Strife within Kizetsuya

On my 6th birthday, my father gave me a bow. Years before that, my parents never gave me anything on my birthday, so I was thrilled when I first got it. He told me to take care of it as it was our family’s beloved treasure.

Since then, my archery training began. At first, I practiced using a children’s bow. Even though I was given at the age of 6, I only started practicing using it when I was 10. In the beginning, I hated archery. The bow was heavy, my forearm used to get bruised a lot, and it was very difficult to hit a target. In addition to that, my father was very strict and controlling, so he really demanded perfection. Sometimes I pretended I was sick because I hated training with my father. I tried asking for another teacher, but my father wouldn’t allow it so I had to stick with him.

My father then ordered me to enroll in the academy, which I complied. In the academy, I discovered that my fyx energy texture was electric, which was considered unique and special by many of the instructors. However, that didn’t make my father happy at all. In fact, he was disappointed that I didn’t inherit our ancestors’ fyx skill, the Fyx-Block Arrow fyx skill. He couldn’t care less about my fyx skill, unless it was the one that he wanted.

I became a Knight and served as a squire for a Sacred Guard for a year, like other Sacred Guards. Even though my father told me to join the Sacred Guard in Noctilio Branch–– at the Royal Residence–– I applied to the Amber Branch instead, to get as far away from my house. Thankfully, I got accepted and started working as a member of the Garuda Squad.

My father told me that, anytime there was someone in the family who ended up having the fyx skill, I must hand over the bow to them. At first, I thought it was going to be my siblings. If it came to that, I’d be more than willing to hand it over. However, knowing that I’d be handing it over to a cousin whom I barely knew, I didn’t want that to happen. I didn’t feel like I can trust him with the bow.

This bow reminded me of how I started my journey in becoming an archer. It had been a part of me now. Having it be taken away from me felt like my father was forcing me to strip away some part of me. Truly, I hated my father. But now, I hated him even more for not choosing his own daughter over an antiquated tradition. Simultaneously, he was saying that he’d rather have his nephew succeed him rather than his own daughter, whom he’d been training for years just for the sake of “upholding the tradition.”

And the worst thing was, nobody even cared to be on my side. They were all his pawns who never dared to say anything remotely against him.

I hated this family.

Yara and Yamato were outside, facing each other. They were having the duel over the ownership of the legendary bow.

In order to make the fight fair, both of them were given ordinary bows that were used by everyone. Yara was not used to wielding another bow except for her own, but she had to make do for now, at least until she got it back.

“You can use that one, if you want.”

Yara offered him to use her bow. Yara didn't want to be seen as “the adult who beat up a kid,” so she was trying to make the fight somewhat balanced. Yamato was currently 19 years old, a decade younger than Yara.

The rest of the family watched them from a side view. The two were preparing for the fight.

When Yara imbued her fyx into the bow she was given, it felt strange. She only ever used a bow that was not her own for practice, never for a real fight. So, this was her first time feeling a sensation of using another bow in a fight. It felg strange, but it didn’t feel too bad.

Right when Yara was still getting ready, an arrow was shot at her in her direction. She immediately swung her bow out of reflex to redirect it. Yara’s attempt was successful. She redirected the arrow and dodged the attack.

Turned out, Yamato made the first move while she was adjusting to the bow. Yara was surprised that his aim was more accurate than she initially thought.

“Why the long face? You still think I didn’t grow these past few years?”

Yara thought he was still having trouble with his fyx and could not imbue his fyx into the bow, but she was wrong. Yamato had grown significantly since the last time they saw each other.

Yara tried to repay his attack. She pulled an arrow and aimed it at Yamato.

Unlike Yamato’s, Yara’s arrow was faster and more powerful. Yamato leaped to his side, trying to completely avoid the arrow. He knew that her fyx energy texture was electric, so he couldn’t even be near the arrow, or else he was gonna get electrocuted.

“Not bad.”

Yara’s first attack using the bow didn’t feel so much different than when she used the legendary bow. Although it didn’t pack as much punch and required more fyx energy, it was not as bad as she thought.

Yamato tried to attack her again. However, this time, he missed. Yamato just realised that using the legendary bow was harder than he originally thought.

“Was the one before just a lucky shot? Come on, prove to me you are worthy of the bow, like you said you are.”

Yara was clearly trying to get on Yamato's nerves to show that he lacked the mental capacity in wielding the bow. However, this also made it look like that Yara was unnecessarily cruel towards someone so much younger than her.

Yara then shot a range of attacks. She shot several arrows consecutively, making no room for Yamato to dodge.

Yamato then faced them by shooting arrows at the same direction, making both of their arrows clash and cancel each other. Yamato was almost successful, but he got hit by the last arrow that Yara shot at him.

“Ugh!”

He got hit on his forearm. Since Yara’s attack was electric, his arm got stunned and he couldn’t move it.

Yara then shot some more arrows at him. Yara really didn’t give him any opening nor break.

Yamato used his other arm and swings them at Yara’s arrows. He redirected all of them, since they were too fast to be dodged.

After a while, Yamato could finally move his arm. He then shot an arrow aimed at Yara’s heart. He released the arrow and it flew right in that direction.

“Blocking Arrow!”

Yara wasn’t able to dodge and got hit at her chest. The moment the arrow hit her, she felt like her heart stopped for a second. Suddenly, she couldn’t manifest her fyx energy at all. Her fyx flow was blocked and she unable to use fyx.

“Gotcha.”

The heart was the core of every human’s fyx energy. It all started from the heart, then it flowed to other parts of the body. The farther it was from the source, the harder it was to control.

Yara’s fyx flow was temporarily blocked due to Yamato’s fyx skill. Yara was then rendered helpless, unable to use her fyx. She kneeled on the ground, looking desperate.

Seeing his helpless cousin, Yamato decided to end the fight using his last attack. He shot another shot at her, aiming at her head.

Right when the arrow almost hit her, a surge of electricity runs through her hand and moved it. She grabbed Yamato’s arrow in an instant, stopping it from hitting her.

“Wha–– How––”

Yamato was shocked by the scene. Yara was not supposed to be able to use her fyx energy by now, after he blocked it. Yet, her electric fyx energy was running through her arm and stopped the arrow by grabbing it directly with her hand.

Yara then manifested fyx energy and coated it on her whole body to Yamato's surprise. Yamato thought his attack was successful, but it didn’t seem like it.

Before Yamato’s previous attack hit her, Yara was able to coat her chest in medix in a split second. By using medix to protect her heart in addition to her electric fyx energy reducing the power of Yamato’s arrow while it was approaching her, Yara’s fyx flow was not fully blocked. Yara only received half the damage of the arrow, which made her regain her fyx flow quicker than possible.

“You haven’t learnt medix, have you?”

Yamato knew and had heard of it, but he had not learnt it yet. Seeing that his attack was not successful against her, Yamato finally realised the huge difference in strength between the two of them.

Yara walked in his direction slowly. She then tried to shoot an arrow at him point-blank.

“You are not worthy of the bow.”

Yara pulled her arrow and aimed it at him. Yamato closed his eyes as he accepted his fate.