Mortal Magic: Broken
Pent Up Feelings

“This was never just about helping me was it”? The words came out of my mouth like an accusation and that was exactly what they were. I trusted him to do the right thing and he twisted this into his opportunity. I will never forgive him no matter what he does.

“It is about helping you. You think I would use your condition, a condition I’ve been through myself, in such a selfish manner? I don’t want to see you dead but I don’t want you to forgive me if it means forcing you to do it either”. He was speaking calmly and taking careful steps towards me, slowly and with his palms raised slightly.

“And you want me to believe that just like that after what I saw mere moments ago? Do you think me that stupid”? I knew I wasn’t thinking rationally right now, that my anger was making me act and say things that were wrong. Yet it was what I wanted to do. I wanted to hurt him more than anything and I didn’t know why. I don’t need him to get hurt but I felt like it was necessary. I needed to do this more than I could possibly imagine, and I was looking for a reason to make me act. I was taunting him to make a mistake to justify my actions.

After a brief moment of thought recognition dawned in his eyes that I was manipulating him. “So it was me after all. Your magic doesn’t want you to fight just anyone; it wants you to fight me”. He was plainly talking nonsense right now. I wanted to fight him; no one else was making me do it. I wanted to show him what I felt about him. I wanted to take all this rage I had towards him and use it, get rid of it.

He removed his vest and then stepped into the training ground he himself ordered made. That was when I felt mana coming out of his body, like it was natural. It was barely there but I knew that he was preparing himself for a fight. Unlike him I was keeping all my mana inside me as I was creating even more to make sure I wasn’t going to run out, even though I had enough to use my most powerful move more than once.

I pulled on my mana and projected the same two swords I had used on the guards and rushed to him without a moment’s hesitation. He dodged when I slashed at his torso and that made me angrier. This also made it harder for me and I wanted a challenge right now, it would make beating him senseless all the more satisfying. After my first attack I felt a change in the air and when I looked at him he was holding a single long sword in his right hand. I knew it was a projection the moment I saw it in his hands though it was different than mine. His didn’t seem like it was made of glass, but rather it looked like an actual sword. There was nothing to indicate that it was made from magic but I could still sense the mana inside it.

I charged again and this time he stopped my blade with his but I still had the second one and he was out of weapons. That however was a mistake coming from me since I knew he had the same powers as me. He projected a metal sleeve that covered his entire left arm leaving nothing vulnerable and then blocked with that same armored hand. The projection was sturdy and my sword actually broke on impact and shattered into tiny pieces that vanished before they met the ground.

I took a fast step back and made another projection in the place of the weapon I lost. Not only did he create a defensive garment but he could give his creations the attributes of the real materials. But one other thing I noticed was that his projection speed was slow, very slow. The sleeve hadn’t completely materialized to his shoulder when he blocked me so I knew that speed was his weakness in this matter. But I needed more than that.

“You have much to learn about projections son. I can see that yours are weak, and that is because if there is no meaning behind the projection then it becomes fragile. Just like glass”. As he was talking he made his move and brought his sword down to me which I had to deflect and break both projections this time. Then he punched me to the chest and made me take more steps back from the force of the hit. He didn’t make a move against me after that leaving me to recover from the shock. He was actually standing there looking all serious and all-mighty like I was beneath him. That arrogant old fool is going to get what’s coming to him.

Making more swords I stood straight again and looked at him with bloodlust, seeking every possible weakness and replaceing none as he was standing there. His stance was giving him the advantage of not having to worry about his right side because of his sword that had both reach and power. On the other hand there was his armor clad left arm that gave him a shield that he could move faster than he would a big round object. And since the arms of a human were designed to reach every part of the rest of the body he could block almost everything with it. And I was sure there was more, I was sure that given the need he could project more armor on his body and completely deflect all my attacks and he could possibly make projections far away from his hands and the rest of his body like me, giving him the advantage of a bigger shield if needed. He had the single most powerful defense I had encountered.

However, his blows were not that strong. Sure his weapon and armor were sturdy, sturdier than most normal weapons and armor. But his punch, even combined with the power of the metal that wasn’t as soft as the surface of skin and bone, was more than bearable. It was strong, but I had endured stronger blows and I could tell that physical strength wasn’t his best suit, and neither was speed. That left his endurance, how long could he fight like that before his mana run out? How fast can he produce mana to fuel his projections and how much did they require he give them to maintain them? How many can he make and keep at the same time and how fast can he replace them if I broke one?

I was starting to think of a plan and it involved testing his limits before I reached mine, and I was almost there. I only needed to make him use more magic, make him project more armor and fight me using all his powers and then I could see for myself when it would be over whelming for him and make my move.

