Chapter 14: Thunder and Fire
"Hmph." Fang Zhi wiped off the dust that had settled in his sleeves from the explosion. The surprised look on his face was replaced with a look of mocking delight, but Syaoran could sense the undercurrent of rage behind it. "So you've conveniently figured out how to use magic again. Is that supposed to impress me, or should I remind you that you've never won against me even with your magic?"
Syaoran clutched his sword tighter. "You're right. Back then, I thought you were just training me and I was the one who fell short of your expectations. Perhaps I still do." He sharpened his glare towards Fang Zhi. "But that doesn't matter anymore, because I understand you now."
"Oh, do you?" Fang Zhi questioned with malice in his voice.
Syaoran nodded. "I understand that you were never here to train me or to make me become better. All you ever wanted was my defeat. You are not my teacher; you are my enemy." Syaoran raised his sword and pointed it at Fang Zhi. "So I will fight you as I would an enemy."
"Oh, is that so? You'll fight me like an enemy?" Fang Zhi produced flames in his left hand and rubbed it along the length of his blade. The flames stayed where Fang Zhi's hand passed, coating the blade in an orange blaze.
"You're twenty years too early to be making an enemy out of me!" Fang Zhi hissed out in a hateful voice.
Fang Zhi swung the ignited blade and sent a large crescent wave of flame towards Syaoran. He reacted immediately and dodged to the side as the flames collided with the fencing around their court. The protective spells lining the fence immediately reacted and prevented the flames from leaking outside towards the spectators, who now even consisted of some of the instructors. Most of them were still visibly scared and retreated even though the flames didn't reach them.
Meanwhile, Syaoran pushed forward as more waves approached him. He side-stepped and narrowly avoided a wave, feeling it's heat close to the side of his face. The wave passed him by as another wave came approaching him. With determination, he clutched his sword and gathered magic in it before jumping and swinging his blade to the oncoming flame. The sword cut through the arc and bisected it into almost symmetric halves. Now having cut the distance between him and Fang Zhi, his opponent released a large fireball his way. Still carrying the momentum from his counter, he landed, braced his two feet and took out his casting paper.
"Water Dragon, answer my call!"
A stream of water emerged from his paper and collided with the flames. The collision sent steam and vapor flying in all directions. The spectators were riled up as their view of the fight was obscured by a translucent blanket of steam. Inside the steam cloud, Syaoran circled around and approached from the side to where Fang Zhi's location was. He could see the orange glow of Fang Zhi's flame-coated blade grow closer as he approached. With the distance closed, he strode forward and swung towards the glow, cutting through it…
and splitting the floating flame in two, making it dissipate into nothing.
'A decoy!' Syaoran retreated himself and immediately went on the defensive as a huge shadow immediately cut through the mist, revealing the black figure of Fang Zhi who swung a heavy blow downwards towards him. He managed to block the attack, though it sent shockwaves through his arms.
"Did you really think I would fall for such a cheap ploy?!" Fang Zhi placed his left hand on his blade and recited a spell in quick whispers. Realizing what was going on, Syaoran broke the blade lock and retreated as Fang Zhi's blade reignited in an explosion of flame. Fang Zhi moved his blade back as if to release another wave. Realizing quickly that he couldn't dodge it at his current range, he took out his casting paper and cast his water spell again, sending a wave of water to Fang Zhi. 'At this distance, even he won't be able to release his spell in time.' Syaoran surmised. 'Once the flames are extinguished, I'll make my move!" He looked at Fang Zhi, expecting to see the look of surprise on his face, only to be surprised when he saw an animalistic grin instead. The man put down his sword and outstretched two fingers towards the oncoming wave of water.
"God of Thunder, answer my call."
Currents of electricity emerged from the outstretched fingers and penetrated the stream of water, conducting through it all the way back to him. Syaoran immediately broke the spell and jumped back as the electricity conducted through the last vestiges of summoned water, narrowly avoiding a shock through his hands. With it's source cut off and nothing to hold it up, the water immediately splashed onto the ground. Syaoran returned his attention to Fang Zhi who stood with a smug expression on his face.
Fang Zhi thrust his two fingers upwards and created a sphere of air in his hand, which grew until it was the size of a basketball before bursting outwards in a wave of air. The air explosion blew away the mist, once again clearing the vision for both combatants and the onlookers. "Face it, boy, you're outclassed. I can outfight, out-spell and out-think you easily."
