The Future

Arsenic wanders into Nostvale not really expecting much out of the usually calm area. Relative to certain other cities, he didn't usually stumble into this place to fights in the street, which was a rather welcome breath of fresh air. He loved violence. He was also a believer in moderation.

You wouldn't want things to get too predictable, would you?

His armor chinks every step he takes alongst the cobblestone road, his eyes eventually straying unto a red-headed child. There were plenty of kids around here, wandering- he shouldn't be surprised by this point.

"Where are you supposed to be headed?"

He comes to an abrupt stop, and seems overly-interested in the answer, as if it held all the importance in the world.
(Arsenic)
[03:42:40] Eyelashes flashed before the matured youth repeatedly, as he questioned whether a voice actually called out to him. He began by pointing an index's finger towards himself, while raising an eyebrow in question. "Me?" The Child inquired, but as of yet their gazes were most likely the only ones colliding. Remus shrugged briefly after the question, and then directed his body so its trajectory was aligned with the gate. "I was planning on going outside to practice until you came in way." The Words were not music to the male's ears, but were rather barked in an unpleasant matter

Alas, the child was continuously scolded for his manners and customs in the face of guests. He barely bothered with them as only one thing mattered to him, and that was strength. "...You look pretty strong dude, but there ain't no tellin' who's stronga until we fight. So don't look down on me!" With a furrowed brow, the youth's conceited words slapped the man's face harshly, as if words were only tools to express his indecency.

"So, why you stoppin me?" At last, he came to the point of their stop in the middle of the town. His tiny feet clad in metal clacked into a halt as he furiously glared at Arsenic under a pair of vermilion irises.
(Remus Hirano)
[03:50:20] Ain't no tellin' who's stronga until we fight.

So he was one of those. A little boy who'd come out the womb a born warrior- unabashedly violent, thrill-seeking. He wasn't opposed to kids like these- he found them more favorable than the adventurous 'I'm going to correct all the world's problems' kids he had encountered, surely. He was a few notches above those for damn sure.

"You don't look like a kid with anywhere to be. So I stopped to try and help you figure out where you're going. Got it?"

He taps his chin with a finger, looking down on Remus, both literally and figuratively, and debating on his next course of action. Fighting children in the middle of the street wasn't really his thing- but then, he was always down for new experiences. Had to keep your mind open. Get a tattoo, go on a vacation, beat a little kid's face in.

"How bad do you want the world to stop looking down on you, runt?"
(Arsenic)
[04:00:35] Surely, he wasn't one of those standard, stupid kids who barged in and out spreading glitter of justice. Remus was the one who opposed those older than him, mostly due to his prideful nature. The little toddler hated being cast under rocks, ignored and what boiled his blood the most was definitely losing. "...You dare talk down to me." Without further due, the Child pressed his palm against the leather hilt worn upon his back. A Rapier lashed forward at a rapid pace, pointing towards the throat of Arsenic.

Despite his actions, the Child was still honorable and wouldn't stoop so low to catch the figure unguarded. He backed a few paces, and exploded with ferocity and lightning. Sparks danced in circular movements around his arms in unpremeditated patterns. Vermilion irises light up in the face of the warrior before him, and his expression- which was currently beyond ugly- set its sight upon Arsenic's form.

"How bad, so bad I am prepared to take this right here...right now." Teeth bashed against another, and the young, little man had an average power of those his age-- how strange, one'd think he was actually a prodigy beyond the rest. That didn't seem to be the case...
(Remus Hirano)
[04:11:40] In a way, this instilled in him pride in the world.

His sword- the tremendous, obsidian sword renowned as The Blackened Blade- is embedded into the ground near them, flung like it weighed no more than a piece of paper. It stabs into the grass forcefully enough to uproot everything around it, and then it stands, alone, vigilant, pulsing with it's golden runes all on it's own.

"The spark that started it all."

He wistfully reminisces even as he activates his own lightning aura- energy engulfs his figure, a dissonant whirlwind of chaotic azure streaks that lash out terrifyingly at everything around. It'd been so long since he had fought holding this much back- why it'd been Cadence a few months ago, now.

When Remus lunges forth, his own blade is risen- the first wooden training sword he had ever procured, shaped alongside his brother Levi Auvray. They'd aspired to be swordsmen there, in a field of magi, swung wooden swords until their muscles ached.

"...You're abit young for something so pointy, eh?"

He moves forward with ferocious speed. Control is meant to be seized from the onset- a series of deliberate, powerful strikes, measured and aimed carefully, with haphazard, wide flails demonstrating his immeasurable physical might alongside them.

Remus was a warrior, and so, he would give him the respect a warrior deserved.

