Erik stepped out of the Yellow Palace's training room. The training had been harsh, but despite this and the fatigue he had accumulated, he felt exhilarated and happy for his gains. He knew he needed something to replenish his energy and spotted a vending machine on the ground floor. As he walked towards it, he dug into his pocket to retrieve some coins.
As he was about to make his selection, he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Hey, Erik!" Amber called out. He turned around to greet her, a smile spreading across his face. "Hey, Amber, did you just finish your training?" he asked, happy to see her.
"Yeah, I did. It was tough, but I feel like I made some progress today," Amber replied, a hint of satisfaction in her voice. "What about you? How was your training?"
"It was intense, but I feel like I'm making progress, too," Erik said, nodding.
Amber looked at Erik as if he were a monster. "You improved quite a bit in the past few months. Shouldn't you rest a bit?" she said. Erik smiled and replied, "I appreciate your concern, but I don't want to lose the momentum. I have set a goal for myself and want to achieve it as soon as possible. Besides, there is still much to do…"
Erik then looked at the coin he had in his hands and then at the vending machine. "I'm about to grab a drink from the vending machine. Do you want anything?"
Amber thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I'm good. But thanks for offering." Erik selected a water bottle at the end and inserted the coins into the machine. As he waited for the bottle to drop, he glanced over at Amber. He didn't know why, but lately, she had been different, not only in how she behaved but even in how she dressed. Despite being in an institution where the only thing that mattered was training, the young girl had time to put on makeup or make her hair look nicer. It was weird for him, to be honest, since he didn't think she had that kind of interest. Of course, Amber did that to get his attention, but he overlooked it due to their friendship and his strong attraction to Emily.
"Ah, have you heard about Nathaniel?" she asked, her voice tense.
"No, why?" Erik said, feigning ignorance. However, his smile faded, and he felt a cold sensation in his gut.
"Apparently, he went missing during the attack on the city, but his body was found yesterday. He died, but they don't know how."
"Really?" Erik said.
"Yeah, apparently his body was half eaten by a monster, and his head was detached from his body and was split open but otherwise fine." Erik looked at her and noticed a strange look on her face.
"That's terrible," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Do they have any suspects?"
Amber shrugged. "Not that I know of. But the police are investigating." She looked at him, her expression grave. Erik felt a chill run down his spine.
"Ah, I get it… However, can we please change the topic? I don't really want to talk about Nathaniel after he tried to kill me during the inner-ranking fight," he finally blurted out. Amber could see where Erik was coming from. He never liked Nathaniel that much; hell, not many did, so she could understand his reluctance to talk about him, especially after what he did to him.
"Sure, don't worry…"
Erik thought for a moment. "I was going to the Red Palace. Do you want to come with me?"
"Where were you going, precisely?" she asked.
"To my room, but since you are here, we could go eat something." Amber brightened up.
"Sure!"
Then, they left the building and took the bus. The two kept talking through the journey there, especially about Aaron, who was still in a bad mental condition. After a while, they reached the Red Palace. "Hey, it's been a while since we last sparred. Do you want to have a shot?" Amber asked.
"Weren't we going to eat?"
"We can do that later if you want," Amber replied.
Erik blinked, thinking about what to do. "Are you sure? I'm a lot stronger than before," he said.
Amber grinned. "Sure, why not? I'm curious to see this big improvement you are talking about."
"All right, but don't blame me if you lose," he said while grinning.
Amber clapped her hands. "Yay! I knew you'd be up for it."
The two then headed to the gym instead of the cafeteria, and they quickly reached the ring on the side of the room. Luckily, it was empty since many people had just ended their lessons and were too tired to train. The two began to warm up. Erik felt his muscles start to loosen and his heart rate increase. A lot of time had passed since they last sparred, and he was also curious to see how he had improved compared to his friend, whom he had seen as an insurmountable mountain in the past.
"Are you ready?" Erik asked.
"When you want!" Amber replied.
Erik squared his shoulders and flexed his fingers as Amber took her fighting stance. They had sparred countless times before, but there was something different about her today. It was like she wanted to prove something. As usual, even when she put herself in a fighting stance, her movements were smooth and elegant.
Despite accepting the woman's challenge, Erik knew he was now much stronger and faster than her, but he didn't want to overexpose his strength. She taught him many things in the past, sparred a lot, and supported him. But things were changing now; he was not the same person as before. It was true that the Red Palace was indeed a good institution for raising fighters, as Erik's improvements during his stay here were massive.
They circled each other, eyes locked, waiting for the other to make the first move. It was then that Erik started the fight, feinting a jab, and Amber darted to the side, her leg sweeping out in a low kick that took Erik by surprise. He lost his balance but quickly got it back and threw a punch of his own. He grew too confident in himself, thinking that he could easily win against her now, but it was clear that wasn't true.
Amber dodged it effortlessly, her foot coming up to connect with Erik's midsection. He grunted in pain but kept moving, his eyes narrowing as he tried to figure out her strategy.
They hit each other quickly, dodging and parrying as they looked for an opening. Erik noticed that Amber's footwork was impeccable, and her strikes were always perfectly timed. She was more skilled than he had ever given her credit for, but that was because he couldn't actually see how good she was due to his inexperience. Now, however, he could, and he was impressed.
As they continued to spar, Amber began to notice that Erik was holding back. She could sense the strength in his blows and that he wasn't using such strength to its full potential. It was almost as if he was trying to match her level to make the fight more even.
This surprised her but, at the same time, upset her as It was true that her friend had become much stronger, surpassing her and probably even Anderson. It was easy to see how he could win against Nathaniel and take his place.
He feinted a kick, and as Amber stepped back to avoid it, he lunged forward with a punch that would have knocked her out cold if he had used his full strength. But he held back just enough, and Amber saw the opening, using her momentum to deliver a swift strike to Erik's jaw.
He stumbled backward, rubbing his jaw and grinning in admiration. "You're better than I remember," he said, panting slightly.
Amber shrugged, a small smile on her lips. "I've been practicing too," she said simply.
They circled each other again, sweat glistening on their skin, muscles tense and ready. Erik knew that the fight was far from over and that Amber would never give up; this was one of her traits.
He also knew that he needed to step up his game if he wanted to win. He charged forward, his fists flying, but Amber was ready for him.
She dodged his punches with ease, countering with her own strikes. They moved around the ring, each trying to gain the upper hand.
Erik used a psychological trick that led Amber to the position he wanted her to be in and made a low kick that sent her stumbling and losing her balance. Erik saw his chance and lunged forward, delivering a powerful blow to her stomach.
Amber gasped; the wind had been knocked out of her, and she fell to the ground. Erik immediately regretted his action. He hadn't meant to hit her that hard but failed to hold back.
He rushed over to her, kneeling down beside her.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.
Amber coughed, trying to catch her breath. "Yeah," she managed to say between gasps. "I'm fine."
Erik helped her to her feet, apologizing profusely. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"It's okay," Amber said with a small smile on her face. "I knew what I was getting into when we started this fight." Erik nodded, relieved that she wasn't angry with him.
They stood there momentarily, catching their breath, before Amber spoke again. "You know," she said, "you really improved a lot; this is the first time you won against me."
Erik smiled at her, a sense of pride swelling in his chest. He knew he had a long way to go but was determined to get there. "Thanks," he said. "It means a lot to me…" They both knew the fight wasn't about who won or lost.
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