Chapter 3: Identity and Anger
The school day starts as any normal day at Atlas Academy, learning about aura, how it's used to protect huntsmen and huntresses out on missions against the creatures of Grimm. But the real event of the day took place in the afternoon. Sparring practise in the training hall. In pairs the first year students would spar against each other using training weapons provided by the school, some used weapons they were familiar with while others were using them for the first time to get a feeling for what kind of weapon suits their style. One pair of students slowly circled around each other, Silber holding a two handed axe with ease in his right hand, gripping it tightly. Watching his opponent carefully who wielded a dagger in each hand.
"Daggers huh? I had a feeling you'd choose those" he smiles resting the axe on his right shoulder. "Remember our deal Van?".
She giggles "Of course and I hope you're ready to tell me what it's in your package" Van spins the daggers in her hands with ease and skill, showing that she was already familiar with the weapons.
"Don't worry I will, but only" he charges at her "If you beat me!" Silber swings the axe down from over head, taking Van by surprise as she barely manages to flip backwards onto her hands dodging the blow and delivering a backwards kick during the flip to Silber's jawline. Knocking his head back but he doesn't move from the spot, instead he laughs a little "Haha wow that was a nice kick, not bad" he rubs his jaw. "I knew you were strong Silber" Van smiles "looks like I won't need to hold back" she runs towards him. "Funny. I can say the same!".
Silber swings the axe with both hands aiming for her torso but he misses as she bends backwards to dodge. Sliding onto her knees, using the momentum from the run she slides between his legs striking Silbers ankles and elbowing the back of his knees causing his legs to buckle a little.
"Ah! How are you so flexible?" Silber turns to face her again, not wanting to leave his back open and takes a low stance.
Van just smiles as she bends backwards easily till her hands touch the floor and lifts her legs up over her head as she winks at him, supporting herself with her forearms underneath "I did gymnastics for six years, starting when I was seven. Never knew it would come in handy, also you may want to watch where you stand" she flips forward back onto her feet gracefully.
Silber cocks an eyebrow, ignoring Van's comment and does a side step to evade one of her daggers as it flies past his head "Well that was dumb Van" Goes to charge her but is instead spun around like a spinning top and falls with a loud thud to the ground onto his front. "What in Remnant?" he looks back at his feet and sees a golden glowing shimmer across his ankles and knees. It looks like a ribbon. "When did she do that?" he thinks and before he can move to get up Van jumps onto his back and quickly ties his hands to the floor with the same glowing ribbon, then ties his legs together for good measure. Silber lies stuck, unable to stand off the floor and looks up at a smiling Van standing in front of him, bending forward.
"Like it? I call it Golden ribbon and to answer the questions you probably have. I stuck it to you when I slid through your legs and yes it is my semblance" Van stands up brushing some hair out of her eyes. "Ready to uphold your part of our agreement dear Silber?"
He just chuckles "Don't have much of a choice""
Van winks at him and snickers.
-Later that day-
After classes ended Silber and Van decide to head back to their dorm to go through their homework together. Just as Van sets her books down on her desk, she hears the sound of something heavy hitting Silber's desk behind her and turns, she sees Silber started unwrapping the large, long package he kept in the corner near his bunk. "Wait, you want to show it to me now?" she asks
"No time like the present and I like to keep my word" Silber unties the parcel string
"Oh I never doubted your word Silber. I just thought you would show me whatever it is after we finished our homework" she walks over as the last knot is undone and the brown paper is pushed apart. Her eyes just widen in disbelief at what lay before her, a long two handed, single bladed axe with a dark slightly curved wooden handle. It showed a lot of use by the chips in the blade and scratches in the wood. "What...is this Silber?"
"This is Odin, it was my grandfather's axe and now it is mine" Silber responds and gently strokes the dulled axe head, a somber smile on his lips. "It was given to me a week before I left home to come to school. My grandfather said" "It deserves to be used not gathering dust on a mantle" he says while imitating his grandfather's speech, earning a small laugh from Van "Thanks I've been working on that for a while" he says rubbing the back of his head.
"Hehe I can tell, it's very good" Van giggles behind her hand "So I take it you will be fixing Odin when we start forging our weapons later this year?"
"That's the plan and it's why I'm using the long axe during training so I can get used to the weight" he starts to wrap Odin but is stopped by hand resting on his own.
