Pulling out Haymana, Phavian responds with few words. “Fight me.”
Now finding this comical, Master Shin made the mistake of laughing. “You are decades too early to be requesting a fight with me. Training, perhaps light sparring, but a fight, you do not want.”
Only stoking the fires of his building insecurities, Phavian launches a brutal assault on the old man, kicking, spinning, and swinging Haymana with the intent to not only harm, but to kill. Darting in and out between kicks and the mauling limbs of Haymana that could shatter bone in the hands of someone far less skilled than even Phavian, Master Shin simply goads Phavian on, rapping him on the head like a naughty child, all the while dodging every single blow.
From the outside it looked like a dance, beautiful and elegant between two people who were masters of their art. With the occasional rap on the head, any bystander would have thought they were simply not refined enough to see where the younger man had gone wrong to disrupt the flow of the frenetic dance. Phavian knew however that he was only being toyed with, something on any normal day would have been acceptable, but today was the ultimate affront.
With the dance continuing several minutes, Phavian’s movement becoming more and more sluggish as Master Shin’s seems to only become sharper, he was determined to get what he came for, some affirmation of his superiority that was so fully stripped away from him. Activating his Adrenal Trance, which increased his focus and strength tenfold, while giving him a fleeting boost of the stamina he had depleted, Phavian’s technique once again became crisp, his blows carrying enough power to immediately reduce anyone but the best Titans to mere human pulp. Still then, it was not enough to close the chasm between himself and the old man.
Coming to the point where his Adrenal Trance would begin to tax his body, Phavian knew he had only one choice left. He was playing by the rules. He was all too aware now that in the real world, no one cared about the rules. If he could not overcome his master with just his martial prowess alone, then he would bring to bear the other facet of his skills which gave way to his supremacy.
Just as he was preparing to create a cold snap, flash freezing the old man without any concern for his safety, he catches a flash under his guard too late, and a sandaled heel, bearing a force that could carve mountains, hits him squarely beneath his chin, sending ripples through his body so severe, against his will, his limbs extended outward as he dropped Haymana, only to have it grabbed from the air, and buffeted against his body at lightning speed. As Phavian’s body rockets into the wall of the dojo, he loses his final grasp on the modicum of control he thought he had left in his life, as he is so thoroughly defeated, with his own weapon no less, by a man he thought should not be capable of wielding the beastly weapon at all, nevertheless with such surgical mastery. Body slumped between the wall and the floor, Phavian succumbs to a state of deep despair.
“That is a potent ability you wield. Even I would have no defense against it should you put it to use in earnest such as what you just tried. Your energy speaks of someone who has lost their way, and desperately seeks to regain it. Bear in mind it is not shameful to lose one’s way. That is the flow of life. What is shameful is not being capable of recognizing when that way was intended to end, thus a new one was to be sought out. Trying to forcefully return to a state that is comfortable only leads to more pain and confusion. I know not what troubles you, but if you continue to direct your energies away from the source of the problem, you will only exacerbate your woes.”
Reaching down to the Vizer that he would rather not use, but could not deny that the Headmistress was right in the fact it could at times be indispensable, he summons a medical transport for his foolhardy, yet clearly lost pupil who had taken a massive amount of damage since he poured all of his effort into offense rather than the defense he was so famous for.
The barely conscious Phavian listened to the old man’s lecture, desperate to find the wisdom in it that would allow him to contextualize it into his life. He was indeed lost. He had no idea what to do with himself. He felt if he could defeat Master Shin, he could regain the manhood that seemed to have been so completely stripped from him. Instead he only found what little of it he did have remaining was rendered inert by a man three times his senior.
His body ached in pain, and he was all but depleted from the extended use of his Adrenal Trance. Yet again he was shown that there was such a large gap between himself and those he thought should at least be close to in strength. Something that did make sense to him though as the medical team finally arrived to take him away was that he needed to direct his energy at the source if he ever wanted to move past everything. As he was being loaded up into the shuttle, he had made his choice, when next they met, he would destroy Anaar.
7
With Anaar back to normal, everything seemed right in the world again. Though she was concerned about the troubles he spoke of in his life, Stefani had come to understand Anaar told you things when he felt the time was right. The fact that he had let days go by without mentioning his absence indicated his return did not necessarily mean he was ready to get back into the swing of things.
Contemplating what she wanted to ask, she began to feel guilty that she could not do more to help him during his time of need. Though the two had grown very close, she found he was like the protective big brother she could always run to in her time of need, despite her being a few days older than he was. For whatever reason, it seemed like there was no place in their relationship for her to help him.
Anaar was fortunate enough to be extremely resilient and self-sufficient, and for those times he desperately needed someone, it seemed he already had the spaces that served as pillars of support filled by their other friends, and possibly even those she did not know. Putting aside his direct needs, she had finally come to a decision that she now had the necessary tools to address some of the things plaguing her own life.
