POV: Aria Akari
~ One Hour Prior ~
As the evening approached, I began changing into a more comfortable fit, consisting of a burgundy windbreaker, black leggings and white running shoes as Sarah laid on my bed in an awkward position, scrolling mindlessly on her phone with her legs raised against the wall until she noticed me getting dressed.
"Are you going to the gym?" Sarah asked curiously as I shook my head.
"I'm actually sparring with Rai today. He made a deal saying that if I was able to land a single attack on him, he'll be my sparring partner, but don't you think he's underestimating me? Surely there's no way that I won't be able to land a single attack on him, right?" I asked as Sarah narrowed her eyes in concern.
"Aria, don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think he's underestimating you." Sarah answered amidst me putting up my hair into a ponytail as I widened my eyes from her unexpected response.
"Are you serious, Sarah? Rai even gave me a three hour time limit to land an effective attack on him. Do you really believe that within that time, I won't be able to land an attack on him?" I questioned as Sarah sighed, rolling backwards into a sitting position as she turned to face me.
"You're strong, Aria. Very strong for your age, but Rai is different from us."
"His body is trained to its peak as his torso is marred with scars that a teenager our age shouldn't have. Do you remember his expression when Wrath appeared?" Sarah asked as I listened intently.
"He wasn't even fazed. Even Arthur, who is usually childish and carefree in most situations—was serious, not to mention, we don't even know how strong Rai is as he's always holding back. I'm sure he's not underestimating you, Aria. I believe that he's probably so strong that he doesn't even recognize you as a threat." Sarah added as I felt a sense of unease arise from within me, inspiring me to question my own confidence.
"I'm more frustrated with myself than anything as I realized today how weak I truly am."
Sarah's right.
Although Rai's proposal came off as arrogant, I could tell he genuinely believed that he was weak, which is concerning, because if he considers himself weak, then…
No, there's no reason for me to think negatively.
Despite how strong he is…
I'm going to land an attack on him no matter what!
"Thank you for your thoughts, but I don't plan on letting Rai have his way today. I'll be back later on tonight!" I said as I left my room, leaving Sarah alone inside as I soon exited my dormitory and headed towards the evaluation facility, pondering on the potential outcome of the spar as in the moment I began to doubt myself, I slapped myself to my senses as a newfound confidence arised within me.
You can do this, Aria!
~
As I approached the facility, I found Rai waiting for me outside as his attire was also a casual one, consisting of a long sleeved black shirt, gray cotton shorts with black quarter socks and black slip ons.
"How long have you been waiting for me?" I asked curiously as I noticed Rai's nose was slightly red from the frigid temperatures.
"Not too long. Are you ready?" Rai asked nonchalantly as I nodded, prompting him to tap his keycard on the card reader as the doors of the evaluation facility opened before us, allowing us to enter inside.
It seems Rai really does have access to every building, which makes me wonder…
"Rai, did the Headmaster actually raise you?" I asked as Rai's eyes widened in surprise.
"You're awfully curious, you know that?" Rai remarked with a smile as we walked down the main corridor while I felt a subtle blush of guilt grow across my face, prompting Rai to sigh.
"Yes. Ryan did raise me. When I was six, my parents were killed by a villain and the one to save me was none other than Ryan, who made the decision to raise me and although I find him annoying, I'm grateful for him as I would never be the person I am today without him." Rai replied with a faint smile as I felt an agonizing sadness grip at my heart, nearly bringing tears into my eyes as I felt even more guilty than before for prying into his tragic past once again.
When the Headmaster said he raised Rai, the thought of his mother also being dead never crossed my mind.
I feel absolutely horrible now.
His father and mother is gone and yet, I don't know what to say to him, despite my own ignorance and curiousity being the sole purpose of his-
Abrupting my thought was Rai, who grabbed the collar of my windbreaker and with an impressive display of raw strength, he threw several meters across the evaluation facility as I let out an awkward yelp from his sudden action startling me, prompting me to recover my balance within the air as I slid backwards across the ground amidst landing, planting my feet in order to reduce the momentum as I noticed half the evaluation facility was in shambles with the exception of our area, which was a spacious forest with a small field within it as there were a few benches along the trail.
What in the world happened here?
"Are you ready, Aria?" Rai asked casually, grabbing my attention as he stretched his legs.
"I am, but why did you just throw me without warning!?" I asked with a vexing shout as Rai cracked his neck before shifting his focus towards me.
"No reason. Now, let's go. You have three hours." Rai replied with a smile as he taunted me with his fingers, nearly provoking me to rush towards him until I took a breath to calm myself as I noticed he left his guard open, which irked me as on top of that, he didn't even bother activating his Aspect as I felt disrespected from his arrogance.
"Are you not going to activate your Aspect?" I asked.
"Whether I use my Aspect or not, it wouldn't make a difference as I was serious about what I said earlier."
"Within three hours, you won't be able to land a single effective attack on me." Rai declared with such confidence that for a moment, I genuinely believed him until I resolved myself and positioned into a forward stance as Rai placed his hands inside his pockets, waiting patiently for me to initiate the first move as I felt a droplet of cold sweat trickle down my face from the nerve-wracking tension within the air.
Now that I'm actually facing him, it's somewhat intimidating, but despite how strong Rai is…
I'm going to land an attack no matter what!
Springing into action, I sprinted towards Rai with a feint into a spinning high kick, but to my surprise, Rai weaved under my leg amidst stepping forward as he lifted me up into the air and slammed me onto the ground, seizing my breath momentarily as he looked down at me in amusement.
"Try again." Rai said in jest, but I found his playful demeanor quite annoying as I tried to sweep him off the ground amidst spinning my body upwards, however, Rai simply stepped backwards as I took a moment to recuperate before planting my back foot into the ground.
This is frustrating.
Within a second, I rushed towards him and tried to land multiple strikes across his torso, however, Rai weaved through every strike as he struck my chest with a gentle palm strike, causing me to stagger backwards as I was vulnerable from losing my balance, but despite being presented with an opportunity to land a lethal strike upon my body, Rai chose to flick my forehead instead with mild force as I clenched my jaw in exasperation while I felt my face burn with humiliation.
Rai isn't even taking this seriously.
He's toying with me!
On the verge of losing my composure, I rushed towards him once more as I wanted nothing more than to wipe his condescending grin from off of his face and yet, my desire would be unfulfilled as despite giving it my all, Rai dodged every one of my attacks with such grace and deftness that it seemed as if he could perceive the future.
~ Present ~
Within the hour of me sparring with Rai, I came to one conclusion.
It's impossible for me to land an attack on him as I am now, so I'll throw my pride away because within the next two hours…
Amidst picking myself up from the ground, I activated my Aspect and released my Aspectual Force towards Rai, whose amused expression persisted as I allowed my golden aura to flow freely around my body.
I'm going to land an attack at any cost!