Chapter 一四: Song’s Not Over

 

She was in pain. More pain than ever before. Enough to lose consciousness.

But not because of her wounds.

Ulura Nightsong’s body had been hurt worse in the past.

She hadn’t fainted after her fight with Yuki Iceflame due to the damage she had sustained.

It was the humiliation of her defeat that had made her pass out. Her. The person with the most power in all of Sunbird. Daughter of the wealthiest deviants in West Barilia. Defeated by some unassuming no-name.

A defeat that shouldn’t have been possible.

This day was the first one since Ulura had had deva output-augmenting implants put in her body, so she had been dead-set on picking a fight with someone on at least an average level to see how much stronger she had become.

She had seen the news report about the fight Hikaru Summerbolt and Seiren Blackscale had got in at a construction site and the ensuing fight with some ordinari at the police precinct. Then Miss Nightsong had noticed the girl who had fought beside the rivals had now become a student at Sunbird, thinking she would be the perfect opponent.

So she had applied a tactic used many times before – she had looked for an opening, snuck behind Miss Iceflame when the girl had been in the heat of the battle at the canteen and had made sure she would push her food tray to the floor to start a fight between them.

Although her opponent’s chip was supposed to allow her to use no more than 50% of her powers while on school grounds and Ulura could use 85% of her total deva output with the implants, the new student had still managed to defeat her. And she had used teleportation with a static deva to do so, which was unheard of.

A day that was supposed to end in triumph had ended with utter disgrace.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

Upon waking up in the nurse’s office, the shadow of her disgrace haunted the black-haired beauty, so she decided to beat up some of the classmates who had come to check on her in order to feel a bit better. Two girls and one boy were targeted in particular, each of whom was reached by a barrage of green laser bullets after they asked how she felt.

The girls were thrown to the beds from the pair opposite the pair on one of which Ulura was lying while the boy was slammed in the wall behind them. Two of the other boys in the visitor group picked up the girls while that group’s last member picked up the boy.

Each of the three was left on an empty bed, Nurse Neana Ilre going to check on them as the classmates of the unfortunate victims went back to their fallen leader.

While restructuring them, the deputy headmistress’s eyes were focused on the tyrannical villainess instead of her patients, though, one of the clearly discernible emotions in those eyes being anger.

(Neana) ‘I’ve treated enough patients because of your bullshit today, Ulura. Cut it out already.’

(Ulura) ‘I’ll cut you up next if you try ordering me again, Ilre.’

The school nurse was completely unfazed by the Sunbird Queen’s threat. Something like this would’ve never happened before, what followed after – even less so.

(Neana) ‘You really want to try your luck against me after the new student beat you and while still having superficial wounds? I can put you in a far worse state that the one you were in when they brought you here, you know, but the choice is yours.’

A mere school nurse – a mere deputy headmistress – was talking back to Ulura now. It seemed like everything had changed while she had been unconscious. For a while she even wondered if it was dream.

Unfortunately for her, it wasn’t. The reality of the things happening was confirmed by one of her classmates leaning closer to her.

(Student #1) ‘Since you’re talking like that, I’d say you’re fine.’

(Ulura) ‘Yuki Iceflame … I’m going to kill her.’

(Student #1) ‘That’ll be a hard thing to do. She gained a lot of supporters after beating you. Some have even started calling her ‘The Liberator of Sunbird’.’

(Student #2) ‘Meanwhile the students don’t look at us with the same fear anymore. It doesn’t feel right and though I don’t want to be pointing fingers … you did screw up bad.’

Even Miss Nightsong’s classmates seemed to no longer respect her as before. Drastic measures needed to be taken to change this, but before Ulura could do that, there were other things to take care of.

(Ulura) ‘I don’t want to hear about that right now. How long was I out for?’

(Student #3) ‘A couple of hours. Neana made sure of that.

We called your driver to pick you up, but he said he’s been ordered to stay put and let you get home on your own today. You mom has told him you should be able to get back a lot faster in your current condition, whatever that means.’

The black-haired beauty’s classmates looked at each other after that, though partially insecure, one of them continuing with a rather bold question.

(Student #1) ‘Are you hiding something from us, Ulura? Like maybe something to do with the fight you picked today?’

