Stronger

The sudden, intense memory had startled Noble. 

That was just the way it was with grief. It came in waves, and the current one crashed over her, threatening to drown her. 

But Noble was determined to swim against the current. 

'I couldn't help Seb back then, but I can help Sarai now.' 

The professor shifted seamlessly into a fluid fighting style. It was very effective against Sarai's spear, and the other lady found herself blocking so often that she had no time to attack. 

"Come on, try to keep up," Noble encouraged. 

"You are going more aggressively than normal," Sarai ducked as the [Unlikely End] arced towards her head.

"Just trying to get you to be better. Now push yourself!" The professor's eyes began to swirl. Her unbridled emotion began to flow like her essence into her very being. The woman's hits became even faster and more direct. 

'If I had been this good when Seb was around, maybe he would have gotten the skills to withstand the Spell. Maybe I wouldn't have failed him.'

Noble spun away as Sarai finally got in a single jab with her spear. A fiery ball hit the ground but dissipated without causing the arena damage. 

That kind of power would have obliterated a section of the floor if not for the built-in spelltech. The people of the mundane world did not stand a chance against it. 

They were helpless against both the Awakened who were supposed to protect them and the Nightmare Creatures who threatened to destroy them.

Deep down, Noble felt helpless too. The gate that opened by her children's school had been too sudden for her to get there in time to be of any assistance at all. By the time she had reached the area, the government had dealt with the bulk of the problem and she was left to comfort her scared children. 

How did one protect their children from their own nightmares? Especially when those fears could manifest at any date and time without so much as an alarm bell. 

Another catastrophic gate was on the horizon. Her meeting with the Chancellor all but confirmed that fact. Would it be another category five gate? Was there something worse than that? Noble hoped not. 

Having lived through the fall of North America, she dreaded the thought of having to relocate again if the next apocalyptic event occurred in the NQSC. 

And that wasn't even thinking about trying to save the people she loved before they had to start over. Noble could theoretically float her family out of harm's way if they were nearby when it happened…but if they weren't…

'I have to be stronger. For Seb. For Honey. For Brock and Blaze. For Fort. For Mom. For Dad. For Sarai…' The list went on and on. 

Each person that came to her mind added an additional weight to her conscience. There was so much to consider. So much responsibility to bear. Each life had value, and if the situation became dire, she struggled to think of a way that she could reasonably save all the ones she loved.

'I cannot let that stop me.' 

In her first nightmare, Noble had watched helplessly as people around her were mercilessly killed. Many of the Nightmare Creatures had tongues of fire that could shoot up, wrap around their prey, and then ignite to burn their captive alive.

How she wished she could have saved those innocents, even if they were not technically real. 

If only she had her [Unlikely End], she could oh so easily thrust her estoc into those fiery fiends...

"Ah!" Sarai screamed, reeling back from the latest strike. 

Noble looked in shock at her friend's bleeding arm. "I am so sorry! I didn't mean to! Are you alright?!" 

The professor replayed the last moment in her mind. Thankfully, she was able to confirm that she hadn't used the enchantment of her blade, or things would have been much, much worse. Rushing forward, Noble dismissed her sword and summoned a small bottle.

"I am alright," Sarai looked warily at Noble, her beautiful face full of uncertainty. Her opposing palm was over the cut, but blood was seeping through her fingers. 

"No, you aren't and it is my fault. Let me see it." Noble ushered her friend over to the table and sat her down. 

Dismissing her armor, Sarai slowly removed her fingers. She hissed in pain. Like the leather armor, her slender tracksuit was cut clean through, and the skin below her shoulder was sliced. 

"I forget just how sharp the estoc is," Noble admitted. "Forgive me." With permission, Noble took some salve from the magical Memory and ran it along the seam of the cut. 

Almost instantly, the skin began to close, speeding up the already naturally faster healing of the Awakened. The cut was shallow, so it would likely be gone within the hour. 

 "You got a little carried away there," Sarai stated the obvious. "For a moment there, I thought you might actually try to kill me. Do you hate me all of a sudden?"

"Of course not!" Noble was devastated that her friend could ever even consider such a thing. 

"Then," Sarai indicated her arm. "What is going on with you?"

Noble sighed. Dismissing her healing salve, she sat down in the second chair across from the other duelist. "It's been…a day. I caused Bee Two to do something by accident, and it got me into a lot of trouble, but I cannot talk about that. Fort and I are in the middle of a disagreement, but I can't talk about that. I also got some unsettling news, but I cannot talk about that either." 

"Sounds frustrating." Sarai wasn't sure what else to say. 

"And that's not even the hardest part," Noble placed her head in her hands, fighting the urge to cry all over again. 

"Is that at least something you can talk about? I'm a very good listener." Sarai folded her hands in her lap. 

"The best," Noble agreed easily. She lowered her hands and took a deep breath. "A moment ago you said something that reminded me of my son. I experienced a vivid memory of him. Today is the anniversary of his death." 

"Brock and Blaze were alive last time I checked." Sarai's eyes lit with recognition. "Wait, is his name Seb?" 

"How could you possibly know that?!" Noble's mouth hung open. Was Sarai secretly a seer and hadn't told her?

The humble baker gave a sad smile. "You mumbled it when you started crying earlier. I didn't realize it was a name until just now." 

"He was a good kid." Noble wasn't sure what else to say.

"You want to tell me about him ?" Sarai reached for the box of chocolates to open them once more. 

"If I get started, I'm not sure I'll stop, honestly." The professor did not want to burden the other woman with a long-winded tale. 

But Sarai seemed genuinely interested. "I've got time. But first—" Instead of opening the lid to the box, Sarai scooped it up and stood. "Let's get changed and go to a better location. I know the perfect place. I think some tea will do us both some good."

Noble pressed her lips together before nodding. "Sounds good on one condition."

"What's that?" Sarai cocked her head to one side.

"Wherever we are going, I'm buying." If Noble was expecting an argument, she was disappointed.

The fiery duelist winked, "Did I say tea? I meant steak. Or pizza. Pizza with popcorn. I definitely think we should have steak, pizza, popcorn and also pie. With chocolate cake for dessert!"