Not So Hidden Forces

(My brother got me sick. But then he bought me two donuts so I forgive him. Story is actually starting to cook up so some character development is incoming.)

The boy in the front had his fingers crossed with his hands resting on his stomach. He had a very calm and solemn look on his face, as if he didn't have a care in the world.

He spoke in an assertive voice that commanded authority. "I ask that you please step away from the tree."

I raised my brow in confusion. "Who the fuck does your self righteous holy ass think you are?"

The boy opened his eyes slightly and glared at me. It would seem that he didn't even have me in his eyes. He spoke with venom, each and every word filled with the poison of a cobra. "Peasant, you have no place in this discussion. Return to whichever hole you crawled out of and never show your face before me ever again."

I blinked super slowly, doing a double take trying to comprehend what he just said. "Excuse me?" As I said this, a cloud of steam manifested around my hands. I was ready to fight. Due to my master with the water element, this type of meager heat meant little to me. Maybe I would feel different in a desert but that didn't matter at this time.

Jacob ran to me and grabbed my shoulder. "Cal, relax, let me handle this." He then turned to the holy shit stain. "Darius, just because you specialize in lightning, that doesn't entitle you to this tree. There's plenty of fruit for everyone regardless."

Darius closed his eyes and shook his head. "Prince Jacob, I expected more of you. I am not sure you understand where the three of you stand at this time. As divine representatives of the supreme element, we will lay claim to these fruits."

Jacob shook his head in disappointment. "Darius, there is no need for us to fight. We were here first so just back away."

Darius scoffed. "My Prince, neither you nor the Duke-Son use the lightning element. Thus, you are aligning with this lower life form to help him sully the holy mana of lightning. Unfortunately for you, the king is not here to solve this quarrel so I must regrettable force you to leave. Prepare yourself."

I was still standing on the side, absolutely dumb struck at how stuck up this headass was. "Jacob, just give up. I'm gonna kick this dude's ass."

Jacob sighed. "Be careful, his attitude isn't for nothing."

I stretched my arms out, considering what Jacob said. This would be my first serious battle with someone. To prepare, I formed a thin layer of wind mana around my body and sent a stream of lightning mana through my body, greatly boosting my top speed.

From the water vapor around my hands, I summoned a pair of karambits made from ice, gripping them comfortably in my hands. My best chance at this would be fighting at melee range since I haven't practiced much in terms of ranged spells. After all, water and light were the only two elements I was good at thus far. I also suspected that this silver spoon fucker was physically weak.

The tension was running high as the six of us stared each other down. Darius looked quite calm, seemingly undisturbed by the glares I was firing off at him. After a few seconds, I decided I was done with his attitude. If he wasn't going to show me any respect, I would definitely return the favor in kind.

Pushing off the ground with my right leg, my speed exploded. I blurred across the basalt covered ground, dust being kicked up into the air as I flew by. The distance between Darius and myself was about 150 feet. I covered it in just five steps due to how fast I was moving.

As I closed in Darius sighed, still unbothered by what was occurring. "Such a simple minded brute. Do this world a favor and spare it from your filth." He raised his right hand with the palm facing downwards. He slightly pulled it back and then jerked it forward, a stream of lightning bursting out of his fingers.

The web of lightning crackled as it sped through the air, creating a unique smell that was a sure sign of ionization. This lightning was extremely powerful, unlike anything I had ever seen. It wasn't quite on the level of a lightning bolt, but it was the strongest lightning spell that I had seen a mage cast and it was from a mere adept!

Not wanting to get hit, I rolled to the side, immediately landing on my feet. A cold bead of sweat rolled down my face as I began circling around Darius, searching for an opening. He was standing there unguarded but something about him told me that attacking him right now would be suicide.

Looking at Darius, his expression turned to rage. "JUST DIE!"

He crossed his arms in front of his body, taking a deep breath while extending his body to stand as tall as he could. After holding for a mere half second, he swung his arms outwards while going down to one knee.

A wave of lightning exploded from his body, covering the entire area around him. It was racing towards me at an unbelievable speed.

I had to quickly weigh my options. Firstly, I could tank the wave and charge towards him. Surely an attack such as this would require a moment for him to recover and this opening could be exploited. Sadly, I wasn't sure if I could withstand the damage and still make any kind of attack. My body was still too weak. Secondly, I could jump over the wave of lightning to dodge it. However, I would then remain exposed in the air. Unfortunately, this was the best option. I just had to pray that his recovery time would last through my landing.