(Ulura) ‘I’ll explain later.’ – while straining herself to an extent, she was able to get up halfway from the bed to see they had dressed her in the PE girls’ oufit for Sunbird – a yellow T-shirt with a black star on the right side of the chest and black shorts – ‘Right now I have to get to the mansion.’

Neither Neana, nor anyone else made an attempt to stop Miss Nightsong as she exited the nurse’s office, going down the corridors of Sunbird and through the streets of Deckstoru after that. She didn’t use her deva to cross the distance faster, though, because she considered it too risky in her current condition. And there was also the fact Ulura wanted to delay what was coming as much as possible.

The Nightsong Mansion on the outskirts of the city stood out amid all other structures around it with its imposing shapes. Most distinctive among those were the two gothic-style towers at both ends of the two-floor building, at the central part of which stood another smaller tower.

From a certain angle against the backdrop of the setting sun it looked like a black bat spreading its wings to protect some treasure. There was indeed such a treasure – the archways covered in violet wisteria over the lane with rhombus-shaped stones that led to the mansion’s entrance and the gardens full of purple devil’s trumpet flowers on both sides of the lane.

After going down that lane to enter the building, Ulura found four lined-up maids were waiting for her as usual.

‘Welcome home, Miss Ulura.’ said the quartet in unison while bowing and not making any mention of the young mistress’s superficial wounds or unusual outfit.

They knew it wasn’t their place to make such comments and they were to stay away from her whenever she was in a mood like the current one – the ready-to-kill type.

The black-haired beauty didn’t go to the mansion’s central tower, which was her domain, to take a relaxing shower as she usually did after coming home, nor did she go to the right tower, where she knew her father was.

Instead she went straight to the left tower.

At the very top was a room with big rhombus-shaped windows, all of which were covered by blinds to not let a single beam of light enter the room.

A circular pool stood in the room’s center, filled with a liquid that seemed too dark to be water even in the dimmed environment around it.

Ulura went to one of the blinds and rolled it up, seeing the last rays of the sun as it set over the horizon beyond Kisdeya – the only river passing through Deckstoru.

When the last ray of light disappeared, she heard a splash of water.

‘You can open the blinds now.’

The high-school tyrant went aside and pulled a lever that caused all the blinds to be rolled up, turning around to see the silhouette of a naked woman that had come out of the dark liquid.

She stepped out of the pool and closer to Ulura, spreading the dark purple bat-like wings growing out of her back and flapping them a couple of times to speed up their drying before folding them in.

That same woman then sat in the dark green armchair next to the pool, driving a hand through her black hair to move all the wet strands of her fringe away from her face. Her hair was longer and shinier than Miss Nightsong’s and two dark purple middle-length horns that were slightly bent inward were sticking out of it above the forehead.

After taking notes of all these traits of her appearance as she always did, the girl looked at the floor and stood in silence for a bit while the house’s real mistress made herself comfortable.

(Ulura) ‘Mother …’

(Ukris) ‘No. Don’t start talking just yet. You know I like to have a drink after a bath.’

Ulura nodded and went to the small table next to the armchair where a bucket full of ice and a single wine glass were placed, taking out a bottle of red wine out of the bucket, opening it with her laser-clad nails and filling the glass.

She handed that glass to her mother who had now crossed her legs, drinking pretty much all the wine in the glass in one gulp with an unnerving pleased smile.

(Ukris) ‘Mmmmm … that’s more like it.’ – her violet eyes moved to her daughter as she got up and left the glass on the small table – ‘Go on now. You can tell me how you wound up in this condition while you dry me off.’

The black-haired beauty then opened the small wardrobe at the other end of the room and took out a towel from it, going back to her mother with wobbly steps and starting to dry her hair.

(Ulura) ‘I found a suitable target to test my increased deva output on.’

(Ukris) ‘And? Did it feel great releasing all that power?’

(Ulura) ‘It was great … until my opponent … until she defeated me.’

Ukris didn’t say anything in response, so Ulura kept on talking and drying her hair while trying to keep her hands from shaking due to growing more and more nervous.

(Ulura) ‘Although limited to a 50% output, she managed to counter me. And she used a teleportation with a static deva.’

(Ukris) ‘What kind of static deva?’

(Ulura) ‘Ice.’

(Ukris) ‘You didn’t pick a fight with that brat from the news report, did you? The one that’s staying with the Summerbolts?’

