Tough As Rock

Her eyes are open, and she sets eyes on a strange design she finds very familiar, it's the one on the ceiling of her room in Alanor. This only means one thing, she's back at the cave, back to the deadliest caves in existence, the cave of the moonwalkers. She looks to her right and sees Onelo sitting on a chair, staring at her. Onelo might be blind, but she sees better than a man with eyes around his head.

"Rona of Ti'gen, my favourite student," Onelo says as Rona responds, still very weak from her recent ordeal,

"You have no favourite students. You're a twisted maniac who shows love with a sword driven through the throat, and kindness with the ones you love hanging on a stake. Being your favourite student is a curse."

" That's what I like about you Rona, or rather used to like. Despite being the one who hates me the most in Alanor, you would never disobey me, you would never go without completing your mission."

" Does any moonwalker have a choice in the presence of Onelo?"

" You've had choices Rona, but you still choose to follow the will of Luna."

" This is because you've brainwashed me, turned me to your dog. No matter how far I go from here, I still end up in this...room. If I had a choice, a true one, I would choose never to have existed. That's how much I hate my life."

" Tell me Rona, why did you change course? Why did you delay? Why did you disobey my command to go to Arida?"

" I was going to Arida."

" Yes you were, but then you let those two insects slow you down."

Rona tries to get up but Onelo holds her down with magic, leaving Rona struggling to break free. Onelo speaks,

"Do not get up Rona, if you still want your head to remain on your neck."

" Where are they? Where are Yunu and Kiri?"

" One break and you became so soft!? Perhaps you need a reorientation about the way of Luna."

" Where are they? Where are Yunu and Kiri?"

" I believe one is dead and the other captured, but it wasn't done by my hand or the hands of any Moonwalker. It's left for you to figure out who exactly is dead, and who has been taken to Arida."

This news troubles Rona as Onelo continues,

" You have lost your way Rona, but I will bring you back, and I will give your sisters the opportunity of doing this. They've been hungry for a long time to kill you."

Five moonwalkers suddenly walk in, looking feisty, a few smiling, upon getting the opportunity to discipline the famous and infamous butterfly.

Rona is dragged into the center of the cave, with a spotlight coming from the little opening above. Five of her sisters surround her, while other moonwalkers watch from the dark, along with Onelo. Rona is thrown forward towards a muscular moonwalker who slaps her down, lifts her up and lands her on the ground, flinging her to another who punches her on the face. Onelo speaks from the dark,

"I trained you all to fight every fight like it's your last, like your life depends on it, not holding back, not reserved. Remind Rona what this is all about."

One of the moonwalkers punch Rona on the stomach and kicks her backwards towards another who tries to hit her. Rona dodges the hit and heads the Moonwalker, causing a tear in her head. Rona catches the Moonwalker by the neck and raises her up, striking her on the ground. Another drags her leg from behind and rolls her in a spin, flinging her to a rock, hurting Rona pretty bad. Onelo continues,

"There is...this force within, so powerful in a moonwalker that it can only be described with the word 'chaos'. Rona might have forgotten this too. Who will volunteer to show Rona what this looks like?"

The five moonwalkers summon their chaos and face Rona, terrifying her with all their glowing eyes. One of them dashes in speed at Rona, striking her to the rock as they both engage in a lethal hand to hand combat, overpowering Rona. Rona receives a lot of strikes and is struck towards others. One flings her up while another throws a high stunt and channels great energy into her legs, using it in kicking her down. Rona is left bleeding on the floor as Onelo speaks,

" You've grown too weak Rona. I sent three moonwalkers against you and they beat you down to a pulp. I do find it hard to believe you're the same Rona that killed seven moonwalkers in their chaos mode, with nothing but a towel."

" Clearly your students have stooped so low to lying as a result of their hatred for me. I was already beaten when they found me, not by their hand at all."

" And how will I believe that Rona? Prove it to me," Onelo says as the moonwalkers approach Rona. At this point, she takes a deep breath, bating her eyelids steadily. The warrior sense in her begins to build up again, her mind healing and processing, clearing her thoughts, ready to act. And at the perfect moment, she strikes the one closest to her on the neck with two of her fingers, with great energy channelled through them. This surprises everyone as Rona smiles and speaks,

"Come on, let's play!"

Others charge towards her as one dashes towards her with a punch. She dodges the first strike and throws a brilliant flip stunt, striking the attacker. One lifts her up to strike her on the ground but Rona maneuvers the attacker's strength and tumbles her, landing her on the ground. Two others attack with a brilliant hand combat combination. Rona handles their attacks like a pro, matching all of them and proving to them why she's the most dangerous Moonwalker on the planet. She beats all of them down and surprises all moonwalkers. By this time, Rona is filled with energy and back to her feet. Onelo comes to her and Rona speaks in rage,

"Is this what you want? Is this what you were waiting for?"

Onelo replies,

" You're my favourite student Rona, I could not loose you to your newly found weakness. That's why I arranged for the capture of Yunu and the death of Kiri. I didn't do it myself, but I certainly pushed buttons."

This piece of information annoys Rona as Onelo gives an order to all moonwalkers,

"Everybody out!"

They all make their way out as Rona speaks in rage,

"You killed Kiri, and sent Yunu to certain death! For a very long time, I've only fought your battles. Now that I had the chance to really fight for something, you made me loose them, you made me fail."

Onelo comes to the combat floor and speaks,

"Why did you grow soft on them? Did they remind you of your story back in Ti'gen? You were young, you and your twin sister, searching for your mother, while crying through carnage of the horrible scene left by the invaders. And then, I found you, promised to find you your mother."

" And you broke your promise."

" No, I did not. I showed you her corpse. She was very dead, raped and butchered. I made you realize how cruel this world was and still is, and offered you my help, to help you forget the pain, and make you tough enough to revenge. You took the offer, and I wiped the memory of your mother's death."

" How do I believe you?"

" I wiped the image, yes, but the pain remained in your heart. You were so confused, didn't know where all that rage and darkness was coming from. When your sister fell sick and died on her way here, it turned you into a monster, and so I erased that too."

" Why erase this? Isn't that what we are? Monsters?"

" You were just a kid, and I could not train you with all that terror in your head."

Rona charges towards Onelo, summoning her chaos and landing a very powerful punch on Onelo. The impact causes a shockwave that vibrates the place. Onelo hits the wall and gets up to her feet as she speaks while smiling,

"That's another thing I like about you Rona, your fists are as powerful as mine...split in four."

Rona dashes towards her with another, but Onelo deflects her punch up and flings her over, striking her on the ground. She starts serving Rona with powerful punches, reminding her of her fight with the sunseeker. She then remembers Yunu and Kiri's face and gets provoked, catching one of Onelo's punches and striking her face with her elbow, followed with a powerful chaos punch. She tries to head her but Onelo strikes up her head with her knee and grips Rona by the neck. She strikes Rona's head on her knee over and over again, and kicks her backwards, landing Rona on the ground. Rona throws a brilliant stunt up to strike Onelo but Onelo traps her leg and strikes her down on the head.

"You cannot defeat your master Rona, not until I let you."

Onelo matches Rona's back to the ground and kicks her over to the wall.

"You're decades away from being this powerful, and I am not waiting for you, I grow everyday."

Onelo pulls off a rock and flings it at Rona, striking her on the stomach and on her hands, tearing her skin. Rona is weakened and leaves her chaos as Onelo breathes in and speaks,

"You are a Moonwalker till your death, and I am your master."