Aefia didn't immediately pull the blade out. She ended up covering her mouth first, as she coughed onto her hand. Blood seeped through the gaps of her fingers, but she paid it no mind.
I know I did this out of the desperation to end this madness... But to think I even did this. It terrifies me more than death... Have I become my own danger?
Kazimir flashed a smirk. "Yes, this is even. But I am questioned about something. What if I stall the time it takes for you to bleed out and die? Which would be five more minutes—and I will win. Should I call this a forfeit from your side already?"
"You... Talk too much for your own good." She replied, lifted her head up. Shockingly to everyone, she straighted back up, wipe her mouth with the back of her sleeve, and gripped the hilt of the dagger at her side.
Just as easily as she had drove it in, she pulled it out. Blood splattered on the stone at her feet. She extended the dagger in front of her, directing the tip at Kazimir.
"You are forgetting one thing though." She whispered under her breath.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Unless that time has gone haywire... I won't bleed out in the next five minutes," she continued.
Before he would open his mouth to question her, the sky above them immediately started to change colours. The sun and moon were blurry circles that didn't have a definite brightness. Stars blinked like string lights.
"You know who my mother is. But do you know my father?" She asked with a smirk. "I am the only daughter of The Guardian of Death and the Guardian of Time. Just that I took over my mom's empty throne, doesn't mean that I don't have my father's powers too. And this... Is also considered my bare minimum."
His eyes narrowed, a smile spreading on his face as he took a deliberate step forward. "If I had known, I wouldn't have messed with you. But this duel is too promising to give up on just yet."
He turned around to the ministers. "See that?! That is the Guardian we are talking about! Should we give her a round of applause?!"
There was an awkward silence among the entire court. No one even dared to move.
"Alright. Fun's over. Do you want to end this... or not?" She asked, placing a hand on her hip, looking thouroughly unimpressed.
Without word, she lunged forward with the dagger. Her hand reaching out towards his throat, which he dodged using the hilt of his sword. He pushed her backwards, but Aefia twisted out of the way and went for his head this time.
His bare hand reached out to the dagger, desperately. She pulled it backwards and skidded out of his range of attack. She sliced the air with the blade, and immediately the ground beneath him gave away.
Before he could blink, he was free-falling backwards into an endless abyss. The area was as blue as the sea, but the way he fell made it sure that this was normal air.
The force of it made him loss his grip on his sword, it soared past his face, heading down it meet whatever ground was there.
Ugh! Damn it!
He turned his body around mid-air, a pair of devilish wings emerging from his back as he dove towards his sword.
His finger only managed to graze the hilt if the weapon, when a cold gaze sent a shivers down his spine. He turned his head towards the side.
Before he knew it, a flick of her fingers sent him reeling towards the ground faster then he was falling. He slammed onto concrete, that immediately crumbled under his weight. It dipped at the centre, cracks spider-webbing to every direction as he slowly got back up.
His devilish power and the healing crystal got him back to full health. He looked up.
"Your sword... I was wondering how it didn't break even when you push all your powers into it and still it doesnt have a single crack." Aefia spoke, spinning the blade between her fingers before she threw it at his direction. "Get up. The duel isn't over yet. And I want my victory more then ever."
Something about her form caught him immediately off-guard.
Raven black feathers and gold on the edges—a kind of wings that made her look even more majestic. Her eyes were bright red and glowing, her pupils slit in the middle like a furious animal's. Two wolf-like ears emerged from her the top of her head, twitching when even a single molt of dust touched it.
When she raised her hand, her nails were long and sharp, like claws that were made out of needles. She stepped forward, and red flowers bloomed where she stood before.
Is this... What they call the true form of a Guardian? Kazimir thought, his mind slipping for a fraction of a second before he snapped back. Both their wings snapped into dust behind them.
"You said that you will use bare minimum of your powers. Isn't this unfair?" He asked.
"No." She replied straight-forwardly.
"Huh? Why is that so?" He furrowed his brows, acting innocently.
"Because you keep commiting the same mistake over and over, without ever thinking about taking it back. Why should I forgive you a second time?" She asked, holding out her hand in front of her.
Spikes grew out of the concrete from all directions, following towards his direction. He sliced as many down as possible, his sword groaning as he asserted as much energy as he could. Beads of sweat fell down his forehead as he gritted his teeth and fought to keep pace.
Just when the spikes stopped, he lunged at her.
She parried using the dagger, blocking the part of the blade with her claws. Her eyes glowed in the shadow of his sword.
"You aren't backing down..." He said from between strikes.
Aefia smirked, parring another one of his attacks. "Did you honestly think I would? How pathetic!"
She lifted the dagger, planting a wiping wound along his arm, all the way up to his face.
She pushed herself backward, skidding to a halt as she watched him raise a hand to wipe the bead of blood falling from the black line.
"You keep forgetting... Even for a mere elemental user to call out a Guardian is a grave mistake. And for a devil?" She folded her arms, only half-content with the sight in front of her. "You all don't even stand a chance. Poor things..."
He let out a gutteral roar, taking off in a run while lifting his sword above his head. It descended upon her with a swing.
"You are already injured at your side! You don't get to act like you are the final boss!" He shouted in rage.
Aefia simply extended her hand and blocked the blade, offering a smile before moving away so fast—it felt like she just teleported.
He turned his head around in surprise. His ears perking as her footsteps ringed out from behind him. Why is she obsessed with appearing at people's blind spots?!
"The final boss... Huh?" She repeated, slowly walking in a circle around him. "Well I guess you can say it that way if you want. Normally in games, overpowered people like me are considered that. And honestly? I would say that is a fitting title for myself. So thanks for the suggestion."