Van shakes her head "Keep Odin out, it may not be pretty but it can remind you of your goal"
Silber blinks and nods, tossing the brown paper aside and stands Odin up against his desk. "Much better, it looks right at home" Van says as she strokes Silber's back. "So are you going to try and be like your grandfather then?" she looks up at him.
"Well of course, he is my hero and who I want to be when I'm older" he sits down at his desk "Why?"
"It's because, well I don't think you should be'' she jumps up onto the desk sitting on its surface. This takes Silber by surprise and he is just about to give a reply when Van cuts him off. "I don't mean as a person Silber, from what you have told me your grandfather sounds like a noble man and there is nothing wrong with wanting to be like that. However that doesn't mean you should be an exact copy, be your own huntsman Silber Gron in both spirit and how you fight"
Silber folds his arms and starts getting deep into thought, leaning on his desk and mutters under his breath. "My own huntsman?" but is quickly brought out of it by a sudden flick to the forehead. "OW! What was that for?" he rubs the now sore spot.
Van pouts cutely, puffing out her cheeks "So I could get your attention you started to look depressed"
"S...sorry, I didn't mean too" Silbers says getting flustered, waving his hands in front of himself "I was just thinking about what you were saying that's all Van"
Van smirks at him "Well then you can start thinking about our homework, we have to get started on it" she hops off Silber's desk "I'll make us some tea"
Silber sighs and smiles "That sounds nice, one sugar please and.."
"A little bit of milk?" Van giggles as she fills the kettle "Don't worry I know how you like it"
The pair of them laugh and start on their homework, as the smell of tea fills the room.
-a few days later-
Silber and Van are on an airship heading down towards Mantle, it was their first weekend off after they started school and just like Silber had promised when they had first met they were going to visit the diner his mother worked at as well as introduce Van to his family. The airship lands and they disembark as Van looks around at the streets of Mantle.
"It's so different down here" she shudders and holds herself in her thick coat "and colder too"
"You get used to it, it would be a lot colder without the heaters" Silber smiles "Come on, the diner is not far". The pair of them start walking down the street for the next twenty minutes as Van looks around having to quicken her pace to keep up with Silber till they reach the diner. It wasn't pretty but it had a certain warmth to it and looked very lively inside, different to how Van's family runs their restaurant. She looks up at the neon sign above the door.
"Glowing dawn? That's an odd name"
"The owner chose the name because he wanted the diner to feel like the start of a new day whenever you entered" he opens the door for her
"Hmmm, I like it and thank you Silber" she smiles and walks in glad to get out of the cold as Silber follows.
The diner is humid and warm, but also loud thanks to the patrons. Filled with laughter as they talk and waitresses run between the tables with ease carrying trays of food. The atmosphere is very welcoming and fills Van with a nice warm feeling in her chest as an older waitress walks over.
"Sorry you're gonna have to wait hun, we're full" she blinks and smiles widely "Well I'll be damned, Silber is that you?"
"Hey Latte. Yeah it's me, it looks like we came during the lunch rush" he rubs the back of his head.
"Nah its normally busier than this, your grandfather is at the table in the back" her polar bear ears twitch "I'll take ya and your friend to him and let your mother know you're here"
"Thanks Latte" he hugs her and follows with Van. As they walk through the tables the regulars give a hello to Silber and high five him as he walks past, some asking how he is doing at school, others asking about Van and if she is Silber's girlfriend. This earns a blush from her but Silber tells her they're just teasing. Eventually they get to the back table as Teal cuts into his steak and Latte leaves for the kitchen.
"Well you've caused a bit of a storm now boy" eats the piece of meat he had just cut off.
Silber smiles and holds his fist out "I hadn't noticed. it's good to see you gramps"
Teal smiles through his grey beard and fist bumps him "It's good to see ya boy, hope school is treating ya well".
Silber sits down with Van putting their coats next to him "It's going well and I'm learning a lot. This is my roommate and friend her name-"
"I am more than capable of introducing myself Silber" she puffs out her cheeks "I'm Van Illa, it's nice to meet you Mr Gron" she smiles
Teal chuckles "Well well you must be from Atlas then, it's nice to meet ya Van and please call me Teal." he shakes her hand, the rough, course skin of his hand rubbing against Van's softer skin.
"Very well, Teal. How could you tell I was from Atlas?" she asks, letting go of the old huntsmans hand.
"Where do you want me to start? With your coat and scarf or how you looked when you walked in with my grandson?" he leans forward smirking.
