Argent Eye II

47

--- Three Weeks Later ---

I landed hard on my back, and groaned. I lifted my head up, and saw Irina standing there with a wide grin on her face. I moaned again, trying to get back onto my feet.

The air around me picked up speed, although it wasn't my doing. Irina's eye was glowing silver, and before I could even stand up again, an invisible force knocked me sideways.

I could feel the ice tingling at my fingertips, but had to refrain from using it. That wasn't the task at hand.

"Remember, air only." Ronan said, standing with his hands behind his back. He must have sensed that the ice was starting to materialise in me.

"Yeah, yeah." I waved a hand, and sat up. "I guess I may as well just stay down, right?"

Irina chuckled, and shrugged. I wanted to get better at using the air, and what better way than to go up against a powerful air Argent? The issue I was currently having was speed- by the time I'd accessed the air and thought about what I wanted to do with it, Irina had already blasted me with hers, and I was on the floor again.

So, perhaps I could catch her off guard.

Whilst I was slowly getting to my feet, I summoned the air. Then, I stood up quickly, shooting my hands forward and projecting a short burst of wind energy. But, clearly Irina was expecting it- she simply fired back with her own, and of course, it was stronger than mine. The gusts of air met half way, seemingly crashing into each other, but it was closer to me than Irina. I stumbled backwards, almost falling over again, but not quite.

"How do you do it so fast?!" I exclaimed.

"It just takes practice." Irina said. "You can shoot just as fast with your ice. It's just a matter of getting used to accessing each of your other elements just as quick."

"Irina's right." Ronan chimed in. "Eventually, you won't have to focus too much when it comes to the other elements. You'll be able to think of it and then use it just like that." He clicked his finger in the air for emphasis.

I nodded.

"But think about your situation at the moment." Ronan continued. "Imagine that Irina is the enemy. You know her power is stronger than yours, and you know that you are slower when it comes to the air. If you know that she's going to fire quicker, what are you going to do?"

I thought about it, and was pretty certain that I understood what he was saying. Sometimes being the strongest isn't about throwing the hardest punch- it's about being smart, tactical, and knowing your limits. Irina can act quicker than me, and can definitely throw the stronger punch, but what if I could use that against her? If she's expecting me to fire back, to try and get to her first, then perhaps I should change tactics.

"Okay." I said, an idea brewing in my mind.

"You ready?" Irina said.

I planted my feet firmly on the ground, and nodded.

Now, normally at this point, I would be conjuring my own air to fire at Irina, but that would always end up with me on the floor before I had a chance to fire back.

Not this time.

Irina threw her hands forward. I could see the wave of air coming at me at incredible speeds, but instead of conjuring the air around me, I just focused on the air coming at me. I sucked in a breath, focusing, and then at the last moment, I stepped aside a little. My hands were outstretched, and just as the battle-worthy blow would have knocked me down, I took hold of it. Utilising the momentum, I felt myself swing around three hundred and sixty degrees, carrying the wave of energy as I did, before letting it go again.

This all happened within a few seconds, so that the air Irina had fired at me ended up turning around and going right back at her. Despite what Ronan had said, it seemed that she wasn't expecting it. Maybe she didn't think I'd manage it. Or maybe she just thought I'd deflect it or dodge it.

It hit her, and knocked her backwards so that she fell, landing on her back just as I'd done several times that evening.

I threw my hands in the air triumphantly. "I did it!"

Ronan laughed as I walked over to Irina to lend her a hand.

"Good job." She said, chuckling a little as I helped her back to her feet. "I thought you were just going to dodge it or something."

I laughed, and tapped the side of my head. "Ah, well, that was the idea."

Ronan clapped his hands together loudly. "Well, I think that concludes your training for today." He said. "Same time tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Absolutely."

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