kun! Are you done?" A sweet feminine voice drifted from outside. It sounded like Lyralei's.

Grinning widely, Yurnero threw a brief nod towards the entrance. "Gotta go. Girlfriend's calling," he said, and strode out.

Magina sat all alone in the gym. Leaning against the wall, he rested till his heartbeat and breathing slowed to their normal tempo, mind replaying the intense sparring session. Yurnero had fought beautifully and honourably, and he was going to end the day with a hot date. Good for him, he shrugged. The clock opposite showed it was nearly seven, which meant it was nearly sundown. He knew he should get his ass out before he was locked in for the night, but he really didn't feel like moving.

Eyes drifting to the cage, he thought about her again, wondering what she was doing. When she had disappeared from his life, it was as if one of his limbs had been torn off. If only he had the chance to see her - just once - just to make sure she had her soul back. And if she refused to see him ever again, he understood why. After all, he had done some unforgivable things in the battlefield. He'd tricked her with the Manta Style's illusion, and he had even – he winced at the memory - whacked her with the Monkey King Bar. Although, technically, the weapon itself had come alive and struck her, he couldn't forget that look in her eyes. That look of utter shock, hurt and disbelief.

No, he would not blame her for being angry with him. But still he wished he could hear at least a goodbye from her.

"Hey… are you alright?"

The voice made him jerk his head up. He froze.

She was standing right in front of him, in a black sports top and tights and her hair, instead of being drawn up in a ponytail as usual, cascaded loosely around her face and shoulders. Her gaze was shy and uncertain.

Is that… you?

Fatigued from the sparring, he dumbly sat and stared at her. Maybe his eyes were playing tricks on her, or maybe she was an illusion sent by someone to mock him. But her lips moved slightly, as though she wanted to say something. Hesitantly, he stood up.

Would you disappear if I touched you?

She moved closer till they were only an inch apart. He inhaled and took in that distinctive scent he recognized, her scent which had been buried in his memory. Did illusions have smells? He couldn't remember and he'd never wanted to find out. But her gray eyes were now brimming with emotion, like clouds heavy with rain, so that had to mean that she was real.

The feel of her hand on his cheek confirmed that it was her. It really was her. Not a soulless puppet, not an illusion, but a living, breathing dream come true. An entire year, seasons had gone by since he last saw her in her normal state, but all that time had done nothing to erase what he remembered of her.

The Mortred that he knew and loved, had finally come back to him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He put his arms around her and drew her close, drawing her face to his chest. Feeling her warm and soft body again ignited every inch of him; it was like coming back to life from the dead. There was so much he wanted to ask her, so much he wanted her to know, but the only words that came out of his mouth were, "I'm sorry, too." He had vowed to himself that, - if he ever had a chance to - he would confess and apologize for everything he had done at the battlefield. Yes, he would do so even if she couldn't remember it. She was the mother of his child after all; he couldn't lie to her.

"I tried to forget you, but I couldn't," she murmured into his neck, lifting her face up to his.

He crushed his lips against hers. In that instant, all the months of suffering, blood, sweat and tears were washed away. Starved after all those months of longing and pining, he devoured her mouth and she did the same. Their lips locked in the deep, lingering kiss that seemed to go on for eternity, neither one of them tiring.

Mortred pulled away first, only to catch a breath, and then she roughly pushed him against the wall. With quick and nimble fingers she undid his uniform and slid her hand across his chest, feeling his wildly pounding heart.

"I missed you so bad," she sounded like she was almost crying now.

"Me too. I missed you." Hands trembling a bit, he pushed up her top, slipped his hands in and fumbled with her bra, indulging in the smooth softness of her body. Motherhood had given her new curves which drove him crazy with desire.

They caressed each other for a while, their burning desire growing every second. And then he suddenly felt his legs swept out beneath him. She pushed him to the ground fiercely, where they ripped off each other's pants. It was around the same spot that they had made love for the first time. He was tired from the sparring and let her take control. She straddled him and rode him hard, crushing herself onto him.

This was the second aggressive person Magina had to deal with today, but he sure as hell wasn't complaining.


Traxex

Finally, the exams were over!

Traxex stepped out of the examination hall feeling liberated, like a heavy shroud had been lifted off her. The last paper was also her favorite paper, Literature. The essay questions were on the Romeo and Juliet play and she thought she answered them decently. That was the only subject she had been truly interested in studying for, maybe because she felt for the female character.

The play was going to be held in three weeks' time and she was so relieved she didn't have to take part in it. The lead roles had been given to Carl and Rylai, as they seemed to have more of a flair for theatrical performance; besides, who better than the school's golden couple to play Romeo and Juliet?

After all the happenings of the year, all she needed was a good break. The past few weeks she had thrown herself completely into studying for the exams, blocking out all stray thoughts and distractions, the same way she did for archery. It had still been a struggle, though, as academics and archery were too different things, and she was used to doing poorly at the former.