"And yet, you've failed to keep me down." Syaoran retorted while catching his breath.
Fang Zhi laughed in return. "Tough talk, but we both know that it's only a matter of time."
Syaoran panted heavily, struggling to keep his breath under control, as the bruises and scratches on his body began to exude pain again. Loath as he was to admit it, he knew Fang Zhi was right. It was a miracle that he managed to keep himself standing right now, but he knew he was down to his last wind and no amount of magic could save him from inevitable exhaustion. He needed to end this while he still had the strength to.
"I can tell you're thinking of some way to beat me, so let me dispel you of that delusion." Fang Zhi placed his left hand in front of his chest with two fingers outstretched. "Playtime's over." The hand glowed as Fang Zhi gathered magic into it. At the same time, sparks of magical energy appeared from his body and a magic circle appeared below him. The intensity of the sparks grew and their range increased to the borders of the circle.
"The Jade Emperor beckons, the Four Gods answer. Metal, wood, water, fire, earth, lightning, wind, answer the call." The air around Fang Zhi began to displace as a powerful aura emanated from the spell. Syaoran observed as the magical barriers inside the compound blinked in and out of visibility, which only happened when they came in close contact to magic or reacted to magical energy. The four stone wards planted high on the walls above visibly shone as the wards' internal defensive measure was triggered, further emphasizing that this was no ordinary spell.
"God of Thunder, answer my call!"
Within no time, he had shot a quick burst of lightning at Fang Zhi, but the gathering energy formed a shield against his magic. The lightning struck an invisible barrier before dissipating into sparks. Fang Zhi smiled at the failed attack before continuing his chant.
"The Southern Sea stirs, the Red Dragon rises. The New Command: Attack!"
A powerful flare of magic erupted creating a column of crimson energy from the circle. The column shot upwards then began to coil itself in random directions whilst steadily taking shape as four short limbs with five claws appeared from it's body. At the same time, the head of the coil began to form a head with horns, jaws, and whiskers. The body of light gradually decreased in it's brightness as detailed scaled began to form. Finally, the end of the column tapered off into a bushed tail and completed the image and the sight of a red glowing dragon fully took over his view.
Fang Zhi lifted his sword and the dragon stirred in response, growling as it did. "Let's see how your spells fare against this." He pointed the sword at Syaoran in a quick move and the dragon rushed to it's new target.
Syaoran didn't have time to blink. One moment, the dragon roared in response to it's summoner's command, the next it was barreling straight towards him with it's jaws open, filling his view with glowing red. He dodged to the side as the dragon passed by his right. As it did, he felt the tremendous amount of magical energy behind it and immediately deduced he couldn't take even one hit from the magical apparition. He turned forward and ran along it's body towards Fang Zhi. The plan was simple; to incapitate the summon, he had to strike the summoner.
"God of Fire, answer-"
A roar from his behind interrupted his spell. Syaoran turned around to see that the dragon had turned itself to the right and was approaching Syaoran from behind. Reflexively, he raised his sword to defend himself whilst simultaneously dodging to the side. He might as well have been trying to block a train for all the good his defense did. The sword bounced against it's scales, sending sharp vibrations through his arm which caused his muscles to scream in pain. It's body also scraped the underside of his arms, ripping off parts of his sleeves and shallow but numerous cuts on his skin. The force of the impact sent him flying backwards. Instinctively, Syaoran rolled to dissipate the impact and put himself upright again. He was now further away from Fang Zhi than he started off.
'It's the dragon.' Syaoran concluded. 'As long as it's there, he can attack me from any range or angle and control the distance between me and him. I can't get close as long as it's around.' Fang Zhi was smiling in delight at his predicament as he moved his sword again. 'Here it comes!'
A wave of the sword sent the red behemoth towards Syaoran again. He rolled out of the way but this time, the dragon did not travel a long distance before it turned and was already on Syaoran again as he was standing up. Syaoran jumped out of the way as the dragon crashed to where he had been moments ago and put some distance between him and the creature. As he landed, he pulled out his casting paper and entered his stance.
"God of Thunder, answer my call!"
