Morningstar
Chapter XXX: The Stubborn, the Independent, and the Silent

Hakea has his scepter out. His scepter is two feet long and black with golden decorations. At the end of the scepter, it divides in two and forms the golden silhouette of a diamond. Another diamond is perpendicular to the same diamond. At the end of the diamonds is a sharp blade of the same golden color.

“Is that a scepter?” Ilya asks. She is holding a shield on her right hand and the rapier on her left.

“Yes,” Hakea says as he moves it around. “Never seen one before?”

“No,” Ilya says. “I honestly never thought that anyone will use that as their main weapon. It is so… useless.”

“Some might think that,” Hakea says as he looks at it. “I’ve become accustomed to it. I actually use it better than I use a sword or a gun.”

“But it only has one small blade. How can you hit someone with it?”

“Oh, I have my ways,” Hakea says. He signs her to come. “Come on. Hit me with everything that you got.”

“Fine, but if I hit you, it is your own fault.”

Ilya launches, slashing her rapier at Hakea. He rises his scepter and hits the rapier as if he is using another sword. Even if the rapier is longer, he blocks it easily. She moves fast, slashing again and again. He knows that the rapier is a fast weapon, but it is not as strong as other swords.

Every time the rapier comes, Hakea hits it away from him. He is waiting for an opening. He needs her to stab her rapier instead of swinging it. Then he sees it. She stabs her rapier towards him. He moves his scepter in front of him. The rapier goes through the opening of his scepter’s diamonds. He moves it again, stopping her from pulling the rapier.

Hakea grins at her. He moves the scepter to the side. It causes the rapier to move away from Ilya. She loses her grip and the rapier falls away from her. Now is his turn to attack. He launches, ready to strike his scepter. She blocks with her shield, and Hakea continues, not letting her breath. Then, after several hits, he shows his secret weapon. He grabs the rear end of the scepter and pulls a long dagger from inside the scepter.

He slashes his dagger at her. It takes her a second, but she blocks it. Hakea doesn’t wait anymore. He hits with the scepter and slashes with his dagger, one after the other. Ilya’s shield blocks each attack. His attacks become faster and wider.

“Stop,” Ilya says. “You won.” Hakea takes a step back away from her.

“There’s no stopping in a real fight,” Icarus says as he approaches them. “You should not have given up. You still had things to do.”

“I had my shield and the rapier was away from me,” Ilya says. “There’s no way I could have turned this fight around.”

“You could have if you used your shield to attack,” he says. He turns to face Hakea. “Can I borrow your scepter?”

Hakea loses focus for a second. He is seeing Phoenix rolling on the ground, evading a hammer from Slier. He returns his focus to Icarus. “Of course.” He hands him the scepter.

Icarus turns back towards Ilya. “What you do is push your shield towards them. When someone attacks you, you block with your shield, but at the same time that you are doing that, you have to push against it. Let’s try it.”

He heads towards her. He swings down the scepter. Hakea sees Ilya rise her shield. When she blocks the attack, she quickly pushes the shield towards Icarus. Hakea’s mouth falls open when he sees that Icarus’s arm is sent back, creating an opening for Ilya to attack. It is as if she is deflecting the blow with her shield.

“I understand,” she says.

Icarus returns the scepter to Hakea. “Now, you need to practice that. Slier is the best option since she uses a hammer. You will need to apply more force to deflect the attack. Slier!” Slier stops her attack and looks at Icarus. “Switch places with Hakea. I need you to practice with Ilya. Hakea, practice with Phoenix.”

Hakea nods as serious as he can. He is actually happy. He gets to spend time with Phoenix, but he doesn’t want Icarus to know. If he knew, he would never allow them to pair up. Icarus pair up everyone based on who they talk less or who they cannot work with.

“Hello,” Hakea says as he approaches her. “How are you?”

“Surviving,” Phoenix says.

