Caught...

~Omniscient Pov~

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Yohan gripped his blade tightly, there was no way he was winning this fight, so he needed a way to calm Johnathon down before this got out of hand.

"Johnathon! We don't have to do this! We both know that I'm not your opponent..."

But Johnathon's expression was cold, unyielding. His eyes, darkened with resolve, locked onto Yohan as he stepped forward. "I don't care," 

Yohan shrugged, 'At least I tried...' He gripped the blade tighter than before.

The clash began as soon as Yohan shifted his stance. Johnathon wasted no time, his body launching forward with a speed that nearly overwhelmed Yohan's perception. The sheer force of Johnathon's approach was terrifying. Yohan barely managed to parry the first strike, the impact sending a numbing shockwave through his arms. His wooden katana trembled under the pressure of Johnathon's longsword.

The difference was clear: Johnathon's physical strength was leagues above his own. Every time their weapons connected, Yohan felt his muscles strain, his feet digging into the ground to resist being overpowered. It was like trying to stop a freight train with sheer willpower. He could hear the wood of his blade creaking with each heavy blow.

'This is insane... I can't keep this up.' Yohan gritted his teeth, knowing that his technique was the only thing keeping him in the fight. His movements were precise, calculated, honed by the talent that made every technique stick in his mind. Each slash, block, and counterstrike was as refined as possible. But that only made up for so much. Johnathon's strength made every exchange a gamble, and Yohan was losing ground with each clash.

Johnathon's aggression was relentless, his swings becoming more vicious as his frustration grew. "You're barely hanging on, Yohan!" he snarled, swinging his longsword with brutal force. Yohan sidestepped, narrowly avoiding a devastating strike that would've split his weapon in half. Sweat poured down his face, his breathing heavy as he tried to stay focused. But the strain was already catching up with him.

Yohan retaliated with a quick flurry of precise strikes, using the speed and agility the katana afforded him, but Johnathon was ready. He absorbed the blows with his sheer size and strength, pushing Yohan back with a single powerful sweep of his sword. Yohan stumbled, barely managing to catch himself, his legs burning from the exertion.

CLANG!!!

'Urghh!' Yohan groaned, the ringing in his arms were starting to take a toll, even going through his immensely dense skeletal structure.

'D-Damn it, he's rediculously strong… I'm not even slowing him down.' Yohan's mind raced. His skill advantage was keeping him alive, but just barely. The gap between them was closing, and it was not in Yohan's favor at the moment.

Johnathon's eyes glinted with a cold gleam, his voice low and dangerous. "Why don't you stop running and fight me properly, Yohan? Or are you that scared?" He charged again, his longsword raised high, preparing to bring it down with all his might.

Yohan's instincts screamed at him to move, and he barely managed to sidestep once more, his blade flashing up in a quick counter. But Johnathon was ready. His free hand shot out, grabbing Yohan by the collar before Yohan could fully retreat.

Johnathon's strength sent Yohan crashing into the ground, his wooden katana slipping from his grasp as he hit the dirt hard. The world spun for a moment, but Yohan forced himself back up, shaking off the pain.

Just as Johnathon moved in for another strike, a voice boomed across the training ground.

"ENOUGH!!!"

The sound of the professor's voice halted both of them instantly. A figure stepped into the ring, his presence alone commanding respect. Professor Kane, their combat instructor, marched toward them, his eyes blazing with fury. His hand shot out, grabbing Johnathon's wrist mid-swing, halting the blow before it could connect with Yohan.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?!" Professor Kane's voice was sharp, cutting through the tension like a blade.

Johnathon's chest heaved, his grip loosening on the longsword. He didn't respond, his expression hard as he stood there, fuming.

Yohan stayed on the ground, panting, relief washing over him. He hadn't realized how close he had come to being seriously hurt until the professor stepped in.

Kane's gaze shifted between the two of them. "This was supposed to be a sparring session, not a fight to the death! Both of you—stand down."

Johnathon reluctantly lowered his weapon, stepping back with clenched fists. Yohan slowly got to his feet, dusting himself off as he picked up his katana, still catching his breath...

"Wait…" Kane's voice cut through the tension. He stepped closer, noticing something that both boys had missed in the heat of the fight. His gaze fell to Yohan's hands—blood was seeping between his fingers, dripping steadily onto the ground. "Yohan, your hands…"

Yohan looked down, only now realizing the extent of the damage. His palms were shredded, raw from the relentless grip he'd kept on the katana. The pain hit him all at once, but he didn't flinch much, though it was clear he'd been pushing himself too far...

Professor Kane sighed deeply, looking between them with clear disappointment, but the older one with far more. "We'll discuss this later. For now, you're both done for the day. Yohan, you... You need to come with me... And Johnathon, you need to control yourself! Understood?"

Both nodded silently, the tension still palpable between them as they were dismissed.

