*Kryzen*
Roy and I watched as Briella and her brother left the field, disappearing through the trees. I felt an eyebrow raise when she turned around to look at us briefly as if making sure we weren’t going anywhere. When we made eye contact, she clenched her jaw before looking away, facing forward as she hurried into the woods on the outskirts of the field.
Roy followed my gaze. “I’m glad she’s finally taking a break,” he said. “She has been at it for a few hours, and it’s really warm today.”
I gave him an odd look. “Why are you so concerned about her?” I wondered aloud.
I could tell that my friend was resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “I should be asking you the sa thing,” he said, “since you keep looking at her.”
I didn’t bother denying it. Roy was extrely observant and would know if I was lying anyway. It was like so strange and annoying princely sense he was probably born with.
Roy and I had been there for over a week, and it seed we weren’t getting any closer to solving this mystery. We were learning a great deal about Celestial Valley and, hopefully, that would get us sowhere soon.
“The people here are truly fascinating,” Roy said as we watched the farr we were just speaking to wander off to continue planting.
I nodded in agreent. Being dropped there felt like such a pain and nothing more than an inconvenience at first, but I had to admit that I was enjoying getting to know these people. They were truly just as Briella described, harmonious and peaceful.
During the first couple of days, we wandered the gorgeous city, which reminded of Celestial City but smaller. What it lacked in size it easily made up for with charm and heart. It had small shops decorated with star and moon patterns. Like Celestial City, the valley community was made with a lot of white stone and golden fixtures.
The population was just a fraction of the one in Celestial City but that seed to allow for a close-knit community. People waved and greeted each other often. They did so warmly and as if running into their dear friends was a rare occurrence, even though I highly doubted it was in a city this size.
“Do you suppose we should help out with the field?” Roy asked suddenly, making his way to the spot where Briella had been working before I could even answer.
“It couldn’t hurt,” I said, picking up the digging tool that Briella had dropped. It was pretty obvious that we had both developed so affection for the little community. We wanted to help wherever we could.
Roy and I had fallen into a companionable silence as we dug into the ground. Even the dirt in the Embervale Realm was different from others. It was softer and finer. I wondered if that was specific to the realm or just a testant to how well the workers cared for the land.
I was working toward one side of the field when I heard Briella’s voice, followed by the sounds of a scuffle. I glanced over at Roy who was busy digging. I wandered through the trees, toward the noise.
As I got closer, I recognized the sounds as the unmistakable ones associated with sparring. I pushed so shrubs aside and stood there when I spotted Kai and Briella, focused on their match.
I found myself srized by Briella’s quick and sure movents. She had gotten stronger since the last ti I’d seen her. She was all lean muscle, from her smooth arms and soft shoulders. Despite her strength, there were still feminine curves throughout her body. I watched transfixed as her dark wavy hair flew around her face like a fan as she dashed forward.
My feet seed to be moving on their own as I approached the siblings. I couldn’t take my eyes off Briella for so reason. I told myself it was probably because she naturally brought out the competitive streak in .
Kai noticed first and straightened before greeting politely. I nodded to him just as Briella stiffened before turning around to face . Her green eyes imdiately narrowed into slits as she gave a quick look up and down.
Before she could say anything, I stepped forward. “Spar with , Black.”
Briella just stared at in disbelief. Finally, she recovered and scoffed, shaking her head. “I’m not going to spar with you,” she stated firmly. She gestured vaguely at . “I’m obviously not going to challenge you when you are obviously not at your full potential.”
I couldn’t help but sneer slightly. “You don’t need to worry about my potential,” I assured her. “And I’m completely fine now. Spar with .” I lowered my voice so that it was abundantly clear I wasn’t making a request.
Briella stiffened further, crossing her arms. “Forget it,” she said. “You were just realm jumping not that long ago. I have more honor than that, Stormfall.”
Kai just looked between the two of us, seemingly unsure how to proceed.
I smirked at Briella, unable to resist the chance of getting under her skin. “I’m shocked that you’ve beco so fearful since the last ti we sparred,” he said. “I would have thought traveling to an unfamiliar realm would have toughened you up. I guess I shouldn’t be too shocked to find it hasn’t.”
Briella’s bright green eyes flashed angrily, but she impressively steeled her expression, visibly taking a calming breath. “Just forget it,” she said, turning her back to . “I know you’re eager to prove to that you’ve gotten stronger, but you’ll just have to be patient and wait.”
