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Chapter One: Running Towards, Running Away

The darkness surrounding her was so great, she wouldn't have been able to see her hand if she clamped it over her face. Her left ear picked up the faintest of footsteps behind her, but she remained perfectly still with arms raised and knees bent. In her mind she could see two columns close to where she heard the footstep; so many times had she trained in the sprawling room with a hundred columns placed in locations of varying distance from one another that she'd memorized where each and every one of them stood.

As she expected, something had leaped between the two columns to move along the unseen ceiling. One hand was ready for an upward strike, but the other slowly moved behind her back in response to another footstep. Silence fell over the shadowed room again; she stayed perfectly still with her mind focused only on what was coming next. Even the bead of sweat on her forehead would not be allowed to begin its descent until the silence was broken.

At last she heard new movement and dropped into a perfect split. A burst of wind whipped her hair as one attack soared by after which she shot up and blocked the second with a kick. Though she couldn't even see her own arms and legs she succeeded in blocking every ensuing strike while her fingers began to glow. The golden light grew as strings materialized around all ten of her fingers. The figures of pure shadow each resembling a towering woman with a flowing cape continued to attack but couldn't land a single blow. The longer they went on, the stronger her golden light grew until her whole person was visible.

She stood in a dark dress with a poofy skirt and three vibrant bows going down the front and back. Her hair as golden as her light was tied into three braided ponytails, two in front and one in back. The dark boots that went to her knees left the ground so she could send her two foes crashing into one another. No sooner had she ascended than two more shadowy figures had leaped in her direction. From all ten fingers the strings flew, four going to each of the midair targets and two more snaking behind her to knock off another hiding behind a barely visible column. The two in the air were tossed by the strings into the two she'd previously incapacitated, leaving only one to regain its composure. She allowed it no time to do so, landing on one leg and beginning to twirl her entire body. The golden strings spun and spun, putting her in the center of a blazing ring. She could see a shadowy footstep going in the opposite direction and allowed it to go no further. The strings split into pieces no longer than her fingers; every single one of them sliced through the fifth target. Just as the other four had finished disappearing in clouds of black smoke, it began to do the same.

When her attack was finished, she found herself in total darkness once again. Her breathing had turned heavy, but she used it to her advantage by letting out a long, pained gasp. Something leaping between columns told her the bait had been taken, so she returned to the air with an extended knee. The sudden push back and sound of something slamming into a column told her she'd executed her plan to perfection. Upon landing she did five back flips to catch the other target she'd heard sneaking about off guard and deliver a kick to the back of its head. Again golden light revealed her person as the shadow beings slowly got back on their feet. Though blood started to run down her fists, she stood her ground and took a punch to the face with a small smirk.

As soon as they materialized, the strings swung like knives. Each one cut through a different column at just the right point to make them fall. Neither her nor her opponents had any chance of escaping the collapsing columns, but while they turned into harmless smoke she broke through the rebel and stood on top of it. The strings she allowed to dissipate had just finished doing so when another source of light appeared.

The large door had been opened just enough for a towering woman with a flowing cape to be fully seen. Unlike the others, however, her skin was pure flesh and eyes a fearsome red like the fire-shaped red emblem adorning her crown of gold. The shining red bottoms of her black boots rose high with every echoing step she took. Violet hair flowed in sync with the cape behind her; fingers left exposed by black gloves reaching to her elbows began to fade from sight as the door slowly shut. The dark violet skirt and top only remained visible through the lines of red jewels running along them, but even they were swallowed up when the door closed. There would not be another short eternity of silence though, only a split-second stare-down between fierce red eyes and anxious grey ones. A second later, the sound of running boots served as the beginning of a new battle.

Grunts, punches and rubble being crushed beneath their feet served as the soundtrack for their duel. No words were spoken, no moment of reprieve taken and no thoughts in either of their minds except bringing their opponent to her knees. Punches and kicks were thrown and blocked, every attack immediately countered; if one of them knew they were about to be forced against a column, they would speed up their barrage to reverse the tide. All around the room they went, showing no mercy to the other. But while one maintained her relentless pace, the other began to slow and spend more time on defense.

The room filled with columns was no stranger to hosting duels between these two. What began as a frightened little girl who could barely keep her hair out of her eyes let alone stay on her feet gave way to an angry little girl taking furious jabs that only connected with the air. After days that turned into weeks that turned into months, the little girl landed her first blow and even managed to draw blood. She was rewarded for celebrating in the middle of a duel by being knocked off her feet. Soon she learned how to roll out of harm's way and stay alert for anymore surprises. With each sparring session the little girl grew physically, mentally and emotionally, using every missed strike and staggering blow to learn how she could fare better next time. Through blood running down her arms, sweat forming pools around her trembling body and at times tears that her grey eyes couldn't contain, she went from being taken down by a single punch to standing her ground even as her stamina faded.

In present day, the duel went on for over an hour. The young woman was barely keeping each punch and kick away from her body; when she got pushed into a column, she jumped out of the way but landed so close to her opponent that she took a whip-around kick to the stomach. She let herself stumble a bit, then back-flipped to perch herself on a column from which she launched a soaring kick. After the kick was caught and her body tossed onto the floor, she swung out her legs in an effort to trip up her foe. Her legs hit nothing, but she'd heard a footstep to pinpoint which column her opponent was perched on. Her heartbeat sped up, her legs threatened to give out and every nerve in her stinging hands screamed at her to relent, but ten more burning golden strings materialized to illuminate the room around her. One by one the strings extended and wrapped themselves around a large chunk of remaining debris.

The master charged into the light; her student retaliated by flinging the chunks of debris one by one. She punched through the first, shattered the second with her knee and with a headbutt that drew blood crushed the third. The next two came slow enough for her to simply sidestep them, but the sixth traveled so fast her punch came too late. Tiny pieces cut each cheek, so she let out her anger with a clap of her hands that caught the next two and smashed them against one another. She jumped to avoid the ninth then caught the tenth and hurled it back; the golden puppeteer took it head on with a pained scream but stayed standing. Once each string had thrown its projectile, it fell to the floor and formed a circle. All ten strings had come together, casting light over the entire room. From above there was a gasp, and from the bottom came a triumphant grin; the student had the master right where she wanted her.

A tower of fire erupted from the golden circle, shooting all the way to the ceiling. The floor shook, remaining debris rattled and the closest column collapsed without even being touched by the explosive energy. There was no sign of relenting, no part of the tower dimming, and no end to the overwhelming heat that engulfed the entire room. The creator of the spiraling inferno put her hands on her hips, rose her head to look at the flames snaking along the ceiling and, just as she was about to open her mouth, realized she had no feeling in her legs. The next wave of darkness fell over not only the room, but her consciousness.