Chapter 24 The Phoenix’s Cry and The Dragon’s Roar

{A/N} Small Change in Chapter 15 I changed the number of students in the class form the original number of 30 to 50. You'll see why soon. Also I hope you enjoy this extra chapter, I won't be writing any chapters for awhile, I have enough built up for the next two weeks but I'm currently in the process of working out what comes next in the story so I'll be taking a break from writing actual chapters until it's all sorted out. So in the mean time I hope you enjoy the next few chapters.

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Jaylen stretched out his hand, a gesture of reconciliation and hope, as he offered to help Yuki off the ground. His breath was held in tense anticipation, aware of the wrongs he had committed. He knew he should have approached things differently, should have exercised patience instead of charging into battle without understanding the full picture. Yet, he also believed it was never too late to mend the fractures he had caused.

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. The crowd, sensing the transformation in the air, 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.

"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 across the field. "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. 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. "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. 

Rushing forth, Jaylen felt as if the blizzard possessed a malevolent sentience of its own. Ice shards, sharp as daggers, streaked towards him, aiming to slice through his defenses. With deft, fluid motions, Jaylen cut down each shard, never breaking his stride. He leaped from one icy platform to another, navigating the storm's harsh winds and biting cold. Every second counted; he couldn't afford to slow down, knowing that a moment of stillness could mean death, either from the icy projectiles or the bone-chilling temperatures threatening to freeze him to his core.

"After this, I refuse to do this ever again. Brandon can handle it next time," Jaylen muttered under his breath, leaping from a platform just as it shattered against another. His eyes remained locked on the center of the blizzard, where Yuki stood, her figure barely visible through the swirling chaos.

"I'm almost there," he thought, determination etched on his face. Jaylen jumped down from his platform and sprinted towards the storm's eye. Just as he was about to reach Yuki, his instincts screamed a warning. In a split second, he jumped, narrowly avoiding a sweeping tail that lashed out from behind. Landing and spinning around, Jaylen couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

"Well, who would have thought I'd be fighting a dragon here of all places," he said, facing the creature now blocking his path. The dragon, crafted entirely from ice, stood tall and imposing. Its crystalline body sparkled with an eerie blue glow, each scale intricately detailed. The dragon's tail, long and sinuous, coiled protectively around its four powerful limbs. Its wings, large and majestic, were tucked behind its back, giving it a menacing yet elegant appearance. Though grounded, Jaylen knew the beast could still unleash devastating attacks.

"Arrgh! Come on, let's do this!" Jaylen yelled, charging at the ice dragon. The dragon, as if understanding his challenge, lunged forward, its massive jaws opening wide to bite him. At the last second, Jaylen jumped, somersaulting over the dragon's head and landing on its back. He drove his katana deep into the dragon's icy spine, running down its length and leaving a jagged crack in his wake.

The dragon roared, a sound that resonated like the grinding of glaciers, and turned to charge at Jaylen once more. Jaylen waited until it was almost upon him before moving, his body a blur. In a flash, he was behind the dragon, sheathing his blade with a flourish. 

"I guess a fake was all it could be. It would never match up to the real thing," he chuckled, his voice tinged with a mix of relief and exhaustion.

As he walked away, a series of loud cracks echoed through the storm. The ice dragon, weakened by Jaylen's assault, began to crumble. Its once formidable form shattered into thousands of glittering shards, scattering across the frozen ground.

Turning his attention back to Yuki, Jaylen strode forward and entered the eye of the storm. The blizzard's fury seemed to intensify, but he pressed on, his resolve unshaken. Yuki stood at the center, surrounded by a tempest of her own making. Her body radiated a fierce, icy aura, and her expression was one of anguish and defiance.

"Yuki!" Jaylen called out, his voice cutting through the howling winds. "You need to stop this! You're losing control!"

Yuki turned to him, her eyes filled with pain and anger. "You don't understand! She's gone because of you!"

Jaylen's heart ached at her words, but he stepped closer, his gaze unwavering. "Hating me won't bring her back. But destroying yourself won't honor her memory either."

Tears mixed with the frost on Yuki's cheeks as she struggled with her emotions. The blizzard raged around them, but Jaylen's words began to break through the storm. He extended his hand, offering her a lifeline out of the chaos.

"Yuki, please. Let me help you. We can face this together," he pleaded, his voice filled with sincerity and regret.

Yuki stared at his outstretched hand, her heart torn. Slowly, hesitantly, she reached out. But instead of taking his hand, she smacked it away, her anger flaring once more.

"You think this is enough? You think words can fix this?" she yelled, her voice shaking with emotion.

Jaylen's face hardened with determination. "No, but it's a start. And I won't stop until you see the truth."

"It's not that simple!" Yuki screamed, her voice raw with emotion. Suddenly, her expression went blank as the raging blizzard surrounding them began to gather and concentrate into her hands.

Jaylen's eyes widened in shock. How was Yuki suddenly controlling her berserk mana? Confusion mixed with the urgent need to act. He had no time to unravel the mystery; whatever she was planning, it was directed at him. Moving swiftly, he created distance between them, his instincts screaming at him to prepare a counterattack. He gathered his own chaotic energy, letting it coalesce into a swirling, dark sphere in his hand.

The blizzard's fury condensed into a pulsating orb of icy blue in Yuki's grasp. Her eyes snapped open, glowing with an intense, unearthly light. "Frost Volley!" she yelled, launching the sphere of concentrated ice mana towards Jaylen.

Jaylen wasn't about to be outdone. He unleashed his attack, a gray orb encircled by ancient runic symbols, meeting Yuki's Frost Volley head-on. The two powerful spells collided mid-air with an earth-shattering force. The impact created a blinding white light, radiating from the collision point and engulfing both combatants in a brilliant, all-consuming flash.

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Chapter End