"En garde."
(Arsenic)
[04:20:12] ' En garde' It was a common treaty among swordsmen to utter those words- at least Remus knew that much- and through that he guessed what his opponent's specialty was. "A Swordsman?" He was a bit too naivé, since magic still fueled the majority of the swordsman. A few of them even regarded themselves as having mastered magical swordsmanship. It was a strange art of combining mana, as well magic. It was one which the child had taken a liking to...

Sparks twirled across his body and entered the blade of his sword in a controlled manner. He had practiced external control of magic, but internal somewhat came easier to him. The Youth was unable to fully concentrate the lightning element into a single spot, but Remus still managed to fully absorb the leaking source of mana. With that he had successfully packed all of his power into the blade of his rapier, which was not a lot considering its toothpick size.

"...Don't worry about my rapier. My lightning is way more dangerous." Thin, crimson lips that were earlier stoic spread and revealed a hideous grin underneath. The Child was an absolute maniac when it came to fights, and he hoped for a battle between the two of them earnestly. A sizzling sound immediately rang out in the face of their battle, and the two of them unexpectedly disappeared.

In short time intervals, they appeared upon the ground, flickering forth and back while exchanging clashes of their weaponry.
(Remus Hirano)
[04:46:40] They moved about at high speeds, zipping to and fro in clashes that illuminated the training ground with flashes of electricity that scorched the ground. There were several contests of power, several clashes, the pair running about, leaping from objects, exchanging any and everywhere.

A bolt of lightning is leveled at Arsenic, and he narrowly evades, performing a backflip onto the top of the statue aside Larisa. The scorching heat brushes his face and the attack misses by only a hair- and then, the moment his foot descends upon the head of the statue, he vanishes. He appears again having traveled as a bolt of lightning at Remus's flank, and, when he does, it's to unleash a vicious blow with the wooden sword, one that'd leveled boulders, intent to send Remus scuttling across town like a skipping stone alongst the road.

He could handle it.

Afterward, he'd skip backward, a short hop so quick he'd appear to blur. He hefts his wooden sword over his shoulder, swiping underneath his nose with the other hand, and waits for the boy to initiate the next phase of their battle.

Arsenic was grinning.
(Arsenic)
[05:00:19] That certainly wasn't the fight he expected. The Brat thought he at least had a bit of chance against most of the magis in Eternia. It appeared as if he was wrong, and deadly so. Their clashes vibrated within the city of Nostvale, but it wasn't incomparably lethal, if you consider all the brawls Nostvale had been through in history. The Ground quaked repeatedly in the face of their duel, and Remus was quite, obviously on the lower end.

He fell without much chance to retaliate, and it was by a strange attack which targeted his blind spot. Only the sizzling sound from his flank had been heard in the form of a lightning bolt. Said projectile had formed into a humanoid figure being Arsenic himself, before a villainous swing crashed into his frame. Ribs were clearly shattered upon impact and a mouthful of blood threatened to be coughed up-- yet it was held within.

The Youth blasted past any obstacles and drilled himself into the ground, after having skipped past many meters. A Sanguine liquid trickled down the formerly, vivacious youth's forehead as an effect of the humiliating offence of Arsenic. His feet clambered to a stand through sheer will power, and the tiny boy staggered left and right in an attempt to adjust his balance. Moments passed, and only after half a minute had he taken up arms once more.

"B-bastard." With a stammer the Youth unleashed the beast within and charged with all he had, lightning scouring the area uncontrollably under his lunge.
(Remus Hirano)
[05:22:30] Arsenic holds his sword out, keeping it extended.

"You wanted to know which of us is stronger, but why?"

He was curious. Remus had made the statement earlier, not him- he was genuinely unaware of why such a peculiar thing had mattered as, 'is this random stranger more powerful than me?'

"Is your strength all you have to cling to?" He asks, evading lightning bolts and striking with the proficiency of one who has lived as a sword, been saved by a sword, and fought with a sword all of his life. "Nothing else?"

He asks questions to generate answers- to be a wall for Remus to overcome. The youth were the future. All of them. To help shape the course of the future, they could not be neglected. For things to get better, the children had to be better than the ones before him.

"Be more than a warrior, or you will die, only a warrior."

Remus was a child. He didn't expect the boy to get it- for this to ring true. What he did expect was for him to remember. Perhaps he could even be the first to ask the question for which he hoped to find the answer.

He runs a hand through his hair, bends his knees, and then shoots forward for another clash like a bullet fired from a gun.
(Arsenic)
[05:34:27] Why did he want to know which of the two were stronger? He was a foolish youth who strove for power, and strength from the first moments of his life, but why? The Reason was unexpectadely related to his dreams, and they were not thoughts that belonged in the mind of a boy. As to why he specifically wanted to which one of the two possesed the most unyielding might,he was rather reluctant to answer.

Metal clang upon receiving the full impact of the wooden sword, and with a grunt the youth focused most of his strength into blocking the attack. He was panting heavily during the midst of the battle, and a crimson liquid still dribbled down his scalp. "...I haven't lost yet, I'll tell you if I lose." Willpower was perhaps the only inborn talent he was blessed with by those above. Unfortunately, it did little but enhance his capabilities of standing up, while his body screamed for him to sit down.