Van blushes a little "Was I that obvious?"
"Very, but ain't nothing wrong with that. Your hanging out with my grandson, so you must be different compared to those other high and mighty Atlas types up there at least"
"She is gramps, she is nothing like them"
"I'll be the judge of that boy" he looks at Van "So tell me Van, is he telling the truth?"
Van starts to get a little nervous as the atmosphere becomes tense but then it is quickly dispelled with a quick few words and a slap across the back of Teal's head"
"What's wrong with you dad? Of course it's true, the fact she came down here with Silber is proof enough" Silber's mother sighs "Sorry about that Van, my father likes to mess with people"
"Ow haha, sorry I couldn't resist" Teal smiles warmly but then but glares at his daughter "Seriously girl go easy on me I'm an old man and your father"
"Well maybe if you didn't like to play your games I wouldn't have to hit you over the head so often" Lapis smiles and sits down next to Teal.
"Your just like your mother" he smiles back
Van just watches Silber's mother and grandfather's banter and she starts to laugh loudly, catching all of them off guard.
"I'm haha I'm sorry...it's just hehehe" covers her mouth as tears start to appear on the corners of her eyes.
Lapis leans forward with a warm smile "Don't be sorry Van, you're not the first person to laugh at how my father and I treat each other. Our dynamic is unique to say the least'".
Vancalms down "Yes it is, but I can tell it comes from a good place and that you care about each other." Teal gives a small smile "Guess I'm not the only sharp one here".
Lapis stands up from the table "Now how about I get you some food, it will be on the house" Van is taken aback by the offer and is about to refuse. But Lapis just simply holds her hand up "It's alright hun. You're a friend of my son so in return will you keep an eye on him since I can't?" Van nods but says next time she will be paying for the food which Lapis agrees to before heading back into the kitchen.
The lunch goes by quickly as Van is told stories about Silber as a young child. Which does embarrass him, but seeing his grandfather getting along with her more then makes up for it. Afterwards they head to the Gron household at the insistence of Teal, partly to embarrass Silber more but also to show Van what living in Mantle is like. Later Lapis joins and while she and Van have a talk in the front room over some tea Van had brought along as a gift, Silber takes the opportunity to take Teal aside into the kitchen. The old huntsman leans against the counter looking at his grandson. "So what do ya want to talk about boy?"
Silber crosses his arms and mulls over how to start "Van and I sparred for the first time a few days and she beat me, easily" This earns a chuckle from his grandfather
"Sorry, but it's just a funny image to see a big lad like you lose to a tiny girl like her. But I get the feeling there is more to it. Right?" Silber nods and keeps going telling Teal about what Van had told him after classes about being his own huntsman instead of trying to be like his grandfather. Teal just smiles and puts a hand on Silber's shoulder.
"That girl is right, you don't have to be like me to be a good huntsman Silber. Find your own path, your own way" he gently pats the spot where Silber's heart is "You'll find the answer ya looking for my boy" he gives a sincere smile and heads back to the front room leaving Silber alone. He stands there holding a hand against his chest and thinks about both Teal and Van's words and smiles "Thanks gramps".
-Later back in their dorm room-
Silber sits cross legged on the floor looking at Odin in front of him not noticing Van kneeling next to him. "Lien for your thoughts?" she asks.
"I've been thinking about what you and my grandfather said and you're both right. I need to find my own path on this journey to be a huntsman and be who I am instead of someone I'm not and I think I know where to start."
Van tilts her head slowly "And where might that be?"
Silber slowly raises his head, smirking "I'm not going to tell you, you'll have to find out tomorrow"
"Tease" she puffs her cheeks out cutely as she pouts
Silber just chuckles "Want some tea before we finish our homework?"
Van smiles and gracefully stands up "Sure, I bought a new blend I want to try"
-The next day-
Van stands in the small arena waiting for Silber as the class watches on, the professor had decided that there would be some sparring in front of the class today to see how each student was doing. Silber walks in now carrying a smaller one handed axe in his right and holds a large rounded shield on his left arm. Van smiles "So this is where you want to start?"
Silber readies himself with the shield up and axe behind him, giving her a determined look "Ready when you are Van"
The professor gives the signal and the match begins. It is an even fight now. With his new shield and smaller axe Silber is not only able to keep up a good defense against Van's quick attacks with her daggers but is able to attack much quicker then before landing some solid blows against her getting Van's aura down to half since the strikes still had his strength behind them. She was able to tie up Silber with her Gold ribbons once but then learned it wouldn't work again when he used his semblance to increase his strength and break the bonds with ease but she still had her speed and her flexibility which helped to get Silber's aura down to half too.