(Ulura) ‘Having seen what she’s capable of, I thought she’d be the perfect choice for today’s test.’

(Ukris) ‘But instead she ended up defeating you. That probably means her deva is genuinely stronger than yours or that she has some kind of equipment that allows her to use a higher output in her own right.’

As surprised as she was by her mother’s suggestion, Ulura also felt somewhat relieved by the second half of it. The thought had not crossed her mind until now that Yuki Iceflame could have used some sort of trick to win and if that were true, she wasn’t really stronger than Sunbird’s Queen.

(Ulura) ‘But how can that be? I though we’re the only ones who have access to such …’

(Ukris) ‘The world’s a big place. We don’t know where she came from or what she actually is.

And after what’s happened today, I’m even more suspicious of that brat. You made a mistake picking her.’

(Ulura) ‘I know, mother. And I am …’

Ukris grabbed Ulura by the hair then, throwing her inside the pool where she landed seconds later, keeping a tight grip over her head as she started drowning her. Even with the limited visibility provided by the liquid, it could be seen mad anger was burning in Mrs. Nightsong’s eyes and had twisted her face to a horrifying extent.

(Ukris) ‘Apologies can’t make up for what you did! Your life is the only thing that can!’

The younger of the Nightsong women tried holding her breath, but knew that wasn’t going to last, so she started fighting her mother in order to be released.

Using her body’s physical strength wasn’t enough, either, so she she released a number of green laser beams that were blocked by twice as many black-colored laser beams created by the mistress of the house. Then Ulura’s attempt to teleport aside was also thwarted as the black lasers disintegrated the green ones meant to be used for that teleportation.

Her daughter could hear Ukris shouting some things, but couldn’t make out what they were because of her focus on the liquid that had started filling up her lungs, all efforts to escape turning out to be futile. In light of that, the girl’s vision became blurred and darkness started gathering around her as she stopped fighting back with her deva and body and surrendered to the inevitable.

Until suddenly the grip on her head loosened and she was allowed to come up above the liquid. Ulura spilled out as much of that liquid as she could, but continued coughing some time after, taking her a while to fully regain her sense of awareness.

When she did, she realized there was now a third person in the room – her father, Rale. He stood next to the pool while looking at the mother and daughter, Ukris throwing the girl to her husband with pure disgust on her face.

(Ukris) ‘I told you we should’ve tested the implants on one of us and not this child! You put too much faith in her and all we have to show for now is her failure!!’

(Rale) ‘I know about what happened at Sunbird today. Zoran called me.

Don’t be too quick to judge our daughter, though, Ukris. Her failure may provide us with a great opportunity.’

Hearing this seemed to help calm Mrs. Nightsong to an extent, focusing solely on Mr. Nightsong while their daughter finally stopped coughing.

(Ukris) ‘Tell me.’

(Rale) ‘Everyone’s attitude toward Ulura’s class seems to have changed in the span of the same day she was defeated in. The students no longer consider them to be a great threat and are more willing to stand up to them.

While Zoran’s assured me Yuki Iceflame’s class will be punished, Ulura’s classmates will want to take revenge. They will want to beat those rising stars to prove they’re still the strongest ones in Sunbird.’

(Ukris) ‘And you want to use this clash between the classes to our advantage?’

(Rale) ‘This Yuki is clearly going to be a problem. Even more so because the Summerbolts of all people have taken her under their wing.

If we set things up right, we’ll be able to get rid of both her and them at the same time.’

A smile full of dreadful glee formed on Ukris’s face in that moment. She went to get a towel to dry off her body from the small wardrobe, but also took out a small orb-like device from there while Rale helped Ulura get up.

(Ukris) ‘I see where you’re going with that. I’ll run it by command and if they approve, we’ll proceed.’ – her gaze focused on her daughter now, Ulura noticing a flicker of disgust and hatred in it then – ‘You’re very lucky, Ulura. If this works, you’ll have a chance to prove you can be of some use one more time.

So don’t drag our family’s name through the dirt again …’ – Ukris pressed a button on the orb and a pale green hologram of a person was projected from it, her face looking even more sinister when illuminated by that hologram – ‘… or I’ll have to drag you back in that pool and finish what your father stopped me from doing now.’