Gone was the arrogance that clouded his features and the overwhelming pride the radiated from his being. His once formidable strength now seemed like a mere shadow of its former self.
His weapon now returned to its sheathe, rested by his side. He looked down at Yuki, his gaze cold but his voice held a touch of warmth. "Yuki, I don't understand your reason for picking a fight with me. I can only assume it has something to do with the past, and in that case, you must confront the truth you fail to understand."
Jaylen stretched out his hand offering to help Yuki off the ground. His breath was held in tense anticipation, Would Yuki come to understand his side of the story?
Yuki, still feeling the residual pain from Jaylen's last attack, looked up at him. Her expression was a complex blend of confusion and realization. The change in Jaylen's demeanor was palpable, and it took her a moment to fully comprehend the shift.
Sensing the transformation in the air, the crowd fell silent, their collective breath held in anticipation.
She extended her hand toward Jaylen's, but just as their fingers were about to touch, she smacked his hand away.
"Confront the truth? I know the truth!" she shouted, her voice quivering with rage. "You could have saved her, but you did nothing!"
Jaylen's eyes widened, a mix of anger and hurt flashing across his face. "Did nothing? What did you expect me to do? Trade places with her and die instead?"
"Yes! I would have preferred that!" Jaylen recoiled, her words cutting deeper than any blade. He was stunned, the sheer intensity of her bitterness taking him aback.
"What?" he managed to gasp, struggling to process the pain she inflicted with her honesty.
But pain wasn't the only thing her words caused. Within Jaylen's sea of consciousness, the unexpected effect of her words could be seen.
The platinum rose petals poured down from the sky like rain, containing a small but noticeable patch of black smog. Suddenly, the black smog began to move like lava slowly dripping down the side of a mountain.
A movement so minuscule many would fail to notice, all except for one as a burst of chilling laughter spread out from the far edges of Jaylen consciousness.
What followed was Proto's sepulchral voice, low and resonant, as if echoing from the depths of the void itself: "Yes—fall, Mighty Being of Origin! Fall into the eternal darkness of the abyss and pave the way for my ascension."
Sadly, no one would hear Proto's words, and even Jaylen would realize far too late—but that reckoning belonged to a distant future. For now, the tension in the air was more immediate, more personal.
"It would have been better if she was still around instead of you," Yuki continued, her voice laced with venom. "At least with her around, things would have been better."
"YUKI!!" Jaylen roared, his voice echoing for all to hear. "Do you even understand what you're saying? Do you really want to start a war within the alliance?"
"I don't care," she spat, her eyes blazing with defiance.
"Fine! If you won't listen, I'll just have to wake you up from your delusions," Jaylen declared, his hand gripping the hilt of his katana. The weight of his decision was heavy, but he saw no other way to reach her.
"Let's see you try," Yuki responded, standing up and dusting herself off. The flames surrounding her body intensified, flickering with her resolve. She took her stance, ready for whatever came next.
A gust of wind swept across the battlefield, dragging along a veil of dust. In the blink of an eye, Jaylen and Yuki clashed once more, his katana meeting her bow with a resounding clash.
'Woomph'
The force of their impact sent shockwaves rippling through the air, each collision echoing their inner turmoil and unspoken grievances.
Their movements were a blur of speed and power, each strike charged with emotion. Jaylen's katana slashed through the air, his attacks precise and unrelenting.
Yuki countered with equal ferocity, her bow a blur of motion as she deflected and retaliated. The battlefield became a storm of energy and intent, the very ground trembling beneath their feet.
Jaylen's voice rang out amidst the chaos, filled with both anguish and determination. "You think I wanted this? You think I didn't suffer? Every day, I live with the choices I made!"
Yuki's response was a cry of fury as she launched a volley of arrows infused with icy flames. "You could have done more! You could have saved her, and you didn't!"
The arrows streaked toward Jaylen, but with a swift, graceful motion, he deflected each one, his katana a blur of darkness slicing through the air.
'Ching!'
"You don't understand!" he shouted, his voice strained with the weight of unspoken pain.
"What don't I understand!" Yuki retorted, her eyes blazing with fury. She nocked an arrow and let it fly, the projectile transforming into an icy blue phoenix that soared toward Jaylen with a chilling screech.
