Mortal Magic: Broken

The day I was given to recover passed uneventful as I was barely allowed to leave the room, even if I could roam around this whole place just for the exercise. It was miserable actually, not being allowed to even be alone if you are not sleeping. Not that I wasn’t enjoying the company Maia was providing me with.

She told me about what happened after I was taken prisoner. How they followed me after I shot that projection to warn them and then Yuto was most furious about this whole mess. He kept asking why I didn’t wake them or didn’t wait for them even though he knew the answer. But I wasn’t sure I did. Did I not wake them to protect them like when I told them to not interfere, or was it because killing Lars was more important to me than them?

I barely had the time to think about it when she continued the tale. Apparently Yuto dragged her with him to the palace and he demanded to see the king of Starkhaven without delay. The guards laughed at his face when he said that and that only fueled his anger more. He grabbed the guard by his uniform and his hands were smoking as they slowly burned the cloth. He threatened the guard that if he didn’t send word that Yuto from Bloodlight village was here to see the king, he would burn him alive. And I was sure that he intended to do so if things didn’t go his way and fast. He always had a quick temper with some things.

The guard sent someone and in ten minutes the guy returned running and out of breath to say that the king wanted to speak with Yuto immediately. Still in a hurry Yuto led them to a room close to the one that was assigned to me and there they found Atreus pacing. When he saw them he hugged Yuto and regarded Maia for a fleeting moment before asking if she was his daughter, to which he answered they had more pressing matters. He explained to him how he was kidnapped and taken to Redgard where he met a young man that helped him. They escaped and the man was suffering from mana sickness when they left the city so he took him to a healer, the girl beside him. Then the three of them made for Starkhaven to find someone and then the guards arrested the man almost a mere hour ago.

Atreus asked what he could do and how was this related to him as Yuto claimed. That was when he revealed who the young man was and Atreus was stunned for a moment before he stormed out of the room and sent one of his men to find me. That guard proved to be Maia’s father who she thought for dead along with her mother. Truth is her mother was dead but Garrett, as was her father’s name was very much alive and believed his beloved daughter dead along with his wife. He went to their funerals, both of them but their bodies were unrecognizable from the burns so he had no way of knowing.

When they came to the cell he was talking with Maia and she realized that she couldn’t hold it against him since she thought he was dead too. She told me that when she found Yuto and Atreus he was crying as silently as he could and she didn’t need to learn what happened to know that I confronted him about what he did in the worst possible way I could think of at the moment. She didn’t judge me and she said that it wasn’t her place to say anything but I could see that she was sad about it. I wasn’t though, until I saw him sitting on the table in his room from the open door. He wasn’t even touching his food, just avoiding eating and as I was standing there he got up and left it there.

I left after that and I knew that he came out of the room but I acted like I saw nothing when he came out and I passed him by. I did however notice how he looked at me then. His eyes were like they were made of glass and lacked any emotion other than sadness. I knew that state very well to recognize it anywhere.

Today however he seemed to be containing this condition he was in. He never even once showed signs of that particular emotion like he was wearing a mask; and he was good at it. I guess being a king required him to hide things like that all the time that it was easier to him now. We were about to start my training to make me use my master arte like I did in the arena. But in order to do that we would have to put me in a tight spot and for that was were some of the guards came in.

We were in a big room of the castle big enough to be the throne room. The walls were made of stone like the rest of the building and the middle of the room was bare from everything. There was only a big squire marking on the floor to distinguish the space we would occupy for the training. On the two opposite walls west and east in the room were two big tables with cloths and bandages and water and other stuff they thought we would need, and many chairs.

I was rolling my eyes to the sight of the tables but I made no comment. I removed the shirt I was given along with new cloths since the ones I had before were too damaged and bloodied and got inside the marked space. Atreus Maia and Yuto stayed outside while Atreus motioned for four of the ten guards here to enter with me. “Push him as much as you can but don’t make any move to kill him outright. Anything else I permit, we can heal any wounds you suffer from I assure you”. On his last comment all ten of them laughed and I rolled my eyes again, this time at their stupidity and naivety. They didn’t realize that it was meant mostly for them at this point. This time I wasn’t limited by space or people, I could go all out and that’s what was expected of me.

The four guards were the youngest of the bunch and clearly the most arrogant. While the other older men were watching calmly to my every move they were smiling and betting how long I would last. That was when I heard Yuto sigh and I shook my head disappointed. If most of his guards were like this then I was sure that I happened on some of the most skilled and experienced ones. I waited with my arms crossed for them to end and then coldly I motioned for them to come at me with my hand. The smiles almost vanished upon the challenge but the arrogance was still there. I guess I should show them who they are dealing with.

