CHAPTER 65: BEST FRIENDS DON’T TRY TO KILL EACHOTHER

Theo’s feet slammed against the arena floor with a force that cracked the tiles beneath her. A shockwave burst outward, dust lifting in a circular ripple around her.

Eric barely had a second to widen his eyes before she was on him.

Her falchion arced toward his ribs in a blur, faster than he remembered, faster than she had ever been. He jerked his jian up to block, but the impact sent him stumbling three steps back and his arms trembled from the raw force of it.

This wasn’t the Theo he knew. This wasn’t even the Theo he thought he knew. And she didn’t give him a second to breathe.

Suddenly, Theo vanished from his line of sight, only to reappear at his flank, dragging her blade against the stone and sparks rode up, trailed like a comet.

Her second strike came from the side, and her blade carved a violent gouge through the ground where he had been standing, with a tremor running around the arena. Eric barely managed to twist out of the way.

The Second-years who had been cheering a moment ago suddenly went dead silent.

Theodora didn’t stop.

She launched herself upward, her claws scraping the ground as she accelerated like a predator pouncing. Her blade slashed down in a sweeping, punishing strike that would’ve shattered someone else’s weapon clean in half.

Eric crossed his jian and forearm to absorb the blow but the impact tore through his block, sending him skidding across the floor, his boots carving deep trenches as he fought to stay upright.

His chest rose and fell in harsh, ragged breaths as he looked back up at her. He often trained with her when they would sneak into the training grounds back at the North, and he knew she was good at fighting.

But he never imagined she was this good.

His grip shook just thinking about it.

Theo straightened slowly and looked at him also, blood still matting half her face. Her claws flexed with each breath she took, calculating her next attack.

Eric charged forward again, refusing to be overwhelmed, but she vanished again.

Theo dashed to the right, her tailbone twisting with inhuman agility as she pivoted hard, her claws scraping off the floor with a screech.

She slammed her heel into his side so hard she sent him rolling.

But Eric was quickly on his feet, and her shadow fell on his back like a death sentence.

His breath hitched. How did she get there so fast again?

She swung horizontally, and he barely ducked. The blaze sliced through some strands of his hair, leaving a clean slice, and also went through the wall, leaving a massive, jagged scar in the stone.

Eric spun, thrusting his jian up for a counterstrike, but Theo blocked it with one hand, and her claws locked around his blade with a screech of metal bending under her grip.

Eric’s eyes widened.

Her strength was devastating.

Then, she shoved him back so violently that he stumbled on his knees.

The crowd gasped, and Roman’s grin had long turned to that of horror.

Then, Theodora advanced toward Eric slowly, watching him like a predator ready to deliver the finishing blow. She hadn’t meant for this match to last this long against Eric, but he had been blocking all her blows that were supposed to knock him out and end this torture for both of them.

Just as she was about to move, Eric spoke up, "Teddy," His voice was soft, and she froze in her steps.

She looked at him. His eyes were softer, trembling softly with fear as he looked at her, "Teddy, you’re hurting me. We are best friends,"

Her grip faltered, and the tears started to come back.

*Is he really... trying to manipulate you right now?* Seraphina growled inside her, her anger rising.

In response, Theo’s claws grew even longer and her aura blazed.

Eric crawled backwards, "Teddy, please...,"

*Goddamn him!* Seraphina growled again, *Don’t listen to him, Theo. He attacked you first, remember?*

"You know I would never hurt you on purpose," Eric continued, "They made me do it. The Guys...they said they would break me if I didn’t beat you up, and then they’d break you too. I did this for both of us. Please, Teddy,"

Theodora was torn on what to do. She looked up to the Second-year stands, each and every one of them glaring back at her.

Something as simple as defeating them in a run had caused all this.

*Stop listening to him, Theo. What if he...*

Eric suddenly surged upward, lunging with surprising speed. His sword came straight for her neck, about to slice through...and Seraphina quickly took control.

Theo’s arm moved on their own, catching the blade right before it could touch her skin. With a terrifying grip, she crushed and snapped the blade, tossing the remains away.

Eric’s eyes widened in shock, and he instantly tried to retreat.

Seraphina didn’t let him.

She seized his wrist mid-motion and twisted so sharply he winced. Then she slammed her forehead into his nose with a crack that burst blood in a spray.

Eric stumbled back, disoriented.

*Seraphina! What are you doing?!* Theo yelled angrily at her wolf.

*Are you blind? He just tried to kill you! He actually aimed for your neck, and he would have sliced your head clean off. I don’t know about you but I don’t care who put him up to this. Best friends don’t try to kill each other!*

She swept his legs, kicked him in the stomach as he fell, then launched him straight up with an uppercut to the jaw. The crowd nearly screamed as his body flew several feet into the air.

Before he could hit the ground, Theo’s body leapt into the air, twisting like a tornado and then she slammed her elbow into the back of his spine.

He crashed into the earth with a loud thud, dust rising around him as he coughed out blood.

She landed on both feet. With a burst of strength, she quickly seized control back from her wolf.

*Theo, I--* Seraphina tried to speak.

*Don’t you dare!* Theo snarled back at her, *I didn’t ask you to do anything! I was going to handle this my way!*

*And what? I should have just watched you die? Hell nah! I might belong to you, Theo, but we are friends, and I can’t let you die! I can’t let us both die!*

*Just shut up! SHUT UP, you hear me?*

She could feel Seraphina twitching with restrained anger inside her but she didn’t care at the moment. She ran straight to Eric, who was now too injured to move.

"Hey, are you alright?" She panted.

Just then, Shaw walked into the arena and his eyes swept over Eric’s fallen form.

"Winner of the final triad," His voice rang across, "Thaddeus Douglas and Roman Barlowe! Victory to the first-years!"

A roar exploded throughout the arena. It was a chaotic mix of awe, shock, confusion, disbelief and excitement.

The Medics rushed into the arena, carried Eric onto a stretcher and ran off with him again.

Theo stood there, shaking. She was very restless. She was mad at a lot of people, lots of factors.

And then, her eyes snapped at Roman.

She was going to kill the fool.