I glared at Josun as my sister lay on the ground, her arms bloody and bruised. An amber haze hung in the air. It felt thick in my lungs, like morning fog.

                  "What's wrong?" he teased, crouching down beside her. "Done already?"

                  Without thinking, I stepped forward. Bright strands of emerald essence swirled up from the lush, verdant grass beneath my feet like threads of spider silk, the life-force of the grass converting into elemental winds as a ball of concentrated energy formed in my palm.

                  By the time Josun looked up, it was already too late.

                  I blasted him across the crude dirt arena, away from my sister, kicking up a cloud of dirt as my green essence spiraled out, dissipating into the air.

                  "You brat!" he said, scrambling to his feet.

                  He charged at me, drawing amber essence from the hot summer air, the strands weaving together into a tight braid in his hand, until the silhouette of a blade emerged.

                  He leapt forward in a burst of amber, his essence sword held high overhead.

                  Josun was many years older than me, and towered over me in height, but I could use that to my advantage.

                  I charged toward him and slid under his attack, staying low to the ground as his amber essence whirred past my face. Without missing a beat, I counter attacked with another blast of emerald essence, striking his side and causing him to stagger backward. He had managed to deflect the brunt of my attack with his own weaving.

                  "You're quick," he sneered, "but you can't beat me."

                  I glared at him, my fists clenched tightly. Without the element of surprise, I could barely deal damage through his essence. Even if I dodged every attack and connected with every counter, he was right: in a raw war of attrition, I would still lose.

                  "Give up before you embarrass yourself like your sister," he teased.

                  I looked at her, and the bow that lay on the ground by her side.

                  While she could never compete with my weaving, it had never stopped her from trying her best, even against the likes of Josun.

                  If she hadn't given up, neither could I.

                  We'll do this together.

                  I dashed toward Josun in a feint, causing him to weave essence defensively, allowing me to gain tempo in the fight. I grinned as I turned on my heel, diverting my momentum to pick the bow off the ground instead. He tried to stop me, but he was much too slow, caught off guard as I formed an emerald arrow of essence.

                  Amber essence spiraled through the air as Josun once again formed a defensive barrier around himself.

                  Even with the extra firepower of a bow, I still couldn't break through his shield.

                  But I had known that all along.

                  I charged toward him, firing off the essence arrow at point blank, causing it to explode against his essence in a massive plume of emerald dust. The vortex of essence strands obscured his vision, and I used the opportunity to strike, thrusting a spear of emerald essence through the smokescreen, finally landing a clean hit as my weapon pierced through his clothes, penetrating into his skin.

                  He staggered as I struck him with another blast of elemental winds, causing him to topple backward onto the ground as the emerald fog scattered into the sky.

                  I rushed forward, drawing the bow, weaving another emerald arrow and holding it up to his head.

                  "It's over," I told him.

                  He scoffed, his nostrils flaring.

                  "Like hell it is!"

                  He reached out, ripping my bow from my hands before firing off a blast of amber flame, knocking me backward. He snapped the bow in his hands before turning his attention back toward me, weaving another blade of amber essence.

                  Humiliated and enraged, I could see his essence glow brightly, flames dancing along the edges of the blade. I could see it burning his hands as he held it, unable to control the the essence. I needed to end the fight, and quickly.

                  Josun leapt forward, and just like last time, I dodged toward him, sliding under his attack. To my surprise, the moment his attack missed, his essence immediately diverted to his side, protecting himself from a counter.

                  He had tried to read me.

                  But he had failed.

                  I attacked low with my essence, sweeping his legs out from beneath him, causing him to slam face-first into the arena as a cloud of dirt erupted into the air.

                  I let out a breath of relief.

                  For a brief moment, the arena was still.

                  But I didn't feel satisfied.

                  I felt... angry.

                  I felt hungry.

                  I wove an emerald blade of my own, its form growing solid in my hands, and I felt something tug from within me. Something dark.

                  Josun tried to scramble up to his feet, but I could see from the way his head swayed, the way his arms shook, that he had been concussed.

                  "You think you're so big because you're a weaver," I growled. "Well guess what? I'm a weaver, too."

                  I swung my arm with all my might, but the attack never connected.

                  A massive blast of emerald exploded out into the air, torrential winds spiraling up into the sky, causing nearby trees to flutter, their branches and leaves shuddering and swaying in the wake of the attack.

                  I turned and saw my sister with her fingers closed tightly around my wrist, her eye stained purple by a bruise, blood running down her lips, as she shook her head.

                  I turned to Josun, who seemed to have finally recovered, as he spat on the ground.

                  "Come on," my sister said. "Let's go home."