The Burning Rose

Chapter 14: Out of the shadows

Autumn in Patch was known for its beauty. The leaves were golden and the cold air always felt so crisp. But that season was quickly coming to a close. Now the leaves were turning brown and it had lost the magic of the early mouth.

In a clearing not too far from the town stood three people. Two stood facing each other with simple steel swords, the third and noticeable the youngest, sat on a rock nearby watching with bated breath.

One of the two facing each other, a fourteen year old girl named Cinder Rose, took a few practice swings of her sword. It was lighter than she was used too, but it would do.

Immediately, she charged at her opponent, her mother Summer, with both blades ready for an attack. As soon as she got in range, she released a flurry of lightning fast attacks, trying to force her way through, but the older huntresses effortlessly dodged and parried each and every blow.

Realizing that a frontal attack wouldn't work, Cinder spun, kicking dirt up into Summer's face, blinding the huntresses. Immediately she moved to capitalize on the situation, but Summer swung wide, landing a powerful kick to the girl's side, knocking her back.

"You're still too reckless!" Summer chastised as she rubbed the dirt from her eye. "You can't win on offense alone. And every time you see an opening you drop your guard. That leaves you open to counter attack! Try again!"

With a snarl, Cinder charged again. This time she swung at Summer's legs, trying to trip up her foot work, but the huntress effortlessly dodged them.

Summer swung her blade down at Cinder, barely giving the girl a chance to roll out of the way. Seeing an opening, Cinder lunged at Summer's unguarded side.

As she moved in, Cinder saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Realizing it was a trap, she immediately blocked the following strike. She barely made it in time and was knocked off balance by Summer's powerful attack.

Quickly regaining her footing, Cinder tried to counter-attack with both her blades. As Summer blocked, the two clashed, blades becoming entangled. The two struggled against one another for a few seconds, then Cinder gave Summer a smirk.

Before she could react, Cinder kicked the older woman in between the legs, causing her to curse and lose her balance. It was only for a second, but Cinder planned to make the most of it. She shifted her weight putting the huntress on the defense, then she pushed hard against the steel of her opponent's blades, further entangling them. The next second she shifted her weight and ripped the blades from Summer's hands and tossed them into the air, still entangled.

Now both were weaponless, and Cinder launched forward, fist turning red as she caused it to heat up. A cocky smirk across her face. One good shot and vict-!"

Bang!

Summer's fist smashed into Cinder's face, stunning the girl. Before she could recover, Summer delivered a powerful right hook, sending the girl flying several feet backwards.

Recovering midair, Cinder spun and slammed her hand into the ground trying to slow herself down. Or so Summer thought.

Ripping her hand from the ground, Cinder threw the dirt she had grabbed at the huntress. Summer's mouth fell open as she watched the earth smelting into glass blades right in front of her. The move reminded her of own attack with Petal.

Right before impact, Summer swatted the shards away with her arm, hitting the flat side to avoid injuries. Across the battlefield, Cinder slid to a stop, a smirk across her face.

"Impresses." Summer said. "Since when could you do that?" Cinder just smirked at her mother's question.

"I realized the glass I found in that basement was created by the heat from my semblance. So I figured if I did it once by accident, I could do it on command." She bragged. "So I trained to be able to do it with as little energy as possible. I got the idea for my move from watching you train. Pretty cool, huh?"