Chapter 71: A Well-Placed Bullet

I didn’t clue in right away. Even as Ted called for deserter Fiori Falx. Even as Benagher gripped him by the collar and pulled him off the stage to a small area that had been corded off. Even as Elijah readily entered the ring, it didn’t register.

I just watched in a confused daze.

Benagher untied Fiori’s hands and kicked him in the back sending him flying to the ground. Elijah slowly removed his woolen cloak and rolled up his sleeves. Fiori stumbled back up on his feet. Fiori knew better than anyone else, if that hand was to touch him, he was as good as dead. For if Elijah’s touch was like mine, any contact would be deadly. My heart started racing, my head pounding. Why wasn’t anyone stopping this? Where was Yuki? Surely Yuki could do something! Yuki was always so good at saving the day!

Elijah started circling the disgraced General.

Elijah threw the first punch. Fiori easily evaded it. Elijah threw a second and third punch. Fiori leaped out of the way each time. Then Fiori froze, mid-motion. A strange sight to see. But I knew just what was happening.

Eli, Eva and Mrs. Weatherspoon were front row.

Fiori grabbed his head in his hands and collapse to the ground in obvious pain. He started jerking. Elijah made his way towards his pray.

Not able to hold it in any longer, I started screaming: “NO! NO! LEAVE HIM ALONE! HELP! HELP! ANYONE!”

I got hit from behind and fell to the ground. A guard replaced Benagher by my side.

“Shut up, will you!”

I took back my place, my eyes glued to the fight.

Fiori was able to get on all four just as Elijah reached and grabbed him by the back of his shirt. Fiori kicked his right leg out and was able to destabilize the teenager. That was enough to give him a chance to re-establish his distance from Elijah.

No that wasn’t it.

Fiori made a straight line to where Eli was standing. With one hand, he grabbed Mrs. Weatherspoon by the neck and flipped her into the arena. The poor woman was stunned as he dragged her like a ragdoll. He was using her to shield himself. But that didn’t last long.

As Elijah hesitated to make his next move, Benagher stepped in and put two well placed bullets in Fiori’s chest.

Fiori fell to the ground his eyes wide opened.

Benagher took Fiori’s pulse and announced: “He’s dead.”

Mrs. Weatherspoon had a sigh of relief. But Elijah wasn’t happy. Elijah had failed to showcase his ability. Elijah had failed to impress the gallery.

“Well, what an interesting turn of event. Who would have thought?” Ted said as he threw an angry look at Benagher.

“I am sorry this fight had to be cut short… I promise to make it up to you! Fiori Falx was just a mere human with no remarkable abilities. But the next fight ought to be much more interesting as we pit Heighten Characteristic against Heighten Characteristics. Reporters of this great nation, if you will please watch as Eden goes face to face with Fenix Li.”

Ted’s voice pierced my ears. A wave of nausea took me by a storm. The guard grabbed me by the arm and ushered me down to the arena. My legs, like jelly, couldn’t keep up with the pace. I tripped and fell flat on my face.

Some of the reporters laughed.

The guard pulled me back up to my feet.

Think.

I had to think.

I had to think quickly.

Anything.

I had to get out of this.

This was a match to death.

Elijah or I, would die.

It was most likely going to be me.

I was going to die.

The guard untied my hands.

Intuitively, I looked for an escape route. There wasn’t.

My hands freed, I wiped the sweat off my face. The sun was still high in the sky. It seemed to live there indefinitely. I robbed my wrist happy to be free from the restrains. I looked up, Elijah was right in front of me. Smiling. He was slightly taller than Eli. But not much really. He was of a good built. I could only assume he had been trained in combat.

I had trained in self-defenses. I had refused to train in combat. I had refused.

Shit.

I raised my fist to protect myself.

Shit, shit shit!

I dug my back toes in the ground to gain traction. Not sure why, but it seemed like a good idea. Maybe.

All around me, the crowd was waiting, camera in in hands.

I could really use some help right now!

