Kindles of War

by Nicol Terra

  “If I fail, I lose my friend.” She said to herself. “That will be a curse I live with my entire life.”

  The next day after the beating, Erudite woke up at six and saw Tina still studying, her eyes droopy and her face swollen. Erudite rose, her eyes open awake. She looked at Tina, her body bloodied and battered. Her clothes were torn, and her eyes barely open.

  Erudite flew over and grabbed Tina by the shoulder. Tina slapped her hand away as Erudite sighed.

  “You need something..” She said, flying away to her closet as she swung it open. She had hundreds of clothes, each ironed, cleaned and stainless. They were the highest quality dresses paid for her by her father. Erudite leaned across the closet as Tina inched forward.

  “Pick ten. Keep them.” Erudite said. Tina flew over as she examined each dress. Erudite flew around to walk to her bed as she pulled out a First Aid Kit, the oldest invention in the world. She rolled over, grabbing an alcohol swab and a bandaid.

  “Also, stay still.” She said, putting the swab under her eye as she jolted up.

  “Hey, that hurts!” Tina said. “What is with the nice routine now?”

  Erudite gulped. “Because you don’t deserve to show up to class with a bruise. Now stay still, and pick your clothes.”

  She lied, she felt sorry for her. “Did fate exist?” She thought to herself. What she saw was not the rich or the poor, but she saw Tina. They broke Tina and battered her, and she saw fate was cruel to deal with such a beautiful, smart and witty person a weak hand in life. They slowly, but surely bonded.

  Erudite shook her head. She looked at Tina, her face serious, but her soul shattered. If she won, maybe she can convince Jay to discharge her. Or not kill her. She had power, right?

  Erudite readied her blade of darkness. Three hours late her and Tina fought and destroyed much of the district she was in. Their battle spilled over in nearby districts. District 921, and 212 were eliminated, explosions lighting the barren ground and shooting up into the sky. A massive, circular explosion engulfed the remaining rubble and blasting stone, steel and wood into pieces. Each district, a rough rectangle took up a square kilometer, gone, vaporized in a sudden explosion and clash of the two. Tina and Erudite would clash, exploding their guns in the first shot and leaving them solely reliant on their magic. Their power was the same, each knocking back in displays of fire. It was now four in the morning, and she was slightly irritated and exhausted. She can barely run a short distance. Her arms and muscles warped and tore from the inside out. She can feel her bones were intact, with most of her damage being kept to her muscles. Tina and Erudite flew at each other, as Time froze and rubble stayed frozen in midair. Erudite felt time freeze around her as she broke out of the spell. Tina's eyes widened as Erudite knocked her fist across her face. Tina rolled her eyes and intensified her gaze. Tina then punched Erudite across the face. Ringing, and then nothing. She didn't feel pain. But she did feel it. In the back of her head, held mental pain as she buried her physical pain.

  "Not enough," Erudite said, moving to punch Erudite in the gut. Tina jaw dropped and opened. Tina's eyes started to roll in the back of her head, but while Erudite almost let out a sigh of relief, then Tina returned a punch back across the face.

  The empty, barren plain was choked with constant blooms of dust. Dust choked the battlefield. It was quiet. Erudite and Tina were deep inside the widened, enemy territory. Enemies were strangely missing, and she felt more and more anxious the more they fought. Tina groaned, appearing suddenly before her. Erudite eyes widened as she teleported away from her.

  Tina cursed. “Just let me go already!”

  “Sorry, no can do. Kicking your ass, knocking you out and taking you back.”

  “Then I'll try to leave again!”

  Erudite wanted to facepalm, only for her to stop for a second and teleport once more. Tina started to spam beams of light, only for Erudite to create a spatial pocket as she disappeared and floated above her. She overlooked Tina, hiding in a small realm, floating in free space. The smoke and dust clear, as Tina's face looked expressionless, irritated like herself and perhaps even angry.

  Erudite choked. She took a breath, as her wings slowly moving to a halt. She nodded to herself. She had a good plan to stop Tina, only for her never testing it before.

  The pocket of space folded falling to the ground in front of Tina. Tina rushed forward, her hand creating a blade of light.