The match was almost over as Van forced Silber to the edge of the arena, all she had to do was push him off and she would win. She runs low to him and gets under his shield to hit him square in the chest with the hilts of the daggers and an aura burst, suddenly though he wasn't there anymore and she feels a heavy blow to her back and ends up pushed out of the arena instead. Silber had known what she was doing and waited till the last minute to spin his entire body left out of the way and knock her out with the force of his shield. He stands over the edge with a smile looking down at Van. "Need some help?"
Van just laughs as she sits up "How kind of you to offer".
The Professor calls the match and declares Silber the victor.
After class the pair sit in the mess hall happily eating lunch. " An axe and shield Silber? If I'm being honest it suits you better" Van says as she eats a spoonful of her beef stew.
"Thanks, I got the idea from our first match. I'm already a big lad so using a two handed weapon leaves me open too much against a quick opponent like you. So I thought having a smaller weapon and the shield would allow more versatility and I'm glad I was right." he rubs the back of his neck "But that doesn't mean I won't use a two handed at all. I already have an idea for when we forge our weapons"
"I look forward to seeing it. Also if I may be bold. Why didn't you use your semblance during our first match? why keep it hidden?"
Silber sighs "I didn't use it because I didn't want to sour your victory, you earned it after all. As for why I hid it, it's because I don't like my semblance or should I say what I have to do for it to be effective."
She raises an eyebrow "Which is?"
"It increases my strength the angrier I get. Which I hate since it's a passive semblance and can't be turned off. I worry that I could hurt someone without meaning too."
"You worry about losing control. That's why you used it sparingly during our match?"
Silber nods slowly "My grandfather said it's ok to get angry but not to let it control you. I'm scared that it could whenever I get mad in anyway even outside of battle" he holds his hands together on the table
Van gently wraps her hands around his "Your a kind person Silber Gron and one of, if not the gentlest soul I have ever met. I will help you in anyway I can, you have my word" she smiles warmly
Silber looks into her eyes and gives a small smile.
"Thank you Van, that means a lot and if it's alright for me to be bold. I'd like to tell you something about me that only my family knows about. It's what I use to trigger my anger in battle."
"Are you sure?"
Silber nods slowly.
"I think about my father and how much he hurt and used my Ma" anger can be seen in Silber's eyes but he takes a breath to calm himself as Van's hands tighten around his own. "My Ma was a chef in Atlas before I was born and she had worked very hard to become one. My father was some pompous Atlas type whom she was working for in his home as a personal chef and he started an affair with her, my Ma was young and charmed by him even though he was married."
"I already don't like him, but please continue Silber"
"The affair went on for almost a year and he always said he would leave his wife and marry my Ma but those were just lies. Then she got pregnant...with me. He immediately fired her and made sure no one in Atlas would hire her. Basically slandering her name, making all the years of hard work for nothing." his hands ball into fists and quiver.
Van strokes his hands slowly, calming him down "I'm so sorry that happened Silber, it's absolutely deplorable. Is that why your mother cooks in the diner?"
"Yeah. Gramps got her the job. He knew the owner and she became much happier afterwards, she was very hurt though..for a long time. I don't care about the man who hurt her and I never want to know him, Ma and gramps are all the family I care about." he lets out a long sigh and chuckles a little. "I feel like a large weight has been lifted" suddenly arms wrap around his neck tightly as Van reaches over the table to hug him.
"Thank you for telling me. I'm honoured Silber" small tears appear on the corner of her eyes as Silber hugs her back.
"Thank you for listening Van and for being my friend" the two let go and Van bites her lip.
"Since you told me something personal, I think you've earned the right to know about my history with Snow" she looks over at Snow on the other side of the room. "I'll tell you back in our dorm after school. Too many eyes and ears" Silber gives an understanding nod.
The School day comes and goes till they end up back at their room. Where Van tells Silber about her history with Snow. Her family had been invited to a charity ball held by Jacque Schnee back when she was ten and Snow had immediately taken a liking to her. Trying to get Van alone where no one could see them, he failed but it made him only more determined. After the ball he used his family's resources to keep an eye on her, come to their restaurant whether he had a booking or not and demanded to see her to which Van's father always refused. It got to the point where he would send gifts to their home to try and butter up her parents and ask to marry Van when she was older, thankfully it didn't work and she developed a hatred for him but also pitied Snow.
