Footsteps marched down the long hallway as Clarice took point in leading everyone, including the rest of Starlight, deeper into the facility. Even if she was restricted from joining the professional leagues on paper, it made no difference to the national champion. They had to figure out what was going on with Alexia. After winning the tournaments consecutively for four years, Clarice held that same tear last year. But it made no attempts at joining with her, likely due to what was already inside them.
Finally, Clarice stopped at two double doors, placing her hand on a nearby scanning device. The doors began to slide open, revealing a room housing a singularity machine; this one appeared to be a similar model to the national one but smaller, fit for a duel. Inside the room would be various seats circling the machine; in a few of these seats happened to be unknown faces of foundation members scattered about. Clarice peered over to look at Alexia.
“Before we begin, grab my hand. The rest of you take a seat.”
Clarice extended out her hand for Alexia to take. While everyone else started filtering in, Reynolds took a front-row seat, with Pearl sitting next to him. Roy and Heidi took a seat somewhere in the back of the room. Deveron begrudgingly marched in and took a seat behind Reynolds. Cheveyo paused for a moment to watch Clarice. He knew what was about to happen, but this wasn’t something he felt like stepping into. Thus, he took a seat next to Deveron. As for Alexia, she’d hold on to Clarice’s hand. After a few seconds, nothing happened, only an awkward silence between the two until she spoke up.
“So… What am I doing exa-”
Alexia stopped talking, and the two just stood there in a trance to the others. Alexia blinked as her entire surroundings changed into nothing but a black void. Eventually, this void soon filled with dead grass and a starry sky where the only primary light source was that of the full moon. Situated before her was a small temple, decrepit and overrun by dead vines. It took her a moment to muster up the courage to approach the temple, and once she stood at its doorway, within, she saw two figures. One was Clarice, and the other a rather handsome pale man with a single darkened wing of an angel. A single red horn sticking out the top of his head and piercing purple eyes promptly scanned her soul. His hair was a mixture of black and white, the two colors meshing together in harmony, and in his hand was an old book with strange symbols surrounding it.
The two figures were seated at a table, playing a chess game. The man was clearly winning and already had Clarice in checkmate. Then, his voice, which was solemn, proud, yet hypnotizing, radiated from his mouth.
“Why would you invite someone tainted by that witch in here?”
Clarice seemed cheery and started to dangle her queen on the chessboard, removing them from a checkmate.
“What is this I’m hearing, Lucy? You only wish for me to be stuck in this place with you?”
“Stop playing around and explain yourself.”
“I just wanted your opinion on her face-to-face before we test her.”
“My opinion?”
The man squinted his eyes. An irritation overtook him as if he wanted to stab Clarice right now. The sound of chains could be heard every time he moved. It wasn’t until he moved his arm that Alexia saw the chains, each one glowing in holy harmony. Further inspection revealed that the man before her and Clarice were tied together in this chain by some kind of seal.
“Honestly, now, don’t kid yourself. You know my opinion.”
“No, I don’t. Come on, lighten up, old man. And just take a looksie.”
A moment of silence surrounded the temple, Clarice giving a bored look upon Lucifer. Then, finally, with a hefty sigh, the man took a stand; the chains fading away yet still present. He’d approach Alexia and tower over the girl. Clearly the tallest person she’s ever seen in her life. There was no hostility surrounding him, only his eyes observing.
“I see…” He finally said, curiously placing a hand on his chin.
“I-Is there something wrong?” Alexia replied.
“Yes, for one. You reek of that witch's energy. But, it's only faint… I’m curious how one such as yourself acquired celestial power. Granted… Your species calls these things ‘Singularity’. How cute. It still baffles me that a power akin to old legends is in such widespread calamity. But yours is indeed unique. That damn tear has consumed it, I see. I’ll leave it to my host in seeing if it is true.”
Clarice started messing around the chessboard, rearranging the table so she’d win.
“So~. You like her?”
Lucifer turned to look at Clarice once more, grinning unpleasantly, a fit of anger festering within.
“As much as you do. Also, stop changing the board. Just reset the positions… We’ll play when you’re done fighting her.”