“So, are you not happy?” Hakea says as he slides the blade into the scepter. She shrugs. “You can talk to me, you know?”

“Just had a discussion with someone last night,” she says. “That’s all.” She loads her shotgun. “Are we doing this or not?”

Hakea only wants to talk to her. He doesn’t want to fight her. He wants to hold her hand and hear her worries. But he remembers about Drano, Phoenix’s ex-boyfriend. He used to mock her, and they were always fighting, using swords or guns. They liked to prove each other that they were stronger. Maybe that is what Phoenix likes. She likes someone strong.

“All right,” he says.

Phoenix doesn’t wait. She shoots her shotgun. Hakea ducks fast, not expecting her to shoot this soon. She shoots again but Hakea is already back on his feet. She fires again. He jumps to the side and replaces her running. He watches her climb a tree. Standing on a branch, she shoots again. He slides on the floor evading both shots.

When he gets to the tree, she has already jumped off and began running away. She turns around without stopping her running. She pulls her small shotgun from the side and shoots. Hakea knows that her small shotgun’s bullets spread out when they are shot. He accelerates his pace and jumps towards the floor, lying flat. He doesn’t wait much before he stands up.

He is close to her. Hakea pulls his blade from the scepter as he throws it towards Phoenix before she can shoot. The scepter hits her ankle. She trips and falls. When she turns around, Hakea is already on top of her. He places the blade near her throat.

“I…” she tries to speak, but her breath is heavy. “I did not expect that.”

“There are things that you still don’t know about me,” he says. He lifts his left hand and moves away a strand of red hair from her face. They are so close. He could easily lean in, but he is caught in her eyes. She has blue eyes, just like him. It is like looking in a mirror, reflecting his thoughts in her eyes. He leans in, ready to kiss her. He feels their lips brush.

She hits him in the stomach and pushes him off her. “What the fuck are you doing?” she yells. She stands up quickly and draws her shotgun.

“Sorry, I just thought that…” he says, standing up. “I just thought that you wanted to kiss me too.”

“And what make you think that?” she asks. “Your dagger against my throat? Do that again and you’ll fucking regret it.”

***

Agrion watches when Hakea brushes his lips against Phoenix’s lips. He feels his heart sink. Why does he care about him? Hakea broke his heart. What did Agrion expect that would have happened? At first, he expected Hakea to admit that he likes Agrion. Later, he knew that he was dreaming, but he did not expect that Hakea would continue hitting on Phoenix as if nothing happened.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Agrion hears Tilray sing. When he was paired with Tilray, she began shooting at him. She might think that Agrion is still the same useless warrior. She might not know that Agrion is training under Icarus’s tutelage. He evaded the shots and disappeared on a tree.

Agrion moves through the branches. He doesn’t know how Kobo, Beta, Fey and Moneo do it so smoothly. He has to look to where he is stepping on while they do not seem to look. As he moves through the branches without making any sound, he looks down at Tilray. She is holding her shotgun with one hand on the handle and the other on the barrel.

Agrion steps on a weak branch. It makes a cracking sound. He sees Tilray turn and fire towards his position. He jumps to the next branch. He hears her shoot again. He keeps jumping from branch to branch. He cannot lose his head. He has to focus. That’s the way that Icarus said. A rogue maintains its cool in every scenario.

Tilray continues firing. She saw him and she won’t let go of him. He needs to do something fast. As he jumps to the next branch, he memorizes the upcoming branches. He turns his head to look at Tilray as he continues jumping to the memorized branches. He calculates the distance between them. He can make the shot.

He pulls one of his long daggers and throws it at her. She rolls over, evading the dagger. When she gets up, Agrion throws another dagger. This one is going directly to her hand. She lets go of the shotgun and jumps away. The shotgun falls on the floor as Agrion steps off the branch.

