Chapter 22

Tachophobia: Fear of speed. 

I was tying my hair in a bun when I heard a soft knock on the door. "It's Ignis, your best friend"

"Come in"

He pushed the door open, came in and gently closed it behind him. He gave me a warm smile which vanished when he figured out I wasn't reciprocating. "Um, I brought something for you"

He pulled out a little glass bottle filled with an orange liquid. I didn't spend time thinking before I realized what it was. My thoughts were confirmed when he brought out a syringe after. "This should reduce the pain when he strikes"

"Why do you think I'll need that?" I said, rather too harsh. Ever since the day before, my mind didn't seem to leave the fight. Different thoughts kept moving through my head, I couldn't have a proper sleep.

I kept tossing and turning. The images of the look Axel and Ignis gave me once Natalie announced kept flashing through my head. I couldn't describe Axel's look, emotionless with a hint of what looked like disappointment and Ignis had his eyes glued to the floor throughout.

I didn't go for dinner and with the silence after, I figured out none of them had dinner either.

I didn't get any dreams or voiced from my mother. It felt like everyone shut me out and left me to think by myself.

Would I get defeated by a god that lives to serve me?

That question kept running through my mind and popped in whenever I thought of Lux. I always had the voice deep in me, the one that says I wouldn't leave defeated but then the question comes all over again and destroys everything.

"Caeli, you know I'll do anything to make things better for you or at least, make you feel better"

"Do you have any idea how worse that made me feel?"

"How does this make you feel worse?" He paused "It'll help reduce the pain. Geez, you don't have to be so harsh about it"

"And what makes you think I'll feel any pain?!"

"Would you quit doing that?!" He yelled and the next second, sighed and ran his fingers through his hair "I'm sorry about that, you know I'm doing this for you"

"I don't need your help Ignis"

"Look here, Lux is very powerful, very very powerful_"

"More powerful than I am?"

"That's not what I mean. He's been training since he was a kid, he's fearless and strong. The strongest amongst us_"

"And stronger than I am?"

"Not that. You've only trained for a year Caeli, you gotta understand that fighting is a lot more than growing trees_"

"Are you here to mock me?"

"No, of course not_"

"You don't believe I can take him down either. I saw it on your face and nothing you say would change that. This" I said and pulled out the little glass from his hands "This is because you don't believe in me. You're the least I expected this from Ignis"

In anger, I threw it at the door. It shattered immediately, the liquid slowly dripping down the wood and causing a mess on the door.

"Maybe it's because I don't believe you can defeat him and I don't want you to feel the pain either"

"Get out"

He didn't hesitate before turning and leaving the room. He slammed the door with so much force, the sound echoed in the room.

The echo wasn't the only thing he left behind, he also left me in complete surprise and a little pain deep inside. I didn't let out a tear but it sure felt like I did inside.

I would've felt better if he lied but the fact he admitted it only showed he really didn't believe in me.

Once again, I heard a knock on the door before the knob was twisted and Axel made his way in "It's six o clock"

I let out the shaky breath I never knew I had, my heartbeats ringing through my body fast. I had never been so prepared yet scared of possible failure in my life.

Would I get defeated by a god that lives to serve me?

I walked towards the door, missing the broken pieces of glass on my way.

Axel turned to leave once I got to the door but I grabbed his arm before he could take his first step.

"Do you think I'll win?"

"No"

🦋. 🦋. 🦋. 🦋. 🦋. 🦋

Lux and I maintained eye contact fifteen feet apart. I couldn't stop starring at his dark orbs and he couldn't stop starring at mine.

Something in me didn't want to do it but it wasn't because I feared I would lose. The feeling came the moment I was in front of him, the feeling I didn't want to hurt him or give him a single scratch.

I could just yell I didn't want to do it anymore but none of them would understand it wasn't because I was scared.

Natalie pulled the the needle out of my neck and placed the cap on it.

"That'll give you both just as much pain as an average human being for twenty four hours. The time will be recorded till one of you gives up" Natalie announced "Start"

I felt the rush the moment that word escaped her lips.

I heard cracks behind me as the road split open. Thick green stems emerged through the cracks on the ground. They germinated slowly, moving around my legs and body. The moment they were taller than I was, I left out a harsh breath and straight they went towards Lux.

They moved fast and with every inch, they grew even stronger.

Lux missed every single one of them. Jumping, turning and moving away from every stem. I manipulated them to get him only but it felt just as difficult as picking a needle with oily fingers.

I felt it when he wrapped his strong hand around one and then the other, clutching it tight like his life depended on it. He gave it a strong pull and before I knew it, the stems around my legs were pulled also.

I fell down immediately, my back hitting the hard ground before my head. I felt a little dizzy with the impact but then I realized it was just the first few seconds.

I let it out and got back on my feet immediately.

I'm not giving up that easily.

I felt something bright move past me the next second. It let out smoke as it moved accompanied with heat. Almost like bullets but a lot faster, bigger and hotter.

My head snapped towards Lux and saw his hands glowing with bright orange light. He gave me a second before releasing another one.

My arms crossed each other in front of me and immediately, the rocks around me came to my rescue, forming a large shield in front of me. The flame hit the rocks but wasn't strong enough to break them apart.

I, however, felt the heat around me and the smoke clouded my vision.

Then he let out another one.

Realizing the shield got weaker with every hit, I took a step closer and then another till I felt my feet sprinting towards him.

He suddenly stopped when I was close to him. We were only two feet apart, a perfect time to release the rocks and send them flying towards him with enough force to make his bones break.

I was about to when the thought came to not hurt him that much. I released the rocks and let them fall on the ground, prepared to fight him the normal way.

Then I realized he wasn't in front of me anymore.

I didn't let out a breath before I felt something hit my back, something hot and strong. I lost balance immediately, the force moving me forward before I landed with a crash.

My face and arms scrapped the rough road harshly. It caused so much pain, tears threatened to fall from my eyes.

I raised my arm slowly and hissed at the sight of the blood dripping. It ran from my wrist to my elbows and a little on my cheek. The crimson liquid hit the found with quick drops.

The wound didn't close up like it did usually, an effect of the serum injected into me.

I felt my bones begin to hurt, It was as if I had broken my ribs with the impact and it hurt worse than I imagined. Weakness found its way inside me and once I tried to stand up, I fell.

It felt like I was human again.

I wouldn't give up.

I felt something hold onto my clothes and then I figured out Lux had his hand holding my top.

He pulled me up using the thick material of my clothe till I was an arms length away from the ground.

"I don't wanna hurt you. Give up"

"No" I coughed out and immediately, he gave me the strongest push I had ever gotten in my life.

I only spend a split second in air before It happened.

He pushed me with so much force, I went flying towards the building next to us. I felt with a loud crash, the bricks breaking and falling apart with the impact.

I didn't go through the house but broke the fence and wall. Large bricks, at first, broke off before they all landed on me. Dust clouded my vision, going through my nostrils and filling my lungs.

I was too pained to let out a cough, just kept breathing the little air I could.

My arm was definitely broken, so were my legs and almost every part of my body. I was in a position yet felt so much pain, it felt I would die the next second.

Every effort to raise a muscle went in vain.

"One minute!" I heard Natalie announce. "Lux wins!"

I lost. 

Next chapter