The bait has been set. Now he waits. Looking through the gaps of the bush, he can't help but get slightly angry at the girl accepting what happened so easily.
Laid in front of him was a blind girl hanging from a tree by her feet, not even bothering to put up a fight. Though he could not really blame her—after all, he put her there, and who would dare try to fight back against him? Well, if one were to look at him, they would see a pale, skinny, and of course, average-height boy. Yet he was able to use that to his benefit, so he couldn't be that mad. His head swung to his left slowly but intently as he heard the bushes from behind the blind girl rustling. Out came a tall girl with short silver hair, her face stoic as she stared at the blind girl hanging. He darted his eyes around, seeing if anybody came with her before focusing on the wooden training sword resting in her hand.
"Come out."
He flinched a little but stayed in the bushes nonetheless—after all, she could be bluffing. Well, that's what he thought until, between the gaps of the bushes, he saw a rock about to smash into his face.
Some may ask what is even happening currently. It's honestly fairly simple. After a year-long nightmare, he was finally able to beat it—though he'd rather not delve back into those memories just yet. Then he was met by Master Soul Reaper Jet, who was a fellow outskirts rat like him, apparently. Soon after that, he was enlisted into the Awakened Academy, where he took the wilderness course by Master Jet's recommendation. And good thing he did, because currently all the students were in a practice test that was situated in a fake forest. After seeing the poor, weak blind girl getting ganged up on, of course a noble hero like him had to step up and save her! On top of that, after saving her, with a little convincing, he was even able to get her permission to use her as bait!
Well, as you can see, that backfired as he just narrowly avoided having his nose broken, rolling out of the bush now staring down the one he now remembers as the Daughter of Immortal Flame. A nervous smile brushed across his face as the awkward silence continued on before a voice rang out.
"Look! It's her!"
The girl darted her head back, being met with nothing... that was until she looked down, seeing a seemingly ordinary rock. That was the last thing she saw before her vision shifted toward the sky—the boy's head drilling into her stomach as he tackled her to the floor. Lifting his upper body up, he didn't get the chance to do anything as she flipped him over, now reversing the positions. Though that didn't deter him at all, as he wrapped his legs around her waist, using her shoulders like a monkey would use branches to latch onto her, slamming his head into hers. Both of their worlds spun, but due to experiences she has yet to face despite years of training, he came to his senses first.
Wasting no time, he brandished his wooden training knife before rushing past her, cutting the blind girl from the rope, throwing her over his shoulder, and running off. Well, attempting to at least—after all, he forgot how weak his body was. It was more like a jog than a run.
"Duck..."
He looked around, trying to spot the animal—after all, he wasn't told they would be adding any animals in the makeshift forest. Those were his last thoughts before a sharp pain echoed through his body as he was struck straight across the head, falling over, the blind girl landing on top of him.
"I told you to duck."
He scowled before lifting his head to look at her.
"How could you even... you know what, never mind."
Rolling from underneath her, he stared at the silver-haired girl approaching him. Reaching over to his side, he couldn't find his wooden training knife anywhere. So now disarmed, struggling to stand up, and still discombobulated, it was obvious how this was going to go. At least, that's what he thought before the blind girl stood up as well, stretching her arms out, her facial expression now slightly nervous. She didn't say anything, but she must have been trying to protect him... he wondered how he was going to tell her she was in front of a tree stump instead of him.
"I suggest you forfeit. There are only around ten left, and I'm sure the next who find you won't be so merciful."
He wasn't sure if he should take her words as her looking out for them, or if he should be insulted. Well, it didn't matter anyway—after all, he had no intention of backing down. Digging his hands into the mud, he looked up at her before a perfidious grin twisted across his face.
"Sorry, you see, someone once taught me that as soon as I back down... no matter how small the thing I back down from, it will only lead to my dream lacking no real substance."
His hand flung toward her, flinging the mud at her face, and as expected, she avoided it, rushing at him, her sword already in motion to swing down at him. But surprisingly, the boy shifted, letting it hit him in his left shoulder. As she tried pulling it back, he had already closed distance with her, stretching his left hand to her face. Her eyes followed it, watching where he was trying to aim, as if the world was slowed down—yet it was for naught, as a sharp pain bit into her side... and maybe that was quite literal, as she saw his teeth dug into her lumbar. Whether out of shock or pain, she flinched back as he released his jaw. That one singular moment of hesitation led to his right fist crashing into her nose, sending her head flying back as he jumped back, holding his left shoulder.
Yet he had no chance to celebrate his hit onto a Legacy.
"Damnation... that's so unfair..."
Those were the only words he could speak as white flames burst at her nose, any damage burning away with the flames. He was about to grab another scoop of mud—though he doubted it would work this time. That, of course, was before a large thud was heard as the silver-haired girl fell forward. The blind girl was holding a rock far too big for her hands behind her, a smidgen of blood laying on the part she struck her with.
"I suppose I never introduced myself. You can call me Cassie... oh, and by the way, happy late birthday."