Tilray does not move when she sees Agrion. Her shotgun is between them at almost the same distance. If she is going to make a run for it, he is going to get there first. “Do you remember the capture the flag?” she says. “You were protecting your flag and I attacked you. You were pretty skillful with your hands. We never saw who won between us. What if we settle this now? No shotgun involved.”

“All right,” Agrion says as he nods. Even if he takes the shotgun, he won’t shoot her in time. He will miss the shot since he is not a very good shooter.

Tilray sprints towards him. She sees her pick one of the long daggers on the floor. She only said no shotgun. Agrion searches for the other one. When he replaces it, he runs towards it, but she is already picking it up. He stops in his path, waiting for her to approach. Icarus has told him about these kinds of situations. He said to never attack until Agrion sees an opening. Never rush into it.

He waits patiently until Tilray arrives. She slashes with the daggers back to back as if she is fluent on using them. Agrion moves his body. He imagines Icarus’s movements, how grace they are and how coordinated he is. Agrion evades the attacks. He predicts every single one of them. He waits for the opening.

Then he replaces it. She swings from the opposite side. He makes a fist and punches her in the stomach. He hears her breath go, but the feels a sting in his neck. He then sees the other dagger passing in front of him. She did not leave herself open on purpose. She was planning a back attack.

They both fall. Agrion’s hand goes to his right side of the neck. It stings. When he pulls his hand away, he sees his fingers wet in blood. In a matter of seconds, Tilray is standing in front of him.

“You got me good, but it seems that I got you better,” she says.

“How bad does it look?” he asks.

“Bad,” she only answers. Then she yells, “Icarus!”

Agrion doesn’t know how far Icarus was, but he appears next to them in seconds. “What happened?” he asks. Tilray points at Agrion as he stands up. “You cut him. It looks deep. We better clean that up. Tilray, bring me Agrion’s daggers.”

“Why me?” she asks.

“Because you were the one to cut him,” Icarus answers. He looks at Agrion. “Come on. I have a first aid kit. Don’t touch it while we get there.” Tilray hands Icarus the daggers. “Go watch another match or something.”

“Fun,” she says sarcastically but leaves.

After a few seconds of walking in the forest, they arrive to a place that seems like the place where they started to divide into group. “Sit down,” Icarus says as he takes a bag that is against a tree. Agrion obliges. He sits down with his back against the tree. Icarus opens the bag and pulls something out that Agrion doesn’t see. “This might sting.”

He presses something against the cut. It surely stings Agrion, but it is not a pain that he cannot withstand. Agrion knows what he is doing. He is cleaning the cut. He feels Icarus pressing several times. Then the pressing stops.

“Yeah, it needs stitches,” Icarus says and proceeds to search something in the bag. “I would offer some alcoholic beverage or something to bite down on, but I have none. Maybe you can try to bite your hand. Surely it will numb the pain of the stitches by causing you pain in your hand.”

Agrion chuckles. He doesn’t know if it was meant to be a joke, but it surely relaxes him. He feels his neck hurt as he chuckles, causing him to stop. He waits for Icarus to pass the needle patiently.

Agrion cannot help but look at Icarus’s icy blue eyes. Even though his eyes and Hakea’s eyes are blue, they do not resemble at all. Icarus’s eyes seem rougher and as if they were holding a dark secret while Hakea’s eyes do not. “You are a vault,” Agrion says, trying not to move his mouth much, “aren’t you?”

“I don’t know what you mean by that,” Icarus answers. He is not looking at Agrion’s face, but at his neck.

“You don’t talk about anything personal,” he says. “You don’t talk about yourself nor about anyone that you know.”

“I guess I am.”

“I…” Agrion begins. “Can I tell you something?” Icarus does not answer so Agrion continues. “I think that I am in love with Hakea. I tried staying away from him. I tried yelling at him, forcing him to get away from me, but it only drove him closer. And he is totally obsessed with Phoenix that it keeps him from looking past her and noticing me. He even kissed her. He never tried that with me…”

Icarus places something inside the bag. He then places a hand on Agrion’s shoulder. “Hang in there,” that’s all he says before he stands up and leaves.

