Chapter 10: Avalonia Awakening
Years had passed since Damon first set foot upon the path of battle.
Now, at fifteen, he had grown into a figure of effortless grace and hard-forged elegance.
Under the unwavering gaze of Old Man Thomas, Damon and Pyo honed their bodies and minds, mastering the sacred arts of combat and the old, forgotten dances of war.
Not a single day of rest was spared.
Yet for Damon, the toil was no burden.
Every strike, every fall, every breathless hour in the training yard was another brick laid upon the citadel of his soul.
His mortal frame, once soft and uncertain, had been tempered into something resilient — a blade awaiting its reckoning.
Old Man Thomas watched them both, his eyes carrying wisdom deeper than mere technique.
It was clear he was forging them not for survival... but for something far greater.
And within Damon, a fire smoldered — a fire kindled by the relentless pursuit of mastery, and the silent promise of battles yet to come.
As the sun dipped low in the sky, the arena came alive with the energy of countless spectators. The people of Martlock and the Void family gathered, their cheers resonating above the matches taking place below. On the grand stage, two figures—Damon and Pyo—stood poised for battle, each reflecting a different facet of determination and fury.
Old Man Gerald, an enigmatic figure cloaked in mystery, hovered above, taking in the scene. He was no ordinary spectator; a sage with wisdom etched into his features, his presence commanded silence. His voice, booming like thunder, stirred the crowd.
"Today, we witness a battle between my two most dedicated students," he declared. "Our bloodlines have suffered for too long, oppressed for millennia. Let their struggle ignite a fire within you!"
The spectators erupted into cheers, a chorus of fervent voices echoing the weight of their history and hopes. Damon absorbed the energy of the crowd, his heart racing. His hair whipped in the wind, and though he felt exhilaration, he knew the battle ahead would be no easy feat. Across from him stood Pyo, a counterpart forged from the same rigorous training, equally fierce and determined.
As the energy in the arena surged, Damon's eyes locked onto Pyo's, an unspoken understanding passing between them. "I'm ready for this. Old Man, make it quick!" Damon projected his thoughts to Gerald, who allowed a fleeting smile at the eagerness of his students.
"May the battle begin!" Gerald announced, his voice crackling in the air.
In a flash, they moved, their bodies a blur of motion. Each connected fist met the other with fierce force. The crowd roared with excitement as they exchanged blows, skillfully evading, countering, and pressing forward. Pyo grinned, his resolve shining through the intensity of the confrontation.
"Don't hold back," Damon urged, a fire igniting in his eyes. "Give me everything you've got!"
Pyo's smile widened. "That was the plan from the beginning!" With a sudden retreat, he created space, allowing himself to harness the power of water energy. The ground began to ripple, echoing Pyo's determination.
Damon, aware of the opening, surged forward, enveloping himself in wind energy. He moved with a grace that melded him with the element, dashing towards Pyo in a storm of speed. With rapid-fire punches, he landed several hits on Pyo's midsection, each connecting with a hard thud that propelled Pyo higher into the air.
But Pyo was prepared. As he touched the ground, he channeled his energy, forming a torrent beneath him. "I'm not that easy!" he declared, and with a powerful leap, he unleashed a wave of water that flooded the arena, sending ripples across the surface.
Damon landed smoothly, a confident smile creeping onto his face. "Looks like you want to turn up the heat. I'm all for it!" He slid across the water's surface, his movements fluid and swift, positioning himself in front of Pyo.
Pyo's wild laughter filled the air. "Torrent Blast!" he shouted as he coated his palm with a vortex of swirling water and struck towards Damon.
"That's deadly!" Damon gasped, instinct kicking in. He narrowly dodged the torrent, feeling the rush of water whip past his face.
"Like that? Let's see how you handle this!" Pyo taunted, his energy spiking as he unleashed a series of rapid punches. "Storm Barrage—Torrent Blast!" Each blow was infused with a deadly power, striking like thunder against the water-soaked arena.
Damon, fueled by adrenaline, expertly spun to evade, redirecting Pyo's onslaught of water punches to the side. He felt the water energy surge all around him, invigorating the atmosphere with electric tension. "Not bad! But I won't be holding back either!" he shouted, gathering his own reserves of wind energy as he prepared for the next phase of the battle.
With the crowd cheering them on, both warriors pushed their limits, their rivalry igniting a fierce spectacle of elemental powers and might. They danced through the air, exchanging blows that echoed throughout the arena, each strike reverberating with the weight
The air was thick with anticipation, a pregnant pause before chaos erupted as Damon and Pyo landed on the saturated earth. It churned beneath them, dark and slick, reflecting the storm clouds that gathered above. They stood at opposite ends, the mood crackling with tension, just like the dense electricity that surrounded them.
