Page 38 of A Simple Truth

He drew another fire circle in the air, motioning for me to smother it, but no matter how long I stared at it, it didn’t budge. He let out a disappointed scoff.

“Use your hands. Eye channeling is rare, and a very hard skill to acquire,” he grumbled, and I listened, feeling defeated. But the fire didn’t budge regardless of how hard I tried. The General rolled his eyes, his calloused hands grabbing mine as he adjusted my fingers for the right move.

He palmed my hand, showing me the motion. “Try it now,” he instructed, finally letting go of my hand. My fingers moved and though it was excruciatingly slow, the fire did fade.

“Good,” he said, unenthusiastic, as if I hadn’t just accomplished a brand-new skill, arareskill, but I shut my mouth. He was actually teaching me things I wanted to learn, and I wasn’t going to ruin that now.

“Shaping is very simple too,” he continued.

I childishly mimicked his ‘look at me. I am a cool Destroyer General. I am so amazing. Everything is all so simple’ in my head, only allowing my eyes to narrow a bit.

“Instead of hurling the fire, like with the fireballs, you release it, but imagine it as if it’s tethered to you. Not fully letting go. Try it,” he said, as if I knew how. But I held in a breath as I summoned fire once more. I clenched my teeth, his hand smacking my elbow up, but this time, I let the fireball float instead of lobbing it. I felt a bit of a pull. “Keep your thumb extended,” he snarled, and I was sure my jaw was going to snap as I shut it tightly, but I obediently adjusted my thumb, moving my hand, only to rapidly lose control as the fireball now flew towards the tree behind me. With a displeased look on his face, the General caught it before it incinerated the tree.

“We’ll practice more on that,” he uttered, and my lips turned into thin lines. “Now, what you felt a few minutes ago was an act ofUtradecend.Think of it as arm wrestling, but only with your powers. The skill is not unique to Justice Fire wielders, which makes it so much more fun, don’t you think?” He smirked but I didn’t return the gesture. “Simply explained, it’s a clash of powers. You’re challenging theirs until one yields, a process that, as you just experienced, is not very pleasurable. Or at least, so I’ve heard.” His face plastered with an arrogant smile—his look getting under my skin. “Most Destroyers will stay away from those kinds of power contests. They are dangerous and foolishbecause it’s a gamble of whose power will yield first. You must be skilled enough to master your power on such a level, and not very many are, though occasionally some may try.”

“Foolish and skilled. How lucky of you to be both.” My eye pierced the back of his head hoping it’d light up on fire, as he walked away from me.

“It is only foolish if you don’t know how to beat the odds. But you and I, dearFinnleah, have something nobody else does...” He turned his head just far enough to glance at me.

“Raw fire…” I quickly finished, though hearing my name—my actualname—on his tongue, sent shivers down my spine.

“Raw fire is powerful, unyielding. It will never succumb to other Destroyers’ fire.”

“And yet, you had no issue claiming mine?” I said, glaring at him.

All of a sudden, my chest squeezed even tighter, and I was painfully suffocating again. This time, I reached deep within myself only to feel the presence of a foreign power, recoiling as it swirled, mixing with mine. A moment later, the hold loosened, and I was gasping for air, my eyes lighting up with fury as I watched his face twist with a malicious smile.

“We both wield raw fire.Utradecendis an old way to ensure that only the strongest, mosttalentedand mostpowerfulDestroyers lead the Empire. That even Destroyer Cleansing Fire recognizes him…or herif she stops pouting and practices what I tell her to do as the rightful rulers and true Justice Wielders.” He grinned, happy of his smart-ass remark.

The General continued speaking, but my mind was distracted, picturing him on his knees, baffled, as he suffocated, his powers succumbing to mine, as I wiped that egotistical look from ‘the most talented and powerful Destroyer’.

It was an image that brought a certain delight to my eyes.

“How do IUtradecendtheGeneral?”I loudly asked Zora. The Ten, surprised by my question, paused their training to gawk at me. Zora quickly gestured to the Ten to continue training as she made her way to me.

“You don’t,” she replied, taking another look at me. “I guess the training with Gideon is going well.” The corner of her eyes crinkled with a soft smile. “You can’t win against Gideon. At least not withUtradecention. He is the most powerful Destroyer to ever exist. Like,ever.” At my skeptic look she added, “Yeah, I know, but there was even a whole prophecy about him, so don’t waste your time. But where is this all coming from?”

I clenched my jaw tighter, until the muscles felt like they would snap.

“There has to be something I can do to shove that pompous smirk of his up some dark places?” I probed not hiding my frustration. Zora laughed at that.

“Well, if that’s all that you were trying to accomplish, then perhaps there is something we can do.” Her innocent smile now turned wicked. “You are a Justice Wielder, after all, and as long as he has no reason to useUtradecend, you could—” She scanned me up and down, considering, “In theory, you could beat him, but it would be a win based purely on a brilliant strategy. Luckily for you, that is my specialty.”

22

FINNLEAH

Zora was waiting for me by the tree, standing with a sword in her hand.

“What pack of wolves did you piss off?” she asked as her eyes widened.

“He is a pretentious pig!” I seethed, steaming.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that before. What happened?” She examined me from head to toe, taking in the damage. I angrily ripped off the remains of my shirt, not wanting to look at what condition my pants were in.

“Well…” I started, attempting to find the words to match my fury. “He said that he was going to make losing more useful to me, then he proceeded to give my clothes a so-called makeover with his swords as he landed a few nipping blows. I landed a few of my own, and then I went for his shoulder, just like we planned, but he seemed to have anticipated it. He then tripped me, pointed his sword at my throat, and said, ‘the first alterations are on me, the next ones I'll charge you for.’”

Zora stifled a giggle, and I glared in return.

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