Waging War | The Amber Duology #1

39 | It Takes Time

Many Months Later...

If anybody told Skylor Chen that within the last few months she spent in the Army of Ninjago she would learn to make friends, unlock her elemental powers, and become a skilled fighter in the battlefield, she would call them out for being insane.

The change did not come easy, especially after the camps took their time in squeezing out all traces of luxury in her. Within the last few months, Skylor had to go from the spoiled heir of a noodle empire to an elemental master of fire, a soldier entering the last phases of her training in order to fight for this war.

All the while juggling her own safety as well as Nya's.

The freedom she has comes with a price, and if Skylor had to get her hands dirty just so she won't return to the city, then she was willing to pay it.

However, after everything she had been through and seen, she was now asking if she was crazy. With her multiple Oni encounters, an experience of flight with their allies in this world, and the amount of magic that surrounded her everyday, Skylor had her doubts. Was it all a dream?

Did she manage to fall down from her balcony the night of the reaping and get herself stuck in a coma? Was everything she was experiencing right now merely a figment of her imagination?

A fist collided with her cheek, knocking her out of her thoughts as well as a bit of blood from her gums.

Skylor's head turned to the left with the collision before she spat out the blood that had gathered in her mouth, staining the yellow sands they stood on. Definitely not a dream. The pain echoed through her cheek, forcing a hand to grip the skin.

"Sorry." Chamille smiled sheepishly, a hand coming up to massage her fist. If her tone meant anything, it was that she wasn't sorry at all and instead took pleasure in her hit. "You seem pretty out of it today, Skylor. What's wrong?"

The camps were the same, the trucks continued to come and go during the afternoon and evenings, carrying the fighters of this country. Training was the same too. Despite Morro's continuous attitude, Skylor had improved much more than she realized.

She readied herself once more, fists raised as she went to strike Chamille.

"Nothing. Just...reminiscing." Skylor swung her fist in an arc that landed on her chest.

The assignment had been to learn how to fight without the use of their powers, after Morro insisted they not rely on it too much and needed to develop the proper skills of a fighter too.

Lucky for Skylor, Kai had managed to train her in every aspect of the area, giving her the slightest advantage against her fellow trainees.

Chamille winced, a hand over her chest as she ducked Skylor's next attack. "About what?" She breathed out.

Skylor raised a brow, rendering the question moot with a simple grab at her wrist followed by a headbutt to the girl's face, knocking her backwards and onto the ground. A smirk formed on her face, the exact copy of the one Kai wore the night he taught her that move.

"Easy, Skylor. It's just a training exercise." Morro commented as he circled their duo, shooting a wink at the girl and triggering a blush on her cheeks.

Chamille groaned from the ground. "Could you save your flirting for when you two are alone?" She rubbed a hand on her head. "We'll go again."

Skylor chuckled at her antics, flashing Morro a grin in response before helping the girl up. "Are you sure? Maybe we could just head to the infirmary."

"If you're finding a way to get rid of me so you could have alone time with our drill instructor, you're failing."

Skylor scoffed, making a face at her words. If anything, she would do whatever she could to avoid Morro Hiroto and his boy charm. He had only stopped calling her the ridiculous nicknames he would come up with after Skylor had proved herself worthy of being trained.