Syaoran fired three rounds of lightning towards the dragon. The first one collided with it's face but rolled of it's forehead. The second and third ones were just as ineffective as they struck it's tough scales. 'Damn! It's scales are too tough!' He knew lightning magic had the ability to disrupt magical flow which makes it handy against magical opponents, but the magic constituting the dragon was too powerful to be penetrated by his spells.
The dragon moved again, unfazed by the attacks but it didn't rush Syaoran. Instead, it moved to the side of him in an arc. He realized what it was doing and moved to avoid being encircled only to find his path suddenly blocked by red scales, so he moved out of the way to another direction only to find a humongous red body crashing down and blocking escape from any direction. On top of him, the dragon growled with primal fury. It was surreal to see a magic construct convey such realistic animal actions, though perhaps it was an extension of Fang Zhi's anger. Whatever it was, he had no time to think about it. As the dragon arrowed downward towards him, Syaoran took out a casting paper from his pocket and stepped on it before touching it with his sword's tip.
"God of Wind, answer my call!"
A burst of wind emerged from the paper and lifted both him and the paper up into the air just as the dragon's head crashed down, sending dust and debris in all direction. The enchanted slip of paper found it's way back to Syaoran's hand and he readied to place it in the ground to soften his landing when from the cloud of dust below him, the dragon's head reemerged and headed straight towards him.
'Damn it!'
Syaoran quickly assessed his situation. The dragon was coming straight from below him as he was airborne. There was no way he could take the attack and he had no foothold to dodge.
Or did he?
He looked upwards where the protective barrier of the court had completely solidified in response to the strong spell released within it and was now as solid as a brick wall, solid enough for him not to phase through it.
'That could work!'
Syaoran faced down at the dragon again and threw the casting paper towards it. The paper landed on top of it's snout. Then, he steadied his sword downward in an improvised casting stance. Timing was of the essence; he had to time his spell right to avoid a serious injury. He waited for the dragon to approach him until it was a sword's length away from him.
"God of Wind, answer my call!"
A burst of wind emerged from the paper and blew him further up towards the solid barrier. Syaoran looked at the approaching pink wall of energy and braced both his feet. They made first contact with the barrier at just the right speed not to risk potential injury. The rest of him followed suit as he hunched himself to dissipate the momentum from his spell. Meanwhile, the dragon was still approaching him.
Wasting no time, Syaoran kicked against the barrier and pushed himself forward like a spring towards the dragon. He aligned himself to fall above it's head and rolled along it's body downwards. He got back up on his feet and stabilized himself on top of the dragon. After a few running steps, he allowed gravity and the dragon's body to essentially glide him downwards.
Meanwhile, the dragon had started to turn when it realized it's target was now on it's body but it was too close to the barrier to turn. A loud boom sounded as it's head collided smack into the solid magic wall. The impact reverberated throughout the dragon's body as it roared from the impact. Syaoran struggled to keep his balance on top of it but managed to keep his balance. He looked up at the dragon's head which was still reeling from the crash.
'Close enough.' The impact had not quite forced the creature to dissipate as he wanted but it had stunned it and reduced some of the magical energy behind it, which was still helpful. He recalled his casting paper which automatically returned to his hand and turned his attention to the dragon's body as gravity and momentum pushed him to it's end, where the dragon's summoner stood. Fang Zhi wasn't blind to his plan and already had a flaming sword in hand waiting for him.
Syaoran reached into his pocket and took out his lightning enchanted paper. As soon as his trajectory lined up, he wasted no time in shooting out a lightning bolt towards Fang Zhi. Entering his casting stance, he poured a lot of magical energy into the spell.
"God of Thunder, answer my call!"
A single thick stream of lightning headed straight towards Fang Zhi's direction. He raised his sword to counter it while laughing. "Haven't you learnt your lesson? You can't brute force you way out with me-"
Suddenly, the stream split itself into five different bolts, surprising the older mage. The trajectory of the bolts changed as well; they were no longer heading towards him but instead at the ground surrounding him. They crashed into the ground, surrounding Fang Zhi in a cloud of dust and dirt. Instinctively, he jumped back to avoid the cloud before his vision was blurred.
"Creative, but futile. I can see through your-"
"God of Wind, answer my call!"
A burst of wind travelled forward and pushed the dust cloud directly in to Fang Zhi, who was still recovering from his dodge to avoid it. The rush of air struck him squarely, sending dust down the crevices of his clothes and staining his skin ashen brown. Despite his efforts, dust also got in his eyes and blurred his vision.
