CHAPTER 79 — The Sound and the Light
The locker room smelled of sweat and cold metal.
Zayn sat on a bench, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. He stared at the floor, at the cracks in the tiles, at the shadows dancing under the torchlight. His heart beat normally. Not too fast, not too slow. Just enough to let him know he was alive.
Yojuro leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes half-closed. He said nothing. He didn't need to speak.
Blanche sat a little further away, legs crossed, fingers interlaced. She looked at Zayn, then looked away, then looked again.
Rodrigue rolled his ball between his hands, absently.
"So, you ready?" he asked.
"I'm always ready."
"You're shaking."
"I'm excited."
Rodrigue smiled.
"That's the same thing."
Kai walked in, a water bottle in hand. He stopped in front of Zayn and handed it to him.
"Drink."
"Thanks."
Zayn took the bottle, took a sip, then handed it back.
"You scared?" Kai asked.
"No."
"You're lying."
"A little."
Kai nodded.
"That's normal. Echo is unpredictable. She does whatever she wants."
"I know."
"But she's strong. Really strong."
Zayn looked at him.
"Stronger than me?"
Kai didn't answer.
Yojuro opened his eyes.
"She's faster than you. More creative. But she doesn't take anything seriously. That's her weakness."
"And my strength?"
Yojuro looked at him.
"You take everything seriously. Even when you laugh."
Zayn smiled.
"Is that a compliment?"
"It's an observation."
Akamaru approached, a card between his fingers.
"I fought Echo once. She beat me in thirty seconds."
"Thirty seconds?"
"She said 'BOOM' and I woke up in the bleachers."
Zayn looked at him.
"And you're trying to reassure me?"
"I want you to know what to expect."
"Thanks."
Akamaru put his card away.
"You're welcome."
Blanche stood. She walked over to Zayn and stopped in front of him.
"She's going to tease you. She's going to make you laugh. She's going to make you lose focus."
"I know."
"Then don't fall for it."
Zayn looked at her.
"Would you fall for it?"
She didn't answer. She looked at him, then turned away.
Rodrigue stood, ball under his arm.
"Alright, let's go."
Zayn stood.
He looked at his friends. Yojuro, Blanche, Rodrigue, Kai, Akamaru. They were there. They were with him.
He wasn't afraid.
---
The crowd roared.
The bleachers were full, thousands of spectators, flags, chants, shouts. The arena was vast, and Zayn stood at its center, alone.
He felt the weight of their gazes on him. Thousands of eyes. Officials, generals, heads of state. And Friedrich von Eisenberg, seated in his glass box, arms crossed, a smirk on his lips.
"Blessed Energy Disorder," he murmured to Arthur, seated beside him. "He doesn't stand a chance."
Arthur didn't answer. He watched the arena.
The referee raised his hand.
"Group B Match 1 — Zayn versus Echo."
The crowd applauded.
Echo entered.
She was small, thin, her white hair a mess, a mischievous grin on her face. She wore a black uniform, headphones around her neck, and a wide smile. Silver runes appeared on her forearms as she raised her hand, and a white and grey aura enveloped her for an instant.
She stopped before Zayn.
"Hey, I'm Echo."
"Zayn."
"I know."
She laughed.
"You look serious."
"I am."
"That's going to tire you out."
Zayn didn't answer.
The referee lowered his hand.
"Begin."
Echo stepped back. She raised her hand, silver runes glowing around her wrist.
"BOOM."
An explosion erupted behind Zayn, throwing him forward. He rolled, got up, breathless.
"What the…"
"Onomatopoeia." She smiled. "I materialize sounds."
Zayn stood, green runes lighting up on his wrist. He placed his hand on Borealis.
"Aurora."
Aurora's hologram appeared, small and luminous.
"Yes, Zayn?"
"Water Pulse."
"Recommendation: Water Pulse for endurance."
"Not today."
He scrolled through the holographic interface, scanning the silhouettes of the Primals. He stopped on an unknown form, with bright, strange colors.
"That one."
"Unknown Primal. Activating."
The light engulfed him.
His body changed.
He grew taller, broader, his skin turning a dark, matte red. His head rounded, smooth, without a nose or mouth — just two slanted slits from which a yellow-green glow emanated. Bright spheres appeared on his body, symmetrically arranged: yellow, violet, red on his shoulders and elbows, a large red circle in the center of his chest, a row of small blue, green, and violet spheres on his abdomen and hips.
He stood with legs apart, arms slightly away from his body, fists clenched.
Irregular.
Zayn looked down at his new hands, then touched his smooth face.
"Uh... Aurora? I don't have a mouth."
"You don't need one for this Primal."
"But I want to talk!"
"You can. You don't need a mouth for that."