Lucifer returned to his seat to sit down. There was no fancy throne, no unholy sanctums, just three people in a temple that resembled the inside of a church. Yet, here the legendary devil was. Seated at a table, playing chess and reading a book with the soul he was bound to.
“Awesome~! Sorry about the sudden guest. She’s quite the girl, isn’t she~?”
“Whatever.”
Lucifer snapped his fingers, kicking Clarice and Alexia into reality again. The two released their hands, with Clarice turning to the singularity machine. Alexia wasn’t confused, but needed confirmation.
“So… You’re just like Chev and Mahdri? Clarice?”
“Hm… Sorta? Though unlike them. I wasn’t born with him. A lot happened, you could say. But, if he finds you interesting, all the more reason to test you right now. I won’t be relying on his powers, don’t worry~.”
Clarice stepped up onto the machine and waited for Alexia.
“So he acts like a second singularity, huh?”
Alexia moved to the other side of the machine.
“In the simplest terms, yes.”
The machine started to rev up, and particles began to disperse around them. There was calmness around Clarice, yet anxiousness was hidden within Alexia.
“Although… My own powers, I prefer. It’s only when the two combine that things get hellish.”
Above them, a stage started to be selected on the hologram, as it flipped through multiple cities until it was forced onto the one they were in. New York, New York. Reynolds released a soft whistle while the rest of Starlight watched on. And thus, the two were ported into a replica of New York City.
Alexia regained her vision, looking down Broadway street and standing before Clarice. Alexia tightened her gloves, extending her right hand and watching Clarice approach. An icy wind brushed past her. Alexia waited for Clarice to be inches away, then opened the hand.
“[STAR SCATTER!]”
Her right hand made contact with Clarice’s chest. The force is not strong enough to push the woman back. Yet, nothing occurred. That was, until Clarice turned to look behind her. Her body was fine, but a few buildings in the background had holes ripped through them by an unknown force.
Clarice once more pondered for a moment. It seemed Alexia knew what she was doing; the attack name had a nice ring. And the buildings did indeed scatter, but there she was unharmed.
“Right… I was going to tell you to just strike me, but you did it anyway.”
Clarice placed both arms behind her back. This time, a warm current of wind brushed through the city.
“Try it again, only this time take a few steps back… And hit me with a star if you can.”
Alexia had confusion on her face; taking her hands off Clarice, she’d do as they said and step back. In her mind, that attack was meant to damage Clarice’s body and end the match there, but it went off-course.
Once more, Alexia attempted an attack by raising one of her hands upward to form a star. Yet, the formation of this star never manifested. But she could feel something was trying to gather. Even if it was little specs of dust, she threw whatever it may be directed at Clarice. Standing confidently, the woman was suddenly struck in the face by an invisible force. This force did not move her from their spot, only lightly pushed air in her face.
“Huh…”
Clarice rubbed the side of her cheek. Looking down at her hand, she saw glittering dust in her palm.
“Well, that’s a start. I’d wager the pressure of this attack would likely knock an unexpected Mahdri to the ground. You still have some power, but we must figure out what that tear did to you. Legends have it; it makes one stronger, capable of conquering the world. Yet, I still don’t sense a shred of energy from you. So, you get three more chances~.”
Clarice held up her hand, showing three fingers. A mixture of hot and cold air manifested within the city. She’d allow Alexia three more attacks, and then she’d proceed with hers.
“Three chances, huh? Alright, let’s try this then!”
Alexia stomped her foot, attempting to uplift the ground beneath them, but even that never came to pass. Only dust uplifted from the ground. It glittered like stars for the seconds it remained in the air, only to hit the ground and form small cracks in the road.
“Two more.”
Clarice took note of every action and ounce of power formerly associated with Alexia. What made them special was the ability to form stars. But she’s known about Alexia long before the nationals took place. Clarice had the record of every team that won their state championship. Alexia’s stood out, after all, consistently winning their matches through the utilization of stars. In the bigger picture, what a terrifying power, yet so few took note of her. In fact, all of Starlight was a bundle of unique individuals. From their Vanguard to the Captain, Clarice had an interest in all of them. It took her four years to find exciting individuals that could rival her or at least compete.