'I did it!' Syaoran had successfully blinded Fang Zhi and his opponent would not risk using his dragon to attack this close to himself. Now, Syaoran had to strike while his opening was there. Having neared it's tail and at a short distance from the ground, he jumped off the dragon's body and rushed Fang Zhi who was still covering his eyes. Syaoran raised his sword, ready to attack.
A red, teary eye glared at him with an expression of fury. Realizing what was coming, Syaoran ducked under as Fang Zhi thrust at him. He felt the heat emanate from the burning blade, almost enough to singe his eyebrows. This was followed with a downward swing. Syaoran immediately dodged to the side and let the blade clash to the floor. Never a slow one, Fang Zhi quickly followed up with more wild swings at his direction. Some of them were off the mark, missing him by a wide margin, but most of them were still quite precise and Syaoran couldn't help but acknowledge the man's skills. Fang Zhi's warrior instinct was still very much in play and Syaoran knew that it was only a matter of time before his vision fully recovered. He had to make his move before then.
Dodging another swing, Syaoran made his way to Fang Zhi's left side. The dazed and angry mage swung to defend his side, but Syaoran managed to block the attack before it was at full swing and locked the blade in place. This also put him closer to Fang Zhi's range where he wanted to be. He looked at Fang Zhi's left leg and pinpointed the spot where he had hammered down his pommel earlier. With the trained accuracy from his martial arts training, he delivered a swift, strong kick to the spot.
A cry of pain and rage escaped Fang Zhi as he slumped to the left from the pain. At the same time, he swung his sword at Syaoran's general direction, forcing the boy to jump back. The next moment, he did the same and increased the distance between them, shutting out the pain he felt with sheer willpower,
'He's trying to buy time!' Syaoran moved forward again to push his offense. He had to push his advantage while he still had it. In a swift move, he grabbed a casting paper from his pocket. If he could fire a spell from close range as Fang Zhi's current state, he would not be able to-
A red clawed limb entered Syaoran's vision from above, threatening to enclose Syaoran completely within it's grasp. He stepped back to avoid it, but the impact of the claw and the rest of the dragon's body into the ground sent a shockwave of air which blew him further back. Using his jumping skills, he managed to keep himself from falling over and stayed in balance. In front of him, the dragon coiled around Fang Zhi, protecting it's master from harm.
'Stupid!' Syaoran cursed silently as he realized what had happened; Fang Zhi wasn't increasing the distance between them to buy time to recover but doing so to allow the dragon to land without himself getting in harm's way. Now under the protection of the dragon, he had all the time to recover his sight. Even from his distance, Syaoran could still see the hateful glare lobbied by Fang Zhi at him. The red, irritated eyes from which the stare emanated gave further embellishment to Fang Zhi's anger.
"No more tricks, no more feints; this ends now!" Fang Zhi yelled out. The dragon roared in response, acting as an extension of Fang Zhi's rage. Syaoran cursed himself over and over again. Once again, he couldn't exploit the opening to take down Fang Zhi. There was no way Fang Zhi was going to let him get that close again, and the dragon was still in play. He was out of strategies to use and he had wasted a lot of magical energy in his attacks. At his current distance, Fang Zhi was going to pick him off with the dragon. He couldn't even harm the magical summon; it's outer scales were made up of dense magical energy which negated his own spells-
Something clicked within Syaoran as he realized what he had just thought. He knew he couldn't harm the creature from the outside.
But maybe he could destroy it from theinside.
Still, he knew the plan was risky. Even if he could harm the dragon from within, it was still a powerful summon created with powerful magic. Even with the damage it sustained from colliding with the barrier, he would have to give every ounce of magic he had left in his reserves and more to destroy it.
'It will work.' he said to himself. 'I know I can do it.' He felt a surge of confidence and resolve burning within him as he made up his mind. Syaoran raised his sword and took out his lightning casting paper and slowly, like he had been taught in his first days of magic training, he entered his casting stance.
Fang Zhi saw the challenge and was initially surprised by Syaoran's actions but then he grinned in delight. "So that's your answer. Very well, then." Fang Zhi raised his sword and the dragon uncoiled from him. It flew back and poised itself to spring towards Syaoran. "I will oblige."
