Flames of the Phoenix

Chapter 8: I Can't Believe The Festival Ended This Way

I gripped the edge of the sink as I looked into the mirror. You've got this! Beat Todoroki, and you can move on to the finals. After splashing water on my face, I glared at my reflection. I won't hold back. It doesn't matter that he had a traumatic childhood. I have to win!

I pulled my hair out of its ponytail and pulled it back up tighter. My shoulders cracked as I rolled them. I fixed my uniform before walking into the tunnel that leads to the field.

The lights from outside shone in my eyes as I walked forwards. "And here is Cyra Hearth! She has been on fire lately! Literally and figuratively! We will all be on the edge of our seats as these potential-filled students clash!" The crowd cheered as I entered the field. "Begin!"

I made eye contact with Todoroki, and he sent his ice towards me. I lept to the side and ran forwards. He seemed to expect this and managed to catch my feet in the ice. My fire melted the ice, but he was already on the move. His ice blocked me into the one corner, preventing me from moving freely.

I created flames around my hands and clenched them into fists. Eterna pulled herself out of my back and grabbed onto the back of my shirt. I jumped as Todoroki froze the ground, and Eterna pulled me over him. I used this opportunity to aim a kick at his knees, but he spun around and landed a punch in my stomach. My lungs seized up, and my legs gave out as I tried to draw breath. My chest burned, I needed to breathe, but my lungs were still spasming.

Todoroki covered me in ice, but I couldn't fight back due to my current lack of oxygen. "Hearth is immobilized! Todoroki wins!"

He melted the ice and knelt beside me. "Sorry about that. I must have hit your solar plexus."

My lungs were slowly drawing more air, but it still hurt. I nodded at Todoroki and pushed myself off the ground. My legs wobbled as I walked off of the stage and into the tunnel. I bit my wobbling lip and wiped my tears from the corners of my eyes as I pulled out my phone. My fingers shook as I entered Dad's number. It rang for a long minute before sending me to voicemail. "Hi Dad, I don't know if you have been watching or not, but I am in fourth place. I'm so sorry to let you down! I told you that I would get first place, but I'm stuck in fourth! I'll talk to you later, I guess. Bye." I ended the call and leaned against the wall as I walked back towards my seat.

My phone buzzed. I stopped and pulled it out. The headline of the news article made me freeze in my tracks, "Micheal Hearth, an American quirk activist, died in an attack. Proving that we need a quirk registry." No, this can't be happening! I clicked on the article, praying that this was a mistake. My hands shook. "This can't be true! No!" I leaned against the walk and sank to the ground. My phone clattered on the concrete next to me. "No." My voice was barely more than a whisper, "It can't be true. He can't be gone!" I buried my head in my hands and sobbed.

What felt like hours later, footsteps echoed down the hallway. "Is everything alright?" I kept my head in my hands and couldn't look at Aizawa. "Cyra? What is going on?"

I heard him kneel and pick up my phone. "Oh, Cyra. I'm so sorry. Can you come with me to Nezu's office?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

He held out his hand, "Come on, let's get you home." He helped me stand up and put his arm around me as I walked. I wiped my face with the back of my sleeve as we walked towards the office. He held the door open for me, "I'll go and get Midoriya. Make yourself comfortable. I'll be back." I sank into one of the chairs and rested my head in my arms. The silence was unbearable. It pressed in on me until I wanted to scream.

Nezu entered the room, "Ms. Hearth, I am sorry for your loss."

The door opened again, and Izuku came in, "Cyra? Are you alright?" He turned to Mr. Aizawa, "What is going on? Is she okay?"