With no time left to think of a strategy, the stag and the boy once again ended up facing the giant blue bird that spewed electricity all around. Even in her weakened state, the beast could have easily ended their lives.
"But that's the fun of training! Let's go!" the boy said, pointing at the sky, before his hand turned purple and then vanished.
Together with his stag, Nayavu became pure electric energy and flew towards the sky, riding from ion to ion until he could reach the threat who was in turn lunging at him.
In response, the bird, as if giving it everything she had left, shone brighter than Nayavu had ever seen. The two clashed, and a colorful explosion painted the horizon under Ayanda's gaze, leaving shocking traces whenever the two came into contact.
Their game of smashing into one another continued like that for the next couple of hours. While their fights were usually over in a flash, this time both sides had found new determination to win the game once and for all. No, Nayavu and Tahu had truly found a new will to fight.
The thunderbird, seeing their spirit lit aflame, rode the wave and burned herself up. It was probably the last time the bird would have the strength to stand against the two partners in battle, and she wanted to win this final sparring game to keep her record clean. After all, elemental beasts have their own pride to protect, and to them, who would give their life away upon losing a battle, even a sparring game meant much more than it did to humans.
The first time Nayavu and Tahu had taken back their usual form was when the sun was setting. Many hours had passed with them being fused as pure electricity, and in these many hours, the thunderbird remained unscratched. At least the energy emanated by the beast gave the two something to play with, otherwise they would have collapsed by now.
"Does this bird ever tire?" Nayavu asked himself, sweat dripping down his forehead, while the bird looked the same as ever.
With another puff, Tahu signaled to him that an attack was incoming. Once again, the two took the form of lightning and dodged the energy spewing out of the thunderbird's beak.
Taking only a quick glance at the thunder representative, Nayavu noticed how she'd winked at him. She was having fun watching them fight, and that gave the boy one more reason to keep going.
"If the master could beat it, why wouldn't the pupils do the same?" he spoke, patting the back of his companion as they both attacked once again.
By now, it was already dark out, yet their lighting kept everything around bright and awake. Animals around had long fled, terrified by the forces of nature colliding.
"What about using other elements, boy?" Ayanda suggested as the fight dragged on well into the night.
"Did you use other elements when you beat it?" he asked back, fully focused on not getting hit by blue bolts as they flew in every direction.
"Haha! I knew there was something about you!" Ayanda continued. "Then let me see you end this graciously with your next strike!"
"Ha? It's not the time to start joking now, Ayanda! It's been hours! Nothing's taking her down! How do you expect me to—woah!"
Before he could finish his sentence, a bolt almost hit Nayavu's hand. When he looked at the bird, it seemed to be smiling.
"So you want to end it too?" he asked, a screech coming back in response. To this provocation, the boy sighed.
"You've heard her, Tahu! It's the final strike!"
As he spoke, both the buck and Nayavu shone purple once again, transforming all the energy around them into electricity, ready to play the final card against their proud adversary.
Next came an impact that lit up the night sky. A bone-shaking thunder followed, and the sky seemed to tremble not in fear but in awe at the magnificent display of colors.
From that ball of blue and purple, one was to fall while the other stood tall, signaling the victory of either human or nature, yet whichever won would have no impact on the world. In truth, this was a fight of unshakeable wills, not a fight for godhood. The bird had already lost most of its power, and the two she was fighting were mere apprentices of the one who had freed her of burden.
One wanted to take another step on the long ladder he had to climb; the other wanted to go out with dignity, proud that even in her weakened state, she could still take out a brave warrior like Nayavu.
Of course, there was also a third fighter—a brave buck pioneering on the path of magic in the animal kingdom—but Tahu cared little for such reasons. What Tahu cared about was Nayavu, and right now, Nayavu seemed to be having the time of his life.
Finally, as the light show calmed down and the sky returned to darkness, a faint purple spark descended. Its fall was not controlled in the least. It was the fall of someone who had lost consciousness, a fall of the defeated.
Normally, that fall served to only let the winner of the battle roam the sky. In this case, the thunderbird seemed to have earned the right to stay high, but she was nowhere to be seen either, for next to the faint purple bolt that slowly reached for the cold ground, there was also a blue one, falling at the same speed and with the same lack of control.