Syaoran ignored Fang Zhi's taunt and focused himself. Inside him, he visualized his center of magic. He felt it's ebb and flow within him and reached within the white sphere to the power he had. A pleasant, heat-like sensation flared within him as he felt magic rise within him. Steadying his ragged breath, he channeled it through his body, his arms and outside through the sword and paper. It no longer felt like he had to force his magic through to cast; The magic came naturally now, even more than it usually did. He could feel power gathering and surging within him unlike anything he had ever felt before, waiting to be released.
The gathering of magic also had an outward effect; his magic circle had appeared and he was glowing in magic. An aura of light had formed around him, dazzling the onlookers around them. The air was circling around him in a steady but powerful way. All these things happened without him knowing though, as he was focused within himself that he naturally tuned out the outside world.
Fang Zhi grinned at the spectacle. "That's right. Give it everything you have. I'll crush it all down and show you just how far apart our powers are!" Fang Zhi swung his sword downward and pointed it at him.
The dragon immediately rushed in amazing speed, baring teeth and claws towards Syaoran. However, he kept his eyes closed and continued to build up magic, sensing the dragon and Fang Zhi's position relative to his by sensing it. He needed to time this exactly right. Slowly, he opened his eyes as the red behemoth gradually filled his view. As it neared, it opened it's mouth and roared ferociously.
'NOW!'
"GOD OF THUNDER, ANSWER MY CALL!"
All the power that he had been charging up within him flowed into the casting paper, shooting forth in the form of a thick stream of lightning. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before; the lightning wasn't the usual yellow color he normally used. Rather, it had taken a light blue hue as it burst out of his paper. The blast of power created a thundering boom which shook the entire court, sending some of the spectators into panic. All of this happened simultaneously as the lightning barreled forward into the red dragon.
The lightning connected with the dragon's mouth, sending sparks of blue and red flying. The ward stones, having already been activated due to the dragon's summoning, flared even brighter as they worked to contain the collision of the two powerful spells within. The dragon stopped it's rush forward as it met with the opposing force. It was unable to close it's mouth due to the constant stream of lightning within. Still, it used it's claws to hold it's ground and crawled forward towards him.
'Come on! Just a little more…' Syaoran felt the turbulent flow of magic within him. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before; the magic flowed with complete fluidity within him, something that he had never felt before. It felt like no energy was wasted between his own and the spell. It was, however, not quite enough to penetrate the dragon yet. He felt his battered body begin to ache considerably from the immense flow of energy within him.
'One. Last. Push.' He closed his eyes and reached deep within him where his magic was flowing out and went even deeper, squeezing every ounce of magic he had left as the dragon steadily crawled towards him. His body screamed in pain from every inch and the smell of burnt paper reached his nose as the casting paper sizzled under the intense volume of magic. He shut them out with sheer willpower and dug deeper and deeper within himself to places he had not even known…
… and found the power he was looking for. It flowed out in rapid fashion, like water that had been dug out of the ground. The immense surge of power reverberated within him and sent shivers throughout his body. With iron concentration, he took control of the wild flowing power and with a primal cry, he pushed all of this power into the spell.
A second burst of power travelled through the stream and intensified it further. Outside their court, the stones closest to them, the North and West Stone, cracked from the intensity of magic at play. The wave of power reached the dragon's mouth and, pushing into it like a hot knife through butter. The blue lightning illuminated the dragon's insides and leaked out from it's scales, producing sparks from the spaces between. The stream continued along the dragon's body, tearing it apart as it went. The torn remains of the dragon dissipated into nothing as the magic that held it's form was disrupted. With the dragon out of the way, the bolt found it's way to it's true target: Fang Zhi.
Stunned by the destruction of his summon, Fang Zhi reacted a bit late to the oncoming deluge of magic coming at him. He outstretched his left hand and faced the torrent of lightning with an open palm. A huge, square, white, translucent, wall appeared in front of him and took the full brunt of the attack. The huge torrent of lightning overflowed past the barrier's limits and sparks flew past him. In response, he poured his magic into the barrier. The lightning crackled against the barrier, completely blocking his view. It pushed against the barrier constantly…
…until he felt himself budge.
"It's… pushing me back?" he uttered in shock. It was unreal that any kid of that age could have this much power within, but Fang Zhi was determined not to lose. He planted his feet harder to avoid losing further ground as he continued to maintain his barrier. Sweat rolled from his whole body.