It wasn't as if she was trying to prove anything to him. Nothing she did mattered anyway – to him she would always be just an idiot. She was doing this for herself. She wanted to show herself that she could pass her subjects if she tried, just like she could defeat the Shadow Fiend and wreck its base if she fought hard enough.

Oh, and Mortred was back! It was a nice surprise to have seen her in the exam hall, and she gave herself credit for persuading her to come to school. Her dark-haired friend really seemed happier; her face had this glow to it. But of course, she was back with the love of her life. Traxex guessed she and Magina must have had sex a hundred times by now.

Meanwhile, she herself was still…

Sigh. She had only herself to blame for hankering after someone totally out of her reach. And being so damn stubborn about it too. It wasn't like she hadn't tried going out with "normal" guys, but she had absolutely no feelings for Clinkz or for anyone else for that matter. Every now and then she'd hear about her classmates having crushes on their teachers, but they were always short-lived; whereas, her obsession with him had dragged on for a year.

Was it because she felt they shared something special, despite the apparently huge gulf between them?

She had known it from the first day she'd met him, from that very second he had stepped foot into the classroom – that he understood her and what she needed, that he was as meant to be her oasis, her haven, the one to protect her from the cacophony and chaos of the world…

But maybe again, it was just wishful thinking on her part.

Dreams were supposed to reflect the opposite of reality, and indeed her dreams at night were of him - bits and pieces of memories of the time they had spent at the battlefield and at his house, scenes and images that mixed reality with fantasy. She missed his warm breath against her ear, his fingers running through her hair, the soft, low quality his voice took during their tender moments. She mourned the relationship she could not have; she hated him for toying with her, passing on a skill to her in the most loving of ways, kissing her, touching her... and then chucking her aside like a dirty little secret. He was torturing her every minute, every day without even trying.

Why couldn't she stop thinking about him? Why?

GET OUT OF MY MIND!

She really had to occupy herself with something else. Remembering what she had planned before the exams, she sent a text to Lina to get the information she needed.


It was zero degrees outside, so PE was held in the gym. They were doing gymnastics, but Traxex wasn't there. She was in the boy's changing room.

The lockers in the changing room used mechanical key locks instead of combination locks, which made things much easier. All she needed were some tools, which she'd found from her foster father's storeroom. Apparently it was legal to own them. A couple of years ago, she had learned how to pick locks from him. He had explained that it was a useful skill to have, not for stealing things, but in case one needed to break into a house for legitimate reasons.

Once she'd mastered the skill, she had found it shockingly easy to pick a lock. This fact used to scare her, but it also comforted her because this meant that most people who knew how to break into a house chose not to, because well, most people were good people. Or maybe they were just afraid of getting caught.

She had gotten the number of Carl's locker from Lina, who had in turn gotten it from Rylai. Apparently, he always used the same locker, right smack in the middle of the entire block.

Traxex first did a thorough check of the changing room, including all the shower cubicles, even inside the garbage bin, to make sure nobody was around. And then she went to locker number 10 and took out her tools, which fit easily into her pocket – a tension wrench and several pick rakes with different numbers of ridges. She had aimed to do it as quickly as possible – under five minutes, and had practised a few times in her dad's garage. First, she inserted the tension wrench into the bottom of the key hole and applied slight pressure in the direction one would turn a key in. Next, she chose a rake and inserted it at the top, sliding it all the way to the back. She scrubbed the pick back and forth in the key hole until all the pins were set.

Success! The locker opened. Much easier than she'd thought.

As expected, Carl's white coat was inside. She peered into one of the pockets. There was something tucked inside that looked like a round, reddish-black marble. As she slipped her fingers in to fish it out, a sudden flash of vivid images came flooding back into her mind.

The Dire ancient exploding like an erupted volcano...

...belching out streams of burning lava...

...spurting smoke and ash all around..,

...flinging hot debris on her…

"Ouch!" A searing pain forced her fingers to let go of the stone, and it fell back inside Carl's coat pocket. She stared in shock at her fingertips – blisters were starting to form. What on earth was that thing and how was it possible for it to stay in Carl's coat pocket without burning a hole in it?

Should she try blowing some ice on her fingers? But wait. She sensed a sudden draft of coolness around her. Her eyes swept around the room, from one corner to the next, from ceiling to floor. For some strange reason, the temperature in the changing room had dropped.

Her instincts told her something was wrong.

She had to get out of here right now. She threw one last glance at the coat pocket again with a regretful sigh, wishing she had brought along a pair of tongs to pick up the black stone. But then how would she know it would be burning hot? From what Lina said, Carl apparently had his hands in his pockets all the time.

Now the room was getting colder, and she found herself shivering. It was ridiculous, how an ice person like her would feel uncomfortably cold, in a boys' changing room, of all places.

