Soturi Academy: Secret's Lost

XXV. Claim of the Pheonix

Closing his eyes, he leant into the tree nestled in the forest outside of Midmere where he first encountered the girl. The greens, browns, and blues faded away as his eyes fluttered shut. He must focus on the energy swirling inside of him and his meridians. It has been years since he accessed this hidden part of him, this magic.

"The Aswang is awake," a voice hitched.

Ray couldn't believe it. The girl had been right. He recognized a demon when he saw one. And unfortunately, he was talking about an upper-class demon. He'd never encounter an Aswang before, but even the gods were wary of such creatures

Slowing his heart rate, his eyes moved wildly underneath his lids as his magic stretched out. He forced it to crawl along the land to seek the orphanage. No.

Hardness, he hadn't felt since the last war, bled into his being filling him with darkness. The orphanage was gone, but in place was something grotesque. Horrific. Something that shouldn't exist. A haze fell over him, and he struggled with the immense pressure as if someone was driving a sledgehammer into his head.

Damn! They were onto him. His heart pounded in his chest cavity, threatening to rip itself out. Shoving his panic aside, he slowly reeled his magic in, pulling, until he felt full. His eyes shot over and he fell forward, his knees sinking into the earth as he tried to catch the stitch in his side. His hand trembled when he reached into his knapsack. Grabbing hold of the gourd, he drank to quench his thirst. He had to get a message to his pupil. But how?

Ray flopped onto his back convulsing. What went wrong? He thought hazily. The sky blurred, even the forest sounds became distorted. Ray used the last of his innerstrength to touch his magic. That's when he saw it. A parasite. An eight-legged creature with feelers was eating through is life energy and replacing it with a strange substance.

Ray choked, spitting out flecks of blood. Rolling himself over onto his stomach, he forced himself into a sitting position. Folding his legs, he braced himself against the back of the tree and closed his eyes. This was a fight for his soul.

+++

Her legs crashed against the wooden bench as she jostled them in anticipation. The hum of her blood went wild, with thoughts of her in the middle of an arena fighting. It sent her adrenaline straight to her brain causing a feeling of euphoria. Besides, the reward money could help with the insufficient funds this month.

The cloak she wore, enshrouded her in a layer of mystery as people from the underground gathered to place their illegal bets. This was her first time to the arena, but she trained hard and knew she was strong enough to make the cut. The scumbags that oversaw this place didn't care, she was just another coin to them. There usually was an entry fee to pay to get into the underground arena, but for some strange reason she got in for free. She didn't question it, maybe the gods were finally giving her luck.

Finally it was her turn to enter the arena of death. She waited for fear to seize her limbs, but instead her body hummed in anticipation.

Once the announcer gave the signal, her body became a typhoon of limbs, hitting and kicking. Her opponents all wore mask, but it didn't matter for she wore a cloak as well. After, dominating her first two matches, she paused as the arena became eerily quiet, and the most beautiful man she'd ever seen made his appearance. Long silvery hair cloaked his body in soft moonlight while matching silvery eyes glowed predatorily, and yet, with interest at her. Who was this strange man? At sixteen she'd yet to find a master for training, but her body moved instinctually on its own.

"This is a surprise," the announcer squeaked. "I'm out of here!"

She frowned not understanding the situation, but something forced her to move towards the beautiful man. Her body was no longer her own. Swinging her fist forward in a powerful move, she hoped to break his stance and send him flying out of the arena. It was her finishing moved she used with her last two opponents. This man exuded power, and therefore, she didn't need to wait around.