And I started immediately. In a feat of rage I attacked again, this time faster and not using strength. His projections were stronger than mine so there was no point in a contest of power; speed however was a whole different story. I used his only blind spot against him, his back, and stayed clear of his sword while I delivered small wounds to him. I could possibly inflict greater damage but I had to be careful since he could use magic any moment. And just like I thought after the first three cuts he projected the chest and back piece of his armor, so my only window was now closed.

He had other places I could use though. Refocusing my attacks to his legs and his right arm I made him project the rest of his armor and that left only his head vulnerable to me. So far I had broken countless swords and I still replaced them faster than he could make his own projections. I also noticed that his projection speed had dropped after the back piece and his legs and right arm took slightly longer to be covered entirely and he left his right arm for last. That one piece took almost five seconds to be created. That meant he was at the limits of his powers.

By now I was sure that he had realized my intentions but I could see no change in his demeanor or his fighting style. He was either confident that he could take me on or he was foolish enough to think that this was the best I could do. He was breathing faster now and I could see the sweat dripping from his forehead. He was tired and so was I but to me that didn’t matter. Once I reinforced my body my fatigue would disappear and I would be better than what I started. “I keep breaking your weapons and yet you keep bringing them back. It’s like you never run out of energy to use magic”.

He was talking to himself, stating the observation out loud like it would make a difference. This was nothing to the amount of weapons I could make at the same time, and Yuto was a true witness of that. Smiling I decided to indulge him to this information that he seemed to ignore that much. “Unlike you I can only create weapons. That means I need to make up for that weakness and the only way to do that is speed. I may lack your ability to create defensive armaments but I can create countless weapons to overwhelm my opponent. And I think it’s high time I showed you that power”.

I projected spears, swords, axes and all manners of weapons over him ready to be fired like arrows to hit their target. The moment he realized the danger above him his head snapped upwards in surprise and fear and I used that to my advantage. “Mana Burst”. The command was given in a low whisper and I felt my mana fueling my body and changing it. I felt my muscles relaxing and healing from their strain and I felt lighter and stronger than ever, just like that time in the arena. I felt mana coming out of me in pulsing waves again and the light from the windows started to dim with every passing wave.

I paid no mind to that though and with a leaping step I was in front of Atreus before he could even lower his eyes to me. He did realize that I was about to exploit his only remaining weak spot though and he had already started forming the helmet on his head. When I swung my blade to his head he tilted it just in time for the small part of the armor he had created so far to absorb the hit and protect his head. My sword broke then but I didn’t care enough right now, I had many more above his head thought and I had a perfect mark. I started firing the weapons suspended in midair at him and he was dodging and blocking every single one that he could. The ones that he didn’t were little more than bats striking his armor and shoving him to different directions. But even mauling can have its toll on the body.

When all the weapons had fallen from above to smite him he was kneeling on the floor panting and I could see that his armor had many visible dents on it. His helmet had broken and what remained on him was slowly vanishing in a translucent smoke while he had lost his sword long ago. He raised his head towards me and smiled bitterly. “I should have seen that coming. You were playing with me from the very beginning and I never saw it coming”. Now he was getting it. He may have more useful abilities than me but I know how to use mine to their fullest and I was just learning about his until now. “But you will need more than that to beat me son. Let me show you what real power means, and what a master magus is known for”.

At that moment I felt raw power and mana coming from his body like mine all this time. He was about to do something and I had no idea what. He got to his feet and then let his armor turn to translucent smoke and disappear before he started speaking. “Frail core inside a broken vessel, damaged soul of a broken man, power this false body one more time, project this iron will of mine. Soul Projection”.

I realized then that he wasn’t simply speaking, he was chanting. He was using his ultimate spell against me, the reason he is called a master magus, his master arte that I have no idea of its powers or weaknesses or even its purpose.

I felt the mana that came rushing out of him before I even saw the movements in his clothing and hair from the wave. His whole demeanor changed and with it changed the way I was looking at him. Before I was looking at him like he was just someone I wanted to beat senseless, now I saw him like a threat. He was more of a threat to me now than ever and I could tell because he didn’t seem like he would hesitate in the slightest. That was when he used my technique against me and projected swords in midair and threw them at me. It took him less than usual to project more and he hurled them at me as well. I was dodging every attack at this point; every single blade was fatal to me since I could not stop them with mine.

My reactions were faster than his so I could easily avoid him but he didn’t seem like he was about to keep the assault going and come at me at the same time. He intended to wear me out like I did him, push me to my limits. Well I wasn’t going to give him the pleasure of losing to him. I didn’t want to lose to him; I refused to lose like this to him. With my anger boiling once more I projected dozens of weapons to get his out of their course and manage to stand still. When he saw I wasn’t going to move he stopped attacking and waited. “You see while I am using my master arte I can create as many things as I want, faster and I will never run out of mana. My core is making tremendous amounts of mana until I decide to let it rest. Like I said you will need more than this to defeat me and Lars”.

