Page 221 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

“Then I bid you good night. I shall retire to my room.”

“Not so fast,” he snaps, grabbing my arm. “I believe you and I have unfinished business.”

“Do. Not. Touch. Me,” I grit out. Energy rolls over me, enveloping me from head to toe as I blast him to the other end of the corridor.

His face betrays his surprise as he barely lands on his feet. Soon, his expression turns to one of pure anger as he glares at me, unleashing his own energy and sending a blast toward me.

I lean backward, dodging the attack.

Ah, but it feels good to have my powers back.

Rumors say Theron is a level eight, soon to take his level nine exam. Yet I don’t care that there are multiple levels of energy separating us. The mere fact that he dared to show up here, that he dared to put his slimy hand on me, awakens something primal inside of me.

Turning to face him fully, I manifest a sword in each hand. His eyes widen.

“Scared?” I tilt my head and smile at him.

“You fucking bitch,” he curses before he manifests his own sword and charges at me.

Hie energy is a muted red as it swirls in waves around him. A descendant of the House of Pyros, his main specialization is fire. Not ideal considering mine is ice. But it appears it’s finally time to put to the test which element is stronger.

Before he can reach me, I teleport behind him. His reaction time is a couple seconds delayed as he breathes harshly and sends a blast of fire toward me.

Jumping up, I evade the first blow, but he sends a second and a third in quick succession. Rotating in the air, I avoid all the blasts while moving closer to him. As my foot touches the floor when I’m a few paces away, ice forms on the surface of the ground beneath his feet.

His sword comes up to block my blows, infusing his blade with his fire energy, which melts through my icy blades. But as I give him a slight push, he slides backward, slipping. He startleswhen he notices the icy floor and I take advantage of this to kick his leg until he drops to his knees.

“My, my, Theron. Is this the great soldier I’ve heard about?” I laugh in his face.

His pride seems to take a steeper fall than his body. Red blotches appear on his face, going down his neck. His eyes blaze a deep red as he releases a loud cry and presses his hands to the floor, melting the ice.

He strikes at me with his sword and while I parry his blows, he uses his left hand to form a ball of fire that he launches at me.

I move to the side, but it’s too late to avoid it.

A ragged groan of pain escapes my lips as the fire burns through my dress and the skin of my stomach. I clutch onto the injured area, glaring at him with murderous rage.

“Pain looks good on you, Minerva.” He chuckles.

My nostrils flare, and with a loud cry, I launch myself at him, letting all my energy loose.

I strike and he parries. Aiming for his face, he brings his sword up to stop the attack, imbuing it with scorching heat in an attempt to melt my ice swords.

A smile curves at my lips.

Fire might melt ice, but he forgot about a certain trick my family is known for.

There is regular ice, and there is also unbreakable ice.

The heat does nothing to damage my blade, and with a strong push, I cut through the metal of his sword.

His eyes widen when the upper part of his sword clinks against the ground, but I don’t allow him any time to recover. Brandishing my sword against his cheek, I cut from his forehead to his neck. Blood oozes to the surface as a gaping hole appears on his face.

He lets out a whiny shriek before he catapults himself away from me. He raises his hand to his left cheek, feeling for thedamage. More blood pools around his fingers, dripping down his arm. It’s a nasty sight.

The perfect Theron is not so perfect anymore.

“Blood looks even better on you, Theron,” I shoot back.

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