Jaylen gripped his katana tightly with both hands, channeling his Chaos energy into it, forming a spectral dragon that coiled around the blade.
With a powerful downward slash, Jaylen cut the arrow cleanly in half. The remnants of the arrow whizzed past him, causing his platinum hair to flutter in the ensuing breeze, followed by two explosive bursts of ice behind him. "You arrived too late, Yuki. You didn't see what I did."
"That's just a cowardly excuse! You still could've helped her!" Yuki screamed, her voice breaking with emotion.
She gathered her own energy, the air around her becoming frigid as frost and ice began to form at her feet. She created spikes of ice in her hands, their jagged edges glinting menacingly as she rushed toward Jaylen, each step leaving a trail of ice in her wake.
Jaylen's eyes narrowed as he prepared for her onslaught. He could feel the cold radiating from her, the frost creeping across the ground towards him.
Their breaths formed visible puffs in the air, the intensity of their emotions palpable in the freezing atmosphere.
Yuki lunged, swinging the ice spikes with deadly precision. Jaylen parried each strike with his katana, the sound of metal clashing against ice echoing across the battlefield. "You think I didn't want to save her? Every day I live with the guilt of not being able to do more!"
"Then why didn't you?" Yuki's voice was a mixture of accusation and desperation, her attacks growing more fierce and erratic.
"You could have fought harder! You could have—" Her words were cut off as Jaylen pushed her back with a forceful strike.
"You weren't there!" Jaylen roared, his voice cracking under the strain of his emotions. "You didn't see the chaos, the destruction. I did everything I could!"
"Lies!" Yuki's voice trembled with fury and denial. Even though a part of her knew it was the truth, she refused to accept it. She dashed toward Jaylen, her eyes blazing with determination, aiming a punch at his abdomen. Jaylen sidestepped her attempt, ducking under the kick that followed with fluid grace.
Yuki, undeterred, spun back to face him, her movements fueled by anger and desperation. She reformed the ice spikes on her hands and launched a flurry of jabs toward Jaylen. Each strike was precise, filled with her seething rage.
Jaylen, his movements efficient and calculated, evaded each strike, slipping out of the way just before her blows could land. As her final jab neared his face, Jaylen seized her wrist.
"Yuki, listen to me. Do you really think this is what Sil would have wanted? Hating me won't bring her back." His voice was calm, but his eyes revealed a storm of emotions. Pain, regret, and a desperate plea for understanding shone through.
"NO! Shut up! I don't want to hear it!" Yuki screamed, struggling to free her hand from Jaylen's grip, her eyes wild with grief and anger.
"Yuki," Jaylen murmured, his expression softening as he watched her. But then his eyes widened in alarm as he sensed the massive amount of mana she began to gather.
"Yuki, what are you— Arrgh!" His words were cut off as a powerful burst of ice mana exploded from Yuki, pushing him away.
From where Yuki stood, a massive blizzard began to form. The air around her grew frigid, the temperature plummeting as swirling winds picked up speed.
Chunks of ice materialized in the air, sharp projectiles that whirled within the tempest. The blizzard howled, a cacophony of nature's fury, growing stronger and more menacing with each passing second.
The ice shards spun violently, their razor-sharp edges capable of inflicting fatal wounds.
'Dammit, she's lost complete control of her mana. It's going completely berserk,' Jaylen thought, his eyes wide with concern as he watched the blizzard grow.
The storm's ferocity was increasing, threatening to engulf the crowd of students who watched from a distance. Panic began to ripple through the onlookers, their excitement turning to fear as the blizzard's icy tendrils reached out menacingly.
The air was thick with swirling snow and biting cold. Visibility dropped to almost nothing as the blizzard raged, its center a maelstrom of chaotic energy. Ice shards flew in every direction, a deadly barrage that threatened anyone caught in its path.
Jaylen could see the strain on Yuki's face, her expression twisted with pain and desperation as she struggled to control the rampant mana.
"Yuki!" Jaylen called out, his voice barely audible over the roar of the storm. He could feel the icy wind biting into his skin, each shard that passed him a reminder of the lethal nature of the blizzard. He knew he had to act quickly to save not only the crowd but Yuki herself.
With a determined expression, Jaylen summoned his own energy, feeling the familiar warmth of his Chaos power surging through him. He had to reach Yuki, to break through the storm and bring her back from the edge before it was too late.