Since her embarrassing showing at the Melee, she had been wanting to do something about her glaring weaknesses. Simply training with Sophia, while extremely valuable, even if it often ended up with her needing to take some pain killers or go to the hospital, was still not quite enough. She had started becoming more comfortable taking hits, keeping her cool in dangerous situations, and applying what she had been learning from her karate instructor. Though the thought of actually shooting someone still frightened her, she had grown to be a much better shot due to Sophia’s almost daily pop up Shooting Range sessions, and she was in the best shape she had ever been in her life.
Though she had never been fat, she was never petite like Maggie. Now her curves she had always loved were more defined, and she had even gone down three dress sizes. This delighted her mother since it gave her the opportunity to send over a wealth of new clothes from her various fashion boutiques. Doing her duty as the daughter of a fashion mogul, she modeled all the new outfits, praised by her mother for the duality of her slimming figure while keeping her curves, and also giving her new ideas to fit a wider range of body types.
She had always known she came to Sophangence to please her parents, though she had never imagined the outpouring of support they would give her with each little accomplishment she made. They were closer than ever, even offering up advice for how she could revolutionize the music program at the school. Somehow she had made her dream come true of genuinely making her parents proud, while also pursuing what she loved. She still had a long way to go with the music scene at Sophangence, but they were only halfway through her first school year, which meant she had time yet. Now as she input the commands into her Vizer, she sought to focus on more immediate and pressing concerns.
“How did you know I was about to come pick you up? If you say anything about a little blood getting in the way of training, I swear I’m going to kick your ass even worse than usual.”
“Hello to you too Sophia! The fact you have speeches ready for when I’m on my period is really disturbing. It is like you have a calendar reminder to change your approach d
uring that time of the month.” When there is nothing but dead air, she shrieks. “You do have this on your calendar don’t you?! I told you I would do better with that, you don’t have to set reminders…”
Switching on video mode she sees a traditionally gruff looking Ripp peering annoyed into the camera. With a wave, she beams into the face of the flaming haired woman.
“What are you so excited about? Are you having sex? Nothing is wrong with that, but if that gets in the way of training…”
“No! I am not having sex! Thank you sooo much for reminding me of that fact. I actually was excited about our training session today, and wanted to try something different.”
“Your cycle usually makes you moody, not excitable. What is it, drugs? I have told you about putting shit into your body…”
“No, it is not drugs! Will you just pipe down and listen? I’m happy because today we got Anaar back!”
Silent for a moment she thinks about her last exchange with the boy. “The meathead has been back for days now. What are you talking about?”
“No, we really got him back today. Before, everything was weird because we still didn’t know why he had left, but today he explained everything, and we were able to laugh together for what feels like ages! I didn’t realize just how important he was to the group dynamic until something was wrong with him. When everyone else has things going on, we can still continue in a fairly normal fashion. When Anaar is unhappy, everyone is unhappy. I guess he really is the leader of our group, not just during combat class.”
“So, what did he say was going on?”
“I think it would be best if he told you on his own time. You two aren’t unfriendly, but surely you aren’t as close as we are, and look how long it took him to tell us. I don’t want to betray his trust. Just know things are better now.”
“I guess I can respect that. What does that have to do with why you are calling me? I see you are at least ready to go, so you are serious about training.”
“Hold please!” In just a few moments, there is a three-way video call now including what appears to be a briskly walking Anaar. “Anaar! What’s going on? Are you busy?”
Coming to a stop, he peers into the Vizer. “Not really. Dan and I had a late lunch. He just made a major stride with his powers, so I thought I’d put in some time practicing the violin. Even though I am not in the class this trimester, I’ve grown to like playing it.”
With a little squeal, Stefani claps her hands excitedly. “You have gotten so good in such a short amount of time! People have said I was a musical prodigy and you make me jealous! I was actually thinking-”
Clearly having forgotten about her, Ripp clears her throat and barks in her gruff tone, “Don’t you go getting her distracted from her training meathead! All it takes is one mention of music and I damn near lose her. Stef told me your attitude had been affecting her. Good thing you straightened that out or I had a bullet with your name on it.”
Anaar looks toward the projection of Stefani with his eyes bulging. “Stefani, what exactly have you been telling Ripp?”
“No! It wasn’t like that! I just said things weren’t the same since you came back and today it finally felt normal again. Honest!” She gives Ripp a look with her cheeks puffed out, lips in a pout, to which she only received a dismissive hand wave in response.
“So, are you going to tell me what Meathead here has to do with your training?”
“Oh! Right! Anaar, I hate to pull you in so soon after things have gotten back to normal, but it seems Dan beat me to it. Do you think you can spare some time for some of that famous Anaar Vorpahl ability training of yours? Maybe you can work the same magic with me that you did with Dan!”
“Sure, you know I’m always happy to help. I’m confused though. What does Ripp have to do with it?”
“Hey. Watch it. I had her booked first. I don’t know what she is trying to pull but-”
“That is why I need both of you! So far we have been working separately which is fine up to a point, but the Melee made me realize something. Anaar has helped me make amazing strides in coming into my powers, thus properly being able to support my team. Sophia has given me the confidence to stand on my own, and not be afraid to get into a fight. The problem is, I am having trouble blending the two together. I figure if we train all together, we can help me develop a technique to be able to fight by myself.”