It wasn't the best of qualities, and could very well be the leading cause for his death. However, it fit him as a person who never relied on others and most essentially-- as a person who never gave up. With a growl, the Youth blasted off from a pit formed after his exterior. His sillhoutte flickered beyond the meters that separated them, and with his blade he sought to knock Arsenic away. However, his abilities were far too unmatched and with the cleave of Arsenic's blade he was shot back.

The solemn, and ferocious young man then shredded the pavement underneath him as he in a single burst lunged for Remus. "I won't lose!" The Hirano growled under gritted teeth, charging his feet with electric energy while he sprung towards his nemesis. The bloody battle had reached its climax, and whether it'd be climatic or not would be answered by their effort.
(Remus Hirano)
[05:54:04] And so, the boy would be handed his first loss.

He stands, arm outstretched, with Remus hurtling away from him, leg extended in a lunge. Arsenic seemed frozen, as if stuck in a picture frame for all eternity, as the child descended to the ground. He remained in what was practically stasis for some while, after, and then rose to himself, flicking his sword to the side.

"It isn't about winning or losing. It's about proving yourself."

The boy slaps the wooden blade back onto his side. He walks over to the enormous obsidian sword he'd sheathed into the dirt, hefts it up, and straps it onto his back where it belonged, looking down at the defeated Remus afterward.

"Do you think you proved yourself? Can you be satisfied with where you are?"

He outstretches his hand for the boy to take- he's grinning down at him, not in a fashion that's patronizing, but rather, a genuinely warm gesture.

"The star nearest Valmasia still shines not the brightest. All that glitters is not gold. Fuck the odds. And never forget- the last roll of the die counts for all."
(Arsenic)
[06:11:08] The Wooden sword which this mysterious person pounded his blade with told a tale for every clash. Rather than beating the boy into a pulp, Arsenic pursued his well-being in the future and taught him something new, and glorious with every strike. He was developed in the art of war and combat by their exchanges, but the young man's preaching struck harder than any of his previous attacks.

A Bell rang within the chambers of Remus' head with every strike. Teeth were gritted and the impact was absorbed by his blade and body, yet his focus remained upon the teachings. He had always aimed to fight to his utmost, when the children in practice swung their blades fifty times, he aimed for a hundred.

Blood was squeezed out from in between his teeth, and then spat out as a result of their battle. "I'll bet it all on this last strike..." Feet began to slowly accelerate and the child's velocity grew beyond recognition. A Shout boomed within the walls of Nostvale as he neared his prey, similar to a barbarian who fought lions.

Gales of wind gathered underneath his feet and a single step from the youth caused dust to split into the distance. With an ear piercing roar, his sharp nails formed into a spear head. The air around his hand ruptured and with a booming noise his electric, spear formed hand shot in the direction of Arsenic. "AHHH!!"

His best was without doubt blocked and countered by Arsenic. A thigh triple the size of his arm whipped forth with power beyond the youth's wildest dreams. It met with his torso and a second after he was out of sight; a gestalt seen in his tracks flashing past the waters and colliding into bricks. Rubble fell from the walls directly west of Arsenic, and within the human formed hole was Remus. His eyes were widened in shock, and blood ran like floods from his wounds.

Strangely, what hurt the most wasn't the injuries but to face the loss. As Arsenic gently reached and questioned him, the bitter child responded in truth. "I haven't proven myself and I am not satisfied." The Words were far from coherent, repeated times upon time and even stammered for them to make any sense. Fingers curled around the gentle grasp of Arsenic, as the child allowed himself to be carried by the man. "Thank you..." He finally uttered before losing breath, and consciousness to the wounds that rendered him immobile.
(Remus Hirano)
[06:11:08] Remus Hirano: (phew
[06:11:08] Remus Hirano: (nice rp
[06:19:40] Arsenic smiles down at the boy, drawing his hand back. He knelt down, lifted the child up, and moved him out of the middle of the street, placing him alongside the statue of the Nostvale hero. In his youth, Arsenic had laid aside this very statue and hoped to siphon wisdom and knowledge from it. Hoping to figure out what it was he'd do for the rest of his life. It'd been a childish notion. It'd been a childish dream.

One he'd always hung onto.

"You're welcome, brat."

He places the child alongside the statue of Konaa Hirano to rest, and then turned, no longer facing the scene. With a single leap of his powerful legs, he, in emulation of Arariel, sought to exit the vicinity in one, singular leap. He'd continue doing this until he was far out of sight, somewhere far from this place. He'd gotten more than he'd expected out of the quaint little town. Nostalgic feelings ignited by meeting a boy so very much like himself-

It was time he paid a visit to his hometown.
(Arsenic)