Suddenly the urge to laugh was too overwhelming to resist, even at my blind from rage state. He was saying that I needed more power than this when he hadn’t even seen what I’m truly capable of. All this is nothing to what one single projection can do. He wanted power, I would show him power. Power enough to make him tremble. “If power is what you want from me, then I will gladly oblige. You showed me your most powerful arte, let me repay the favor. Let me show you true power that surpasses even your most powerful defense”. My voice again sounded beastly like and out of this world and this time I knew it was because of my magic. It was changing my body and that affected my voice too. I stopped fueling my body with mana to give my attack all the power I could give and then took a deep breath while I was glaring at him with all my might. I raised my hand to the air and opened my palm before I pulled the mana to make the crimson spear I loved and resented so much.

He noticed that this was the only weapon I had that was more than mere glass and his face paled. Smiling one more time I gave the now formed spear massive amounts of mana while my body kept on creating more to replace it, and I produced fast enough to never run out now. Then I heard Yuto calling my name and I turned my glare at him. “Archer stop, this will kill him. He doesn’t know how powerful that attack is and he can’t avoid it, no one can”. He had lost his calm stance over the matter and was now ready to interfere with me but he wouldn’t have the chance. What he did only served to fuel my anger more. “LAST PHANTASM”.

I moved my hand towards Atreus and the spear was fired at him. Faster than every other projection, stronger than any other weapon and fueled by all of my mana this was my ultimate move. This was my one true ace. My most reliable attack that kills for certain without fail was about to meet with my father. Lucky for him he had created an invisible wall in front of him that hindered the spear and stopped its coming assault. But this wasn’t enough to stop it entirely.

“A mere shield won’t keep you alive this time”. I closed my hand into a fist and drew it back before I pushed again and send more mana to the spear, giving it more power. I felt his shield retreating and breaking so I pushed even more. The force behind the spear was so great that there was a constant breeze of air coming from it as it was pushing through the shield that was separating it from its next victim. It longed to plunge deep into his heart and draw blood to soak in it and absorb it. It longed for his death.

I could see the strain on Atreus as he was putting everything he had on his last defense. His face had twisted from the effort and he was on his knees once again, grunting and pushing back my spear. I saw the desperation in his eyes and the way he was trembling. He was about to pass out and I wanted to know what that desperation meant. I wanted to know what was going on in his head right now. Did he think about the mistake he did provoking me? Did he think about his life that I was about to take? Did he think of what it must have done to me to have taken so many lives before his and what this time would do to me? How I would hate myself for doing this and it would tear me apart?

What was I thinking? I wanted to do this, I wanted to hurt him. But… I didn’t want to do it like this. The way he was looking at me was tearing me apart more than I thought it would to see that look in his face. He wasn’t afraid, he was terrified, but not for his life. Even now he wasn’t thinking about himself. He wasn’t trying to stop the spear, but me; he was trying to stop me from making a mistake I would regret. I heard him grunt louder as I felt the shield falling bit by bit and fear clutched my heart. What was I doing? This isn’t what I want.

Fear was taking over in anger’s place as I was looking at my weapon seeking release. There was no way to stop it now, once fired the spear never stops unless it is destroyed or I lose consciousness. There was no way for him to win this battle and he couldn’t leave because the moment he took one step his shield would break and he would be impaled before he could think of the pain.

It was my time to grow desperate. I wanted to stop this. I wanted him to live. With my mind made up I stopped fueling the spear but it didn’t stop pushing. There was no change no matter what I did and it terrified me. Was I not able to control it? Just as doubt was seeping into my skin I felt the spear crack and moments later it shattered into tiny pieces and became red stardust in the air.

I hadn’t noticed that the light of the sun had turned red before the red color disappeared and gave way to normal light. I felt my feet tremble and I dropped to my knees and barely held myself from dropping to the floor on my face with my hands. I was panting out of breath and felt my body weak and I wasn’t the only one. Atreus was barely holding himself up too; maybe he was barely conscious after what happened. After what I had done.

The realization was a blow stronger than any other I had taken in my life. I could have killed him and I didn’t care at the time. I was so angry at him that I had to attack. And that anger was now gone but if I hadn’t stopped I knew that I would never have forgiven myself later. Daring one more glance at him I saw him looking at me wide eyed with fear and relief at his eyes. Before Maia and Yuto came running to us I got up and ran away. I left everything and it was a miracle I could run right now but I did it. I left the hall and run in the corridors not knowing where I was going in the slightest. The only thing I knew was that I needed to think. I needed to be alone.