28 The Dark Duelis (1/2)
After packing the priceless box of rings in his room, Will took a look out his window to see Bianca and Leo sparring with the practice blades. His girlfriend had a sort of grace in her movement that he couldn't stop watching. Though her thrusts were weaker than Leo's, her footing had been precise. Will wondered if it was from the years of cheerleading she did in high school. Leo however moved calculative, each placing of his feet, each thrust he made was one that he had studied. He had an awkward grasp of the fighting concept, but if there was a video online about sword fighting, Will had no doubt that he would be able to learn and become a formidable foe.
Noticing that there was one missing from the equation, Will turned to see Jake sitting at the fountain. He seemed to be content watching the other two try to land a hit. Will had to admit he wouldn't be wrong, graceful versus calculative would be a match he wouldn't want to bet on.
Will was slightly confused as to why Jake was sitting out of the training until he realized he was supposed to be the training partner. As soon as he remembered, Will ran out of his room and out the door to the front lawn. He stopped running the moment he approached the three students in order to gather himself. Only when his heart slowed down and his breathing evened out did he continue the short way to his friends.
Jake was the first to notice Will's approach as he stood from his spot on the fountain. Grabbing two training sabers off the ground next to him, he threw the first one to his unprepared friend. Will caught it just in time to deflect Jake's first advance. While having parried the first blow, Will's blade twisted in order to gain the right leverage to strike Jake's hand before he could move.
Backing away after the blow, Jake took another stance. Will could see he had been right to bring Jake along. His assumptions were correct when it came to his new friends fighting experience. He didn't have long to admire his friend's commitment though, within moments his raven haired friend was charging yet again to clash blades with the more senior of the flame users.
For what seemed like hours, the two of them crossed blades. Will could feel the desperation behind each one of Jake's blows almost as if he had to land a hit. Seeing as though it was just practice, Will couldn't understand what had put Jake in such a state. Blow for blow, the two clashed as they moved around the courtyard. Neither one dared allow the other to gain the upper hand. Earlier in the battle, the other two stopped their training to watch the more superior fight that had erupted before them.
Will had to admit he was facing an opponent who was not a stranger to fighting. He had to maintain all of his defenses almost to the extent that he would've had use his aura to counter some of the strikes. He had thought it wasn't the time or place to have a battle of flames nor was he planning on using something his opponent couldn't harness quite yet.
As the battle raged on, Will was backed up close to a tree, the same way Michael had during his training at the cottage. He knew if he were backed between a blade and tree, his fight would be over. Before it could happen, Will used all of his balance and agility training to launch himself back to the tree and use it as a catapult, swiftly bringing himself behind Jake. As Will touched down, he was astonished that he no longer needed his flame to propel himself forward anymore.
Having the proper spacing as well as the advantage, Will built his momentum up to thrust his saber into the back of Jake's leg. Before the hit was placed, the opponents blade somehow appeared to block the blow. As Will looked at Jake's back, he noticed a dark aura around him. Somehow even with just a short amount of training, he was able to unlock his defenses. Not believing what he was seeing, Will jumped back a distance as Jake turned around. His eyes were darker than a black hole as his entire body was engulfed in darkness.
A sensation of cold came over Will, one that was all too recognizable as his friend once again came at him. The training saber came down fast, almost too fast for Will to be able to block. He could tell something was wrong not only by the strength of his opponent, but the blank look in which was held in Jakes eyes.
Instinctually Will's aura activated sending a crimson and gold glow around the courtyard. Preparing himself for what would seem to be a battle in which would determine the strongest, Will thrust his now glowing training saber into the darkness that was Jake. The moment the two blades collided, it seemed as though the ground shook from the force. Leo and Bianca had been thrown off balance as they watched the unbelievable event that had transpired between two friends. As the shaking subsided, Will took an opportunity to unleash a barrage of blows powered by his flames. With each strike that landed, the dark aura was absorbed into the gold. Within thirty blows, the aura had dissipated as if a second skin had been taken into Will's blade.
The moment the dark aura disappeared, Jake collapsed to the ground. Bianca ran forward when she saw something was wrong. Before she was able to approach, Will put out his hand. His eyes were full of confusion as he looked at the unconscious Jake on the bed of snow. He had fought with the wraiths before, he had also run from the same chill that was emitting from him before he collapsed. ”Take him inside and let Michael look at him,” Will said as he looked to Leo and Bianca. ”That was no normal flame, we need to see if he's ever experienced it before.” A feeling of doubt formed in Will's gut. He had felt the aura before, every time he had fought with the wraiths.
Bianca and Leo did as Will suggested and picked Jake up and left to the manor. Bianca only looked back enough to see that her boyfriend wasn't following, instead Will sat at the fountain watching his friends disappear within the building. 'I really hope I'm wrong about this,' he thought to himself as he looked at Jakes training blade.
After a moment of reflecting, Will took out his phone. As he inserted a flame into the reflective surface, he saw Bianca in Michaels room with an unconscious Jake. His uncle was at the bed side checking the pulse of the young raven haired man. Will allowed the flame to dissipate as he put the phone back in his pocket and started walking to the door.
'We need to talk,' Will heard Leo's voice ringing in his head. It surprised him that his friend could have learned the technique so quickly. He had only just gotten the flame a few hours ago, yet already he was growing in his learning. 'Meet me in the library,' Will heard before there was no more. Even though he was worried about Jake, Will knew Leo wouldn't have summoned him unless it was important.