The months continued to pass and Ty’s constant growth showed no signs of letting up. Many had long ago expected Ty to challenge the number two rogue. However, for some reason, he had never shown any intention to do so. The only spot he had ever made a challenge for was the ten spot and that had little to nothing to do with the spot. Really, he hadn’t even known he would receive the spot if he had won. Most of the time, those above in him rank either challenged him because of some irritation or to relieve themselves of the constant tension that came from waiting. None of this really seemed important to Ty. As long as he was at the academy and Julie and company were cared for, he was satisfied.

Ironically, it was Julie herself that inadvertently led to Ty and the number two facing off. Roughly four months after attaining the third spot in R1, Ty was once again on his nightly visit to the house the academy had provided Julie and the children. After horsing around with the kids for a few minutes, he collapsed onto a chair next to a giggling Julie. As the laughter subsided, Ty sighed and leaned his head back.

“Ty,” Julie started.

“Mmh,” he replied.

“Would you mind,” she said, hesitating.

“Mind what?”

“Bringing me to the academy tomorrow?”

Ty’s head quickly rotated over to stare at her, “Why?”

“Well, I’d like to see what you’re doing everyday so we can enjoy such a life.”

“Are you sure? I don’t think it’d be something you’d find interesting.”

“Well I think it would be!”

“I don’t know. . .”

“Please!” she begged as she poked her lip out.

Ty groaned, “That’s cheap.” A moment passed, and he continued, “Fine, fine. Meet me at the entrance tomorrow at seven tomorrow morning.” She shouted in excitement and hugged him before dancing off. A few minutes later, they said their goodbyes and headed towards their respective beds.
__________________________________________

When Ty arrived at the entrance the next morning two minutes ahead of time, he found a girl standing their in what he knew she considered her prettiest sundress. “Always showing off,” he said with a grin as he came to a stop in front of her. With a roll of her eyes, she motioned for him to lead on. With that, they made their way for the breakfast hall. Many eyes now found themselves staring at the pair. Finally, the rumors proved true, or so they thought. After eating for a few minutes, Ty’s sycophants arrived. With mouths gaping, they stared blankly. Ty now sat with an unknown girl whom they had never, ever heard of before, much less seen. What was more, he was chatting away amiably with her. He’d said more to her in the past minute than he’d said to them since he arrived. Suddenly, Jude realized what he was doing and pushed his jaw back up to its normal position and pulled his friends away with him towards the buffet. A few moments later, the trio awkwardly sat down opposite Julie and Ty. No one dared ask the question. Julie paused, and looked up, “And these guys are?”

Ty thought for a moment, he didn’t really know what to call them. He didn’t think many people treated their friends as he did them. However, he definitely mentally separated them from everyone else at the academy. “My… aquantances.”

Julie burst out laughing, “What’s so bad about having friends?” she asked lightly. “Thank you for making sure he wasn’t too lonely.” The boys answered with a pause and then fervent nodding. With that, Ty and Julie resumed their conversation, leaving the others to eat in confused silence.

As the morning continued, news of a mysterious girl in the once-fabled Ty’s company spread like wildfire. The teacher’s looked at the pair with a raised eyebrow, but ignored it as they had been instructed. The leniency the administration had with that boy’s actions befuddled many a teacher.

Finally, the afternoon arrived. Excitement pulsed through Ty’s body. He’d finally be able to show off for his sister. After lunch, they headed for the practice field. As they reached the area where most gathered to wait for the instructor, a figure rushed towards Ty and grabbed him on the shoulder from behind. Ty spun around and found none else than the number two rogue in the entire academy. “We’re settling this now. I don’t want anyone second guessing my rank. I’ll put you in your place like Zain.” At the mention of that name, Ty shook the hand off and laid his hand on his dagger.

“So be it. Julie, step back,” he said evenly as Julie obliged with a worried look on her face. With that, the rogue flipped back and grabbed a pair of stars. The two spot was, in fact, held by a star user. Ty had faced two of these before, one from the top ten, and found them to be nothing more than mobile, acrobatic archers. In a flash, the boy had thrown two stars and was about to unleash the next pair. Ty’s dagger gleamed as he dashed forward, easily deflecting the two stars to the side. In an instant, the next pair was upon him with more in their wake. Ty strafed and then ducked before knocking a star away. His goal was to get as close as possible as star users seemed to have trouble in short range situations. He jumped to the side of a star before rolling forward. A grin grew on Ty’s face and he burst forward. Now right next to the boy, Ty quickly stabbed with his right hand while hacking with his left. The boy jumped to the side and threw a star before flipping backwards. Ty easily sidestepped the weak attack and once again resumed the offensive.

On and on he drove the boy until, finally, he cornered him. Two buildings stood perpendicular at the boy’s back with only a few inches separating their corners. Ty swung with his right dagger, feeling the end of the battle at hand. Suddenly, the clash of metal on metal resounded throughout the air and Ty looked on in shock. In between three of the boy’s fingers were two stars. He had used them to block the blow while his throwing glove prevented the stars from penetrating his skin. Now it was the boy’s turn to grin. He flipped over Ty, using his shoulders as a springboard, and threw a pair of stars straight at Ty’s back. Instantly, Ty was gone. The boy looked around in confusion as he landed. With a gasp, he dove forward. Alas, it was too late. Ty’s dagger made contact with the boy’s arm. Definitely a flesh wound, but it would certainly inhibit his ability to accurately throw. Grimacing, the boy attempted to attack Ty once again, but the stars flew astray. “This is it,” Ty said as he walked towards the boy.