A year ago, it was Mahdri who shined a light in competing with her, and this year it was Alexia who defeated Mahdri that shined higher. Thinking on it harder, each of Starlight had the capacity to win. Deveron could potentially defeat Alexia, Heidi, in turn, had the potential to defeat Deveron, Roy could best Heidi, and Cheveyo was a jack of hidden potential. Such a team like theirs was unique; even in their defeats, they stood out above the rest.
Clarice exhaled, only to be hit in the face with a punch from Alexia. A [Stardust Punch], to be exact, as specs of colored dust surrounded them. Still, Clarice did not move from her spot and took the hit like a champ. Her own hand moved to grab Alexia’s arm.
“Last chance…”
The sky began to darken as the wind continued to pick up the pace. Alexia got nervous, taking a step back, away from Clarice. Had she really lost her powers? Consumed as Lucifer said? Or did it merely evolve? She took a quick look at her surroundings. In the distance, she could have sworn she saw a tornado over the horizon.
Last chance, huh? Alexia started calming down, thinking up another attack. Eventually, she concluded that if her powers evolved; she had to take it a step further. Immediately, Alexia rushed at Clarice, raising her fists up like a boxer. She pulled her arm back only to send it swinging back hard at her opponent. The glittering of stars manifesting around her, Clarice caught the swing, pushing Alexia back. Alexia caught her footing, only to end up kicking Clarice. To which, like before, Clarice caught. Only this time, Clarice squinted her eyes, holding up one hand to block the light that was blinding her.
Punches, kicks, pushes, you name it. Alexia kept assaulting Clarice, who kept blocking all attempts with a single hand. Their other still shielding their eyes from the odd light. When Alexia threw out yet another punch, Clarice was hit with it, sliding back down the street.
“Yes!”
“Excited over a push? …Hm, Congratulations, but… Tell me… What exactly are you doing with that ball of light behind you?”
Clarice took note of a star-forming behind Alexia. The latter of which didn’t expect much to manifest. But there it was, a shining orb of light propelled in the air. It didn’t disrupt the land stationed neatly above the ground in harmony.
“Well, enough of that. I think I understand what’s going on with you now.”
Clarice swatted the air with her unshielded hand. A gust of strong wind pushed through the city, disrupting the star and shattering it immediately. There was no explosion, merely a dispelling of particles behind Alexia. The sky continued to darken. Only when Clarice lowered her arms and looked up did Alexia realize what was happening.
Around New York City, tornadoes were unleashed, about a dozen or so moving through Manhattan, destroying it in an eerie silence.
“I guess I can tell you. My real power is the manipulation of weather~. Though, mines not fancy like Mahdri’s teammate, where it can put you to sleep…. Combined this with Lucifer’s power, and well. I did say it can get hellish.”
Clarice closed her eyes and crossed her arms. She was untouched by the weather. As the rain descended onto the city, Alexia felt her feet slipping off the ground due to the sheer amount of wind. On the outskirts of the city near the statue of Liberty, the formation of a hurricane quickly gathered. Above the two fighters, they stood directly in the center of an EF5 Tornado beginning to form.
“I did say I wouldn’t utilize my other powers in this test. But I’ve figured out what the tear has done. It seems to have returned your powers back to the very beginning. Though, you clearly have a higher aptitude, regardless if you’re still knocking holes into buildings. How strange. Well, whatever it’s doing to your body, we’ll see if we can fix that before the world stage.”
Unfortunately, Alexia could not hear anything due to the wind knocking her off balance. She couldn’t manipulate gravity to fly anymore; trying to conjure up the power to do so was impossible.
“Ha~. Sorry, guess we should end this, huh? This power is quite useful during the royale matches. But you’ll get used to it….”
Clarice continued to stand there, unmoved by the wind. It was only now that everything in the city took an unexpected turn. The hurricane on the city's outskirts collapsed in on itself, the clouds falling into the ocean. Tornadoes around the city slowly faded away, with wind speeds all around dropping rapidly. And the EF5 forming above them abruptly stopped and faded away, the skies above them clearing up as it started forming an Eye of the Storm.
