Chapter 9

BOOM!!

I landed hard against the wall.

“God damnit!” I slammed my fiery fist into the ground.

From the moment I took off my gloves and we started, I’ve been getting my ass kicked all around this room.

I had no control over my hands. They were just pumping out flames. I was desperately trying to keep up with them, but my coordination was completely off. Twenty-Four was dodging everything I threw. It got so bad I had to put one glove back on just to maintain my posture.

I was so focused on trying to get my hands under control that Twenty-Four didn’t even have to put in much effort.

In fact…

He BEAT. MY. ASS.

I lay on the ground in defeat, covering my uncovered hand with my gloved one.

I needed to see Ondrea…

Just then, a yellow light came on.

Twenty-Four returned to his default stance.

I quickly slipped my other glove back on and stood, ready for Dice to enter the room.

The door opened.

Dice walked in with Ondrea close behind.

“Oh! Rg. Dice and Rg. Ondrea,” I greeted them with a smile.

“Euphoria, hello dear. I see you’ve been veryyyy busy,” Dice said, looking around the room.

“Yes, although I will admit I’m having a hard time controlling my executions.”

“Yes… we could see that.”

She looked around the room before speaking again.

“Do me a favor…

Take off one glove again.”

I removed my right glove and pointed my hand toward an empty part of the room. At first it sputtered weakly…

Then flames burst out again.

Ondrea nodded.

“Alright…

Now take control.”

“How?” I asked.

Ondrea gave me a puzzled look.

“Figure it out. I’m not here to give you all the answers. This is your body and your ability. I can’t tell you how to feel or understand how your muscles work.”

I stared at her before turning away in frustration, my damn hand still firing flames like a flamethrower.

Then…

It hit me.

She just gave me a hint.

“I can’t tell you how to feel or understand how your muscles work.”

I laughed quietly to myself.

I closed my eyes until I was completely calm.

“Treat them like extensions of your arms…”

I whispered it to myself over and over while slowly clenching and unclenching my hand.

I didn’t open my eyes until I felt completely relaxed.

When I finally looked…

My fist was closed.

No flames.

I took a slow breath before carefully opening my hand.

Still nothing.

A smile started creeping across my face…

Then, one by one…

Tiny flames danced from each fingertip like little candles.

I sighed and looked over at Ondrea and Dice, who had been watching me intently.

“Very good,” Dice laughed.

“I don’t know why you look so disappointed.”

Ondrea nodded approvingly.

“Just focus on what you already know, and the rest will follow. It may take time to fully overcome, but you’ll get there.”

Dice spoke again.

“And don’t forget, your nemesis is an extreme training tool. It could take the whole school year to defeat all seven techniques… or you could finish in a very short amount of time.

It all depends on the methods you use.”

I nodded before looking back down at my hand.

The tiny flames continued dancing across my fingertips.

I smiled.

————————————————————————

My hands were back inside the metal gloves as I left class.

Ondrea still wanted to keep all of our abilities secret from one another.

I didn’t tell her Lion sort of knew what my ability was…

Or that Bambi had already told me hers, and I’d eventually told her mine…..

We were confident we could handle whatever Ondrea had planned.

Bambi and I finished training around the same time.

The difference was…

She had already defeated two of her Phantom’s techniques.

I sighed as we walked outside, glancing down at my gloved hands again.

“I think I’m focusing too much on what I can’t do. I’ve never had this much trouble fighting before. I’ve battled my mother and father, and I’ve fought similar EyE Phantoms…

But they were never this… intelligent.”

Bambi practically bounced with excitement.

“Oh! I was just amazed by the way it moved! I seriously thought it was secretly a real EyE. My goodness… it was so fascinating!”

She was so excited that I couldn’t help smiling.

“One of these days I’m taking you to meet my dad.”

I laughed.

“He would seriously adore you.”

Bambi smiled.

“Speaking of…

I was wonderingggg if you’d want to come visit my side of the nation.”

Bambi was a high-class Emerald EyE, while I was a high-class Gold EyE.

Our nations existed within the same walls because our living conditions were nearly identical. In fact, we were the only two nations allowed to live this way, making ours the largest nation in existence.

Even though we shared the same gates, we still lived separately.

The nation was divided in half.

Emerald EyEs typically possessed abilities like weather manipulation, Plant Manipulation
,healing, and other nature-based powers.

Of course, there were exceptions.

EyEs like Bambi had inherited rarer abilities from generations long before abilities became more predictable.

I’d never been to the Emerald side before.

Even when I used to sneak out, I’d always stayed within the Gold district.

“Let’s go,” I said, smiling.

We talked the entire walk there.

The closer we got, the more trees and greenery surrounded us.

By the time we arrived…

The entire nation was built around massive trees.

Homes twisted naturally around trunks and branches in ways I’d never seen before.

“I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on all of this,” I marveled.

Bambi smiled as she looked over her homeland.

“You should’ve seen it before…

This is why I look up to your dad so much.

He changed our lives.”

She smiled proudly.

“Reddd!”

A male voice shouted from behind us.

Bambi immediately tensed.

“Damnit…”

She rolled her eyes.

I turned toward the voice.

A tall, burly boy was walking toward us with three other male EyEs.

He wore a permanent scowl.

“C’mon, Cid,” one of them complained.

“We’re tryna go chill at Burk’s. Ain’t nobody got time to watch you do this with your ex.”

“Hmm” I thought to myself 

“Shut the hell up, Naroh!” Cid barked without even looking back.

Before Naroh could respond…

Cid walked straight up to us.

He stared at me like I was the worst person he’d ever laid eyes on.

“Bambi…

What is wrong with him?” I asked, glaring back.

“He’s no one.

Let’s go.

I didn’t bring you here for this.”

She grabbed my arm.

Cid immediately yanked her hand away before stepping directly into my face.

“You’re the Gold EyE bitch that’s supposed to be Victor’s daughter?”

His friends all looked at me.

“Oh shit…

That is her,” one of them muttered.

“Bro, what are you doing?” Naroh yelled.

“Leave them alone. That’s Victor’s daughter, bro. You trippin’.”

Cid laughed.

“Man…

This bitch ain’t nobody.”

I never broke eye contact.

“Yet you know who I am…

Don’t ya?”

I smirked.

His face twisted.

“Yeah…

You’re just a spoiled little bitch that got into EyEU because of her daddy.”

He finally got under my skin.

“I bet this spoiled bitch can beat your ass.”

I stepped into a fighting stance.

Bambi immediately jumped in front of me. 

“Cid!

Just go do whatever the fuck you were doing!”

“Move, Bambi.

I don’t want to hit you…

But I will.”

“What…

You a bully now because you’re a sore loser about not getting into EyEU?!”

You could practically see the blood rush to his face.

He swung at Bambi.

Naroh instantly stepped between them.

In a flash…

Blood…

And pieces of Naroh’s body…

Rained down over all of us.

Everyone froze.

Nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

Then…

Screams erupted from every direction.

Cid remained rooted to the ground, staring blankly ahead as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just done.

Moments later, reinforcements rushed in and tackled him to the ground.

I finally snapped out of my trance and looked over at Bambi.

Her face was completely empty.

I knew exactly what she was thinking.

That could have been me?