  Erudite ‘crunched’ her right hand. Tina froze, motionless. She smirked, as Tina cursed, punching an invisible force, trying to break out.

  “Ha! I got you!” She said proudly.

  “Let me out!” Tina pouted.

  Erudite crunched harder as Tina contorted in pain.

  “Can't move if there is no ‘space’ between you, now can you?”

  Tina exhaled, as she tried to push out of her new prison, to no avail. Erudite sighed, slamming Tina into the ground. She created a black sphere above her, pushing her and keeping her pushed down because of the pull of gravity.

  Erudite reached for her Holosphere, sliding the phone icon on. She slid down to Eve’s name. Just under her name, four down was Jay. She hesitated for a moment.

  “I'll do both of us a favor,” Erudite said, turning her back to Tina. As she slid her finger down to call Eve, she felt a stinging pain in her back as she fell to the ground, her right wing sliced clean off.

  Erudite fell to the ground, bleeding on the floor. She felt pain emanate throughout her body. She crawled, as she groaned and grimaced in pain. Space spliced open, as Tina appeared in front of her, broken wings and a scarred back.

  “I'm sorry, I needed to end this.” She said. Erudite grimaced. You learned how to slice space, even with your body frozen in space. Erudite face flushed, Tina just kept learning and progressing beyond her.

  Erudite grabbed the ground beneath her, tears falling from her face. She flew into a blinding rage as she rushed at Tina.

  “Tina… you always were better than me. You are smarter, a better fighter and a better mage. You are freer than me. You are not shackled fate, and you keep moving forward.” Erudite felt tears run down her cheeks, Tina turned around, her eyes sorrowed as she too dropped a tear.

  “I envy you. And I wish I had your freedom. I don‘t want you to throw your life away.” She said. “I want this to stop! We are friends! I will do anything for you and if it means protecting yourself from a bad decision, so be it!”

  Time froze, as Tina extended her hand out to a complete halt. Erudite stopped for a moment. She then saw her wing stitch itself back to her back and her back repairing. Her tears stopped.

  “This,” Erudite said. She looked at the motionless sky, as the starlight seemed like an eight-sided pinnacle, the oceans of the moon motionless. She felt air still move as if to sustain herself in this toxic environment. She shook her head, running and readying her fist. Time started, and Erudite knocked Tina into the ground. The ground shattered in an instant as a crater a kilometer wide was made in mere moments... Rock and rubble flew away at hundredths of seconds. Rocks shot through a building, knocking them down. Erudite arms flushed with power.

  Tina's face was dripping with blood. Tina pointed.

  “So you are doing this for me?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “And yet you don‘t understand why I hate this place?”

  Erudite took a step back. “I think I do, and if I fail here.” Erudite stopped. Tina's eyes widened, a smile forming on her face.

  “Erudite, I love you. You are a great friend.”

  Erudite stopped, then a smile formed in her face. The two met and laughed for a moment. Tina and Erudite gathered light and darkness in their two hands.

  “Ill force my way out. You will have to stop me, ‘friend.’” Tina said, shaking her head as she gathered Light in her right hand.

  Tina smacked Erudite in the crater, knocking her through the rubble. Erudite stopped time, rushing at Tina and beating her through the cavity. Erudite creat
e a blade of darkness, slicing at Tina, only to rewind the wound. Tina would slice through at Erudite, only for Erudite to rewind her injuries. Time Stopped, Slowed, Rewinded and Space Sliced, Warped and Crunched around them. The two warped the reality of the entire district. Rubble stayed frozen mid-air, and small, wells of gravity or light littering the ground. Tina and Erudite flee around the sky, landing on the pieces of rock, dodging and matching blows. Erudite and Tina would try to use magic, only for either of them to counter their own abilities. Only punches were successful, and both landed a punch after punch. Tina would punch Erudite in the cheek, knocking her head back. She felt a ringing in her head, and her balance shifted. Erudite would hit, again, knocking Tina in the stomach or heart, coughing a spurt of blood. Instead of wincing in pain, they smiled at each other.