Soon, both of those bolts reached land, their impact silent compared to the fight that had just taken place, and once the dust settled, a deer, a man, and a bird lay there sound asleep, looking almost peaceful to the representative who went to pick them up.
*****
Angered by thunder that wouldn't let him sleep, Aurelio got out of his bed in the middle of the night. It had been a month since he was ordered to halt all activity in Inyankara.
"I swear when I find the one who leaked this back to Rema…" he spoke to himself as he walked around his room.
The moment the forces back home were told about the actions of the thunder representative, an order to stop advancing was given out. Aurelio wasn't told who had given that order, but he had a hunch.
"That bastard! First he takes my place as a representative, and now he takes the sacred waters from me!" he lashed out, thinking of the water representative whose word in the army weighed heavier than his own.
With every passing day, the general grew more impatient, and it wasn't long before sleepless nights became the norm. Outside, thunder seemed to be mocking him every time he tried to close his eyes. Whenever he'd hear it, all he could think about were the restraints keeping his search for power in check.
"And what's with all this about becoming a god?" he said, balling his fists.
"Why are we going out of our way for her? If she's a god, then she can protect herself just fine!"
With every thunder strike, images of his past failures bloomed in Aurelio's mind. He remembered about the first time he met the old water representative. It was out of nowhere that the man became one with the ocean, never to be seen again. The only words that one had left behind for him were "I hope to see you grow up strong, boy. Who knows, maybe you can even take my spot."
Ever since that day, Aurelio started training to become the next water representative.
"And what did that earn me?" he asked himself, blood dripping from the lip he bit too hard.
"How much have I sacrificed? All for that guy to take my place out of nowhere!" he said as he struck a nearby table with his fists, the impact breaking its thick wooden legs.
While the general lost himself in rage and sorrow, someone knocked lightly on the door.
"General! Are you hurt?" a familiar voice asked. Once he heard it, Aurelio's frown turned into a twisted smile.
He headed for the door as he spoke.
"Ah, Giovanni! How nice of you to visit me at this hour!"
On the other side of the now open door, there stood a tall man dressed in uniform. While his gaze was sharp, the trembling at the tip of his fingers was obvious. Together with the black eye he couldn't hide, Giovanni's situation couldn't be called a happy one.
"Oh? Who did that to your face, Giovanni? It seems we have someone to discipline."
Only after a small gulp did the lieutenant dare to speak.
"Sir! It was you, Sir!"
Giovanni's words struck the general like lightning.
"Me? Why would I do that?" he asked, but Giovanni didn't answer.
"Ah… I remember now!" the general soon continued, followed by laughter that could only be called maniacal.
"It's because of what you've told the water representative, right?"
"Sir! I've said nothing… Sir—"
Before Giovanni could speak out, a slap shut him up. However, the lieutenant lifted his face as if nothing had happened, accepting the unjust punishment. That alone made Aurelio foam at the mouth.
"DON'T YOU LIE TO ME!" he shouted, his eyes bloodshot from the lack of sleep.
"I know it's you who's trying to keep the waters hidden! I've known it from the moment I met you!"
As the general screamed, Giovanni stood expressionless in front of him. Only after slapping the lieutenant a couple more times did Aurelio come to his senses, and when he did, his eyes opened wide.
The general looked at the palms that have been hurting his own right-hand man, an then he placed them on his own face, nails digging into his temples, for he also had to be punished.
"Look at me… acting like one of those brutes. How come I've lost sight of what's important?"
Mere seconds later, after suddenly regaining his calm and elegant demeanor through a faked cough, Aurelio pointed to the man in front of him.
"Giovanni, tell the troops we're getting back to work! That's an order."
"But, Sir… orders from Rema are that—"
"I see… Even now you look down on me… Giovanni, I really wanted to see you as a friend."
Aurelio looked at the lieutenant with disdain, betrayed by the one he wanted to trust, and as he spoke, soldiers came down the hall, surrounding the lieutenant.
"Take him!" were the general's orders—orders to which Giovanni didn't complain, respecting the chain of command and not giving the soldiers a hard time.
"Maybe the dungeons are a better place for you. You'll only get out when we march for Inyankara."
The echo of Giovanni's steps through the hall gave the general a sense of satisfaction.
"Those waters are mine," Aurelio muttered, just like a crazed wolf in search of prey.