Two of them charged towards me with their fists raised and their attempted attack was directed to my face and gut. I sidestepped the one aiming for my head and stopped the other with my hand before I twisted the man’s arm so that it would fall out of its place. That man screamed and the second one was taken aback while I got behind him and kicked the back of his knees to get him to kneel and then I grabbed his head and smashed it to the ground leaving this one out for the count. Then I turned around and made my move to the other two whose smiles had faded long ago. Now they were trembling in fear and confusion as they saw me coming closer. And they should fear me if they are to be so laid back against me.

With my less than my usual natural speed I focused on the one on the right and punched him right in his nose sending him stumbling back. Before he even had time to recover and leave his bleeding nose alone I dashed towards him and punched him in the gut before I turned around and did a side kick to get swipe him off his feet. With that there was only one left and he was rushing to me for a surprise attack that I had already seen coming. I sidestepped again and followed him as he run a few more steps and when he turned to face me I was already in front of him and I stepped on his chest to do a backflip and use my free leg to kick him in the jaw.

He was the one that took the worst treatment since I was pretty sure I broke his jaw and I hoped he didn’t bite his tongue off when I saw blood. I kneeled to check on him and when I opened his mouth to make sure I saw that his teeth had simply grazed the upper side of his mouth and his tongue was intact. Neither Yuto nor Maia were surprised by what I did since they had seen me move like that before, but Atreus had raised his eyebrows in surprise and the rest of the men were mumbling and saying something I didn’t care to listen. I looked at Maia then and she came to their aid before I even asked her to. She started with the one I checked myself so I got to the one whose arm I had dislocated. He was sitting down and grunting as he held his arm to make sure that it didn’t cause any pain as he moved. Kneeling down I pushed his hand away and he hesitantly let me do what I wanted. “I won’t lie to you this will hurt like hell, but it’s better than leaving it like this for longer than it needs to be”.

I grabbed his arm and straightened it by putting it under mine and then I put my left hand under his arm and pulled it upwards. He screamed for a moment but when I let him go he was moving his arm with no serious pain and when Maia healed him there would be no pain at all. It would be like I never did anything to him. And that was when she came to my side and brushed her body against mine so subtly that I was the only one to notice and then I saw her smile.

“This was supposed to be your men pitting me against a corner Atreus, not me teaching them that they wouldn’t survive a life or death fight. I didn’t even need to fight them seriously for this”. All this was disappointing. He was disappointing me all over again. I expected more from him at this point. He has the chance he wanted me to give him and he is failing again. As the now healed guards were exiting the marked space I saw the rest wearing a frown and I saw the anger and frustration on their faces. “You have something to say to me”?

They were not surprised to be given the chance to speak and I wasn’t here to use them as tools. They could speak and say whatever they wanted. I wasn’t their king so they need not hesitate or keep themselves in check for me. One of the older guards was the one who spoke for all of them. “You act so high and mighty like you think you are actually stronger than us. We have been trained in war for decades and you have been trained for what ten years from a martial arts master”? None of them knew about me. Figures he would keep the information from them. He must have barely told them who I am and what they needed to do.

Shaking my head I looked at Atreus again displeased and disappointed and he caught the look before I turned to the guard. “You say you have been trained in war for decades. That means nothing to me. I was trained to survive fights against magi that would kill me without a second thought to survive. And I killed every single one of them to survive myself. I am stronger than you because I fight with the instinct to kill if I have the chance and I only hold back because the person I want to kill isn’t here”. All ten of the guards were silent. They knew about war I was certain of that. They also knew how to fight I had seen that. But they didn’t know how to do whatever it takes to survive. That knowledge and will to survive sharpen everything you know, making you and everything around you a weapon. It makes you someone that won’t hesitate to kill.

“Every single scar on my skin is there because I had to learn a lesson. And I learnt it because if I hadn’t I would be dead and they probably would have fed me to the dogs or something. Individually you are nothing compared to the magi I have faced and if you are not serious about this like your life depends on it then you have no business here”. They all stayed still and clenched their jaws or fists. I was making fun of them and it was something they hated. If it was so unpleasant to hear the truth then they could leave this place entirely. Yet none of them moved and they seemed to have stopped underestimating the situation.

“If we are going to do this it will be my way. All of you will fight me at once. Everything is allowed, and you will be aiming to kill me. But be prepared, I will not hold back this time”. I waited in the middle as all ten of the men entered the battlefield and they surrounded me, each and every one of them ready to fight. And for their sake kill I hoped. Some of them made their move on me and the fight began. Three men came at me with their fists ready and aimed for different parts of my body the head again, my abdomen and my back. I waited for the one coming for my head to come closer and then I sidestepped and grabbed his arm and pushed him towards the guard aiming for my stomach. Then I focused on the man who was ready to punch my spine and I heard others coming closer. I used one of the two I had thrown down for extra footing and jumped behind my attacker and kicked him in the head.

He didn’t lose consciousness but I knew he was mostly out of it for now. Then I saw that some of the other guards had drawn swords and they were coming my way many at the same time. Now that was more like it. With swords it would be more fun, but many could play this game. Smiling I pulled on my mana reserves and projected two small swords that were perfect for this occasion.

