[A/N: Rate the fight scene]
Chapter 9: A Friend
Amon and Nephis stood in front of each other in the dojo. Nephis was looking at Amon, who was doing a ridiculous pose, his body leaning back a little while his right hand fixed his monocle and his left hand pointing at her. This drew a few laughs from the crowd, but under Nephis's intense gaze, Amon dropped his shenanigans and took a fighting stance too.
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Flash back
Amon woke up early enough to catch breakfast. He was walking in the direction of the cafeteria, and that's when he saw Sunny heading the same way. Amon increased his pace and caught up with Sunny. Sunny noticed Amon's new look.
The waist-long hair that had once framed his face like a curtain was gone, replaced by a short, neck-length cut that exposed every sharp line of his features. Without the hair softening his features, he seemed even more pretty. Amon's golden eyes stood out more vividly, bright and piercing against his pale skin. His jawline, once hidden, was sharp and clean, giving his face a lean edge. The boy who had looked almost delicate, even a little cute before, now looked… different. Not rugged, not rough, but refined in a way that was hard to pin down.
"Good morning," Amon said, greeting Sunny. Sunny, when he noticed Amon walking beside him, his mood immediately soured. Sunny was very suspicious of Amon and was cautious of him. Sunny looked at Amon with a scowl and replied to his greeting, "Don't talk like we are friends, you monocle-wearing bastard." Sunny looked at Amon's expression when he had said that and noticed his eyes widen a bit, but not of shock, but of intrigue. After saying that, Sunny increased his pace to shrug off Amon.
'A monocle…huh,' thought Amon in his mind. This description of him, made by Sunny, caught his interest. After Sunny had dismissed him, Amon maintained a leisurely pace to the cafeteria, since it was quite early. Amon entered the cafeteria, which had not housed many people yet. Amon's new look drew the attention of the people in the cafeteria. Soon, he was approached by almost everyone in the cafeteria. This surprised him a little. Amon knew that he looked good with his short haircut, but it was not enough to be swooned over by the mob. Others who were in the academy had good looks too, so he wasn't much different, if we exclude his unusual hair and eye colour. Soon, the crowd reached him.
Before he could address them, one of the girls spoke up. "Amon…right? I wouldn't have been able to recognise you if not for your earrings." To this, Amon just gave a nod. This was one of the people he had talked to during the orientation, so they were somewhat familiar. She asked again, " Wow, you are so lucky you got a True Name."
Amon just gave the girl an embarrassed smile, but inside he thought, ' damn woman, do you not know how to make conversation, who the fuck even talks like that, how do I even contribute to a statement like that?'. Not knowing what to say, Amon just chuckled nervously and said, "It is what it is." This reply seems to bring a ripple of déjà vu in the crowd.
Just then, a voice cut through, "You should not surround him like that." Everyone turns their head towards the direction of the voice. The voice belonged to a brown haired boy with green eyes; it was. Caster was heading over to the group surrounding Amon. He was followed by his group. Caster stood in front of the group and said, " You are making him uncomfortable by surrounding him like that." Caster said to the group with a stern but gentle tone. The group looked at each other awkwardly and dispersed; only Caster and his group remained.
Caster then said, " Are you comfortable now, Amon?" Amon nodded and looked at Caster with a grateful look. Amon was very moved by this action of Caster; he thought, ' Caster, your secret with this original owner body, I will take it to the grave.' Caster then asked, " Have you already finished eating breakfast? If not, why not join us?" Amon agreed to Caster's invitation. They quickly grabbed their plates and sat at an empty table. Amon did not speak much since he was new to the group, but he quickly became comfortable. Mid-conversation, Caster asked, "How do you find this place?"
Amon answered, " The academy is really good, but I think the girls are a bit overboard. Just yesterday, a silver-haired autistic girl challenged me." Everyone at the table froze and looked at Amon in shock. Then Caster asked, " By silver-haired, do you mean Nephis?". Amon, not sensing the tension, said, " Wow, you know her too? Ya, last night while I was running at the gym, she just came and challenged me to a fight." Everyone who was situated at the table looked at him with even more shock.
