“… Are you really our son, Kan Uolo?” Sweats continued to trickle down my temple. I had been having dreams from the past again. I stood up from the bed and took a glass of water. A week have passed since we went to the Hawklight’s base. It has been decided that the day of the fight would be Saturday this week. Skimming through my schedule it’s Tuesday today.
“Idling here in the room and reading through the contents of this books wouldn’t really help that much.” I decided to take a breather and left the dorm.
Strolling around campus I got a bit lonely as I did not have anyone to talk to.
“I can’t believe I have been here for three weeks now and soon to approach a month.”
Even though all the classes ended before lunch some students were still studying. For the reason why we were given time off afternoon. The only thing that I could pick from what their reason is they were preparing for the First Trial.
Aimlessly wandering, my steps led me towards the library. “I wonder what Mika and Shinra are doing?” Looking through the long aisles, I stride a little farther to the back and glance to see if there is anything I could take from the forbidden section.
“You’re not supposed to go there, junior.” A familiar voice approached me from the back. It was Sheila-san. In an attempt to justify my reason, Sheila-san offered me to chat a little bit as she hears out my pleas.
“So, I’ve heard you have picked a fight against Hawklight. Talk about confidence, junior! You’re gaining a lot of attention lately you know. I never knew you were that assertive.” A deep sigh came from me as I try to explain the events and how it spiraled out of control.
“Although it wasn’t me who picked a fight I’m still involve though.”
“But you were involved because you are acquainted with the person that started this right?”
I nodded in reply before adding, “Even if things got out of control, I’m still glad I got involved. I don’t want to run away when my friends are in trouble.” That’s right. I promised to myself after all.
“That’s a weird way of saying that you wanted to help your friends. And what are you guys going to do now?” Sheila-san seemed to care about the situation. I didn’t hesitate to tell her that we were training.
“Do you know Eliote Fang personally, Sheila-san?” After realizing they were both 3rd years, I thought that I could ask this question.
“Hmm, I don’t really know him that well. But I’ve seen him fight seriously one time.” Curiously, I asked what happened. “You see, Eliote Fang and the captain of Fleusoar had this one huge fight for a practical test last year. They’ve broken a training ground in the process of said practical test. While the captain of Fleusoar looked to be stronger, Eliote looked to be getting stronger every passing second during that fight. That it ended in a draw after ten minutes of excruciating battle. To the students that witnessed it that moment in time, they thought that both those students had long surpassed medium-rank magicians and were already magicians of high-caliber.” Listening through senpai’s explanation, I could only imagine what must have been the students felt there witnessing such a fight.
“Then how about you, Sheila-senpai? Were they amazing?” I nonchalantly tossed a question not expecting anything. “In the eyes of a student, they were already beyond that. However, in the eyes of a magician they’re not that powerful. You could even say, I can defeat them in less than a few seconds once I’ve gotten serious.” I followed along and praised Sheila-san. Although somewhere in the back of my mind, she might’ve not been joking at all. But I quickly dismissed that silly thought.
After a while the big clock was heard across Tempest. Signaling the end of what was supposed to be the afternoon classes, yet to us it was time for the three of us to train.
“I’ll see you later Sheila-san! Thank you for listening to me!”
Dashing along the hallway I got a bit excited to train with them. I wonder if I can also surpassed myself?
“You looked so pumped up, Kan!” I high-fived Shinra as Mika is still not here.
“We can’t start without the main star though.”
“Maybe she is just preparing herself, she’s a girl after all.” I chuckled in reply, as we walked around the area unable to sit still.
“You don’t think she got caught up with something else, right?” After a few minutes it was a bit unnatural for Mika to be late. Contemplating for a full minute we decided first to look for her in her room.
It took a bit of time to get pass through the first floor of where Mika’s room is. Their dorm seemed to be limited to girls only. We hastily made our way to the third floor and knock on her room from the farthest right, opposite to where the stairs are.
“Mika, it’s Kan and Shinra. Are you there?” As I knock on the door, a timid voice possibly from Mika asked us to go in. Pressing the doorknob, I replied saying it was locked. After a series of things rustling around Mika’s room, she finally opened the door.
“I didn’t know it was locked. But come in…” A hoarse whisper came from Mika.
We then helped clean her room and asked for her to lie in bed. “I’m sorry, I got a bit sick when the fight is going to be held soon.” Shinra faintly asked what happened while brewing a drink his mother often does when he gets sick. “Well, I also don’t know the exact details perhaps I should just tell you what happened.”
Drinking the special brew by Shinra, Mika liked its taste before asking us to relax. “Well, it started right after we left the withered tree and we decided to take a rest. I may have accidently trained when I got back here.” Her voice continued to soften when Shinra was about to chop her head as punishment, it instead slid off to me. “I just did some basics, enhancing my mana pool and all. What came after that was a bit blur. When I examined the flow of mana around my body concerning my mana pool…I found a strange spot…rather a strange part of my mana pool was blank.” A part of Mika’s mana pool was blank…does that mean there is no flow of mana there?
‘But that means…a part of her is…dead.’
“Then when I tried to focus on that part, I lost consciousness and got sick, haha.”