  Both of them had little energy left to cast spells, and the spells they did cast had a tendency to backfire half the time or stop. Fighting for nearly four hours has been a

  They knocked each other back and forth; Time started once again as gravity made them fell, along with the hundreds of rocks in the air. Erudite fell to the ground as she panted. Now, her jaw was broken. Her right fist was shattered, and her muscles roared in pain. Tina also was panting; Erudite counted a fractured left arm, a few broken ribs. Light enveloped them both as they rewound their wounds. Erudite cursed, she was running out of energy for spell-casting.

  Tina spat, staring at Erudite with a stern look. “Thank you, but I will win.”

  Erudite groaned. “And if I win, I want free drinks.”

  Tina laughed. “Fine, fine. But if I win, you owe me free drinks.”

  “Hey, that's not fair! How am I supposed to give you free drinks if you won't even be here?”

  Tina pondered and shrugged. “I don't know. You figure it out.”

  Erudite scoffed. She needed to maximize her magic energy. Instead of using advanced Darkness Magic, she will rely on just the properties of Light and Darkness. She gathered darkness around her. Tina shot beams of light at her, getting a similar idea. Erudite darkness body diverted the surrounding light. She raised her hand, creating a well of gravity and pushing Tina to the floor. The surrounding darkness faded as she felt a beam of light pierced her shoulder, slightly missing bone and just piercing her skin. She didn't feel pain. Instead, adrenaline pumped through her body.

  She deactivated the spell, only for her to run at her to kick her. Tina barely dodged, rolling on the ground and shooting another beam of light, and missing entirely.

  “God Tina, You couldn't hit a fly if it landed on her face.”

  Tina scoffed. “Shut it! “

  Erudite ran at her, kicking her up in the air and knocking her into the ground. She turned around behind her, following Tina’s movement. She smacked through Tina's side, kicking her again and shattering her ribs. Tina knocked aside, coughing blood. Erudite smirked.

  “I see, you are reliant on your Time Magick. You can't use it too much now, can you?”

  Tina breathed heavily, looking up at Erudite, as she stumbled upward. She held her chest and stomach, cradling her wounds as she repaired her innards. She shot her a glare.

  “All right. I am out of tricks. Now, I am unsure who will win.” Tina said, stumbling and faltering from side to side.

  Erudite paused. She finally had a chance against Tina. She felt closer to her than she ever has. Her honesty pulled her potential to match hers.

  “Oh, I see. You do what you want. That is why you always were stronger than me.” She thought and then she shook her head. “Unfortunately, reality is cruel. At least if I beat you now, I can come up with something to keep you safe.” She created oozing, black darkness that came out of her hands. She nodded, finally in agreement.

  “Neither do I.”

  Tina felt the sun inch behind her; she was exhausted. She saw her eyes grow weary and weaken. Tina looked at Erudite, across from her exhausted. They were even. Tina would stop time; Erudite would teleport. Erudite would slice her in half, and Tina would rewind time. Tina tried to crush her with Space, only for Erudite to stop time. They were too alike, and their arsenal countered each other. Light and Darkness were opposites from each other, and yet that is their only strength.

  Tina spat blood, panting as she rose from the ground. She had little magic left, so she concentrated it in a blaze of light. Erudite rose as well and created a blade of light. Tina cocked her head to the side; Erudite first element was Dark, not light. She smiled in this act of subtly.

  “Even now, you are still trying to push me up.” Tina panted. Erudite panted, nodding in agreement.

  “Yeah, and I will win, knock your ass out so we can live together, as a team.”

  “Sorry, but I am not going back to that.”

  Erudite winced. “Why are you so stubborn?”

  Tina's eyes fell to the ground. “Because I have nothing more to lose.”

  Erudite spat and rushed forward, stumbling. Then in a second, Tina sliced at her, splitting her chest open. Erudite roared in pain as she fell to the ground.

  “Give up,” Tina said, walking away. She heard the screams of pain as she felt her heart sink. Each step, Erudite cried, sobbing and Tina dropped a tear. She turned back around, Erudite looking at her with tears in her eyes.

  “Please stay.”