“That should do it. Any questions, Alexia?”
Alexia had been hanging onto a nearby fire hydrant for dear life. Her ears rang out until the silence took over.
“W-What?”
“I said, Any questions!”
“Y-Yeah, could you repeat what you said..b-before?”
“Hmm…”
Suddenly, Clarice’s hair turned white. Her eyes took on a more crimson hue as a scythe uplifted from the ground beside her. Clarice said no words and merely tapped the scythe against the floor.
Before Alexia could respond, her ears rang out at the sound of a thunderous wind approaching. Looking down the street, a wall of dark clouds surged its way through the city streets, overtaking the skyscrapers and empty parks. The sky closed in on them all around the two until they were engulfed entirely by the darkness that swept all through Manhattan.
“Winner. Clarice Clark.” The system rang out.
Reynolds watched on, as did everyone in the room. Deveron couldn’t really say anything. He wanted to boast about how he could easily handle the national champion, but honestly. That kind of singularity countered his. Heidi might have a chance, but at full power, Clarice clearly won.
Alexia and Clarice manifested back onto the machine. The scythe faded from Clarice’s hands, and her hair color returned to normal. Alexia seemed to be visibly shaken. It appeared something in that darkness got to her.
Clarice let out an annoyed sigh. It seemed Lucifer didn’t want the fight to keep going. No matter; they had months to train. Still, sadly, she would truthfully not have the reigns over Alexia until graduation day.
Clarice walked off the machine and exited the room upon opening the door. She was met with Polita, her guard. The girl’s halo appeared yellow at the door's opening but immediately changed to pink upon seeing Clarice.
“Hello, Poly. Come on, let’s go home or do something…. Oh, and uh.”
Clarice turned to look at Starlight.
“I know where to find you guys. Don’t worry about keeping me in contact. If I need you, I’ll find you. I guess your teacher knows the way out. Enjoy the rest of your winter. This coming summer is gonna be scorching.”
With that, Clarice finally departed with Polita.
Cheveyo looked at Reynolds.
“So what now?”
Reynolds took a moment as all the foundation members that watched left the room with the results of this match, exiting after Clarice. And when they were all completely gone, he spoke up.
“I hope you kids don’t mind aiding me a little longer in your lives. Even if you know what you want to do in your life, I’ll always have an opportunity for you in the future. Alexia is the only senior here this year. So she’ll be departing; first, it seems. Then, next year, Cheveyo and Deveron. Roy and Heidi have three more years. But I dragged you all into a mess that was never meant to happen. I won’t lie. You all won me a bet, and I’m thankful, but know the opportunity will always be there. Just as I have shown Pearl, if you ever need anything, do not hesitate to contact me.”
Pearl remained silent. The speech Reynolds just gave happened to be quite familiar to her. Even though Deveron said nothing, Roy and Heidi were still thinking about it together. As for Alexia and Cheveyo, the two couldn’t argue with having an opportunity opened in their lives ahead of time.
Starlight stood silently at Reynold's words. Roy and Heidi were still freshmen in high school. They had plenty of time to consider what to do with their lives. Thanks to this team, Deveron had already committed and achieved his goal. Only Cheveyo knew what his desires were. However, even he did not want to consistently participate in battles. Alexia’s dream was also realized, even if it was a short-term goal. Despite being shaken up, she desired to enter the professional leagues after graduating.
Reynolds stood up to stretch, only to head towards the exit, with Pearl following him. Opening the doors, Adelle stood there, curiously waving at the others.
“Hello, Ade.”
“A-Ahem… Good Day, Sir Reynolds.”
The Sweet Lolita had been waiting for her mentor, Pearl.
“Come along, Adelle. I believe we’re done aiding Reynolds… If you need anything else, just let me know. Okay? I mean it.”
Reynolds nodded at Pearl.
“I get it, Pearl. You’re free to go.”
Pearl gave a solemn bow to Reynolds and thus departed with Adelle. Finally, Reynolds turned to Starlight.
“Team Starlight. Let’s head home.”
