Battle with the jealous Brother

The air crackled with excitement. The arena, a vast amphitheater carved from the city's stone face, buzzed with the murmur of thousands. 

 Vin and Uriko found a vantage point overlooking the crowd. Looking with much anticipation of the pending battle.  Uriko asked, "Explain it again, Terran is going to fight your elder brother. They seem to want to kill each other."

Vin with a wry smile, replied, "It is exactly that. I was there to witness the first combat between them. The dead ogre led to this current situation." 

I adjusted my leather armor, the weight familiar and comforting. I felt a familiar thrill, a surge of adrenaline mixing with nerves. Across the arena, a figure dressed in clad in dark, flowing robes, almost swallowed by the shadows. Ham was still wearing a mask of the Insei Shadow Warrior signature style.

Vin's breath hitched. Ham, her elder brother, was a legend in the shadow arts, a master of stealth and deception. She'd seen him in action, witnessed the fluidity of his movements, the uncanny way he vanished and reappeared. But tonight, she was witnessing something else. Something she hadn't expected. Something personal. Her brother was fierce.

Ham's eyes, shadowed pools of intensity, met Terran's. The challenge was already passed between them. The announcer's booming voice echoed through the arena, declaring the match. The crowd roared.

Ham moved with a speed that defied the eye. He conjured kunai, tiny daggers, that danced in the air, and shuriken, spinning stars of steel, that zipped past me. Although, there were many. I was not going to let them land. With a whirlwind of motion. My fists, like pistons, fired out rapid strikes. 

Each one precise and aimed. I kept up my footwork with impeccable blur of motion that kept me out of harm's way. Almost like I was a dancer. I was using the air pressure with my strikes to knock some of the sharp kunai down.

Vin watched, her heart a drum against her ribs. This was their first time facing each other publicly. The crowd roared with each exchange. Ham, though, was formidable. He was a master of distraction, using shadows and smoke to confuse and disorient his opponents.

Ham called out, "Smoke bomb!" Then came through the smoke to fight up close. 

As this distraction was meant to pretend to impair my vision, but Enuma knew better. As demon king whispered in my ear. "Hoh~ Not bad, he feinting with smoke and pretending to counter. Yet will stay with his first intention."

But Terran was unyielding. His movements were precise, almost hypnotic in their consistency. He countered Ham's every strike, his fists finding their mark with deadly accuracy. Ham, though skilled, seemed to be losing his edge. He was becoming predictable to me and my mirror eye.

Enuma then said to me, "You are in great form today. Go ahead and finish this."

Vin, unable to bear the suspense any longer, squeezed Uriko's hand. She knew Terran's potential. He was a prodigy, a son of a legendary hero, and he was about to unleash something truly special.

A low growl rumbled through the crowd as Terran's eyes flared with a green light. It pulsed, a beacon of raw energy. I channeled the Green Light of Gaia, with my Breakthrough technique. 

As I continued to press the attack with close combat, and use a mystical punch, imbued with the power of the magic itself. 

I shouted my battle cry, "Fang of Heavenly Light • Meteor Flash Attack!!" 

My fist connected with Ham's jaw. Ham staggered back, his mask broke to pieces and could be seen widening in disbelief. As the elder brother fell and landed on his back and lied there unconscious. 

Enuma smirked and praised me privately, "This is the spirit, a combination of brute force and raw magical energy, had shattered his defenses."

The crowd gasped. Ham, momentarily stunned, was no match for Terran's final, decisive strike. 

The arena erupted in cheers. Terran stood tall, the green light fading from his body. While a red headed man was in a luxury box seat watching. He smiled and yet remained nervous. Lost in thought almost yet so happy to see the strong figure of Terran. 

I had won. Vin, tears welling up in her eyes, rushed to congratulate him, her brother's defeat bittersweet. The victory was personal, but the respect for Ham was undeniable. 

 The tournament continued, but for Vin, the night had been about more than just a fight. It was a testament to the enduring bond between siblings.

Vin had met with her elder brother while in recovery. The brother mentioned that he was extremely jealous that his little sis no longer follows him around and was following such a brat. 

Vin scolded her brother. "You saw with your own eyes. I follow him because I finally found a reason for our skills. His greatness will need my skills that I honed, and we will shine bright." 

Ham the ever so jealous brother replied. "I remember when you said that about me! Nonetheless, I will know for fact of his greatness, and if you need an ally. My team and I will come if you beckon us. I will make you proud of me again."

Vin with tears filling her eyes, "Elder brother, I am still so proud of you. We will make a name for ourselves though. We will rise out of the shadows of the legends and make a bigger name and make you all proud of us." 

 Later after the tournament continued and Uriko, Vin, and I won several more fights with less fierce competition. The trio went back to the Guild's inn to rest. 

The next day as the tournament continued. The trio knew if they continued to win, they would soon fight each other. 

What they did not know was the tough opponents that remained in their path would bring more chaos to the tournament. 

Uriko's breath hitched. She squeezed her eyes shut, picturing Terran's lightning-fast fists, the precision in his footwork, the unwavering focus in his eyes. 

She’d seen him in training, felt the raw power emanating from him, and now she needed to believe in herself, as well to push Terran past the limits.  

This is what she desired most when she chooses to pick up her spear and fight.