“Hmm, makes sense.”
“As long as we are training it is good to me.”
“Great! Anaar when works for you?”
“Oh, well any time is good for me really. I can-”
From his screen she can see him get a shocked look while jumping back.
“How did you even know where I was?! That is really creepy!”
Stefani sees his camera suddenly change scenes, both feeds looking very similar. She hears a hard rap on her door which causes her to jump.
“Open up, we are here. Time is wasting.”
“This is technically kidnapping! You can’t just appear out of nowhere and push people into portals!” A gun cocks and both feeds immediately cut out.
Stefani rushes to her door, opening it to find Anaar there rubbing his head, as Sophia is pointing a gun at it. “Umm, Sophia, I think there were better ways to go about this…”
A portal opens behind Anaar and she shoves him roughly though it. Motioning to the portal expectantly with the gun, “You’re next sweetcheeks.”
Not one to argue when Sophia is holding a gun, Stefani closes her door and steps through the portal, Sophia not far behind.
“Okay what are we doing? This one here is a perfect shot somehow, so there is no point wasting time with him in the Shooting Range. I figure working on your hand to hand skills would prove more beneficial. This big oaf could probably take both of us wailing on him.”
Though she really wanted to help Stefani, Ripp knew she had other reasons for her enthusiasm in this joint training venture. Applauding Stefani’s identification of critical weaknesses and taking steps to remedy them was one thing, but Ripp had her sights set on Anaar himself.
Ever since her illuminating training session with Anaar, she had found herself to be far more amenable to the boy, even going so far as to say she was fond of him. Having a fondness for him, and being completely terrified of him were not necessarily mutually exclusive, however. From a young age she was taught by her parents that when faced with an enemy far stronger than yourself, there were two options. The easiest and most common option was to flee in hopes that you might escape with your life to either avoid the entity, or build up a force strong enough to oppose them. The other much more dangerous prospect was to try to win the enemy to your side. In the case of Anaar, though she was not sure he was exactly an enemy, she was sure it would be far more beneficial to keep someone of his considerable talents close, rather than at a distance.
There was also the mysterious and frantic summons she had received from the boy. Never in her life had she seen such fear and desperation in a person’s eyes. If there was something that was capable of striking fear into the heart of such a terrifying monster, though she was curious, Ripp was not sure she would like to be enlightened to what it was. Just the knowledge of such things had a way of making one a target. Even if she did want to ask, she was certain that given his penchant for secrecy, there would be no way he would have informed Stefani, or want to burden her with such a responsibility.
True to Stefani’s belief, Anaar did care for her, and did his best to work toward her growth and interests. Exposing her to such risk would be antithetical to those efforts. Pushing all these thoughts from her mind for the time being, she knew it was time to focus on Stefani. Taking the lead, she began running Stefani through a series of drills, utilizing Anaar as an additional point for variation.
Running drill after drill for what seemed like hours, with Stefani using her music to pep them back up, she still felt like she was getting no closer to her original intent. Whenever she tried to incorpora
te her music into her routine, even after doing the same thing over and over again, she always found herself failing at one or both miserably.
When she tried prepping herself in advance, what she found was that the effects she sought to give only herself, also applied to Sophia and Anaar, making her efforts in vain as they were far more capable at adjusting to their increased capabilities than she was. Their prowess aside, she still felt the core of her problem was that she could not use her abilities simultaneously with other things whilst staying aware. Even when she tried singing instead, she found herself failing to be able to retain the focus she needed to make the two come together. As it was becoming late into the night, Stefani had given up hope, just grateful the two had stuck with her.
Feeling foolish he had not asked sooner, Anaar walks over to the dejected Stefani with that look in his eye which indicated he was on the brink of something genius. “Stefani, I realized that you brought me in because you thought I could help you with the control of your abilities. Thus far, I have contributed nothing that Ripp couldn’t have.” Catching the look on her face, “Not to say that Ripp’s contributions couldn’t be valuable. What is it that you specifically hoped to achieve that is different from what you are doing now?”
Clearly frustrated, she drops her head as she paces around. “You, Maggie and Dan can all use your powers while fighting. Maybe it could be said that it has something to do with the nature of how they work, since it seems Maggie’s powers only work on other things, but I have seen Dan hold up barriers while attacking elsewhere with his paper. You… Well I don’t even know if it is fair to count you, since the things you do aren’t normal anyway, but for argument’s sake, you manage to use your powers in a number of ways in tandem with your martial arts, all the while thinking ten steps ahead of your opponent. For me, it is either I play music, or I shoot a gun, or try to use martial arts. I can’t even really run well while playing my music. I didn’t even really get into my first fight on my own in the Melee because I was knocked out before I even knew what was attacking me. I just don’t have a way to combine fighting and using my powers when I’m by myself. If I can place my safety in someone else’s hands I tend to perform a little better, but not by much. I need to be able to stand on my own.”
Divulgence (Song of Sophangence Book 2) Page 7