Clearly, the time from where she had grabbed his sword with her bare hands had left an impact on her. Blood was dripping down from her fingertips to her nails, and then onto the ground where she was walking.
"Your welcome for nothing." He whispered back, defeat already flashing over his eyes.
She didn't even look his way. "During our entire duel, I realized you haven't asked me why or how I got these three stones. Or why I used this single-use weapon on myself before using it to on you. But either ways, I would answer those questions." She finally came to a stop.
Her eyes tracked towards his direction. "You only expect to find things of these sort at the enemy's vault. Things that can kill them or end their legacy—they only exist guarded heavily with the enemy."
She looked down at the blood-stained dagger at her hand, then up at the cut on Kazimir's face. Veins were buldging at the direction of the wound.
She smirked to herself. "These stones were kept in the Guardian Realm not so long ago. It was because this was so dangerous, no Guardian ever wanted to touch it."
Her thumb rubbed along the surface of the stones. "These stones when combined and added to this dagger, it becomes a tool that can be used to surpress one's powers or completley block it. Unless, that person is incredibly strong that is."
His eyes immediately widened and drifted towards the wound at her side.
"When I used it on myself, I did feel my powers being surpressed a bit. But the true power of a Guardian can't be kept in a lock for more then a minute. The lock and the surpressed powers immediately react and momentarily stop your heart sometimes. Lucky for me, that wasn't the case, was it?
"It was because my powers have reach such a phase, I can destroy a nation without even thinking about it." She let her hands fall right back at her side. "That was enough explaining from my part. You choose when you want to restart the battle. And this time... You won't be able to heal yourself because the crystal's powers are blocked."
Without thinking twice, he lunged at her with his bare hand. Aefia moved away in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly, his entire body froze and only his consciousness stayed awake and alert. Drops of blood from her hand stood levitating like marbles in front of him.
"That is one weird way to restart," she said, appearing again at the corner of his vision. "But I like it."
She reached out, swinging at him with her hand stretched to hit his heart. He managed to bring the hilt of his sword up towards her neck.
Common thing... She moves away whenever I want to inflict a damage. He thought.
But his hand clamped onto her face, tilting it backwards. She didn't make a move to block it, standing still as he gripped his sword towards her neck.
She lifted her knee up to his sternum and kicked hard, making him double-back long enough to avoid the blade cutting her down.
She leaped backwards several steps, blood falling from her shoulder where the top did strike her. Aefia clicked her tongue, wiped the cut with her sleeve, then immediately took off in a sprint at his direction. He swung his sword again.
But unlike the last attacks, she zoomed through different directions. Her dagger impacting him from all places.
She was like an insect—fast and hard to catch.
No! I should have had a smaller weapon like her! At this rate, defeat is unavoidable! I need to think of something—!
He raised his sword just in time for her to appear directly in front of him. Her hand reaching out inches from his face and her dagger held in a way that it was aiming for his heart.
He shut his eyes, but hit nothing. That was also when he realized...
She pounced back, holding her fingers out to the concrete ground as she skidded back. I was so close... Everything was so close...
It only it wasn't for his sword flying at her face from that short of a distance. Luckily she moved out right in time. Or it would have been so that they both died and this duel had no reasons.
She let out a sigh through her nose. "You left me no choice."
Aefia rose to her feet, and this time, she made a run for the side. He parried, she dodged, they blocked each other's attacks.
It was a tug-of-war.
Mid-strike, the dagger nearly fell off her grip just when she was at the edge of the concrete cliff. Her head snapping down to where a few stones fell. Kazimir desperately lunged one last time.
Aefia tightened her grip on the dagger, and ran at his direction at the same time. Her hand reached out past his weapon range.
Her palm slammed against the center of his chest. He was about to be pushed back, but then he froze mid-air like a statue.
Kazimir looked down in fear. This is the end...
At the same time, Aefia brought the dagger in a clean sweep from one ear to the other. Then leaped backwards.
As soon as her feet touched ground again, he fell onto his knees where he had taken the strike. His hands coming up to his neck which weeped out dark blood that won't stop falling regardless how hard he tried.
Aefia heaved, trying to catch her breath as she watched him cough vigorously.
"You are so hard to kill. Even that deep cut, and you aren't dying." She scoffed.
The abyss suddenly dissapeared and the amphitheater was back. The ministers gasped in shock at Kazimir's state, but didn't move to do anything.
As he looked down, his hands were started to turn into powder and dissolve into the air. His gaze immediately travelled to Aefia, who was grabbing her side in pain now that she let the time be back.
"I..." He tried to speak. He then looked back down at the stone floor as tears fell unwillingly from his eyes.
"Normally... People have something they want to say before the leave—cough... Don't you have too?" She said, walking towards his direction. The dagger lay untouched on the ground where she was previously at.
"For one thing... I may be a killer or a murderer once in a while. But I don't like to leave people unfairly without hearing what they want to say." Aefia smiled, blood pouring down her lips.
His hands stayed stuck to his throat as he slowly started to dissappear. He panicked.
"Don't worry... I will listen to your soul. I am the Guardian of Death." She reached out a hand.
He grabbed onto it last minute, and even as he watched his body fully vanish, he could still see and hear Aefia.
"I... I was never always a bad person."
"I know. No one is."
"And the situation made me this way. I have always wanted to change, but what people saw even when I did good, was my bad parts. Which made me think that bad and good are both equal and being either would end up killing you anyway."
He looked up at her face one last time. "Aefia, I am sorry. If I ever reincarnate again, I will try to be a better person. And as for paying back..."
She simply nodded, "rest in peace, Kazimir."