Steeling myself, I infused lightning mana into my legs, boosting my muscles to increase my jump height. Quickly, I shot into the air, using the layer of wind mana surrounding my body to quicken my ascent.

Then, my fear came true. Darius smirked as he looked straight at me. He twisted his upper body, jabbing his right hand towards me. All of his fingers aside from his index and middle finger were folded. As he completed the jab, a concentrated stream of lightning bursted out of his fingers.

While it was flying through the air, it resembled an extendable spear, reaching out towards my body that was floating through the air. If I was able to fly, I could possibly dodge it but flying was something I could not do quickly. It took concentration and preparation for me to do it. Due to my lack of experience, I was stuck in the air, not sure of what to do.

All I could do was watch as the spear of lightning extended towards me, colliding with my chest. I felt the unbelievable current instantly spread through my body, heating each and every cell. I felt like I was being cooked alive. I was immediately able to smell the scent of something burning. It was probably my skin and hair.

Fortunately, the attack only lasted for half a second but that was all Darius needed to send me flying, ragdolling through the air. I hit the ground and tumbled for about 20 feet.

Pain was the only thing that was on my mind. My entire body was pervaded by sharp pains and burning sensations. The entirety of my body was singed and there was even some light damage to my uniform. It would repair itself over time so I wasn't concerned about it, not that I had the brain power to do so anyways.

Darius clasped his hands behind his back as he slowly walked over to me. "All you had to do was bow your head to me, accepting your position as a lower life form, a user of lesser magics. Sadly, part of you being a lower life form means you lack any semblance of intelligence."

His words meant nothing to me. I was currently trying to distract myself from the pain and I noticed something. Something very interesting.

Darius almost began to waltz towards me as he continued his monologue. "You despicable mages sully the mana of the superior element, bringing shame to us all. For this, you must all be purged."

Aside from the massive amount of pain, it almost felt as if I gained something from being hit by that extremely powerful lightning attack. I felt that I was almost at the point of figuring out what it was.

Darius stood over me, pure contempt written across his face. He gestured towards Jacob and Yanni who were being suppressed by the two girls that followed Darius. "Your meager accomplices can't even deal with the lower apostles from our sect. They won't help you by risking their lives. They don't really care about you after all."

That was it. I crossed the boundary, grasping what I had gained from his attack and was shocked. I didn't know mana could work like this.

Darius raised his hand, ready to deliver the finishing blow. He coated his hand that was straight like a blade with arcs of lightning. It crackled in the air as he prepared his strike. "Now, they can watch as their plaything dies like the meaningless livestock that it is."

…

Watching from above was Hanako Sensei. She was ready to teleport in and stop Darius. His actions had gone way too far. This was meant to be a competitive event but not a deathmatch. The death of a single one of these young adepts would harm the kingdom and eliminate a potential defender in the case of catastrophe.

She raised her hand, readying her teleportation spell. She was prepared to grab that high and mighty douche and slam him into the ground so she could tend to Callum's wounds.

Suddenly, Hanako stopped and smiled as she tilted her head in interest. She sensed a great energy welling up inside of Callum. It began to heal his internal wounds and invigorate him. "I see. He is one of them. It seems there is no need for me to interfere…"

…

Darius threw his strike, planning to end my life. "DIE!" His lightning coated hand struck down towards my chest, aiming for my heart. He really planned to kill me with this blow.

A few seconds ago, I felt Okami releasing light mana within my body. It had nearly healed all of my internal injuries by now, leaving the external wounds to keep up appearances. Okami clearly had better instincts than I did.

Using this newfound energy, I rolled away, avoiding his strike. His hand sliced into the ground, sinking all the way up to his forearm.

I quickly made use of my new skills. I stopped rolling and planted my hands on the ground behind my head. I swung my legs upwards and over my head, creating tension in my midsection. Releasing it, I flipped up to my feet. Immediately, I kicked off the ground, creating some distance between Darius and myself.

Darius was enraged even further that his strike missed. "Why won't you just die like the vermin you are?"

I chuckled. "Someone has anger issues. Maybe I ought to beat them out of you."

Darius scoffed, silently forming the two fingered seal that he uses to shoot a stream of lightning. "Your struggle is futile. Your death will come in due time."

He then threw his hand out towards me, repeating the jabbing motion that he uses to shoot his lightning. The familiar lightning bolt exploded towards me at a blistering speed. This one seemed to be even more powerful than before.

In response, I smirked. "Foolish child."