“Reika!” I blinked to see Caleb. Somehow, I had managed to get into the training room. 

“Glad you could make it!” Krishna and Ari were behind Caleb, sitting on the floor with sweat covering their foreheads and clothes. I forced a smile on my face and hoped it looked genuine. I peeled the glove from my left hand. 

“So, how will I be training?” I asked him. 

“You’ll be fighting.” 

Fighting what? 

Caleb stepped away from me and gave me an innocent smile. I turned around to see a girl shorter than me with scythes in her hands. I have never seen her before. 

She swung her weapon at me with full force, aiming for my head. I bent backwards, my fingertips touching the cold floor. I pushed myself up and looked at her. The girl had purple eyes, dark mocha skin, curly brown hair, and she had a butterfly tattoo on her collarbone. 

“Are you not going to be taking your weapon out?” She questioned me. I didn’t have the energy to answer her. She stood in a relaxed position, even though we were fighting. She threw one of her scythes at me, but I side-stepped away from it.

 When I turned my attention back to her, her fist connected with my jaw with full force and sent me flying into the wall. I hit my head hard. For a second, everything went dark, then a sharp pain pierced through my mind, letting me see again. 

I screamed out loud. 

My right arm was pinned against the wall by five daggers. Blood trailed from my temple and dripped from the wounds that the daggers had inflicted. I tried reaching the daggers with my felt hand, but the pain blinded me. I dropped my hand and looked at the girl. 

She lowered herself to get into my eye level. 

“Did you really think you could be safe?” She mocked me. My eyes widened as that same line from the little girl echoed in my mind.

 I could hear my heartbeat fill the silence that was beginning to eat me up. 

The sound was scary. 

Someone stop. 

Stop!

 I screamed out loud as I clenched my ear tightly. I stopped screaming as a wave of dizziness washed over me. My head fell limply on my chest as I painted hard. The purple-eyed girl clapped her hands together and turned around to look at the others.

“I can’t believe you told me to train an exorcist like her. I don’t know how she managed to survive till now cause she’s weak,” she told them. 

Weak? 

Weak... 

Images of me wanting to jump off the cliff, Ari slapping me, telling me I’m not weak, filled my mind. I looked at the girl, my whole body trembling as I stared at her small back. 

“I’m not weak,” I said, but it sounded more like a whisper. She turned around with an annoyed look on her face.

“What the hell did you say?” I pushed myself up on my two feet, the daggers digging deeper into my arm. 

“I said I’m not weak!” I yelled at her with anger lacing my voice. 

I need to get stronger! So I can protect people who are stuck in this war. So I can save them.

 A warm feeling spread from my left arm to my whole body. All the exhaustion, scratches, and wounds stopped hurting. I put all my power in my right arm and pulled it off the wall. 

Shock filled the purple-eyed girl’s face. I pulled all the daggers out of my arm and dropped them on the floor. I could feel my wounds closing from the power of my Mani. 

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, exhaling slowly.

 I could feel everything. 

My eyes were the ones that slowed me down. I could feel the girl standing three feet away from me, bringing her scythes out quietly. 

I could hear her take her shoes off softly, then charge at me with quiet feet, but I side-stepped out of the way and swiped my left at her unguarded side. 

Something wet trailed from my fingers to my wrist. 

I had injured her. 

I lowered my arm and felt the distance she had made between us.

 She didn't expect me to fight with my eyes closed.

 I inhaled more than I exhaled out loud. 

It was like opening a third eye in my mind.  

I could feel everyone's energy radiating off of them in this room, or was it my Mani getting stronger and reaching out to the other Jewels too?  T

The feeling of scythes flying towards me made me freeze in my spot. When the blade came slowly to my face, I caught the handle with my right hand.

 An exorcist can’t wield someone else’s Mani, or else it could damage the weapon since they aren’t compatible with it. 

My whole body urged me to throw it away before it was damaged, but something told me that it was gonna be fine. 

“You idiot! What the hell do you think you're doing? Drop my weapon!” She yelled at me, her southern accent slipping out. Feet slapping the cold, hard floor echoed around me.

 I waited and waited. 

Once she was arms-length away from me, I threw the weapon as far away from her as I could. Before she could figure out what was going on, I grabbed her by the throat and pinned her against the wall. I pressed my left hand against her throat, making sure to press the claws into her skin. 

Silence sang for us in a scary tone. 

I could feel her trembling beneath my hand. 

“I believe Reika is the winner,” I heard Caleb say, sounding breathless. 

I let go of her and heard a cough out loud. 

I turned around and slowly opened my eyes to see Caleb matching me with a proud look on his face. Krishna raised his head in acknowledgment, and I smiled at him. 

I looked at Ari, who... was watching me with wide eyes filled with fear, swimming in her brown eyes like melted chocolate.

 I didn’t think too much of it.

 Caleb raised his hand as I approached him and gave him a high five. 

“Damn girl!” he teased, chuckling softly. 

_______________

A.G.Preet here!!!

Phew, that was a lot! Go get some ice cream to cool your eyes! Maybe I'll get some too.

No questions for this one! Enjoy the little break!

Anyway, see ya!