Heirs Unapparant | A Miraculous Origin Story

Chapter 17: Butterfly Effect (تأثير الفراشة)

5 years later...

The sword came slicing through the air, the silver blade blazing in the last fading light of day.

His eyes narrowed as he spotted the oncoming danger and his body moved instinctively to react, bringing one arm, firmly attached to a tailfeather dagger of his own, swinging backward to counter and narrowly sliding away from the blow. He hastily side-stepped to the left, twirling behind his attacker, weapon at the ready, Lorr's strong mentality commanding him through his movements. He responded easily to these orders, backing and jabbing, countering every swing brought on by this powerful frontal attack.

"Good," Su-Han granted, twirling his weapon before tossing it to his other hand and coming right back in for the attack, forcing Griffon closer to a high wall, "but you're going to have to be quicker than that!"

The younger holder felt the solid concrete collide with his back, but before he had time to register this change, he was forced to parry a blow aimed directly at his head. The Celestial Guardian grunted at the biting collision of metal, his scowl growing even more resolute. Nicholas tensed, knowing far too well what that look meant, and clung to his dagger more firmly.

The two rivals sized each other up for not the first time and, Nicholas suspected, not for the last.

Wait for it, Lorr whispered. Wisdom deals not the first blow out of hatred. Let him make his move and then proceed with your counterattack.

Easy for you to say, man. You're not the one out here putting his rear on the line. But he obeyed nevertheless, watching, waiting, for the elderly (but not any less spry, to his immense surprise) man to make his next move. And he didn't have to wait long either. Su-Han came at him again, lunging for his shoulders with the intent of forcibly tossing him away from the field into the curious and rapidly expanding crowd composed of hundreds of wary eyes.

Many had gathered to see this fight, a confrontation of two of the greatest warriors the Guild had ever produced. It was well-known knowledge that Su-Han rarely involved himself in the training of paladins, especially outsiders. He had made that palpably clear the first time they had clashed and Nicholas had ended up on his back with a sprained wrist and multiple bruised ribs for his efforts. He hadn't been able to impress the Guardian then and he had waited, trained, and prepared for the day when he would once again get his chance to meet the man in combat and prove himself once and for all.

The bets had been spreading throughout the temple for weeks. Nine to one Nicholas was expected to get creamed.

That was their mistake for Nicholas now knew why he had failed that day and so many times following. Brute force hadn't been the answer then, not when the man was ten times more skilled than him and had been in contact with every miraculous possible at one point or another (he was over a thousand years old after all) and it wouldn't be this time either.

This time, he was ready.

This fight had dragged on long enough already. 

One blow, that was all he needed. One connection and the challenge would be over for good.

"Now!" he bellowed, diving for the pavement, landing hard on his stomach and promptly bracing himself to avoid what was to follow, a well-thought-out plan days in the making, one last trick to prove he could be just as clever at the Celestial Guardian.

Su-Han spun to see what the exclamation had been warning. He froze as a blur of red and black vaulted from above them on the rooftops, fists already blazing in a discharge of orange and yellow, to land in an offensive stance, power building around his form. Shaggy blond locks nearly hid the haughty smirk of success and Nicholas could almost sense the force emitting from his partner.