Nova's eyes snapped open.
For a moment, he couldn't understand why he was staring at a broken stretch of stone instead of the walls closing around him. Then the pain returned, spreading through his chest, shoulders, and legs until even drawing a breath became difficult.
He was lying on his side amid the remains of a shattered barrier. Dust covered his face, and blood had dried around one eye, leaving his vision stained red. He tried to push himself upright, but his right arm trembled beneath his weight and nearly gave out.
'Damn it. I'm still here.'
He remembered the walls, the pressure closing in, and the darkness that followed. There was something else, too, a strange impression that lingered at the edge of his memory. Before he could think about it further, a heavy crack drew his attention across the arena.
The earth manipulator was still standing.
The bully's chest rose and fell rapidly. Golden energy flickered around him, though it no longer formed the smooth aura Nova had seen earlier. It came in uneven bursts, gathering around his arms and then disappearing beneath his skin. His muscles had swollen considerably, and the red discoloration Nova had noticed during their fight now covered most of his exposed body.
The man's hands shook as he raised them. Even so, he smiled when he saw Nova moving.
"You got up again?" he asked, sounding almost offended. "How many times do I have to put you down?"
Nova brought one knee beneath him and leaned against a broken pillar. "You tell me. You've been trying for quite a while."
The bully's smile twisted. "Still running your mouth."
"Well, one of us has to say something worth listening to."
A large fragment of stone rose beside the bully. Nova saw the man's fingers twitch and threw himself away from the pillar before the fragment struck. The impact shattered what remained of his cover, sending sharp pieces across the ground.
Nova landed awkwardly. Pain shot through his ribs, and he had to press one hand against the floor to stop himself from collapsing again. His knuckles were raw. Every finger hurt whenever he tried to close his fist.
'No awakened ability. No divine strength. And this bastard is still eating crystals.'
He forced himself forward before another attack arrived.
The bully sent two stones toward him from opposite sides. Nova ducked beneath the first and turned sideways to avoid the second, letting it strike the wall behind him. He stepped through the dust and closed the distance, striking the man's abdomen with his left fist.
It connected, but the resistance felt different. Beneath the swollen muscles, the bully's body was unnaturally tense, almost rigid. Nova followed with an elbow to the ribs, then pulled back as a stone spike rose between their feet.
"Too slow!" the bully shouted.
His forearm struck Nova across the shoulder. The blow sent him stumbling into a broken wall, where he barely managed to catch himself.
'If I keep taking hits like that, I won't be standing for much longer.'
Across from him, the bully flexed his fingers. The golden light around his wrists brightened, and he jerked one arm as though something had pulled at it from inside.
Nova frowned.
"Hey," he said. "Are you sure you're all right?"
"Worry about yourself!"
"I'm serious. Your skin's getting redder, and you look like you're about to burst."
"It's power!" the bully roared. "Something a weakling like you wouldn't understand!"
The ground buckled beneath Nova's feet.
He leapt sideways just as a cluster of jagged spikes broke through the surface. One sliced along his upper arm, reopening a wound that had barely stopped bleeding. He staggered, steadied himself, and moved again before the bully could surround him with another wall.
The arena had become difficult to navigate. Collapsed barriers formed uneven ridges, and the floor was covered with loose fragments that shifted whenever Nova stepped on them. His opponent controlled the ground, but that advantage also gave Nova a small amount of warning. A vibration usually came before the stone moved.
Another slab rose to block his approach. Rather than attacking it directly, Nova ran along its edge, waited until a second construct began forming, and changed direction through the opening between them.
His fist connected with the bully's jaw.
The man stumbled. Nova stepped closer and drove a knee into his abdomen, then struck his ribs before he recovered. He felt the impact travel painfully through his own injured arm, but the attacks forced the bully to retreat two steps.
"There," Nova muttered. "You can still feel that."
"I'll kill you!"
"You've been saying that since we started."
A fist slammed into Nova's chest before he could move out of range.
He flew backward and hit the ground hard enough to lose his breath. For several seconds, he couldn't inhale. He rolled onto one side, clutching his ribs while his vision darkened at the edges.
'Get up. Come on. Get up.'
The bully approached, each step uneven. His breathing had grown louder, and the muscles along his neck twitched uncontrollably. Golden energy ran beneath his reddened skin in short, irregular flashes. There was heat coming from him now, enough for Nova to notice even through the dust-filled air.
"Look at you," the bully said. "All that confidence, and you still can't beat me."
Nova managed to pull one leg beneath himself. "If you're so sure, why are you still talking?"
The bully reached down and seized him by the collar.
Nova's feet left the ground. He grabbed the man's wrist with both hands, but his battered fingers struggled to maintain their grip. The pressure against his chest made breathing difficult, and the reddened face in front of him seemed to drift in and out of focus.
"I can feel something," he muttered.
Nova stared at him.