  “No, please come with me,” Tina said, dropping a single tear. “If you cared about me, you would come with me.”

  Erudite stopped crying as her eyes narrowed. She raised a brow, a bubble of light enveloped her. Tina's eyes widened, only for her to be pushed back by a blast of light. She felt her body fly into the ground, shattering the field and slamming her body a few thousand meters deep, a cube of earth smashed and turned into small pieces of rubble as she fell down the trench. Tina felt her bones shatter at this sudden force. Her right arm was purple and blue, destroyed at this sudden force. Her left wing was bent, and her stomach was in so much pain, she vomited face upward. She saw her eyes turn black for a moment.

  “I see, you are my best friend, but you can’t betray the government you treasure, can you?” Tina asked. She knew she was right, Erudite always placed trust in authority because she always wanted it. Tina closed her eyes willingly. “I feel sorry for you, and I don’t wanna do this.”

  Tina saw a brief maze made of a purple like energy. She grabbed her chest, only for her hand to float through her. Was Tina dead? She saw but a single path, coated with an emerald light, a blue floor and purple walls that trapped her. She fell to the floor, so there is an afterlife.

  She walked forward, only for the light to crimp shut.

  “Not now, young one. Fate has plans for you.” A voice said.

  Tina raised a brow. “I am sorry, who are-”

  Then, she fell her soul fall back down to the earth; she saw the world and the eight moons greet her, then she saw the city of Agall and the nearby Mega Archipelagos and nearby micro-continents. She saw the hole she was in, and then Tgasped, her body fully healed as she grabbed freely. She looked at Erudite, looking away. She had no more magic left. She stopped time, accidentally killed her and rewind time. She learned her technique.

  Tina blade of light reformed as she looked at it. She saw herself in it, her red eyes and her cheeks gave an image of herself. She clenched her other fist; she was forsaking her friends, for what? Was there an end goal?

  She asked this question, but she had no answer. She saw two distinct paths, one where she can forgive and the other she can leave.

  “Fate has plans for you.”

  “No, I won't die here.” She thought. “I have nothing, so this is the best time, to leave the shackles of fate.”

  Tina threw the blade of light at Erudite, but instead of herself screaming in pain, the edge of light faded. Erudite raised a brow as Tina created a black blade.

  “Nice Time Magick. So Let's end this fairly.”

  Tina looked at Erudite, who gave her a small smile as she nodded. Tina had one shot as Erudite created a blade of Ligh
t. The two rushed forward. Tina felt time slow around her, she ducked her head, dodging the edge in a second as Erudite rushed toward her in slow motion. Tina sliced behind her and pushed her. Erudite stumbled, falling into the hole of space, teleporting her away, back ‘home’ a few miles away

  “I am sorry,” Tina said. Erudite passed out as the cut in the space closed. Tina had no energy at all as she took a few seconds to gather her breath. “I will miss you,” Tina said.

  She felt a longing pain as she climbed up the newfound crater and toward the docks. She was filled with complex emotions, emotions she hasn't felt since the time she awakened her Time Warping. She was distraught, stressed, heartbroken, enraged and broken. Deep down, she felt broken. She had nothing left for this country, and if she stayed, she wouldn’t be free. She grabbed her arm for a moment; it was the only thing left broken from Erudite’s attack. She winced in pain and took her free hand off her broken arm.

  She saw a light cover half her vision as for a moment she saw herself walking and smiling. A few moments later, she did the same; the future gave her a hint. She nodded, many regrets, but she has to move on. She has to move on and survive. That mother would have wanted. That is what she wants. The oceans met with the two stars shined red and blue crossroads of light, shining each of hundreds of small Airsails, each for a squad for the Chisean Military. She raised a brow, how could she steal a ship if she didn't know which were occupied or not?

  Then she saw a single boat, one with a large white sail with a dozen workers loading supplies on board. She pulled out her bag once again and counted each of her silver coins she had on her person and then pulled out her Holosphere.

  She had fifty, ten on her person and forty in her Holosphere. She better act now.

  She walked up to the most massive man, one of the few Elves to tower at six feet. He looked at Tina, confused as he raised a brow.

  “May I help you?”