"Is this what you call a fair fight, redhead!"
Harold's voice boomed angrily, but Adonis didn't care.
"A fair fight? Was it a fair fight when you betrayed her and took her eye?"
Harold twitched at the remark, surprised that he had been so easily stooped. His fists clenched in anger.
"Don't be a fool, Harold. If I wanted your life, I'd have it." Adonis continued, his smile slowly fading away. "Grant Raphilia a fair fight so that she can redeem herself. Or, face a fate far worse."
The words struck fear into the man's heart once again, as he swiftly turned his attention back to Raphilia. She, however, was focused more on Adonis.
Adonis...
The fact that the man showed such care for her wellbeing filled her heart with warmth. Was it a feeling she had never experienced before, even from her 'family'?
She shook off the thought. There would be time to think about that later.
For now, she had a fight on her hands. A chance at vengeance.
Raphilia calmed her nerves and raised her hands once again. She needed to focus and remember her lessons with Adonis.
Harold wasted no time. He would not allow himself to go on the defensive. In an instant, he summoned not one of the javelins, but three. Each summoning was done without the flinch of a muscle, displaying his efficiency and control over his blessing.
But Raphilia was powerful too.
The three javelins shot towards her with the sounds of frost ringing through the plaza.
But Raphilia opened her fingers and then squeezed them shut with all of her might before the attacks could arrive.
Still, halfway towards her, the javelin shattered, sending icicles scattering through the air.
It was an ability that she had practised profusely with Adonis. Defending against others who had the same blessing type as her.
Fighting with ice was not just about controlling the ice that you yourself could create, but also, controlling the ice that existed in the external world as well.
That included attacks that came from other ice users.
Raphilia kept her fists clenched, causing the icicles from the shattered javelin to hover in the air. Then, in a mere instant, she shoved her hands forward, sending them shooting towards her opponent like a thousand bullets.
It all happened too fast for Harold to react. After all, Raphilia had never had such strength during their first squabble. He was caught by surprise.
And the element of surprise was often times the decider of battles. Adonis knew this well.
Before being impaled, his eyes drifted to Adonis, who remained sitting on the ground, witnessing the scene play out with a smile on his face.
It was as though the man could read fate itself. Like he knew exactly what would happen.
Curse you, Redhead...
THUD THUD THUD THUD
In rapid succession, Harold was struck by ice. At first, the strikes merely bounced off of his armour. But as she aimed higher, they began to penetrate the soft flesh of his face.
A shard shot through his eye, penetrating his brain. Blood sprayed from his wounds, and it did not take long for his life to certainly be over.
Yet Raphilia didn't stop.
She continued to push the icicles until they had all either penetrated her opponent's face or bounced off of his armour. Once they were all done, she produced shards of her own and sent those flying too.
It was a bloody spectacle, and all Adonis did was watch. Tears flew from her good eye, as the other could not produce water.
Eventually, Harold's body fell limp to the ground - a pool of blood puddling beneath him.
Raphilia breathed heavily as she tried to control her emotions. It took her a while before she finally dropped to her knees. Tears no longer fell, and she was now left to process the reality before her.
Her head swivelled over to Adonis, who met her gaze. He decided not to speak until she did. The gravity of her situation weighed heavily on her.
"I am a murderer." She announced solemnly, but Adonis shook his head and corrected her.
"No. A killer, but no murderer. His death was just."
They were not words of comfort. He truly believed what he spoke.
It was an eye for an eye, quite literally.
Raphilia chuffed. "No. Im... sorry Adonis, but i disagree. Taking a life can't be justified. I've killed him, and i will accept what that makes me."
Afterwards, she brushed away her tears and rose to her feet. Adonis decided to agree to disagree.
As long as she does not beat herself up about it...
Suddenly, a faint hissing sound came from Harold's corpse. Adonis turned his head to see that the man's body was steaming.
No... it was evaporating.
Slowly, the man's very being began to fade away. Particles from his body began to levitate into the air before slowly fading away into nothingness.
Adonis and Raphilia watched from the statue as the man's body vanished. In only moments, they were left alone once again with the silence of the night.
"That makes sense. If Mzdrig did not somehow get rid of the bodies, then his palace would become a graveyard." Raphilia pointed out. The previous events did not seem as though they were bothering her.
Adonis remained silent for a moment, only speaking after gathering his thoughts.
"It is still a graveyard. Just because he removes the physical bodies from this world does not change the fact that hundreds, or even thousands, have lost their lives here. It makes you wonder."
Raphilia looked over at him, surprised. She knew he was right, and it made her wonder too.
Just how many people had lost their lives on that floor? Not just at the hands of others, but also of other ailments.
She was only glad that she would not have to be here much longer. It was unlikely that they would be attacked by anyone else.
And if they were, then she now felt more confident in her abilities to defend herself. Not to mention the man who sat beside her. If it weren't for him, Harold's first strike would have killed her.
Just how did he defend me from a seated position? Seriously, how strong is Adonis?
...
Could he really be the strongest?
She brushed the thought aside, as fatigue took over her body and her eyelids grew heavy.
And with that, another night had passed.