"What?"
"Something dangerous in you. Like... like a bomb waiting to go off."
Nova had no idea what the man was sensing. He felt no sudden surge of power and saw no sign of an awakening. All he could feel was the pain running through his body and the strain in his arms as he tried to free himself.
'What is he talking about?'
Before he could demand an explanation, the bully's expression changed.
His pupils widened. The golden light beneath his skin flared bright red, and his grip loosened abruptly. He dropped Nova as though holding him had become unbearable.
Nova struck the floor and slid across loose stones. He coughed violently, rolled away, and tried to regain his footing.
The bully stood motionless.
His shoulders rose and fell in sharp movements. The swelling in his arms had become grotesque, stretching his skin until every vein stood out. The red color spread across his chest and throat, while pulses of light flashed beneath it in an increasingly frantic rhythm.
"What..." the bully whispered.
He stared at his hands. His fingers curled inward, then sprang open without warning.
"What's happening to me?"
"Stop using your ability," Nova said. "Whatever you've done, stop it."
"Shut up!"
A jagged wall burst from the ground, though it rose at the wrong angle and collapsed almost immediately. The bully stumbled as the stone fell beside him. He tried to lift his hand again, but his forearm began to shake so violently that he couldn't keep it raised.
Nova retreated several steps.
The heat was becoming difficult to ignore. Dust drifted away from the bully in sudden bursts, and small pieces of stone trembled around his feet. His skin shone an alarming red, with bright veins of golden light appearing beneath the surface.
'He's going to explode.'
The realization came with a certainty Nova couldn't explain. He looked toward the nearest fallen barrier. It was low and already cracked, but it was the only cover he could reach in time.
The bully let out a strangled scream.
Nova moved.
He threw himself behind the barrier, tucked his head against his chest, and brought his injured arms up as best he could.
An instant later, the bully's body ruptured.
The explosion tore through the ruined arena with a deafening blast. Stone fragments shot outward, tearing through the remaining walls as a wave of heat and pressure swept across the floor. The barrier in front of Nova broke apart almost immediately. The force lifted him from the ground and hurled him backward through dust and debris.
He struck the floor, rolled helplessly, and came to a stop against a ridge of shattered stone.
For several moments, he heard nothing but a high ringing in his ears.
The air was hot. Dust filled his mouth, making him cough, and every breath hurt. His face and arms stung where fragments had struck him. He tried to move his legs and found that they still responded, although a sharp pain shot through his side when he shifted.
'Alive. I'm alive.'
As the ringing faded, the first thing he heard was the sound of stone settling. Broken pieces fell from damaged walls, striking the ground at irregular intervals. Through the haze, he saw the remains of the arena, its floor scarred and its barriers reduced to rubble.
Where the bully had been, fragments of stone and other debris lay scattered across the ground. Faint traces of golden light appeared among them before slowly disappearing. The man himself was gone, destroyed by the power he had forced into his body.
He had wanted to win. He had wanted to defeat the bully with his own strength and prove that his training meant something. But the fight had ended because his opponent's power had turned against him.
He could not bring himself to feel sorry for the man who had spent the match trying to kill him. Still, the sight left him quieter than he expected.
'All those crystals... He never even considered stopping.'
Nova turned his head toward the opening in the collapsed walls. His chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. He had not awakened an ability. He had not regained access to his divinity. He was still a mortal, bruised, bleeding, and far too exhausted to stand.
Yet he was alive.
A distant voice reached him through the settling dust.
"Nova!"
Footsteps followed, growing louder as several people hurried across the broken arena. The shadow girl appeared first, followed by the scout and the shy girl from his team. All three stopped when they saw the extent of the destruction.
"Oh my God," the shy girl whispered.
The scout looked from the shattered walls to Nova lying beside the ridge. "He's there!"
They rushed toward him. The shadow girl dropped to one knee at his side, her expression tightening when she saw the blood on his face and the way he struggled to breathe.
"Nova, don't try to stand," she said. "Just stay where you are."
"Wasn't... planning on it," he managed.
The scout glanced toward the place where the bully had been. "What happened? We heard the explosion, but the walls were blocking our view. Where's the other guy?"
"He used... too many crystals," he said at last.
The scout's expression changed. He looked back across the debris, then toward the others. "We need to get someone here. Now."
The shy girl hurried to call for assistance while the shadow girl stayed beside Nova, watching him carefully. He wanted to assure her that he was fine, but the thought seemed ridiculous even to him. He could barely move his arms, and his ribs hurt every time he breathed.
The fight was over. At least, his part of it was.
A weak smile crossed his face. It was hardly the triumphant victory he had imagined when he entered the arena, but he had survived an opponent who possessed every advantage over him.
"We... won," he rasped.
His voice was barely audible, and he had to pause to catch his breath. Still smiling faintly, he repeated himself.
"We... won."