Broken Bonds

Thunder Blade — Episode 2:Broken Bonds

The sound of metal colliding still echoes faintly through the trees.

Ameira steadies herself after blocking Kanji’s sudden strike. Her feet slide slightly against the dirt, but she regains her balance quickly. Petals begin to gather again around her blade, faint at first, then growing more visible.

Kanji stands a few steps away, relaxed, as if nothing just happened.

Kanji: Not bad. You didn’t die instantly.

Ameira narrows her eyes.

Ameira: I told you… I’m not the same person anymore.

Kanji tilts his head slightly, studying her.

Kanji: I can see that.

He takes a step forward.

Kanji: But strength alone doesn’t change who you are.

Ameira doesn’t respond. Instead, she shifts her stance and raises her blade.

The wind picks up again, pushing the bamboo into a soft sway.

Without warning, Ameira moves first.

She dashes forward, her steps light but fast. As she swings, petals scatter outward, slicing through the air toward Kanji from multiple angles.

Kanji doesn’t move right away.

At the last second, he disappears.

The petals cut through empty space.

Ameira’s eyes widen slightly, but she doesn’t hesitate. She pivots, bringing her blade up just in time—

CLANG.

Kanji’s blade meets hers from behind.

The force pushes her forward, but she twists her body and breaks away, creating distance again.

Ameira: You’re still relying on the same tricks.

Kanji: And they’re still working.

He vanishes again.

Ameira inhales slowly, forcing herself to stay calm. Her eyes scan the surroundings, watching the movement of the bamboo, the direction of the wind, the slightest disturbance.

A faint shift—

She turns and swings.

Their blades collide again.

This time, the exchange doesn’t stop there.

Kanji presses forward with a series of fast, precise strikes. Each one aimed cleanly, with no wasted motion.

Ameira blocks, deflects, and steps back, her movements controlled but increasingly strained.

The ground cracks slightly beneath their feet as they move.

Ameira manages to redirect one of his strikes and steps to the side, creating an opening.

She takes it.

Ameira: Flower Blade…

Her blade glows brighter.

Ameira: Petal Slash.

She swings in a wide arc. Dozens of sharp, glowing petals scatter outward, filling the space between them.

Kanji watches them for a split second.

Then he disappears again.

The petals tear through the bamboo behind him, slicing clean lines into the stalks.

Ameira exhales sharply.

Ameira: He’s faster…

Kanji reappears directly in front of her.

She barely has time to react.

CLANG.

Their blades lock again, inches from each other.

Kanji: You’re thinking too much.

Ameira pushes back, breaking the clash and stepping away.

Ameira: And you’re not thinking at all.

Kanji smiles faintly.

Kanji: I don’t need to.

He lowers his stance slightly.

Kanji: You’re already predictable.

Ameira tightens her grip.

For a moment, neither of them moves.

Then Ameira raises her blade again.

Petals begin to form—not just around her weapon, but across the ground, drifting slowly, spreading outward.

Kanji notices.

Kanji: Trying to trap me?

Ameira: I don’t need to trap you.

She takes a step forward.

Ameira: I just need to see you.

The petals continue to spread, covering more of the area. Any movement disturbs them, making even the smallest shift visible.

Kanji pauses for the first time.

Ameira watches closely.

Ameira: Let’s see you disappear now.

Kanji exhales softly.

Kanji: Fine.

His hand moves to his blade again.

Slowly, he pulls it out just a little more than before.

The air changes.

Ameira’s expression tightens.

Ameira: …What did you just do?

Kanji doesn’t answer.

Instead, he vanishes again.

Ameira’s eyes dart around immediately.

The petals remain still.

No disturbance.

No sound.

Nothing.

Ameira: …What?

She turns quickly, scanning every direction.

Ameira: Where—

CLANG.

A strike comes from her side.

She blocks, but the force is heavier this time, pushing her off balance.

She slides back, catching herself before falling.

Ameira: I didn’t see anything…

Kanji’s voice comes from behind her.

Kanji: That’s the point.

She turns, swinging again, but he’s already gone.

Another strike—

CLANG.

Then another.

Each one comes from a different angle.

Each one harder to predict than the last.

Ameira struggles to keep up, her breathing starting to change.

Ameira: I can’t track him… the petals aren’t moving…

Kanji’s voice cuts through the air again.

Kanji: You rely too much on what you can sense.

Ameira grits her teeth.

She closes her eyes for a brief second.

Ameira: Then I’ll stop relying on it.

She steadies her breathing.

The next strike comes—

CLANG.

She blocks it.

Then another—

CLANG.

She adjusts, barely keeping up now, but no longer completely overwhelmed.

Kanji appears in front of her again, their blades locked once more.

Kanji: …So you can adapt.

Ameira: I had to.

She pushes him back slightly this time.

Kanji slides a step, then stops.

For a moment, they stand still again.

The wind moves through the bamboo.

Petals drift between them.

Kanji straightens.

Kanji: This is getting boring.

Ameira’s eyes narrow.

Ameira: Then leave.

Kanji looks at her, expression blank.

Kanji: Not yet.

He lowers his blade slightly.

Kanji: I haven’t finished testing you.

Ameira raises hers again.

Ameira: I’m not your experiment.

Kanji’s grip tightens.

Kanji: Everything is.

Silence falls again.

The tension between them feels heavier now.

Kanji shifts his stance.

Ameira mirrors him.

For a brief second—

Everything is still.

Then—

They both move again.

Cut to black.

END OF EPISODE 2

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***