Some of them looked surprised but that was the least of their worries now. With weapons I was even more dangerous than what they have seen so far. Not losing even one moment I dashed towards them and swung my swords at theirs with all the power I had in my natural state. The projections were cracking with every strike but I used my mana to mend the cracks and keep the swords for the whole fight. They sure were good in fighting together I would give them that. They were coordinated and they pushed me for all their worth. I was a sweating and panting mess by the time I decided it was time to get serious.

I wasn’t going to use my reinforcing magic for this; I would win with my own power. We were all tired and they had already managed to nick my skin a few times but I made sure it was nothing serious. I however had cut most of them in their arms and legs and some I had managed to cut in their backs but not deeply as I had to keep moving to avoid the others.

As one of them came rushing with his sword held above his head I knew he was going to be the first to go. Using his momentum against him I got behind him and brought the handle of the sword in my left hand to the back of his head so hard that I heard his skull break a bit. Then a second guard came that was covering every bit of him with his stance as he approached. I let him lower his sword to me and blocked it with one of my own and then with the other one I pierced his hip and he screamed as he fell backwards.

His place took three more guards. I disarmed the first one by throwing his sword away and then his place took another one as I was preoccupied with the other two. The new man managed to cut my part of the back of my hip before I was done with one of the guards I was fighting. Then I pushed the other one with my leg and focused on the now two guards behind me. Only five remaining now and things were getting easier.

I kicked one of the two on his knee using the sole of my boot because I used something else I would probably break my bones. He stumbled back holding his broken knee and whimpering as I dealt with his friend. I cut him in the chest as he was about to lower his sword to cut me since I was faster and I saw that he could have died if I cut him deeper than that. Still the other three were nothing now that I had the space and they were done as fast as the others.

I was victorious at last. They managed to bring me to my natural limits since I was hell bent on not using reinforcing magic. I let the swords disappear and Maia was already healing the men. I sat down to catch my breath since this whole fight lasted for ten minutes and I was moving faster than all of them. I was exhausted but nothing had happened. I was no closer to using the master arte. The plan was failing from day one.

After a few minutes Maia was done with the guards and came to heal my wounds. And she did it slowly, passing her hands through all the parts of my body that needed healing longer and gentler than it was necessary. She was doing it on purpose, I could tell. She was using this as some kind of opportunity and it was amusing and intriguing as well.

“This is getting us nowhere. You are not supposed to push your physical limits but your magical and physical limits. You need to force your boundaries to fall apart to allow your magic to flow uninterrupted into the world”. He was frustrated by all of this, more than what I seemed to be and he had no reason to be more upset than I. I got up and then looked at him suspiciously and he averted his eyes. “Why are you acting like that? It’s not like I would make it in the first try and you are acting like we wasted days with this instead of minutes”.

He didn’t say a thing and I was sure that I was on the right path here. He was troubled by something and I bet I knew what he was thinking. “You are trying to make this as fast as possible to make me change my mind aren’t you”? At that his face grew slightly red and he turned around and massaged the bridge of his nose for a brief moment. I was right; to him this was a way of winning me back. He was using this whole dying from magic matter as a means to an end. He wanted forgiveness.

“Can you blame me for trying to make up for what I did? Can you really blame me for wanting forgiveness”? His voice was calm and low but I could see the tension from his clenched fists. Forgiveness? He wanted forgiveness but did he ever think of what I wanted? Did he ever think since I came here that this wasn’t what I wanted? “And what if I don’t want you to have my forgiveness? Did you even think for a second what I might want you selfish lame excuse of a father”? I was losing my control over my anger again and I was screaming in anger but I didn’t care at this moment. He was thinking only of himself, of how he could make his life easier by getting on my good side. Nothing has changed at all. He was still the same man he was eleven years ago. The guards around us were trying not to look like they were shocked and interested in the fight but I could see they were not very good at it.

He looked at me surprised and I would say offended if I wasn’t the one that was offended right now. But the way he looked at me told me he was thinking of something. Then after a few moments he spoke. “Give us the room, now”. That was meant for the ten guards that were now sitting and resting on the chairs. All of them raised their heads and then it dawned to them that the situation was getting out of control as I was about to make Atreus regret his way of thinking. Just then one of the men realized what my intention was and went for his sword. Before he was able to draw it from its scabbard I raised my hand and swung it towards him as I projected a throwing knife and fired it in the blink of an eye at him, missing his head and just barely grazing his left ear.

He froze then and I saw the color leave his face as he realized I missed on purpose. “Don’t interfere this is my first and final warning. The next time I will aim for the space between your eyes, and I never miss my target”.

“I said leave us. This is between me and my son; your services are not needed anymore”. The audacity in him to say that word again in front of me was preposterous. He was asking for me to hurt him again. One by one the guards left and we were alone except for Yuto and Maia who were waiting by the walls and staying out of this. Like he said this was between us and no one else.