"Pyo," Damon said, his voice dripping with twisted admiration, "I've always respected you, my friend. There's a power buried deep within you, and I'm going to awaken it." His body radiated lightning, a storm of energy bursting forth. He moved with a frenzied quickness that blurred the edges of his form, eyes electrified with manic fury.
Pyo clicked his tongue, a sound laced with both annoyance and apprehension. "This crazy bastard," he muttered under his breath. He possessed mastery over two elements: water and lightning, both honed to perfection through years of relentless training. And yet, as he faced Damon, an inkling of uncertainty gnawed at the edges of his confidence. As he summoned the lightning swirling within his chest, he felt it pulse, crackling through his veins. "I, Pyo, shall taste the heavens!" The declaration burst free, teeth exposed and sparking with an electric charge, glinting pink amid the chaos.
Damon halted, his movements dripping with contempt, "This fat bastard thinks he can take me on?" He quickly gathered lightning energy, his hands dancing in a wild rhythm, a stark contrast to the serene control Pyo displayed. "This isn't enough!" he raged, frustration boiling as he felt the torrent of energy within him struggling against the limits of his mortal form. "I need more."
With reckless abandon, Damon spiraled into a state known as "Crazed Steps," each turn robbing him of five percent of his sanity, but the madness felt exhilarating. He bolted forward with relentless speed, turning his desperation into a weapon.
Pyo saw Damon close the distance, and confidence ignited in his chest. "Thunder Dragon Rage!" he roared, unleashing a titanic blast of lightning that surged towards Damon like a vengeful beast.
But Damon met the advance head-on. "Distillate Thunder Palm!" he bellowed, striking out with a fist infused with his electrified energy. The resulting clash sent shockwaves crackling through the air, lightning erupting around them like a violent storm. In the chaos, Pyo drew breath, bolstering his technique, desperate to keep the onslaught at bay.
Spectators watched in awe, one among them stating, "Isn't that Angus's son? The embodiment of a monster!" Excitement surged through the crowd—a crackling energy mirroring that of the combatants.
In a darkened corner, a man cloaked in black stared intently, bandages shrouding his features. He was not alone; three masked figures sat nearby, each observing intently. "Have you noticed that boy in black? His control over elemental energy is exceptional." The man's tone hardened, his gaze focused on Damon. "They both could kill someone in the Æth Baptism realm!" His voice dripped with urgency, a warning echoing in the stillness. "And yet, they cannot access Æth…" The implications loomed large, thick with foreboding.
Damon, lost in ecstatic frenzy, ensnared Pyo's lightning like a petulant child grappling with a toy. The element danced and contorted under his command, reshaping into something grotesque and wild. "Sometimes I forget how truly strong this bastard is," Pyo thought, his breath hissing as steam poured from his skin. He felt the weight of his own muscles shift, strength surging through his form as he prepared for the final confrontation.
"This has to be reported to the royal court!" the cloaked man stood abruptly, urgency coursing through him. "Why do these children possess such unparalleled power?" The figures murmured amongst themselves, astonished by the burgeoning display of dominance on the battlefield.
As Damon and Pyo clashed, every punch sent ripples through the air. Damon was unfettered, dislocating his bones with ecstatic abandon, spinning into a kick that drove electricity through Pyo, who let out a primal scream of pain. "AHHH!" But amidst the agony, laughter followed, feral and fierce. "Hahaha! This bastard is not in his right mind!"
Damon, eyes wide with manic delight, lunged forward, fists crackling with raw energy. Their strikes became a symphony of chaos: the sharp ring of flesh meeting flesh intermingled with jolts of electric fury. They moved like dancers in a violent ballet, onlookers captivated by their fluidity.
Just as Damon pretended to falter, Pyo's instincts kicked in. He recognized the dangerous glint in Damon's eye. With a twist, he grabbed at Damon's outstretched arm, intending to break his assault. But Damon was a storm incarnate, charging his broken arm with lightning, transforming it into a weapon of retribution. He swung with wild fury, the audience stunned into silence as Pyo was flung back, crashing against the ground.
"What madness is this?" the spectators pondered, eyes wide with disbelief. "Can he feel no pain? He fights like a wild beast!"
Pyo regained his footing, breathless and battered, looking at Damon, who advanced with a sinister smile, bolts of lightning swirling around him like a deadly embrace. "This is incredible! The madness sings in his bones; he craves to unleash it!" Old man Thomas observed from the heavens, exhilaration coursing through him. "Both have been cultivated by the family, their power augmented—one a wolf in sheep's clothing, and the other a devil relishing in his own insanity." He chuckled, almost maniacally. "Avalonia is about to seethe with intensity!"
And yet, as Damon and Pyo clashed amidst a tempest of elemental fury, something much larger loomed on the horizon: monsters awakened, the screams of past horrors echoed, and a new war began to brew, shadowing the realm and tantalizing the hearts of those who dared to dream of power.