Eclipse Trailer

"Shadow and Light, both laws exist there within our hearts. Choose which one to follow, but this is an illusion, as both paths lead to the same resolution. The difference between lies merely in our soul."

Ba-dum.

Your heart is calling out to you. The beat in your chest, your life's rhythm. Can't you feel it? Can't you feel the blood rushing through your veins? Of course you can. This sensation... This ecstatic elevation, the adrenaline!

Ba-dum, ba-dum.

But this is why you do it, isn't it? This rising pressure. The moment when our greatest instincts come alive, guide us through the battle. You feel it. You know. I know. The way you move, and the way your system works with the flow. A quick jolt to the left, a hurried jump to the right, give no quarter, I see it all in your eyes. Time dilates around you, just as your eyes dilate on the target. I see it all. Focus, watch, learn. Absorb this feeling! But that I do not have to tell you, do I? You take what you get, take it in your soul, express it back out in a way that is unique to you. Breathe it in! Breathe it out! You surrender yourself to the beat of your pulse.

Ba-dum... ba-dum, ba-dum!

'I can feel your heart, Lily... And I can feel this sensation too.'

A brief, albeit pained cry was let out into the air. The boy stumbled backwards, staggered from the blow to his left side. He took a breath worth of time to recollect his strength, as he once again glanced over to the status screen, and saw that he was almost out of Aura, yet his opponent barely missed any. This girl... no, this beast, was taunting him; her lips curved into a pleased smile, one which she showed only when she was about to win. Wasn't far from the truth, but damn did it annoy him!

He rushed forward.

Time itself seemed to stop for the girl, as the sight of this one final blow has raised her adrenaline to a whole new level. This is it! This is the feeling why she is doing it! This tingling sensation coursing down her spine, stimulating every part of her body... So he wants a last attempt? A final strike? Let him have it, let him try!

Silence beset upon the arena. The audience fell speechless, anxious of what next move they will be treated. Is this the end of the match? Will this climactic blow be the one to decide who will stand? Probably not so fair and square, the girl's victory was all but assured. It will be quick, short, and rather painful, as most of those who had went up against her before could attest. Nevertheless, a pair of sparkling blue eyes was enjoying this spectacle, rooting for the girl from the sidelines with loud words But she wasn't the only one on the stands taking an interest in this confrontation. Light green eyes were also a witness to this battle, so focused on the participating girl's movements that everything else in her vision was consumed by the darkness, and She was the light, which shone through this haze like a beacon.

'Your heart...' the thought has emerged behind those light green eyes, as her body briefly shivered from a sudden urge of pleasure. 'I feel it...!'

Coming within arms length, Lily has met with the anger of her opponent. Her dark emerald green eyes never let go of a single frame - carefully analyzing the patterns and the stance of his -, remembering even where she had struck him in the past few minutes. The blow came right for her head, and as Lily moved out of the way, ducking below, the strike has grazed her sunshine yellow hair. Yes! More of this exhilaration!

The girl bent her right knee, moved down her center of gravity for a better position, and using this open opportunity, her fist bit deep into the left side of her foe. The force of the strike launched the boy backwards, ending the mock battle with a clear knock-out.

Lily Sun was victorious.

"Congratulations, Lily!" the teacher said, stepping onto the battleground. "Nice form, once again. This may be your first year here at Flare, but if you keep it up, I'm sure you will have no problem applying to a hunter academy, such us our Vale's Beacon."

"I left myself open...!" Márk grunted, as he collected himself from the floor.

Lily let out a barely audible laugh. She walked to him and offered a helping hand, which the boy took.

"Yes you did."

Without any form of a warning, a sharp and loud noise broke out in the room, causing many students to cover their ears from this sudden and dangerous exposure.

"EEE! Congratulations!" the girl at the stands shouted.

"Miss Ocean!" the teacher called, chastising the wielder of those blue eyes. This wasn't the first occasion. "Would you be so kind to keep your voice down, please?"

"Huh?" The overjoyed girl was surprised by this request, as she did not notice herself. Realizing what she just did, she quickly let out an embarrassed giggle. "Sorry, sorry."

Lily laughed at her.

"Well, Szandra, at least if you ever find out about your Semblance, we can all make a pretty guess that it will be something voice related," she shouted back up to the stands, teasingly, to which the other girl replied with playfully overplayed peevishness.

"Meanie!"

She jumped off to the training ground and ran to Lily and Márk's side, enjoying a few more moments with her friends before the start of the other class. Lily patted her on the head, ruffling Szandra's brown hair, using her height advantage, but those watchful eyes at the stands did not miss even this small and meaningless movement.

A smile had appeared below those light green eyes. The decision was made. She found her first target. She cannot resists any longer! Her body, no, her soul, it was aching with this burning lust from within. Her mouth gaped open, letting out the hot air from her trembling lungs. Shadows appeared to come alive in her gaze, twirling around in her irises. This is where it will all begin...

'I'll make you see...'

Three minutes. Three long minutes of preparing. Three long minutes of unknown strife and goals. Three minutes... This is all what it takes the bothered mind to adjust to what is happening. Disappearing worries. Evaporating stress. Tension rises within the muscles, empowering; the addictive taste of adrenaline is seeping through the veins. The body moves at an unrelenting pace, making the clear drops of sweat unable to stay in the game. Hits are dealt one after another, fists, feet, a hurricane-like fury of jabs and kicks. Pleasure is rising in the heat of this dance. Nothing can compare.