Silber sits on his bed absorbing what Van had just told him.
"Thats...wow. Van I'm sorry"
She shakes her head "It's alright, honestly I had thought he'd given up since he stopped pestering my family a year ago. But it looks like he was just biding his time till I came here to the school"
Silber stands and walks over to the kettle "I'll make sure he doesn't try anything on you Van. I know you can defend yourself, but I want to help." he starts filling the kettle with water.
"Then I accept your offer, just don't let it interfere with your studies Silber"
"I won't, but know I'm here" he smiles, turning the kettle on "What do you feel like? Green tea?"
"That sounds wonderful" Van moves a few strands of hair behind her ear.
The rest of the week moves on as normal with Silber and Van going about their studies. The weekend comes and Van insists on going back to Glowing Dawn, wanting to speak to Lapis and apologise for what had happened to her. Even though she wasn't connected to it. She felt it was the right thing to do.
Van bows her head as she sits across from Lapis "I am so sorry for what happened to you Miss Gron".
Lapis smiles and leans over the table and places a hand on Van's head "You have nothing to apologise for sweetie. I'm over what happened, have been for years but I appreciate the thought".
"It..it was the least I could do" her cheeks go red from Lapis's kind words "If my parents had known about you back then, I'm sure they would have hired you. Your food is amazing".
"And I would have accepted" Lapis sits back down and cups her chin, pondering something "Hmm here's a thought. Can you get me and my family a booking? I went past your family's restaurant many times while up on Atlas and never got a chance to eat there, even though I wanted to".
"Of course! That shouldn't be a problem and I'm sure my father wouldn't object after I tell him your story".
"Then we have a deal" Lapis smiles and holds her hand out as Van shakes it.
Silber drools a little imagining the food and blushes as Lapis wipes his face "Ma! Come on!".
"Hehe I'll make sure you get plenty of food Silber" Van strokes his large arm
The door to the diner opens and an all too familiar voice to Van and Silber is heard.
"What a destable hole. But what can I expect from Mantle?".
Silber and Van look to each, then look out from the booth to see Snow standing at the door. Holding a handkerchief to his mouth and nose.
"What on Remnant is he doing here?"
"He must have followed us down, why else would he come here" a sigh escapes from her lips and Van stands up. "What are you doing here Snow?".
Snow smiles as he walks over ignoring the waitress "Why I've come to take you away from here my dear Van. My fiance shouldn't be down here amongst these filthy people, it's beneath you".
"Oh how kind of you Snow" a tinge of sarcasm present in her voice.
Lapis leans over to Silber "Is this the creep you told me about a few days ago?".
"Eyup that's him alright Ma".
Snow's eye twitches a little but he keeps a smile on his face "Now don't be so cold Van, I merely care for your safety, Mantle is a dangerous place after all. Now be a good girl and come along". He reaches out for her hand but is slapped away.
"I'm not going anywhere with you Snow and stop deluding yourself. I. Am. Not. Your. Fiance" Van stares him down.
"Tch you little, nobody defies me!" he raises his hand, anger in Snow's eyes as he moves to slap Van with the back of his hand.
Silber moves on instinct to intervene and stop him along with everyone else in the diner. However someone beats them to it, Teal grabs Snow's wrist from behind and forces the arm to his lower back with an iron grip
"What the?! Unhand me filth!" he tries to break free but can't and goes to elbow Teal but fails as his other arm is grabbed and forcefully pressed against his back.
"Now that is no way to treat a lady boy. Didn't ya parents teach ya any manners?" Teal slams Snow against the table, causing a glass to fall off as the diner's customers cheer a little.
Grunting as his face is pressed against the table, he glares daggers at Teal "Do you have any idea who I am?!"
"Oh I am very aware of who you are and I don't care boy. Ya see, ya picked the wrong place to try and pick a fight, however I'm going to give ya a chance. Since you think we're filth, then I bet ya also think ya could beat my grandson in a fight. Correct?"
Snow looks over at Silber and smirks "Yeah that's right. It will be easy and will teach him a hard lesson"
Teal smirks and lets him go "Good luck with that and don't ever come back here again boy".