Pulse speeding up, she shoved Carl's coat back into his locker and shut the door. A thin carpet of ice crystals began to form on the floor in front of her. She was shivering uncontrollably, breathing mist out of her mouth and wondering if she was in a dream.

"What are you doing with my things?"

Traxex spun around. It was Carl, in his PE T-shirt and shorts, arms folded. He smelled like he was fresh out of the shower, with his shoulder-length blond hair wet and slicked back. Funny, she frowned. She had made sure the changing room was really empty, including the shower stalls. So where had he appeared from… thin air?

"Um…" she swallowed, forcing herself to spit out the lie she had prepared just in case. "I, uh have a crush on you and I just want to get to know you better."

"Oh?" Carl raised a brow, a humourless smile playing on his lips. Even in this situation, she had to admit he looked attractive in his PE shirt and shorts which highlighted his tall and lean build – the type she liked. Except that his eyes, which were staring down at her right now, gave her a completely different feel. Those silvery orbs reminded her of…

The universe. A year ago, when she'd first met the blond, she would never have made that connection. But after being flung around like a rag doll in between planets and between worlds in the Dire planet, whisked through a black hole, she now knew what she was seeing. Carl's eyes reflected the endlessly expanding universe with its unthinkable vastness, coldness and indifference.

But as her mind came back to reality, she noticed she was no longer shivering and the air was returning to normal.

Carl stepped closer towards her such that he was only inches away from her.

"Well, Track-sex," he said, deliberately dragging out her name, its crudeness contrasting with the smooth and silken quality of his voice. "That's very nice to hear, but it seems unlike you to make such confessions."

A flush rushed into her cheeks. She was like a deer caught in headlights; a feeling she wasn't used to, because she had always thought herself to be good at sneaking around and stealing things. And she was hopeless at talking her way out of situations, so she was pretty much dead meat.

"I'm… sorry," she said lamely, lowering her eyes.

Carl placed a finger under her chin, a smirk curling his perfect lips. "I'm afraid you'll need to be punished for this."

Now she had her back pressed against the locker, listening to her own thumping heart. What is he going to do to me? He had no weapons on him, but she imagined him using that poker-hot stone to torture her or something. Or maybe he would freeze her with the ice skill he had, burn her with fire, or electrocute her. Recalling the whole arsenal of elemental powers he had displayed on the battlefield made her literally tremble like a leaf in the wind.

"Relax, that was just a joke," he grinned. "I wouldn't hurt a nice girl like you."

Traxex kept her eyes lowered. She was able to breathe a little more normally now, but she still had no idea what he had in mind.

"Did you just say you liked me?" Carl continued, resting his hands on either side of her against the locker, trapping her. He sounded like he was putting on the charm now. "Hmm, let's see. Strange, I've never really noticed you since you joined our school. You are…" He sized her up, running his gaze along her body. "Tall, with endless legs." And then his gaze moved up her chest level. "Well-endowed…"

What the heck? She seethed inwardly. Instead of being flattered, she felt grossed out by his description of her. It was as if he was checking her out like a piece of meat.

His eyes traveled up to her face. "And those lips, hmm…you've got the fullest lips I've ever seen. Just imagine what you could do with those lips."

"Fuck off, perv!" she snapped.

"Wow, wow. You come breaking into my locker and now you're hurling obscenities at me," Carl sneered. "You're really quite something, huh."

The blond said a bunch of other things but she wasn't listening, because she was trying to recall the steps to performing her Gust. It had been some time since she'd done it, the exams had taken a lot out of her mentally and she strained to conjure up the formula that had appeared in her mind after Nortrom had first kissed her - damn she was thinking of him again. It was a visual-and-sound motif that had to be recalled in a certain sequence that gave her the slightly delirious feel of satisfaction once she had completed it.

Carl's finger on her cheek made her snap her eyes open. Get lost!

Glaring at him in defiance, she exhaled; the rush of wind pushed him back till he hit the bench and almost fell over. Quickly regaining his balance, he shot her a baleful look, fists clenched and lips forming the word, "you".

It creeped her out, how fast his face changed. It wasn't as if he was turning into the soulless, mind-controlled Carl she had seen on the battlefield. This time, he was conscious and in total control of himself. She didn't know which was worse.

Before he could reach her, she turned and ran out of the changing room, heart thudding. She weaved through the crowded hallway where the students were returning from their PE classes, bumping into Lyralei who gave her a puzzled glance. When she had reached her locker, she opened it and buried her head inside, feeling like the greatest loser on earth.

She had failed spectacularly in her mission, been thoroughly humiliated, and she worst of all she couldn't even tell Nortrom about this. She had disregarded his warning about Carl, stolen Mortred's address from him, betrayed his trust, all because of her own silly pettiness. She couldn't face him right now.


(End of Chapter 50)

Featuring:

Yurnero - Juggernaut

Magina - Anti-mage

Mortred - Phantom Assassin

Traxex - Drow

Carl - Invoker