Slowly, the boy stood up. Something was wrong, though. Instead of despair or anything of the like, amusement found its way into the boy’s expression. “Hardly,” he laughed. With that, the air around the boy began to blow and Ty stopped in his tracks. Arising from what was once the boy’s shadow was a matter of pure black.

“This is it,” said Jude from the crowd. “I see now why that guy Patrick is hailed as the greatest star user since Derrin the Lucky. I’ve never seen someone at this academy who’s been able to summon his shadow.”

Patrick’s shadow shot toward Ty like lightning. Ty burst backward and only barely managed to avoid the shadow’s attack. It recoiled before striking forward again. Ty sidestepped it and then only barely managed to deflect the shadow’s rebounding attack. As Patrick advanced, Ty continued to retreat. He couldn’t seem to get enough time to return to the offensive. Suddenly, a star shot forth at a speed double that of Patrick’s normal attacks. Reflexively, Ty
went to block. The force behind the attack was unlike anything he expected and his dagger was torn from his hand. Luckily, it had deflected the star enough so that it hadn’t hit Ty. Suddenly, a scream of pain erupted from behind Ty. He spun around and froze in shock. The star had contained enough momentum even after the deflection to reach the edge of the crowd, fifty yards away, and injure an onlooker. The onlooker who now grabbed their bleeding shoulder in pain was no one ordinary; Julie was anything but ordinary.

Ty burst forward and covered the fifty yards in an instant, something amazing even for Ty. With tears already flowing from his eyes, he embraced his sister and checked the wound. It had penetrated the upper inch of her shoulder from one side to the other before falling to the ground. He mumbled apologies over and over, hardly making any sense as Patrick looked on with an unreadable face. Slowly, Ty went quiet as Julie opened her clenched eyes. “You’re so… overprotective. Go.” She said between grimaces. Ty could hardly understand what she said. He looked at her blankly; she was making it out to be nothing. “I said go, stupid,” she repeated with deliberation. “You’re going to lose in front of me the first opportunity you get?”

Ty forced a laugh and nodded, “Thanks.” He looked up and grabbed Mathias who was nearby. “Take care of her and make sure nothing else happens.” Mathias nodded and motioned for him to go. Ty sighed heavily, and turned around.

“Done weeping over your little girlfriend?” Patrick asked.

“Girlfriend? What’s that? She’s my sister,” Ty answered as he fought back his anger.

“You’re serious? What a freak” Patrick mumbled. As he finished speaking, another star shot forward and sliced towards Ty. Sensing the fight had begun again, Ty let go of his emotions that he’d been holding in since he stood up. The anger, shock, and fear all flooded forth at once. As the star reached him, he viciously sliced downward with his remaining dagger. A clash once again filled the air and the star was sent five feet into the ground. Patrick stepped back in mild surprise, but attacked once again. Ty burst forward and grabbed his other dagger, hardly aware of what he was doing. The only thing that kept running through his mind was Julie holding her bleeding shoulder in pain. He once again deflected both stars into the ground and burst forward. As he closed in, the pace of Patrick’s attack increased. Ty was a blur as he drew ever closer to his opponent while nullifying any attack. In a few seconds, the hundred yards that had separated them was gone. Ty sliced with both daggers but Patrick shot backwards, using the shadow to propel him. Ty burst forward, roaring in anger and attacked once again. Patrick, however, found his attacks easy to evade. While Ty was now somehow faster and stronger, his moves were less thought out and easier to read. He was simply blindly attacking and, with his shadow, Patrick’s speed rivaled that of Ty. However, once again Patrick found himself pinned against a building. As Ty stabbed forward, Patrick soared onto the roof. Ty followed in an instant.

Ty looked around as he landed softly. He found no one where Patrick should have been. Finally, he spun around to find a star soaring towards his face. Suddenly, Ty had found himself in quite the predicament. It was possible that there were people in the building, so deflecting downwards wasn’t possible. If he deflected it to anywhere else, it might hit someone nearby. Gritting his teeth, he burst forward while simultaneously stabbing straight for the star. Sparks erupted and the star split into two glittering pieces before clattering onto the roof. As he landed, Ty tensed for the next attack, listening for the characteristic soft howling that came from the air being cut by the stars. Surprised, he found none. As he located his enemy, he found Patrick on one knee, panting ferociously. It seemed the extended use of the shadow had removed him of all his energy.

Ty advanced towards Patrick and stopped a few feet from him. His eyes shone with anger and disgust. He raised his dagger and summoned all of his strength. Patrick tensed and closed his eyes, preparing for the oncoming blow. Just as Ty’s arm began to swing down, a body collided with Ty and hugged him with one arm. He froze for a second, and then dropped his arm to his side. He sheathed his daggers and turned towards Julie. “That’s it,” he said before walking away. As the two made for the medical building, it was hard to tell who was leaning upon whom.

I feel like this should be animated because I’ve got every scene worked out perfectly in my head. For example, when Ty sliced down viciously, it looks ten thousand times cooler in my mind that it sounds in this. It’s hard to convey certain things without becoming repetitive.