Snow stands and rubs his wrists slowly backing out of the diner eyes fixated on Silber. "I'll beat you haha and show everyone in school how superior Atlas is and how inferior you are!. He runs out to cheers from the other patrons as they applaud both Van and Teal.
"Gramps...That was amazing!" Silber smiles widely.
Teal gives a hearty chuckle and sits at the booth "Bah it was nothing, the boy is a weasel".
Van sighs and glares at Teal "Are you insane!? Frost may be a weasel but he is still a third year at the school and you're going to let Silber fight him!"
"Yes" both Teal and Lapis reply.
"Why?" is all Van can say but a thought crosses her mind. "You want Silber to beat him so that can be humiliated in front of the school"
Teal taps the side of his nose with a smile and looks to Silber "Think ya can put him in his place Silber?"
Silber shrugs "I can try, no one comes here. Insult Mantle, try to hurt my best friend and get away with it. But I'll need some help" he looks at Van "Think you can help me train till then?"
Van sighs and looks up at him "Normally I would be appalled at having to use violence to teach someone a lesson. But this time I will make an exception. So make sure to kick his ass Silber" she smiles.
Silber gives a thumbs up.
Over the next week, after classes Silber and Van train together. Making sure they are always alone of course. So Snow doesn't have anymore of advantage, since being a third year with more training and experience was already enough. There was a rule at the school, any student can fight another regardless of year, so long as both agree and a teacher was present to supervise the match. It had already become well known that Snow had challenged Silber, he had done it in the cafeteria in front of the whole student body the day after the diner incident . Mainly to stroke his own ego and make sure there was an audience.
Finally the day came, the match was taking place in the main arena in the training hall and a large crowd of students had already gathered to watch the fight, muttering amongst themselves. Van watches from the front, hands together in prayer as Silber and Snow take the stage.
"Come on Silber. Show him what you can do" she says to herself.
The two of them stare each other down, with Silber easily towering over Snow as they shake each other's hands in the middle of the arena.
"I'm going to enjoy crushing you. You filthy, Mantle brute" Snow smirks.
"Hmm, that's the best insult you got? I've heard better" Silber just smiles making Snow click his teeth in frustration.
They part and head to opposite ends of the arena, taking a battle stance. The teacher raises his hand.
"Tournament rules, as soon as either of your aura hits the red, the match is done! No exceptions, now…..BEGIN!" he throws his hand down.
Snow charges, running low to the ground as Silber just holds his position, shield up as he waits. The two clash as Snow manages to get some accurate hits in. Chipping away at Silber's aura with little effort as he dodges his strikes and weaves around him. Silber does manage to block a few blows with his shield, but it is clear he is on the defensive. Missing more strikes than he is landing, which irritates him. Despite that he starts to smile, this fight was a wall to him and one he planned to overcome. Snow speaks up, overconfidence clear in his tone as he locks his sickles with Silber's axe.
"What's wrong brute? Can't hit me? proves how superior I am to trash like you"
Silber smirks and chuckles "Oh there is trash here and I'm looking at him".
This gets under Snow's skin and he kicks Silber across the arena with an aura focused kick to the stomach, making him roll backwards. Almost falling out of the arena but he regains his balance quickly, standing at the edge.
"Did that get under your skin? Good" he smirks and gives his axe a little spin as the pair charge at each other again
Minutes pass and the match starts to pick up as Silber starts keeping up with Snow's movements, landing more blows consecutively and dodging attacks much easier. His training with Van was paying off as both their aura levels became even on the screen above them. Van watches with a smile on her face as other students start to cheer them on, more for Silber then Snow.
"Thats it Silber, you've got it. Keep going"
Snow goes for a low sweeping kick trying to knock Silber off his feet, but it fails as Silber jumps back. Just like he hoped, Snow smirks. As Silber lands he suddenly slips to one knee as his feet can't get a grip on the floor, then he falls flat onto his face but instead of the hard arena floor he feels something cold against his skin It was Ice.
"What the? Ice? When or where?" As he tries to get up an aura focused knee slams into his face, making his aura flicker and knocks him onto his back and then Snow is on top of his body kneeling over him, pinning his arms to the floor. They start to get cold as Snow holds them down with his hands.
He smirks gleefully "Like it? This is Frost, my semblance. I can freeze whatever I touch till it's covered in ice"
Silber's eyes widen as he struggles to break free but it's no use, his arms are frozen to the arena floor by their wrists.
"Damn it! Come on!"
