NOVPUBEmerald and Aqua sparks flew in the air as the tension grew thick, energy pulsating in concentric waves as the walls reverberated with intensity.
Ice crept with a silent plea, stretching across the expanse of the building held from crumbling with the rest.
The serene sight of ice spikes and snow scattered across the lobby, or what was left of it, was striking.
And at the edge of it, Rita Vinci stood, her gaze tracing the movement of the fighting hurricane, her paintbrush held firmly in her grasp.
She had been standing still for quite a while, following their fight with the movement of her eyes while preparing herself in anticipation for an opening.
But for a while now, since she arrived, she had not spotted one
The absurdity pricked at her scalp, sending a headache that she held by rubbing her temples.
With a subtle sigh, she relaxed her arms, folding them and stretching her legs forward slightly.
She couldn't keep screaming at them. She wasn't even sure if they felt her presence, let alone heard her.
It was openings like this where one could rush into the battle and aid their ally, but with the situation having a comedic turn.
She would simply be a hindrance.
So she thought.
A loud explosion occurred, an impact energising the walls as it rattled, ice cracking and sawing down as a cobweb crack traced down it.
The surge of power pushed the Burly man away, his body floating in the air akin to a fallen leaf before slamming into the wall with a loud thud.
The building shook, and the ice shattered, giving way to the demolition while Raph descended from the air.
He panted slightly, aura exuding from his body, and his double-edged katana soaked in dripping crimson.
For a moment, he had been entirely focused on the wall as it caved in, closing the crater formed from slamming the man away.
But at some point, his sense of perception came to him as his gaze flicked to the sides.
Their eyes met, and his brow raised in curiosity.
"Rita?"
She hesitated, her lips parting, then closing, parting again soon after.
"Hey, Raffaello."
The white haired boy pushed her comment aside with a wave of his hand as he landed on a raised, frozen platform.
It was like a hill, short and curved at the tip, but providing enough room for walking.
It was here Rita found herself waiting for an opening– well, failed to find an opening.
"Call me Raph." He stated as he walked up to her. "Why are you here? And not with the others?"
Her lips curled downwards, a scowl creasing on her forehead as a stinging glare exuded from her face.
Raph froze mid step in confusion, his arm scratching the back of his neck.
"Wha– What's with that face?"
She clicked her tongue and looked away.
"I came to help….but clearly, you don't need it."
She turned around to walk away while Raph watched in silence. A chuckle escaped his lips, echoing against the frozen walls before he clasped it shut.
Rita whipped her gaze back at him.
"Is it funny?"
He chuckled again, this time, looking away slightly.
"No. I apologise. It wasn't."
Silence suffused the air between them for a moment, their expressions a stark contrast to one another when she scoffed and continued to walk away.
Raph remained still.
After all, it was a lot better if she did leave.
'It's a shame, though. I could hardly see the Vinci household fight in both lives….
I heard it could be quite beautiful.'
A sudden eruption of sound pierced the air.
A shockwave spread through the ice as the rest of the Building shattered in a heartbeat.
It was like an echo, erupting loud and clear, snapping at their ears with a sneer.
Raph groaned while Rita staggered, nearly tripping to the floor.
The building suddenly shifted, a groan of protest screaming from the walls as the concrete gave in to gravity.
It broke, shattered, thin lines tracing across the wall like an ant trail, spreading its destruction to the rest of the standing construct.
Dirt and sand fell, bits of rocks protruding from the holes, while large ones broke off with a thunderous crack.
Raph cursed within, his gaze shifting towards the crater, searching for his attacker.
'He's gone.'
In a swift motion, his body warped in the air as he launched forward like a bullet.
He grabbed Rita as a rock slammed the spot they escaped from, rushed across the frozen platform and jumped into the air.
Space lay bare between his feet and the ground while Rita was held firmly in his arms.
A blast of aura washed over him, and ice sprang from the foot of his leg, projecting towards the ground and anchoring on it.
It prolonged, shimmering ice forming a descending slide as he slid down it.