Elijah charged first, tackling me right into the stomach. I fell straight on my back and whiplashed my head against the ground. His weight was on top of me. I couldn’t breathe.

Then I felt it. He was sucking out my energy. He was going to kill me.

“Ted needs me alive,” I slurred.

Elijah laughed.

“He’s got me. It’s all good.”

“I have to stay alive,” I slurred some more.

Elijah frowned.

“Are you an idiot or what?”

I have to stay alive!

I have to…

I started kicking my feet trying to make him loosen his grip. My arms were free so I grabbed his wrist and started sucking out his energy. I had no idea how effective it would be but at the very least it was going to buy me some time.

“So, you are finally getting serious! Good,” Elijah said with a smile.

He let go of my throat, punched me in the face and got up.

“C’mon get up! Let’s give them a good show! Something worth remembering!” Elijah screamed in excitement.

I wobbled up to my feet.

My head was splitting.

I looked around for a friendly face but there was none.

In front of me Elijah raised his hand. He closed his eyes then in a flash reopened them. As he did, an invisible wind hit me in the chest and once more I found myself on my back.

What was that? What was it? No way! He can…

Another powerful burst of wind hit the ground next to my face.

“Get up!” he screamed.

This was an exhibit match to showcase his skills. On the microphone, Ted was giving commentaries. Not only was I going to die here, but it was going to be a slow and painful death, it seemed.

I got back up on my feet. My chest was burning. No! My chest was burned.

I looked up at Elijah terrified. He raised his hand again.

Another invisible wind came my way. I dodged but had no time to catch my breath as two more followed. All I could do was run and hope to evade each new invisible burst.

But fate had it that I slipped on the sandy ground and fell flat on my face. The next burst hit me straight between the shoulder blades. It sent a ripple effect through my body like an electrical shock. My heart stopped.

“STOP! STOP!”

Who was that, I wondered? The voice sounded so familiar….

I was kicked over and rolled to my back. The sun straight into my eyes.

My heart resumed beating. I wasn’t going to die just yet. But I couldn’t move anymore. My entire body felt heavy. I was out of breath and felt like part of my face was frozen.

“I will fight you! You want to show off your abilities, then I’m the person you need to fight! That guy is a useless coward. Come at me with all you’ve got!”

The voice was Eli’s, I could tell now. Where was she? What was she doing? Why did she want to fight her brother?

Two hands grabbed me by the feet, and I was dragged on the ground. The rubbing of the sand and my scorched skin sent another wave of pain through my body. I didn’t get any relief until I passed out.

Eli stepped in the arena. She was all strength, all determination, and all confidence. Not one once of doubt. Not one once of fear.

She stepped in not because she had anything to gain. Not because she wanted too. She stepped in because it was the right thing to do. Fenn was no match for Elijah. Not because he didn’t have it in him, but because his morals were too high for the world he lived in.

She had just witness Fiori and Fenn getting crushed. She knew what she was getting into. But unlike Fiori and Fenn, she had the stamina, she had the moves, she had the Heighten Characteristic and she was fearless. Dying now or dying tomorrow was irrelevant to her. In the end, dying was the only certainty she had, and that was good enough for her. Everyday she lived her life like tomorrow did not exist. Today would be no different.

Benagher grabbed Fenn’s ankle and pulled him out of the arena. He was tossed to the side, his left arm flopped over Fiori legs. Both looked pathetic. She shook her head with disparagement.

To make it this far… and for what!

Deep down, it sickened her. Her fallen comrade sickened her. But Ted, Mrs. Weatherspoon, Eva and Benagher also sickened her for an entirely different reason.

No warning, no sizing up her opponent, she launched herself forward and landed three consecutive punches: two in the ribs and one on the jaw. It didn’t seem to phase Elijah too much. If anything, it just made him more excited.

She was testing him. She wanted to know his speed and his style. She wanted to find his weakness and his limitation. But more importantly, she wanted to show everyone in attendance that he might carried the title of human super weapon, but that did not make him infallible. He had been groomed for this. Well, so had she!