A manic laugh comes from Snow and he starts slashing away at Silber's aura slowly, enjoying every second of it as the bar on the screen gets lower and lower. Other students protest at what's happening but to him they might as well be white noise. To Snow it was just him and the trash who dared to associate with Van.
"This is where you belong, filth, beneath me." He slashes across Silber's chest with a sickle and punches him square in the jaw making his aura flicker again "After I beat you here, I will make sure you never see Van again and that you will wish you had never come to this school"
"No...you won't touch her! Gah!" Silber gasps as his throat is grasped and squeezed slowly, Snow's face only inches from his own.
"Oh I will do so much more than touch her scum" he grins and leans into Silber's ear and whispers what he plans to do to Van in vivid detail. Silber's eyes widen and his fists ball up in anger as a red mist starts to descend over Silber's eyes. Snow giving a menacing, raising one of his sickles to come down for another strike. Van stands up quickly and cries out taking the other students by surprise.
"GET UP SILBER!"
Suddenly before anyone can comprehend what happened a loud thud echoes in the hall from the arena Snow is seen staggering backwards, clutching his head and falls onto his bottom. Dazed, his aura is now at half. Van was the only person who saw Silber deliver a mighty headbutt to Snow's face.
"W..What was...that?"
The sound of something cracking is heard as Silber's arms burst from the ice that was holding them down, sending shards of it across the hall and effortlessly he handsprings back onto his feet. His gaze locked fully on Snow as he slowly starts to walk over, the muscles on his body have become more prominent through his uniform, almost like it's too small for him. He stands over the dazed Snow as he looks up, seeing the anger in Silber's eyes, feeling afraid but also angry.
"H..how?"
Silber says nothing as he stares down at him and easily blocks a strike with the shield, knocking the sickle from the arena. Snow grits his teeth.
"I will not lose to trash from Mantle!" he swings his remaining sickle up as he quickly springs to his feet. Silber just steps back, as the blade tip misses his chin by millimetres and grabs Snow by the collar with his left hand, holding him up off the arena floor. Still saying nothing, he rears back and delivers another fierce headbutt to Snow's face, his aura flickers from the impact again. The students wince as they watch. Both their auras are close to hitting the red as Van just watches with shock written on her face.
"Silber...oh gods"
Snow digs his sickle into the shield, while holding the wrist keeping him off the floor.
"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME!" he flips over Silber by pushing off his torso dragging the arm holding the shield with him and as he lands he jerks his arms and pulls the shield clean off the arm and pants, his uniform a mess and the usually well kept hair sticking to his wet face.
"YOU WILL PAY FOR TOUCHING ME!"
Silber just slowly turns around, his gaze never wavering as the two start to trade blows again. There is no technique to their attacks, both are just fighting on pure instinct and anger, ignorant to everything and everyone around them as the students can only watch with shock and horror. The professor tries to stop them but is knocked out by an accidental elbow to the face from Silber. For every strike one gave the other recipreated. Silber goes for an overhead attack putting all his strength behind it but Snow blocks it and locks the sickle around the axe head. But is still forced to his knees and cracks the arena floor from the impact, he pulls Silber's arm down forcing him with it till their faces meet again.
"Ha...ha...I hear your father is from Atlas, how pitiful that he wasted his time on your whore of a mother!"
SIlber's eyes widened with a fury he had never known as his uniform started to tear in spots on his chest and arms, now Snow had done it. Grabbing Snow's shirt, he roars as he speaks, the voice echoes in the large hall.
"I'M GOING TO BREAK YOU IN TWO!" he throws Snow over his left shoulder using a throw his grandfather had taught him and tosses the older student like a ragdoll out of the arena into the wall, twenty five feet away.
Snow's back slams into the wall with a loud crash, leaving cracks in the surface , before falling to the floor and his aura finally breaks as he struggles to get up. Only managing to get to his knees and a look of fear comes across his face as he sees Silber start charging from the arena.
"KEEP HIM AWAY FROM ME, HIS INSANE!"
"SILBER STOP!" Van quickly gets between them, spreading her arms wide as Silber skids to a halt and looms over her, she looks up with tears streaming down her face. "You won...Silber, just stop...please" She hugs his waist and sobs "I'm sorry..I'm so sorry"
"V...Van?" Silber mutters as he looks down at her, as the red mist fades away and he calms down. The scale of what had happened during the fight and what he could have done in his rage settles in and he starts to cry too falling to his knees and embracing his friend.