Agrion stares at his hands. Hang in there. He should hang in there, but for how long? Would Hakea notice him someday? He nods at nothing. Hang in there until the feelings are gone.

***

Xeon told Hakea and Agrion that he will meet them at the lunchroom. He didn’t tell them why, but the truth is that he needed to use the bathroom. He opens the tap to wash the soap off his hands. When he closes it, he shakes his hands as he looks at the mirror.

What does Wither have that Xeon doesn’t? They both have black hair. Xeon knows that his hair needs a little haircut. Right now, it is blocking the upper part of his eyes. They both have black eyes. They both have white skin, except that Xeon’s skin is paler. They aren’t so different! Why does Zanna prefer Wither over Xeon?

Xeon leaves the bathroom. As he walks out of the bathroom, he almost trips with a big man in a red armor, whose coming in. He is the opposite of Xeon. He has blond hair and is constructed big, while Xeon is tall and slim. Xeon knows that that man is one of the best mentors. He is Demetrio.

“Aren’t you one of Icarus’s pawns?” he asks. Xeon only nods. Demetrio’s eyes go to Xeon’s back. “You wield a scythe. Interesting choice. Are you any good with it?”

“I haven’t had any problems with it,” Xeon answers.

“May I look at it?” Demetrio asks. Can Xeon refuse a mentor? He takes the scythe from his back and hands it to him. He scans it. “Sharp blade. Strong handle. There’s no hint of being used. You know how to take care of your weapon.” He hands it back to Xeon. “Follow me.”

“Aren’t you going to use the bathroom?” Xeon asks.

“It can wait,” Demetrio answers. “Come on. Don’t make me ask twice.” Xeon follows Demetrio. He stops in front of the nearest tree and pulls out his huge sword. “Attack me.”

“Why?”

“We do not ask questions, kid. Us, men, only fight. Attack me.”

Xeon slashes his scythe. Demetrio blocks with his sword. The blades of the scythe and the sword are different. They are built different and placed differently. Xeon knows that. Demetrio swings his swords. Xeon moves to the side, almost without raising his feet. Demetrio continues slashing his sword as Xeon continues sliding away. Then Xeon strikes his scythe.

Demetrio sees it coming. Xeon did not think that such a huge man could move so quick. Demetrio’s sword hit the scythe and sends it flying. He catches it on the air.

“You do know that scythes are horrible weapons for blocking,” Demetrio says. “That is why you prefer to evade. But your evasion looks calm and slow, even though they aren’t. You should use that to your advantage. Instead of sliding away, you should slide closer to the enemy. It will not give the enemy enough room to attack you. That is when you strike with the scythe.”

He throws the scythe at Xeon. He catches it. “Why are you helping me if we are enemies?” Xeon dares to ask.

“We are not enemies, boy,” Demetrio answers. “Your mentor, even though I hate to admit, is one of the strongest of the mentors. He is almost as strong as me. Morning will not be foolish enough to make us clash in a trial. If he can keep us alive to keep working for him, he will.”

“And why are you helping me?” Xeon repeats.

“You have lady problems, I can tell,” Demetrio says. “As a chick magnet, I know. Women like power, they like when men are strong. Become strong and she would be yours.”

Xeon doesn’t nod. He looks at the floor. “But how can I become strong?”

“First off, don’t look down when you are talking,” Demetrio says. “You are strong. Let everyone know that. Show confidence.” Then he stops talking for a second. “No. Don’t copy me. Your style is the quiet but dangerous type. Chicks dig that.” He looks at the sun. “You know what? I am going to make a man out of you. Meet me tonight, past curfew, by the lake.”

Demetrio doesn’t wait for Xeon to answers. He pats Xeon on the back, which seems almost as a hit, and leaves to the bathroom. What has Xeon gotten himself into?