"I… will… not… lose to the likes of you!" He poured more magic into the barrier. He knew the boy was at his limit. All he had to do was outlast this downpour of magic and he would-
A huge crack appeared from the left corner of the barrier and travelled downward towards the right bottom corner, sending the sound of breaking glass towards Fang Zhi's ear. The crack was immediately followed by another small one sourced from the main large crack. Lightning began to leak through the forming cracks as the barrier's edges were chipped away by the force. Soon after, pieces of the barrier were breaking off as cracks formed everywhere.
"NO!" Fang Zhi yelled. He continued to reinforce the barrier but it was futile; the barrier's structural integrity was compromised. It began to bend backward as it gave way to the blinding stream of lightning but he would not cede. He would not acknowledge the kid's power no matter what. Fang Zhi roared in fury as the barrier began to break away and bright blue light surrounded him.
Syaoran watched as the lightning pushed through the defensive barrier Fang Zhi. The current passed through where Fang Zhi had been standing and collided with the protective wall of the court. The tremendous amount of magical energy collided with the pink barrier, creating a sound of wild electricity as the barrier dissipated it. The current continued to flow and steadily wavered as the last of his magic flowed out. Finally, it tapered off into nothing. His paper charm, burning from the insane volume of magic thrust upon it, flew away and became ash in the wind.
Immediately, Syaoran collapsed on the ground. His sword fell from his grip and clattered on the ground next to him. The injuries he had already sustained added to the fatigue of holding the same position was too much, and his legs gave way. He felt utterly drained of stamina and magic.
'Did I do it?'
Still lying on the ground, Syaoran looked to the direction where he had fired his spell. A billow of dust had erupted from the strike, covering the whole area and obscuring it's visibility. The last thing he had heard was Fang Zhi yelling as his spell pushed through. In his incapacitated state, it was hard to distinguish features from the thick dust. He scanned for anything was moving within, any shadow or features and waited. It was only a few seconds but it felt like ages.
With nothing emerging, he finally settled his head down. As before, he hadn't paid attention to the accidental audience who was watching like he did, but with the focus on the battle gone, he could hear them start murmuring between themselves. He ignored them, content to rest off all his pain and fatigue. He felt exhaustion like he had never felt before. Not even the Final Judgment had quite brought this much out of him.
None of that mattered, however, as he had won. It was a hard won fight that required him to push himself past his limits, but he did it. He didn't know what would happen after this, but he had proven to himself that he was more than the expectations set for him and now everyone knew that-
A sudden yell by one of the onlookers caught his attention and he looked towards the direction of the voice. It was a bespectacled girl around his age. She was pointing out a spot in the court to her friends, whom responded in equal shock as they saw what she had pointed out. Immediately, Syaoran looked the location to where the girl pointed and his heart sank immediately.
Out of the dust, the black robed figure of Fang Zhi stood. He had one hand outstretched in front with an open palm maintaining the little remains of a destroyed barrier. His left arm was very much visible as it's sleeve had been burnt off to the top of his bicep. He stood steadily with ragged breath as the last remnants of the barrier faltered away. With the barrier gone, he put down his hand and looked to the direction of Syaoran who was lying immobile on the ground.
'Damn it!' Syaoran reached instinctively for his sword and tried to use it to prop himself upward. He managed to get up for a brief moment before his injured body forced him down again. Using his sword to prop himself up, he just managed to keep himself on his knees as Fang Zhi approached him.
The man walked slowly yet not with his casual indignation; a slight limp was noticeable in his left leg which had been injured during their fight. Nevertheless, it did not hinder him in a significant way. Syaoran was left with little option of fighting back except a defiant glare as Fang Zhi approached. He stopped a short distance away from Syaoran and pointed his sword at the kneeling boy.
"It's over." Fang Zhi said. "I've won." Despite that, there was no sign of a victor's satisfaction in his tone.
"So you have." Syaoran agreed. In similar fashion, there was no tone of a disheartened loser from his words. He looked up defiantly, the fight still in his eyes if not his body.
Fang Zhi gritted his teeth in irritation. "What's with that look? The difference between us is clear from the very beginning, but after all this you still look at me like you're going to win?! Don't you get it? You've lost!"
"True, you have won this battle." Syaoran admitted as he spoke between ragged pants. "But I haven't lost yet; as long as I breathe I'll always move forward, because have a goal that I want to get to. I don't care how many losses I have to take; I'll keep moving towards that goal and I won't let you or anyone else get in my way."