Chains are crying, the air itself weeps from this speed. The target gets no chance to recover. Not now, not ever! Loud thuds crack the atmosphere; it is a thunderstorm of strikes, deafening. Fingers are hurting, bones are protesting, but there is no stopping. There is a beat she follows, a beat of life, a beat of struggle. The heart will never stop; the heart will never give in. Therefore, will not her.

Lost within one's own reality, there is nothing to be done from the outside but wait and see. No enemy can escape the emerald eyes; no enemy can flee from this determined anger and rage. Each and every punch that connects brings with it a new excitement, a new relief.
A deep breath follows, then a loud exhalation. The hung punching bag stops moving, possibly afraid of further provocation. Falling to her knees, the exhaustion sets it. The tears of the muscles flow through the pores, cooling, yet the girl wants another round, immediately. The tired body protests, stands against the souls' objective. Keep on moving, keep on fighting. Just one more fury, just one more sudden release. That is all... that is all of her wish... Because this is all, how Lily knows how to treat herself with.

Orange light shone into the gym, painted by the settling sun. Without her being aware, time passed by in an instant, and suddenly, it was evening. It made her think. Maybe she should take a break after all. No use of this body if it breaks down. Let's not forget the purpose: she was maintaining, not destroying.

She stood back up. Pleasant, honest smile curved on her lips, and kindness found seat in her emerald eyes, as she placed her wrapped hand on the bag she was assaulting earlier. This may be a weird hobby for a girl to take, but she wouldn't do it had she not enjoyed it. And the mere thought that she got this far... to the city, to Flare, it was truly a blessing. All thanks to her family.

"Hi there!"

Surprised, Lily jumped at this high-pitched voice. She was supposed to be alone in the gym during these hours, hence why she wore only her yellow training bra and shorts to accompany her training. Embarrassed of this sudden encounter, she turned around to meet the unwanted visitor, but she found a friend instead of a stranger.

"Oh...! Arilyn, hey!"

The ginger girl smiled at her, finding Lily's reddening cheeks awfully cute.

"Sorry, did I startle you?"

Lily gave an honest nod. Her shoulder-long yellow hair was tied behind in a ponytail; it bobbed along.

"A bit, yea." She then looked around, searching for others who might have accompanied her upperclassman. Standing in front of one person in lingerie was enough; two or more would have been too much to bear. "What are you doing here?" she asked, trying to subtly cover herself.

"Came to see you, actually," Arilyn replied, trying to avert her light green eyes from Lily's body, in respect of her friend's bashful nature. She wiped a strand of her long, copper colored hair behind her ear, and continued, twiddling her fingers: "I would have came earlier, but... kinda forgot?" She let out an embarrassed laugh.

Forgetting one's own plans... Yep, definitely an Arilyn trait, Lily has thought. But, that is who she was. A clumsy cloudhead she may be, but definitely a good-hearted friend, ever since day one. Lily took a glance outside, trying to measure the time from the color of the sky, but turning back she found no trace of Arilyn at where she originally stood.

"Came to ask you!" she appeared from a completely other direction, still smiling. Lily took a startled step backwards. "I have a project in mind, and I am gathering a few people around to help me out. Would you be interested?"

"I... I..."

Lily was at a loss of words. Something didn't feel right for her. What is this feeling? Her instincts. They were screaming! Why? What is going on!? All of a sudden she couldn't think straight.

'Run!'

Arilyn stepped closer.

'Run!'

Lily listened to the voice in her head and took a hastened step to the side, but was once again met with the unnerving gaze of her friend. She saw the shadows lurking in those bright and round eyes, and at that moment she was trapped. She tried to call out, tried to ask what the meaning of this is, but was suddenly taken over by an overwhelming nausea and dizziness. Lily lost her balance, and instead of words, it was the contents of her stomach that had escaped her throat. She couldn't stand. The whole world was upside down, spinning without mercy.

'Make it stop!' she cried in herself.

"But we've just begun..."

Arilyn's warm voice crept up on her spine, as if the girl was directly reading her mind. Lily grabbed hold of the punching bag and began a slow crawl upwards, away from the ground. Arilyn's image was jumping from one side to the other, distorted and broken like an old television's screen. She has heard a malicious giggle echoing through the room. Escape. Have to make an escape! What is happening?

'There is nothing to worry about.'

This was not her thought. This was not her own thought! She pulled herself higher up on the bag, panicked; now she was standing. She couldn't speak. She could barely open her mouth, let alone set her voice free.

A strong hand latched onto her throat, nails biting in her skin, forcing another appointment with those darkened eyes. Her muscles stopped. Her breathing stopped. There was air all around, yet none seemed to be interested in keeping her alive.

Arilyn's kind voice resonated once again, slowly, so close, that Lily could feel her breath on her neck.

"I'll make you see..."

A scream finally broke through the blockade, as Lily was struck in a horrible jolt of agony rushing through her bones. Her eyes rolled up and her vocal chords almost got torn from the heavy pressure. Then, silence. Arilyn let go of her friend's neck, and without further support, Lily collapsed on the ground. Twitching. Unresponsive. Her eyes were still open, afraid of the images that appear whenever she blinks, but her vision was purposefully blurred by these outside forces.

"My precious shell," Arilyn said, wanting, as she reached down and laid on top of the girl. It was rather comfortable. "My dark reflection!" she whispered into her ear, overtaken by this ecstasy she had felt long ago. "Our wish... is now conjoined."

Whole minutes were spent like that, together, but even though Arilyn had thought that they were alone, she had no idea that those sparkling blue eyes were also a witness from behind the other door, alerted by the scream from before. Szandra backed away from the keyhole, terrified of the scene that was in front of her view. She saw it all, but more importantly, she saw how the once shining light was without warning eclipsed by the dark.