“Hmm,” I humd thoughtfully. “You took the words right out of my mouth. I was under the impression that you’ve been trying to prove yourself to since I got here.”
Briella froze and turned her head slowly to stare at . Her voice was eerily calm, but I could sense the growing tension behind it. “And how do you suppose that?”
“Easily,” I said without missing a beat, my lips curling into a smirk. “You probably want to prove that you’ve matured, but all I see right now is the sa eager little girl who tries too hard to appear strong.”
I knew that I was probably taking things a step too far. Kai winced at my words and then looked at his sister warily.
Her fists were clenched tightly at her sides and visibly shaking now. Her green eyes glinted. “Very well,” she said, grinning at . “I accept, but don’t think that I’m going to go easy on you. You’ve made it abundantly clear that you’ll accept nothing less.”
I laughed, pleased that I’d finally convinced her to fight .
Kai suddenly stepped between us, his arms outstretched, toward us both. “This isn’t advisable,” he said in a flat voice. He looked at his sister while he spoke. “It might have been days since he got here, but he doesn’t have Embervalian blood flowing through his veins like we do, Bri. He really shouldn’t be sparring.”
Briella just rolled her eyes and gestured at . “You’ll have to take that up with him. He’s the one who challenged . I’m under no jurisdiction to order him not to spar.”
Kai just sighed and stepped away from us.
Briella was bristling as we faced each other, but I could see the eagerness in her eyes. She was probably looking forward to this even more than I was. She likely wanted to hit , but I just wanted to feel so adrenaline. Sparring with her was the only way I was going to get it.
I crooked a finger at her, beckoning her to . Her eyes flashed again, and she lunged, her arms flying forward. I could tell she was planning to go for my neck.
I dodged just in ti, stepping to the side before kicking my foot out in an attempt to trip her. She jumped away and scoffed.
“You’ll have to do much better than that if you even want a chance,” she taunted. “That move has got to be the oldest in the book.”
I chuckled. “I figured I might as well try it since I’ve used it to best you in the past. I’m banking on the fact that you haven’t changed a bit.”
Briella’s jaw dropped before she gritted her teeth and ca at again. She flailed her arms like a wildcat but was completely controlled as she swiped at .
She was definitely faster than the last ti we fought. I had to really concentrate to deflect her blows. I could feel my body start to tire, but I wasn’t going to let any signs of it show.
For the first ti in a while, I felt alive as I started with Briella. She ignited a fire in that was difficult to describe or control.
I wasn’t ready to stop yet.
“You’re the one who hasn’t changed!” Briella yelled, throwing a fist toward my face. I was barely able to catch it, my fingers closing around her tiny hand.
We stared into each other’s eyes. Briella was breathing heavily, no doubt from her match with her brother and from the manual labor she had done that whole morning. Still, stubbornness shone in her large eyes as she glared at , her shoulders rising and falling rapidly.
Still, I could tell she was holding back, which annoyed .
I tightened my fingers around her fist, amazed at how small it was. “I’m pleased that you actually listened to , Black.”
She froze. “What do you an?” she demanded.
I shrugged innocently. “I didn’t think you were paying heed when I told you to quit trying to be a warrior and focus on magic instead. You actually took seriously, judging from the fact that you’ve been hiding here, learning magic.”
She yanked her hand away before jumping back. Her eyes were wide and wild with rage. “I have not been hiding!” she shrieked. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
She was right. I didn’t truly know why she was even in Embervale. I could only assu it had sothing to do with her heritage, but I wasn’t really thinking about that. All I wanted was to get a rise out of her so she would stop holding back.
I got my wish. Briella ca at with a new fury, kicking and punching quickly.
I could see the frustration pouring off of her in waves as she struggled to gain the upper hand. She was on the offensive, but I didn’t seem to be slowing down at all. In reality, I could feel my energy draining quickly. I was just very good at hiding it, so it was undetectable.
I raised my arm, blocking another blow that Briella aid toward my face. She seed to be getting faster while I felt like my limbs were growing heavier.
Our forearms clashed over and over as we continued our violent dance. I took a step back as she swung her fist into my neck. I winced, knowing it would likely leave a bruise later. It was the first strike she had been able to land on .
“I don’t understand why you hate so much!” she seethed.
I frowned, getting ready to argue against that statent, but then I stumbled backward as my world went black.
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