~

Johnathon stood frozen, his body still shaking with anger as he replayed the fight over and over in his mind... How had Yohan kept up with him? The physical difference between them should've been overwhelming—Johnathon's strength was leagues above, and yet Yohan had managed to stay in the fight far longer than he should have.

His pride told him that Yohan had no place being his equal, but his instincts warned him to think otherwise.

The sound of footsteps fading into the distance barely registered in Johnathon's mind as Yohan and Professor Kane left the arena. He gritted his teeth, the anger still burning inside him, but there was also something else now—a for once in his life, a flicker of doubt was blooming.

His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword again, the cold metal grounding him to reality. He couldn't afford to lose like that again, not to Yohan, not to anyone.

~

Meanwhile, Yohan winced as he glanced down at his hands. They were trembling slightly from the exertion, the skin torn and raw...

Yohan had been forgiving to a degree with Johnathon, however this was a line he wasn't going to just ignore. This whole situation had simply gone too far...

Johnathon had crossed a line today.

The strength he used, the venom in his words—it wasn't just sparring. Anyone could tell that there was real intent behind those strikes. As he thought about it all, he winced in pain, and l 'How the hell did he get through my skin?' Yohan clenched his fists tighter, the sting intensifying. But in his mind, it didn't matter anymore. What mattered was that Johnathon had made things personal.

Yohan's expression hardened, eyes narrowing as he walked.

'I'm done with Johnathon,' he thought bitterly. He had tolerated a lot from his so-called friend, but this? This was unforgivable. Yohan wasn't blind and nor was he a fool; he could feel the growing animosity from Johnathon every time they spared; sensing the jealousy brewing in his older friend. But now, it had escalated into something dangerous at this point.

A wave of anger surged through him as his thoughts drifted to Ciest. 'What does Ciest even see in that sick son of shit?' Yohan could hardly comprehend it. Whatever had driven Johnathon to this point wasn't something Yohan was willing to entertain anymore.

Now? He was just worried about Ciest being around someone as unstable as Johnathon was...

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As Professor Kane watched Yohan bandage his bleeding hands, his mind raced with thoughts he had kept to himself. This wasn't the first time he had noticed something different about the boy. Over the last week, Kane had witnessed a rapid growth in Yohan's abilities that defied logic...

He had been discreetly observing their spars, keeping a close eye on how Yohan handled himself against Johnathon—one of the best fighters in the school. What he saw didn't sit right with him. In just a handful of spars, Yohan had gone from barely holding his own to matching Johnathon in ways no one should be able to after such a short amount of time.

Kane hadn't mentioned this to anyone, not even to Yohan or Johnathon. There was something unnatural about the progress. It was too fast. Too clean. As if Yohan had bypassed years of practice overnight.

'How?' Kane wondered as he glanced at the boy now sitting across from him, still clutching his bandaged hands. How had Yohan become this skilled in such a short span? He was good before, yes, but not this good. The precision in his movements, the way he countered Johnathon's relentless strength—it felt like Yohan was tapping into something far beyond his training should have allowed.

However, the professor's gaze narrowed, still filled with some concern. He leaned back against his desk, arms crossed, carefully weighing his thoughts. 'Was it pure talent?' That would be the easiest explanation, but even for someone with natural skill, this leap in ability was… abnormal.

"Kane, what's wrong?" one of the other instructors had asked him earlier in the week, after the third spar between Yohan and Johnathon.

"Just… keeping an eye on something," Kane had responded vaguely, not wanting to stir anything up until he was certain.

Now, as he watched Yohan sitting there, unaware of the professor's inner thoughts, Kane knew he had to keep a closer watch. There was more to this boy than met the eye.

Johnathon revealed his behavior, by storming out of the room, clearly enraged by how the spar had gone. He wasn't the only one noticing the shift in Yohan's abilities—but for him, it came with bitterness. Pride...

Kane sighed, standing up straighter as he prepared to address Yohan, though he kept his tone neutral. "Yohan, you've made… significant strides recently." He paused, watching Yohan's reaction closely, but there wasn't a flicker of recognition. Kane wasn't sure if Yohan even knew how much he had progressed.

"Be careful," Kane added, his voice carrying a warning beneath the praise. "With progress like this comes challenges."

Yohan, still catching his breath, looked up at the professor, confused by the cryptic words but too angry to probe further. He nodded, acknowledging the statement without fully grasping its weight. Kane nodded in return, watching him carefully. There was something more at play here, and it wasn't just hard work.

While Yohan realized that Johnathon had gotten off Scott-free, and that fact had only served to anger him further. However, he understood that this was what power will bring you. Have enough of it, and for something like this? You'll get a a basic scolding.

And it was a shame that a professor like Kane was apart of it... Yohan sighed and decided it was best if he dealt with these kinds of people appropriately.

Now, he just wanted to go home and ready himself for some of the events he had to prepare for in the future.

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END