The wind whisked his hair behind him, whistling in his ear as his body sped down the slide at a rapid pace.
Rocks and dirt are descending with drastic force, slamming against the ice slide and breaking apart on impact.
Its sturdy construction resisted the collapsing building and stood strong as he headed to the other side of the wall.
There was a small opening that sparkled, reflecting the luminance of the moon against his eyes.
His focus had been entirely fixed on it as he propelled forward, but a sudden explosion of sound and energy as a body pulsed into the air like a rocket caught the edge of his periphery.
He glanced at his side, recognising the Burly figure of the masked male as he rushed towards them, a dome of green energy wrapped around him.
Sending a surge of power that crept along his skin like veins.
The sight caused Raph to scoff as he glanced down at Rita.
The girl had curled herself tightly in his embrace, eyes closed and arms up, while her hair drifted in the wind.
"Rita." He called.
The girl flinched, an eye opening as she looked up at him.
"You wanted to fight with me, right?" He asked, his lips curled in a tight grin.
Rita remained silent for a moment, but in a heartbeat, her aura seemed to change.
Mana propelled within her body, surging power from within.
A smile formed on her face.
"Yes?"
Raph turned to the Burly man, and she raised her head a bit, getting a better look at the incoming missile.
"Well, here's your time."
With a slight grunt, he lifted her into the air and propelled her forward, the smile never leaving their faces as his body sped off along the slide, leaving the Artistic girl behind.
The mana surged from within, dark, yet beautifully woven as she propelled her arm forward, making light strokes of her paintbrush in the air.
The Vinci household.
A household of artists and the masters of vast communication.
They were known for learning a vast number of languages over the years, speaking different forms and even improving them.
With their skilful and precise work in craftsmanship and woodwork, it was evident that their talent wasn't just limited to drawing.
They possessed different forms of expressing their arts.
An evident, common one was through the paint brush. Though not limited to a brush. A pencil, a palette, a carver, whatever form of applying paint or drawings enabled them to showcase their artistic abilities.
Another form was the use of words– verbal. An extraordinary form of applying words to form art.
This was a power possessed by a few of the Vinci household, indicating the peak of art.
The three other forms were the use of symbols, hand communication and body language.
Different in its own manner of expression, yet similar in the
When the Vincis fought, those around them would often stop to appreciate through beauty, for they were the Artists of the Battlefield.
Rita Vinci, one of the direct Lineage, was one of these artists, and this was her stage, prepared by Raph.
Such a gift—
"Can not be wasted."
With a subtle stroke of her brush, a symbol formed in the air, a line of patterns and strokes, indecipherable to the common eye, yet a world of mysteries to the Vincis.
"Vinci Book of Arts; 4th Symbol; The Night of the Blooming Rose."
Her mana swirled as four flowers bloomed around her, sketched in black and white, vibrant and regal.
Projecting in the world with petals that floated across the air.
Contrary to the black and white of the flowers, these petals were of a more vibrant colour.
Pink and lilac, exuding an elegant grace as they hovered around her.
The flowers enlarged, completely obscuring the path of the charging Burly man, yet he had come too far to stop his progression.
With a solid thud and an explosion of ink, he collided with the flowers, wet ink erupting as the flowers splashed into a mystery of colours.
The Burly man groaned as he pushed forward, sticky elongation of the ink clawing at him and pulling him back as he did so.
The frighteningly tight struggle was captivating as it was suffocating.
The ink spread like serpents, reaching for his limbs, stretching and spreading across his body, enveloping him in an ichor of thorns.
He groaned bitterly, veins bulging out of his neck as he propelled his body forward. A struggling attempt to set himself free as the elongation cut off, bit by bit. One after the other, setting the man free with each passing second.
At that moment, Rita appeared above him, a vibrant hue of colours exuding from her body, and mana surging within as she drew a symbol in the air.
"Vinci Book of Arts; 7th Symbol…."
Her face grew pale, and her lips curled into a frown.
"...Sword of Mona."