They were not shocked at Nephis challenging him at night, but at his description of her. Caster was about to tell who Nephis was, but was cut off by someone in the group.
" Nephis is the last remaining member of the Immortal Flame Clan." To this, Amon widened his eyes in shock.
"And she also has a True Name"
"How did you not know that? It was posted on that large TV over there yesterday."
Amon scratched the back of his head while smiling nervously."Yeah.. I woke up late, so I kind of skipped breakfast."
Then suddenly, Amon moved his figure, trying to hide his frame using Caster's. Amon had noticed Nephis enter the cafeteria with his three sixty vision, and decided to hide himself. But it was too late, Nephis had already noticed him and started walking towards him.
Nephis reached where Amon sat and stood beside him. Everyone at the table averted their gaze.
Without any pleasantry, Nephis spoke, " Fight me", with a tone in her voice.
'What the fuck is wrong with this girl?' thought Amon, but he did not voice his thought out; instead, he turned his head to look at Nephis and gave a pleasant smile and said, "Ahh.. Miss Nephis, it's so good to see you this morning. I would love to have a friendly spar, but as you can see, I have not finished eating my breakfast."
It was a weak excuse. Amon's plate was already empty. Nephis looked at his empty plate and gave Amon a look. Amon, still smiling, looked at her. Amon had thought that she would leave, but instead she continued to look at him. Everyone in the cafeteria was looking at this exchange. Everyone wanted them to fight, so they were watching in anticipation.
Amon broke first, he looked away and just sighed, "Ok, but I want an instructor to be the referee."
Nephis Pov
As Nephis walked into the cafeteria for my morning breakfast, she saw Amon sitting beside Caster, talking with Caster's group.
Nephis felt a pang of irritation when he remembered how Amon had tricked her to avoid fighting with her.
[A/N: Though most people wouldn't consider it a trick. ]
Then suddenly, he tried to hide his figure when he sensed that I had noticed him. This action of Amon led Nephis to form doubts.
'Is he the assassin sent to kill me? Is that why he is trying to hide from me?'
'I need to test his strength,' as this thought formed, Nephis walked towards him to challenge him.
As Nephis reached the table, Amon acted like he did not notice her. But nevertheless, she pushed through.
Nephis said, "Fight me," challenging him again. To avoid the fight, Amon replied, wearing a pleasant smile, "Ahh.. Miss Nephis, it's so good to see you this morning. I would love to have a friendly spar, but as you can see, I have not finished eating my breakfast."
I then looked at his empty plate and then looked at him.
'How do I salvage the situation, now that everyone will think I am weird?' Nephis thought as she continued to look at Amon. They had been looking at each other. Nephis was thinking about how she could avoid embaracing herself, not pulling her gaze away from Amon.
But before any idea formed in her mind to handle the situation. Amon had agreed.
Amon thought that Nephis was staring him down, so that he would agree.
3rd pov
Everyone was excited for the fight, they wanted to know who was stronger of the two True Name holders. Some went to call for instructor Rock so that he could referee the match. At the same time, the others followed the two True Name holders to the dojo.
Soon, instructor Rock arrived to referee the match. Both Amon and Nephis stood opposite each other. Both of them put their guard up. Then the instructor, Rock, declared, "You win if your opponent's back touches the floor or is unable to fight."
Nephis looked at Amon, who had taken a basic fighting stance, but him still wearing the monocle confused her. 'Are you going to fight with the monocle on?' Nephis asked.
Upon hearing this, Amon's eyes widened a bit. Murmur began to form from the crowd.
"Wow, I had never noticed him wearing it, but it became so obvious when she called him out."
"Must be because he looked so natural with it on."
Nephis and Amon listen to the murmur around them. Then Amon said, making a weird pose.
"If I lose, I get to grovel at your feet." This drew everyone's attention. Everyone looked at Amon, who had a forced serious face, which drew some stifled laughter from the crowd.
Nephis looked at Amon, who was pointing at her with a weird pose and a mocking, serious face.
'Is he making fun of me?' Thought Nephis as her gaze hardened.
Amon noticed Nephis get more serious and immediately took a fighting stance too. 'Holy shit, I should not have joked.'