He tried to speak. His voice came out clear and normal, even without a mouth.
"Okay, that's creepy."
Echo looked at him, amused.
"Are you a rainbow?"
"Are you a tornado with eyes?"
"Touché."
Zayn raised his hand. He felt the spheres on his body vibrate. Warm energy rose into his palm.
He grabbed a red sphere from his shoulder — it detached and floated in his hand like a core of energy. He threw it.
The red sphere exploded on the ground near Echo. She dove, rolled, narrowly dodged.
"Not bad!"
She stood, silver runes glowing on her forearms.
"SWISH."
An invisible blade cut through the air. Zayn dodged, then grabbed a blue sphere from his elbow. He threw it. A blue shield appeared around him, blocking the blade.
"You're stronger than I thought," said Echo.
"You're faster than I thought."
"Are we exchanging compliments?"
"If you want."
She laughed.
"You're funny."
She attacked again.
"BOOM."
"SWISH."
"CRACK."
Explosions, blades, cracks. Zayn dodged, parried, retreated. He grabbed a yellow sphere from his shoulder and threw it. A lightning bolt struck the ground near Echo.
She jumped over it, agile.
"You're really unpredictable."
"So are you."
He grabbed a violet sphere from his abdomen. A wave of confusion washed over him — but it dissipated.
"What was that…"
"Disorientation. It slows you down."
Echo smiled.
"Not enough."
She raised her hand.
"THUD."
An invisible force threw Zayn against the wall. He slid, fell to his knees.
He stood.
He grabbed the blue sphere — the shield — and threw it at himself. A blue armor enveloped him.
Echo attacked again. The onomatopoeias bounced off the armor.
Zayn grabbed a red sphere. He threw it. The explosion sent Echo flying back.
She stood, breathless.
"Tired?"
"Just getting started."
He pressed Borealis. The light engulfed him again.
His body changed. He grew massive, enormous. Black and dark grey metal plates covered his body. A bright green reactor glowed in the center of his chest. His head became a green fluorescent visor, faceless. Green luminous grooves ran across his armor.
Chockwave.
Echo stepped back.
"A robot?"
"Almost."
He struck the ground.
The shockwave tore through the arena. Echo was thrown back, rolled, stood, breathless.
"You're really unpredictable."
"So are you."
He attacked again. One shockwave, then another. Echo dodged, parried, retreated. She couldn't get close.
"I'll have to change tactics," she said.
She closed her eyes.
She opened them. Silver runes lit up across her entire body.
"SILENCE."
A wall of silence surrounded Zayn. He could no longer hear. Nothing.
He was blind, disoriented.
Echo approached, silent.
She raised her hand.
"THUD."
An invisible force threw Zayn against the wall. He slid, fell to his knees.
He stood. He couldn't hear, but he could see.
He pressed Borealis.
His body changed a third time. Rock, stone, a luminous blue eye at the center of his forehead. His body became massive, formed of cracked stone blocks, black mechanical joints appearing between the stones. His right fist glowed with golden energy.
Avalanche.
Echo stepped back.
"What is…"
Zayn opened the blue eye.
A beam shot out, striking Echo's arm. She felt it go numb, stiffen, turn to stone.
"What did you do to me?"
"I petrified you."
"Not cool."
She looked at her arm, then at Zayn.
"But it's original."
Zayn advanced. He was slow, heavy, but he advanced.
Echo retreated. She could no longer use her arm.
"I'll have to fight one-handed."
"You can."
"But I'm going to lose."
She smiled.
"That's okay."
Zayn stopped.
"Why do you fight, Echo?"
"For fun."
"And you find this fun?"
"Yeah."
He looked at her.
"Then let's keep going."
---
The fight continued.
Zayn advanced, slow, heavy. Echo dodged, retreated, attacked with her good hand. She used smaller, faster onomatopoeias.
"BOOM."
"SWISH."
"ZAP."
Zayn took them. His stone body held.
After twenty minutes, Echo stopped.
"I'm out of energy."
Zayn stopped too.
"Me too."
She smiled.
"So what do we do?"
"We stop."
The referee stepped forward.
"A draw?"
Echo looked at him.
"I accept."
Zayn nodded.
"Me too."
The crowd applauded.
Echo walked up to Zayn, extended her hand.
"You're strong, Zayn."
"You're funny, Echo."
"I know."
She laughed.
Zayn looked at her.
"See you in the quarterfinals?"
"If we qualify."
"We will."
She smiled.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
---
In the glass box, Friedrich von Eisenberg was silent.
He watched the arena, the two fighters shaking hands.
"He has three unknown Primals," he murmured. "And he held his own against Echo."
Arthur didn't answer.
Friedrich turned to him.
"That boy… could he actually win?"
Arthur looked at him.
"He could."
---