“Well, you have to rest for the meantime then.” Mika tried to stand up before helplessly falling back again. “Haaah…I hate that I’m basically a deadweight right now. But I’ll leave it up to you guys to train.” I was kind of worried, she would push herself again. “If you fully rest yourself and get better. I’ll do you a favor, Mika.” It may just be I wanted her to be motivated, but Shinra took on the opportunity to tease me.
“Aryaa, what does that mean Kan…? We’ll see you later Mika!” I tried to defend my remark when Shinra shrugged it off and continued teasing me as we left the room. Mika lightly waved back before being left alone in that room.
Leaving the dorm, “Are you still worried about her?”
“When we were there, I just thought what that blank part of her mana pool meant.”
“Have faith, Kan. Let’s do our best so that we can face Mika properly.” His words left a bittersweet impression on me. That’s right, I’m not the only one that is struggling. “Now that we are left with each other. What do you want to do?”
“Why do you have to phrase it like that…” I almost thought for a second Shinra would stop teasing me.
“Tsk, she hasn’t come out for a long time…”
“You must’ve scared her man. You almost broke her arm too, haha.” A few 2nd year students were talking quite loudly. We walked past them and was about to leave them be. Not until. “What was that bitch name again?” “Wasn’t it like Ika or something.” “It’s Mika Torri you idiots.” A faint blue streak of lightning became apparent around Shinra’s eyes. “She must be filthy rich right if we just got rid of her that time. Then we could’ve---”
There wasn’t anything I could have done to possibly stop what happened right before my eyes. Blood splattered everywhere… For a split second, the three students got dragged towards the back of the building. “Fuck…! Who the hell are you?” Spewing out blood, Shinra extended his right hand slowly casting a lightning spell. “S-stop…Shinra don’t you think that’s quite enough?”
“What do you mean, Kan…?” Tilting his head in confusion, droplets of blood rolled down his face. “They…hurt Mika you know? They are the reason she is alone there at her room, these people hurt our friend, Kan! …Are you gonna stop me?” I…already knew there was something wrong to Mika’s state but if these senior students truly did it.
“I won’t stop you for getting angry Shinra. But I’ll stop you for taking it too far.” Backed against the wall, mind overwhelmed by fear, and body rendered.
“Then I have no choice but to---”
“What is going on here?” From the corner of my eyes, there she was, struggling to barely stand, yet she looked to be the brightest star in this alleyway. It was Mika Torri.
“These are the 2nd years who hurt you right?” Taken aback at the sudden change of air around Shinra, Mika nodded and immediately told him to stop.
“So, you also don’t want to take revenge, Mika? Why…didn’t they hurt you? You should at least let them experience the same pain, right?” Shinra continued to harm the senior students.
“That is more than enough, Shinra Mavirus! Get out of here!” Mika’s voice took hold of the situation. In a bolt, Shinra apologized before leaving unable to understand why he was in the wrong.
“For you three, I don’t want to see your faces again. And if you hurt my friends, I’ll end you.” Mika’s bloodshot eyes pierced through them as the senior students immediately left the area.
After the situation ended, I quickly rushed to Mika who couldn’t continue standing alone. “I never knew Shinra could be like that…” I could feel Mika’s trembling, her body started to burn. Her fever’s getting high. “Thanks, Kan.”
“I haven’t even done anything.” Tightly clenching my fist, I gritted my teeth.
“No, you’re already doing more than enough. You’re here helping me get back to my room, you know?” The walk back to her room was a bit silent as we tried to collect our thoughts about the situation earlier.
“The face of one 2nd year student earlier seemed familiar. Is he the one who you bumped into back then?” At a loss, she finally let me know the truth. “And they’ve been continuously harassing you?”
“I don’t want to tell you guys because I thought they would stop already. Until I was walking home back when we got back to the Hawklight’s base. I was already exhausted from fighting Eliote when they ganged up on me and driven me to a corner. Just then, the secretary of the principal was nearby, and they immediately fled placing some curse spell at me. But it seems to be wearing off it might have been earlier when you guys confronted them.”
“Don’t feel bad, Kan. If I could ask you a favor can you talk to Shinra about this as well?” I could not forget Shinra’s expression earlier.
“Of course. I’ll definitely make sure that Shinra would not stop being friends with us!” Nevertheless, I don’t want for everything to just end like this. I won’t let it happen.
“Can you come here for a sec, Kan…?” I leaned a bit facing Mika eye level, as she unexpectedly hugged me. Thoughts of what she had been going through ever since, clouded my mind. Time seemed to have stopped at this moment. When tears slipped down her eyes falling seeping through my uniform. The warmth of another person, one that had longed for someone to be with her through her hardships. “Mika, I…”
“Don’t say another word or I’m gonna punch you. I’ll wait for you guys at the agreed place, ok?”
I could only nod and silently let go of Mika. People often say that a person cannot grow if he had never experienced hardships. Then, what do you say to a person who have only went through hardships for the past five years? If you ask me, if a person that could continue living in spite of what she had gone through exists. I’ll immediately tell you; I don’t want for such a person to continue existing for that sole purpose.
That’s why, I am about to make a promise I cannot keep. I’ll fight for those people with my life…