Eli started running, changing direction at every step. The bursts were being discharged at her at an alarming rate, yet she knew, there must have been a limit to them. Fenn had told her before, when he transferred energy out to someone, his own energy was being drained. If that was true for Elijah as well, all she had to do was outlast him. So, she ran, mounting fake offensive, landing a punch here and there but never risking a move that would compromise her own safety.

Yet, Elijah kept on going, showing no sign of slowing down. At this rate, Eli feared she would lack the stamina to keep on running like that.

Just a little bit longer, she told herself. Hold on.

The bursts kept coming her way. One hit her on the calf. It was like being jolted by a thousand volts. It made her lose her footing. She stumbled to the ground right in front of Mrs. Weatherspoon.

Eli grabbed a handful of sand and threw it at Elijah just as he was closing in. That gave her enough time to scramble back to her feet and create a safe distance between her and him. By now she had understood that the arena had been built in a way that one could never be out of reach of Elijah’s bursts. That meant the burst could not travel more than approximately 8 meters away from his hands.

“C’mon! Is that all you’ve got! Human super weapon my ass! Maybe it’s time you get a taste of the real world!” Eli was taunting him. She wanted to see how he would react. If she couldn’t outrun him, she’d try to make him angry. Fighting while angered always leads to bad decisions. And bad decisions can be costly!

“Hey Super Weapon, how does it feel to lose to your little sister?”

Elijah charged Eli head on. But he wasn’t fast enough. Eli moved out of the way as her brother crashed in a row of reporters.

Amidst the confusion, Eli changed her target.

“Hey Ted? Is that really the best you’ve got? I think you should have made me the super weapon!” Eli laughed.

Eva turned her back on the scene. She knew just what would happen next. She passed Fenn and Fiori and left the circus behind. She headed straight for her room. There was nothing left for her there.

Elijah was back in the arena. Ted had long stopped doing his commentaries. Eli readied herself to start running again. But before she could do anything her vision went blurry. She felt like her brain was being crushed. She dropped to her knees. She couldn’t breathe anymore.

It was all dark.

Elijah alone was there.

He grabbed her by the throat: “Do not, EVER, I repeat, EVER mock me like that. I could have crushed you the second you walked in the arena. Remember, you will never be more than a useless piece of trash.”

She could feel her entire body jerking as her oxygen level dropped.

So, this is it, she thought. This is the third Heighten Characteristic.

He’s got my stamina, Fenn’s energy transfer ability and Evian’s mind manipulation.

Pretty cool, she thought. But right now, I am fighting on the wrong side.

Her cold body slammed the ground. A cloud of sand lifted around her.

Why, am I not dead?

Why, didn’t he kill me?

She wanted to scream, she wanted an answer, right now. But she couldn’t even open her mouth. She couldn’t move her arms, her legs. She couldn’t wiggle her toes or her fingers. If her mind was awake, her entire body was dead.

Benagher grabbed her by the ankle and like Fenn, she exited the arena her back being scrapped against the ground. Once out, she was abruptly thrown over Fenn and Fiori. Her face was up looking at the sky. The sun was straight into her eyes.

A tear ran down her cheek.

Trash, she thought. I am trash.

She was about to close her eyes and give up when she understood. Suddenly, it all made sense.

She had landed over Fenn’s arm.

No, she had been thrown purposely over Fenn’s arm.

She could feel it! Oh, ever so slightly, but she could feel it! It felt like warm honey running through her whole body.

She closed her eyes and let it warm her. It had been a while since she had felt this good.

Benagher had been careful to throw the body in a manner where Fenn could have skin contact. Hopefully, it was enough for him to keep Fiori alive. Benagher had not anticipated that he would have to shoot the man. As confident as he was with his shooting skills, the loss of blood or the risk of infection could be problematic.

The next step was to have them officially declared dead. Evian, with his mind manipulation, oversaw that. Then during the transport of the bodies Meyer had arrange for a mix up in garbage pick up.

All this had been Fiori’s plan. From the beginning. From the day Fiori had found out that Benagher had been named his replacement. From the day Evian had been captured. Fiori had planned it all.