Flashback End
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Then the instructor, Rock, told them to start.
Nephis closed the distance between them first. Aiming jabs at his face, Amon blocked or deflected the attacks. But Nephis' punches were relentless, but they did not hit Amon once; he could follow her movement. Amon then leapt back to create space. Nephis was fully using her height advantage, not letting Amon get close while attacking from a distance where Amon's hit doesn't land, so Amon created more space between them.
Amon looked at Nephis, who was staring at him. Out of nowhere, Amon smirked and said, "I have some bad news and some good news for you. Do you wanna know?" his tone was cool. Everyone in the dojo waited for Nephis to answer. Nephis stared at Amon's figure, his face wearing a smug expression, curious. Nephis nodded. Amon smiled smugly and said, "Heh, bad news for you, I have memorized your attack pattern. The good news, I am not athletic enough to dodge any of them, so your attack will still land like normal." Everyone at the dojo burst out laughing. Amon had a few chuckles too. Amon looked at Nephis' expression and quickly shut up. Nephis glared at Amon with an icy expression.
She closed the gap between them and started punching jabs. Nephis was still cautious of Amon; she had no real measure of his strengths, since he did not attack her once. He only dodged and blocked her punches. Nephis then noticed Amon reeling his hands back for a punch. Nephis closed the distance so that he would not be able to gather enough momentum. But instead of a punch, Amon spun and did a back kick. This attack had caught her off guard, but she was able to dodge it because of her incredible reflexes. Amon's kick went beside her head, almost hitting her. Though caught off guard, Nephis pressed on after the dodge, but Amon followed it with a quick roundhouse kick. Nephis was able to block the second attack, too, but she could feel the weight behind those kicks. Amon had a smug grin on his face as he jumped up and down like a boxer, clearly enjoying the spar. This time, Amon was the one who closed the gap first. Amon was in range to throw jabs. Nephis blocked those jabs and tried to create distance, but Amon did not allow it; he maintained the distance between him and her.
Then suddenly, Nephis's hands shot up, aiming for Amon's throat; if not for his three-sixty vision, this would have been a blind spot. Her hands shot up, fast, strong. He was too close to dodge that attack from her. The attack had almost landed, but before it could, Amon was able to grab her hands and use her own momentum against her, throwing her. But Nephis was a veterinarian, she did a somersault mid-air and landed on her feet. ; she could recover, Amon pointed a figure a her, then looked at Instructor Rock and said, "That crazy girl just tried to kill me, do something." His eyes were wide open, and his expression held that of someone who was wronged. "Isn't that an illegal move or something?".
Nephis was a bit taken aback hearing Amon complaining to instructor Rock. But Instructor Rock just replied, "I have already said, everything is allowed." Instructor Rock did not say it because he believes that someone like Amon, an outskirts rat, would lose to Nephis. Because from the profile he read on Amon, Amon was someone who did not let circumstances get in his way, so he wanted to see what he was really capable of.
Amon then looked at her and said,
"Ok, new rule, we are not allowed to attack areas like the windpipe."
"Only if you agree, I will continue to fight; if not, then think of it as my loss."
Nephis looks at Amon as if deliberating on something, then she nods her head in agreement.
Seeing Nephis nod, Amon said, "Ok then, let's continue the fight."
Both of them closed the gap this time, approaching each other. Nephis struck first; her punches were precise and calculated. While Amon dodged them with effort. Sensing an opening, Amon quickly delivered a low kick that hit Nephis' thigh. The kick had hit a cluster of nerves that not only caused pain but also made it weaker. Nephis staggered against Amon, who looked like he would make the same attack. Nephis tried to defend against it, but at the last moment, Amon switched his stance and did a Brazilian kick. Nephis was not able to defend properly and rolled away from the attack. The attack had missed. Nephis was quickly able to recover from the roll, but her left leg still hurt.
Amon's breath was now ragged. This body was far too weak for a fight like this; if not for his [Apprentice] attribute, he would have already run out of gas. Amon tried to steady his breath as fast as he could. Nephis had already stood up; she noticed Amon's tiredness, so before he could recover, Nephis pressed her advantage. She was not as tired as Amon. Her punches and kicks still held the same strength as before. Amon was now purely on the defensive, trying to recover some stamina. Nephis, knowing what Amon was planning, pushed even harder.