Fang Zhi gritted his teeth even harder in annoyance and glanced at his torn-up sleeve and the slight burns he had in his left hand. Taking a deep breath, he spoke again in a calmer tone. "At the very least, I acknowledge your resolve." He turned his attention towards Syaoran again. "But you are not the only one who has something to strive for."
Syaoran kept his eyes steady on Fang Zhi and the sword pointed at him. "Then I'll face you again as many times as I have to." Both fighters stood their ground, still continuing the fight mentally.
"HALT!"
The sound of approaching footsteps grabbed both their attention and broke the staredown. It was the interior guards dressed in their garbs and veils. They were nearing him and Fang Zhi with their pronged staves in hand. "Cease all magical activities at once! Both of your magic has caused damage to the wards." Syaoran turned to see the cracked North and West stones as well as the damage to the court and saw the consequences of their battle for the first time. "All activities are to be stopped until we can repair them-"
A barrier appeared out of nothing and surrounded Syaoran entirely, shocking both mages. Syaoran touched the green tinted wall of the barrier and felt the familiar magical signatures coming from it. 'This is-'
He didn't finish that thought as in the next moment, a piercing shriek rose in the air, piercing the ears of everyone in the building. It was immediately followed by an explosion of bright yellow flame from the front door of the compound. The giant flame rose up to the air as it spread to the side growing out wings with fiery feathers. Part of it shot upwards and formed a long neck leading to a round head decorated with feathers and a sharp beak. The bird shrieked louder, sending everyone from the trainees to the guards and Fang Zhi himself down on their knees from the sheer intensity of the sound. Only Syaoran who was protected inside the barrier was spared from the effects.
The flaming bird flapped it's wings and flew into the air towards where Syaoran and Fang Zhi was. A flap of it's wings sent hot air downwards as it's glow illuminated the whole interior in orange light. As it entered the court, flames appeared on the ground below it and followed the bird's movement. Reaching to where Syaoran laid, the bird formed a circle around the boy, creating a ring of fire below it which prevented anyone from coming close to him. Fang Zhi and the guards stepped back to avoid the heat of the flames. Afterwards, the bird landed within the ring directly on top of Syaoran with a loud crash which shook even the protective barrier around him; it's fiery talons surrounded his sides while it's wings enclosed him in a protective gesture like a bird protecting her young.
Suddenly, a blinding flash of light appeared in between him and the circle of flames which protected him. Syaoran ducked under his sleeves to avoid the sudden burst of light. The flash flared brightly for a moment and then it was gone. As he sensed the light had subsided, he slowly opened his eyes again and was greeted with a surprising sight.
In the space where the blinding light had been now stood five figures that he knew all too well. They all had their back towards him, but he knew his family when he saw them. Feimei and Fuutie stood in the outer edge with Fuutie and Shiefa between them. They stood behind the figure of Yelan Li, whose figure wasn't fully visible to him as his sisters were blocking his view. Nonetheless, she could see the top of her head, and the fan she held on her fully extended hand which was still glowing with magic.
"Quick, look after Xiao Lang!" Fuutie commanded, her voice clearly conveying worry. The elder sister quickly turned around and mobilized her younger sisters to inspect their brother. As they did, the barrier they had erected around him collapsed. Fuutie put Syaoran on his back to inspect his injuries.
"Look at all this." Fuutie grimaced as she saw the bruises and cuts on her brother. "What did you do, Little Brother?" she almost scolded him.
"Fuutie, Mother, why are all of you here?" he asked in confusion.
"The questions can wait." Fuutie replied. "Right now we have to get you fixed up." She turned to the twins. "Huanglian, Feimei, see if you can do something to patch up those wounds a little." The twins obliged and began chanting together. Fuutie offered her own magic and a collective light emerged from both their hands as they poured their magic onto him.
The sensation of magic entering through his body stung initially and he winced in reaction, but the pain eventually dulled down as the magic began to heal it. Syaoran felt relief flow through him, both physically and mentally as he dropped his mental guard. Surrounded by his family, he finally allowed his strained mind to relax. "Thank you…" he managed to utter out as darkness overtook him. His head slumped to the side and his sword reverted back to it's dormant state.
"Xiao Lang!" Feimei shouted.
