Chapter Forty-Five

Chapter Forty-Five

Shard covered Lui’s discarded sword in a layer of ice, gluing it to the floor. “How do you plan to beat me without a weapon?” Shard mocked, raising a brow.

“Easy,” Lui answered lightly with a smile. “Bore you to death with my incessant babbling! Or keep you busy long enough for DJ to do something. Whichever comes first, really.”

“Hang in there, Lui!” DJ shouted from his conflict with Iul. “You can do it!” 

“See?” Lui asked, smile widening. “He’s got it. Besides, I kinda have this thing against beating women.” 

Shard’s superior smirk melted into exasperation. “Then chivalry can die with you.” Shard raised her ice sword, but paused. She narrowed her eyes at Lui, who was still happily smiling back at her. Lui looked as though he knew something she didn’t. Lui’s boot was still stuck in ice, his sword was still frozen to the floor, and yet he knelt there smiling at her as though he didn’t have a care in the world. It irked Shard to no end. 

“Why are you doing that?” Shard asked suspiciously. “Stop it.” 

“Stop what?” Lui blinked at her. “Smiling? Smiling’s my fav-”

“STOP!” Shard shouted. “Just stop. Stop talking. Stop smiling. Stop!” Something was off. Shard gave Lui one more suspicious look. Lui was far from a threat even without being frozen to the floor. Shard frowned and turned to watch the DJs still in combat. 

The fight didn’t look like it was going well for either of them, but it was hard to tell who had the upper hand. “How are you holding up against the slime?” Shard called out to EDJ. 

Shard heard a crack and glanced back at Lui, who hadn’t moved.
“Just fine, although I haven’t gotten anywhere near his armor yet!” A familiar voice responded. 

“Wait,” Shard turned back to the fight in confusion. “Which DJ was it that answered me?” 

“The wrong one,” EDJ answered. He twisted to avoid another lance jab from DJ. “I guess we do sound irritatingly alike, don’t we?” EDJ asked. 

“Sadly, yes,” DJ responded. “The looks aren’t far off either. You could almost pull off being my evil twin.”

“Who says I haven’t?” EDJ answered with a laugh. He looked back at Shard and Lui, realizing they were no longer in combat. “What’s taking so long? Stop procrastinating, apprentice. Kill that rat and be done with it!” 

“I haven’t finished toying with him,” Shard muttered, mostly to herself. In a louder voice she asked, “Do you require assistance, master?” 

EDJ blocked an attack and charged in only to get thrown back. “NO! Now leave me alone! I’m concentrating!”

“Why do you remain loyal to him when he treats you that way?” Lui asked softly, voice heavy with genuine concern. 

Shard glared back at Lui. Lui’s empty hands were around the block of ice encasing his foot, but the ice was still solid enough to hold him in place. Suspicion did not leave Shard’s mind. “I owe him my freedom,” she muttered, turning back to watch the DJs battle. “Once we’re finished with the two of you,” Shard continued, tone threatening. “I’ll destroy everyone my weaker self befriended.” 

“Why would you do that?” Lui asked sincerely, carefully watching her.

Shard smirked. “Consider it recompense for standing in my way.”

“Is that all you are?” Lui questioned. “A bully? A bitter parasite feeding off Hanna’s fears and drowning her light?” 

Shard snapped around. “What did you call me?!” 

The fury in Shard’s red eyes should have intimidated him. Instead, Lui laughed at her response. “Sorry, did I hit a nerve with that one, squeaky?” he asked with a bright smile. 

Shard’s icy claw melted away, but the sword remained. She lifted the weapon and tilted her head. “Are you trying to anger me, weakling?” she asked. 

“Who are you calling weakling, moody?” Lui responded with a grin. “You're the one with the violently swinging emotions that can't stay straight for an hour at a time!” He giggled. 

Shard stepped closer, anger never leaving and tone serious. “I am one move away from ending your life… I could kill you as easily as ripping petals off a flower. The only reason you’re still alive is so that I can cause your friend as much pain as possible.” She gave a sinister smile. “How does killing you in front of him sound?”

“Sounds like fun!” Lui answered, confident smile remaining. “You couldn’t bring yourself to kill me then.” Lui shook his head. “I don’t think you’ll do it now.” 

“Bold words for a coward hiding in the shadow of his Original,” Shard responded with malice. 

“I don’t have to be in his shadow,” Lui said with a knowing look. “I’ve got my own. See?” Lui’s hands, which were closed around the ice on his boot, twisted outward, palms glowing with white light. The act surprised Shard into jumping back. Lui stood, wrenching his foot free of the half-melted ice. Shard lunged at him with the sword, but her opponent rolled out of the way. Lui grabbed his frozen sword’s handle and yanked on it, but could not free it from its icy prison. He kicked the blade, cutting his boot, but the weapon did not budge. Lui looked up in time to narrowly avoid another sword swipe to the face. 

A strong gale pulled at them, knocking Shard and Lui both down. Wind? Where did the wind- Lui turned to the Original and Evil Other battle in time to see a large cyclone of fire form in the center of the room. Oh no. Lui watched the fiery tornado spin, both sides of the battle oblivious to anything or anyone else. The wind whipped around Lui’s head, pulling at anything that wasn’t nailed down. Lui glanced around the room. Lights flickered and paneling started to peel from the walls. They’re going to bring the whole castle down at this rate! Lui glanced at Shard, who was hugging the ground in an effort not to get pulled in. She created a wall of ice between her and the cyclone, granting herself protection. Lui looked back at the battle with a frown. Concentrating, Lui drew a three pointed pattern in the air, raised his hand, and immediately yanked it down with all his strength. A large bolt of lightning exploded in the center of the room.