Then she used the same trick Amon used; she reeled her hands back, but instead of a punch aimed at around the solar plexus, she spun and did a back kick. Amon was caught off guard by the attack, so he was not able to dodge. He just gritted his teeth as he used his hands to soften the blow. The kick was aimed at the stomach. This made Amon stagger a bit.
Then an idea formed in Amon's mind. Amon quickly changed his expression and made a serious face. Then he turned his head and said, "What's wrong with her?" Everyone turned their head and looked where Amon's gaze was. In his line of view was a girl with brown hair. The brown hair girl, confused, pointed a finger at herself and asked, "Me?"
Nephis, too, caught off guard, looked where Amon was looking, her gaze landed on a brown hair girl pointing a figure at herself. Amon, his head still turned towards that direction, saw Nephis turn her too. Because of his three-sixty degree vision, he was able to seize the moment and dashed towards her, planning to tackle her.
Amon was planning for a double leg takedown because his stamina was already gone, so this was an all-or-nothing move. Nephis quickly pieced things together and looked at Amon charging at him. Before she could respond, Amon swooped down and grabbed both of her legs. Before he could lift her up, she pressed down on Amon's head.
Amon tried to power through, knees grinding on the canvas, but Nephis pivoted hard to the right, sprawling her weight diagonally across his upper back. The momentum shifted. Amon's arms slipped, searching for a grip that wasn't there.
Nephis kicked her hips even farther back, then rotated around Amon's flank, the underhook becoming a lever. With a sudden twist, she rolled her shoulder over, dragging Amon's arm and snapping her own hips across like a whip.
Amon's base crumbled. The failed shot became a half-flip, his back thumping against the dojo floor while Nephis slid smoothly into top position, knees pinning his ribs.
The fight had been incredible. Instructor Rock looked at Amon, his back touching the floor, his breath heavy, and Nephis on top of him. He declared, "Nephis wins."
The gathered students cheered, even Sunny, who was spying on them using his shadow, looked stunned. Sunny had thought that Amon would be knocked down fast, or at least use his Aspect ability to put up a fight, but Amon had not used his Aspect ability, nor had Nephis. Instructor Rock, Caster, and Nephis noticed it too.
'Both of them are monsters, monsters!' thought Sunny.
Instructor Rock then said, looking at Nephis
"Go to the infirmary; otherwise, your legs will swell."
Nephis looked at her left leg, where Amon's kick had landed; it was still numb. She just nodded to the instructor's Rock advice.
Instructor Rock looked at Amon, who was sprawled across the floor, his neck length hair spilled messily. His earrings caught the light of the dojo.
Only Caster and Instructor Rock knew that in this fight, Nephis had been the one to suffer most.
After catching his breath, Amon sat upright. He then stood up and walked towards Nephis, who was limping towards the infirmary, and offered to take her there. Nephis looked at him and asked, "Why?". Amon replied, "I am headed there too."
Amon had noticed Nephis struggling to walk properly, even though he was lying on the floor through his three sixty degree vision, he noticed her limping figure. Amon decided to help her since he was going to the infirmary anyway.
Nephis nodded and agreed to Amon's proposal. Amon slung her arm across his shoulders.
Then a sudden voice rang through the dojo.
" That's a guy"
"Well, cake is cake even if it has a candle."
The comment was made by a brown haired, blue-eyed boy. Everyone looked at the boy who had just spoken with a stern and angry expression, then at Amon, whose head was looking down.
Nephis could feel Amon's shoulders tremble a bit. But as if to cut the silence, Amon's laughter rang out. Amon laughed so hard that even tears began to form in his eyes. He moved his head to look at the figure who had just made the comment.
Then he grinned and said, "Well, he is right, how can someone enjoy a game without a joystick?"
Everyone who looked at him was stunned, even Nephis thought that he might have some loose screws up his head. Even the guy who made the comment was stunned.
[A/N: plz comment and review]
[A/N: I know it's a meh chapter and would really like the critique in the comments]