"Don't panic!" Fuutie ordered. "He just lost consciousness. Keep healing him."
"How is he?" The stern voice of Yelan Li cut through their commotion.
"He's sustained a lot of injuries; we're doing the best we can." Fuutie replied. "We need to take him back home to take care of him properly."
"Very well." Yelan replied. "Keep at it for now. I have something to take care of first."
Fuutie spared a glance towards her mother whose calm posture was juxtaposed by the flames of magic in front of her, as if they were an extension of the fury she was feeling right now. She couldn't see her face but she could sense the aura of anger coming from her and thanked the gods that she wasn't the one it's intended for. Meanwhile, Yelan fixed her eyes on the man who had hurt her son. Fang Zhi replied in kind with a hate-filled glare.
"Witch." Fang Zhi spoke with vitriol in his voice.
"It's been a while, Fang Zhi." she greeted back calmly.
"What are you doing here?" he hissed.
Yelan kept her composure. "I have come here to pick up my son and to inform you that Xiao Lang's evaluation period has ended. You are to return immediately to Beijing."
"You do not have their authority to decide that. I was sent here under the Elders' orders; I receive orders directly-"
"This was their decision." Yelan took out a rolled sheet of paper and threw it towards Fang Zhi who roughly snatched it from the air. He unscrolled it and looked for a moment at the contents. Sure enough, the document bore both the seal of the Elders the Head Sorceress.
"What did you do?"
"You'll know soon enough." Yelan replied coolly.
Fang Zhi eyed her indignantly but then his expression changed to one of dark amusement. He laughed maliciously before replying. "Well, whatever you've done, it was all for nothing." he proclaimed victoriously. "You see, I just coincidentally ended my evaluation of your son today after he instigated a fight with several other trainees. I was in the middle of disciplining him when you showed up."
Yelan glanced at Fang Zhi's burnt sleeve and the injuries he had. "That clearly worked out well for you." Fang Zhi's smile quickly turned sour. "As entertaining as your simplistic version of events is, I find it hard to believe."
"It doesn't matter what you believe as long as the Elders do. I'll deliver my report to them and then, I'll be coming for you next, Yelan."
"Do what you want. I have no time to spend arguing in circles with you. I have delivered the Elders' message and now, I will take my son home." Yelan turned towards her children. "Girls, let's go."
The sisters quickly obeyed and picked up their brother. Shiefa carried Syaoran on her back while Feimei hung the necklace around her neck. The five of them quickly turned away to walk to exit the building all the way back.
Fang Zhi took a step forward. "Now, you wait a sec-"
Yelan rotated her fan slightly in her hand. Immediately, the ring of fire surrounding her and her family erupted outwards with blazing vigor. The veiled guards quickly moved back to avoid the flames. Fang Zhi also stepped back but stumbled as he put his weight on his injured leg. As he looked to get himself back up, the flaming bird moved towards him with it's beak was now a short distance away from his body, effectively pinning him to the ground. Despite the heightened flames and the giant bird in front of him, he was able to see Yelan who had spared him a side-glance. Through the single eye visible to him, Yelan affixed a penetrating gaze towards Fang Zhi.
"Restraint was never your strong suit Fang Zhi, but for your own sake I suggest you exercise it now and tend to your own injuries before you end up hurting yourself further." The fire in her voice was extremely clear despite her soft-spoken demeanor. It was unlike anything her daughters had heard and told them how much restraint their mother was exercising now in not incinerating the man who had hurt her son.
Having said what she needed to, Yelan waved her fan once more and the bird and the flames it created immediately began to extinguish. The guards got back up on their feet and kept their staves pointed at Yelan. Fang Zhi, meanwhile, glared angrily from the ground. Yelan and her children walked back out towards the building's exit, with the eyes of almost everyone in it on her and her family. She ignored them and fixed her own gaze towards her son, still laying unconscious on his sister's back.
"Hang in there, Xiao Lang." she whispered. "We're going home."
A/N: This might be one of the fastest updates in a long time since I've started, or at least certainly feels that way. It was perhaps made easier since there wasn't anything much content-wise that I had to do; I just had to finish up the fight. The next updates might take longer since there is something else I've planned next but afterwards I'll be moving to the Sealed Card events, so I expect things will go smoother since I don't have to come up with a lot of stuff for that. As always, let me know what you think.