Aspects (3)

Since early morning, Elian had been feeling a bit weird. He couldn't tell if it was because of yesterday's trashing or what, but the atmosphere was... off. Sammy was also looking at him weirdly, which made him even more uncomfortable. Whenever he asked what was going on or why he was looking at him absent-mindedly, he didn't answer, only giggled, looking even more awestruck, mumbling about some nonsense.

"That can't be... I hope not, damn it, kid, I don't swing that way!" He thought to himself, feeling cold sweat drip down from his back, and was barely able to finish his breakfast, without his mind trying to make him panic. The only one who seemed even happier than Sammy was Sakku, who picked up on his excellent mood, fed on it, and strengthened it beyond what felt comfortable for Elian, all without anyone realizing it.

Then, when training came, it was Nika's turn to make him feel uneasy, but for the opposite reasons. She was barely talking to him besides a morning greeting, looking at him as if it were the day he was finally going to be executed.

"What is going on?" He asked himself multiple times, finding it increasingly weird because Nika ordered Sammy to sit next to Sakku and ensure she did not interfere in today's training. It was an odd demand, but the boy was in no position to go against it, mainly because of how commanding Nika was at that moment.

"Something is not right..." Sakku mumbled, also beginning to feel the same way as Elian did, no longer drunk on Sammy's cheerful mood.

"Don't worry!" Sammy chuckled, sitting next to her on the ground, "It's just sparring. The Commander most likely already feels that the He-, khm, Elian is going to awaken his Aspect!"

"M-maybe...?"

"Listen well." Nika declared, her voice calm and resolute. She was, without blinking, looking into Elian's eyes, as she conveyed a type of seriousness that he had never seen before, nor in this life or in his previous one. "I am going to go after you by raising my powers with every attack I make. If you don't awaken your Aspect by the time I reach my full strength, you are going to die."

"You mean... Shit... You are not joking!" Elian gasped, reading her killer intent radiating from her eyes.

"I am not. Let's begin!"

"Wait!"

Yet, no matter how loudly he shouted, Nika was already moving, aiming a sweep at his legs, ready to send him to the ground. It was not the first time; Elian had experienced it many times in the past week, making him instinctively jump, dodging it before sidestepping the follow-up uppercut and then the spinning kick aiming for his throat. There was no time to think or consider saying anything. He could do nothing but rely on his reflexes and inner voice, dodging all the combined moves she was throwing at him.

It was a weird dance, a rhythm dictated by increasingly louder thundering noises coming from Nika's muscles, just like the music of war drums. Soon, the sound was followed by flashes of lightning, going off in arcs from her body as she got faster and stronger with every passing second. By now, Elian had developed a narrow tunnel vision, solely focusing on Nika, watching the world in a blur and slow motion. Nothing had color anymore except her crimson eyes and the powers coming off from the bunny princess's figure.

The intense heat Elian felt during their training became so overwhelming and stifling that it started to hurt. He knew it was his Aspect; he was sure of it, and he realized what Nika was trying to do, but it wasn't working.

"Something is not right... I... I miss something... But what?!"

He felt it. He knew it by instinct. Something was not ready; there was something within him that was blocking the manifestation of his Aspect. Whatever it was, no matter how dangerous his situation became or how perilous their fight was right now, it would not happen. It couldn't.

"Well... This is what I would call an unwinnable situation." Elian sighed, knowing that there was no chance he could dodge the upcoming attack.

Realizing how calm he felt at that juncture brought peace to his mind, broadened his vision, and allowed him to see more than Nika's attacks. He could pick up on the ethereal tiger claw surrounding her arms, the tail waving behind her, and the completed figure slowly forming around her body. It was funny to see a bunny being swallowed by a tiger... or was it the tiger shedding her peaceful persona? Whatever it was, there was no way to stop her now. In the last moment, Nika's face finally disappeared, replaced by a roaring, wild, white tiger's countenance; her claw was coming down, ready to split Elian into multiple parts. Its animalistic growl sounded like thunder, accompanied by lightning... It was beautiful yet horrifying. Still, when Elian expected the pain to arrive, the tiger dissipated, leaving only marks around and behind him while he remained uninjured.

Well... not exactly. He felt something dripping from the top of his head, and when he touched it, he knew it was blood before looking at her reddened fingers. Still, it was just a superficial wound on his scalp, already beginning to heal by the time Nika reappeared. Watching her, she looked out of breath, gulping back something in her throat while her countenance was as white as a sheet of paper. Even without any experience, Elian could realize that she suffered some kind of backlash by diverting her attack at the last moment. Didn't she mention she was injured? Shit...

"You... Why?" He asked, but Nika just raised a hand to shut him up while she controlled her breathing as the image of a tiger fully dissipated around her.

"There is... Something else wrong with you." She spoke when her twitching subsided, and she could talk without coughing. "You don't fear death... Why?" She asked something unexpected, but it was coming from the exact same place, for the same reason why she had diverted her attack at the very last moment.

The light in Elian's eyes was serene, something that confused her. She saw death many times and faced it more than anyone by the time she was fourteen, when the 'Hero Dalen' first appeared. Yet, she knew that not even her eyes were like Elian's when looking death in the eyes, knowing it was the end... She knew because she saw her reflection when it almost happened to her, and she knew... she was not ready for it. She was afraid back then... She would even do a deal with the devil to not die... But... Elian wasn't looking at her like that.

"Good question..." Elaine whispered, also thinking about it. He had no other answer than that he had already accepted dying once, something that could change anybody. "I faced death before and..."

"I did, too; that is still not an explanation." She interrupted him, making him shrug, but he was happy to leave it at that because he had no idea how to explain what he had gone through. He didn't want to go into details, even if she would understand it.

"We will change tactics!" Nika snorted, and although she looked recovered, Elian had already noticed that she was less stable on her feet while moving around. "Your problem is not with your body but with your mentality!"

"Huh?" Elian questioned, surprised, while Sakku and Sammy were hurrying over, finally being allowed to approach them. While the former was worried and already using healing light to envelop Elian with it, Sammy's eyes were glistening with excitement, looking back and forth between the two.

"As I said, we are switching tactics." Nika continued, "For today, I will let your body rest because it is just as important as training hard every day. Tomorrow, both of you will wear casual clothes and meet with me at the entrance of the facility at 07:00 in the morning. Be late, and you all will be sent to the front lines without thinking about it!"

"Y-yes!" Elian and Sammy answered, while Sakku stood on her hind legs, trying to salute, watching Nika leave, showing no injury or exhaustion by then.

What they didn't see was that the moment she disappeared from view, she began breathing heavily once again, holding her chest, groaning from pain.

"Damn... I'm still... not good enough." She coughed, a bit of blood on the top of her hand, wiping her lips, "I need to recuperate faster; I can't stay back for long. The others have no chance of standing up against him! Come on, you junk of a body... heal faster!"