The Forgotten Slayer-Chapter 24: Prospect

One week had gone by since Clyde became conscious.

Outside of Avalor in a field, Lapis and Bell were dueling each other. Meanwhile, Clyde and Avelyn were just observing.

Because of Clyde's second awakening, he would no longer qualify for the arcane crucible. It was crucial that Bell or Lapis would win the tournament so the primary focus would be to train them heavily.

Both have been improving but Lapis was superior in most regards.

After a struggle, Bell hit the dirt with a loud thud. Following up, Avelyns voice rang.

"Stop, both of you are done for today."

The sun was beginning to set and they had been at it for a few hours already.

Bell made her way to Clyde and Avelyn. It was then that Clyde realized he had forgot to ask if Avelyn knew Bell. They both had the same hair color and were likely from the same country.

"I've been meaning to ask, do you think Bell is from Redwood also?"

Avelyn took a second to respond and shook her head.

"I actually asked her that shortly after meeting her, but she doesn't remember. I don't think she is either, there's something different with her."

Bell had finally gotten close to them.

"What are you two talking about?"

Clyde answered.

"You."

Honesty was something Clyde believed in more than anything.

"Oh.. do you have any tips for me?"

Clyde answered with the truth.

"If I'm being honest, I have no idea how to help you. Your abilities are of a holy nature that I've never seen before and im sure Avelyn hasn't seen it either."

Bell became dejected causing Avelyn to cut in.

"Bell, you are strong. Your opponent is just stronger, if you let that put you down then you won't be able to grow. Watch me and Clyde carefully, it might open your eyes."

Lapis was sitting some distance away and now Bell was going to join him.

Since Clyde had his double awakening, the only person he could train with properly was Avelyn.

Because their capabilities were so destructive, the winner was decided by who could land the first hit.

Clyde was standing across from her. The outline of her body was glowing as the sun was shining behind her. A gust of wind caused her long hair to flow to the side.

Before she started to move, the dirt below Clyde became ice.

By now, Clyde was adapt in moving without losing his footing. It did require apart of his mind to focus on stability though.

She wasn't able to move as fast in an instant like Clyde, but her speed was constant and threatening on ice. Her mastery was impressive.

She closed the sizeable distance within three seconds. Clyde had not moved, standing like a statue. Her right arm was raised and a sword of ice manifested into her hand. In the next second she was swinging downward toward Clyde's head.

'Breathe.'

Over the past week Clyde had learned to divide his power to perceive time. Currently he was only perceiving the motion in front of him, while his body was still moving at a normal pace. Doing this the cost of this maneuver was dramatically reduced. All he needed to do now was shift his body barely out of reach.

In the next instant the sword was brought down and crashed into the ground. From Bell and Lapis's perspective, Clyde had threaded the needle, barely escaping the blow.

Clyde continued to be put on the defensive as Avelyn disregarded her sword and opted to swing her fist. He could not constantly heighten his perception so now he was relying on his raw talent.

Left, right, right.

Clyde moved his head out of the way accordingly. On the third strike, he pivoted his body for a counterattack. His heart skipped a beat as he drove his fist upward to her stomach. Just before it connected, she jumped backward, recreating the distance assumed at the beginning of the fight.

The entire bout was around six seconds. This time Clyde would take the offensive for round two.

Clyde reached back, and thrust his arm forward. Exiting a finger, a small bolt of energy began to fly toward Avelyn. She had already prepared to block, realizing his plan as he brought his arm back. As the bolt reached the halfway distance, a wall of ice erected from the ground. On collision, the wall exploded, creating a cloud of smoke in its place.

Taking the chance, Clyde ran into the cloud. The smoke started to dissipate as Clyde neared his target. Avelyn saw him as well but it was too late. The shape of his fist was flying toward her and she had no choice but to prepare herself. Right before impact, Clyde put his thumb to his middle finger and flicked her lightly in the forehead.

Clyde fell to his knees and raised both of his arms up.

"I win!"

Following his grand proclamation, Avelyn slapped him across the face leaving a red mark on his cheek.

Clyde started to rub his face as she walked off toward the city. Lapis got up and chose to exit with her.

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Bell ran to Clyde with a smile on her face.

"You finally did it!"

Clyde had lost every battle against Avelyn at this point so he felt on top of the world. If they actually fought, he was unsure of who would really win because a fight like this was a test of control.

"That I did! Now it's your turn."

Bell had explained to Clyde that after hers and Lapis's first duel, she had lost every one after that. It was stunting her growth which suprised Clyde.

Seeing Clyde win today, Bell had a new sense of determination. Her face glowed as her eyes widened.

"I will!"

Bell extended her hand to Clyde, helping him up off the ground. The two of them could be heard laughing while following Avelyn and Lapis back to the city.

***

Somewhere in a private library, a man was sitting in a chair with a book in his hand. He had glasses on that were brown like his hair. Wearing a dark mantle that covered his figure, he emitted an aura of power.

Groaning he tossed the book to the floor.

"Why do I try to learn anything new. It's all repetitive."

The pile of books on the floor was quite sizable. The books were expensive enough that a person could live a rich life style if they were sold.

"Come in!"

There were several knocks on the door.

"Did you not hear me?"

John the Saint entered the room. He had fully recovered from the fight with Clyde aside from his missing hand.

"Have you decided on what to do with Avalor?"

Lucas was already bored with the conversation.

"You are still not over that? Show some maturity and accept your failure with grace. It is not everyday someone is so spectacularly weak they deny my truth."

John gritted his teeth and squeezed his hands. Noticing this, Lucas decided to act.

"Know your place."

John was brought to the floor with an invisible pressure. He could not move no matter how hard he tried.

There was power in absolution.

"Did I say you could speak?"

Now Lucas was just playing with him but that got boring. The pressure was released and John struggled to his feet.

"I was out of line, forgive me."

"I know you were, it's funny really. I don't even need to punish you because fate exist. As a reminder you will amount to nothing, living in my shadow for the rest of time. A thousand years from now, your name won't exist."

Lucas stood up and began searching for a book.

"The man you know as Clyde should have died. He currently exist outside of my authority, but I will restore order. With fate as my instrument he will perish and burn in two months."

John was glad to hear this but he wanted revenge personally.

"How is that possible?"

Lucas dropped a book on the floor.

"Whoever told you that asking questions gave you knowledge. You being assigned as my knight has made a thorn appear in my side. In one month and three weeks from now attend the arcane crucible. That is your only point of divergence to get your revenge."

"I understand."

John began to walk out of the room but was frozen.

"Do you really understand? My advice is to leave the strings I have placed intact. If you somehow ruin things again... I'll make sure your afterlife is ruined."

John couldn't speak but he was free to move. As he left the room, Lucas was left alone.

Letting out a yawn, he sat back down.

"Clyde, I wonder whose authority is backing you."