Sitting against the wall in a lump, my breaths came as labored gasps. I was bruised, cut, battered, and scraped all over. Every so often, a growl would escape between huffs..
Couldn't even last two minutes.
"You…" I breathed out. "You–damn you. Couldn't even let me land a hit?"
"Do you wish for special treatment during your training?"
"Why… not?" I grin, shrugging my shoulders.
Rolling her eyes. "Ugh."
"Can't use my Will properly, can't win a fight." I mumble.
"Foolish." She raises her eyebrow at me. "Is that what you think? That you're useless? You're comparing yourself against people who have been doing this for the better part of their lives. You're foolish comparing yourselves to them, to… us. Even more foolish for letting it get you down. What's worse is when they're a mere step away, but at the same time they're moving just as far as you, so you never get any closer. Compared to other kids just as novice as you, you're doing pretty well. Pick your battles, Rin. And pick them well."
I only half listened to her words. Instead, going over the fight in my head. I was sorely crushed. Demolished even.
It's not that I could barely keep up–I couldn't keep up.
I eye Lavinia through the gaps in my hair.
The more I train with them, and the more open they become to showing me their full abilities, the farther from them I feel. Catching up is so far away, yet Lord Elgin expects me to take over in place of them?
Doesn't that mean I should be better than Leo and Lavinia? If I'm the one taking the mantle, shouldn't that indicate that I was the better option?
How can I be better than the ones training me, yet also growing alongside me?
Is that even possible? Is that even expected?
"How'd you do that, anyway?" My voice raised in wonder. "I've never been so overwhelmed by so many attacks, only for more than half of them to be feints. You were so quick, almost like I couldn't even see you… it pissed me off."
"Practice."
"Alllriiight. But, seriously. How'd you do that? Completely overwhelm me?"
"Monarchs." She said under her breath, tilting her head in annoyance. "You really want to know? It's not about being unseen, Rin. Most of the time, we don't get that luxury. Most of the time, you're already in their view, or they know you're coming, or some other variable. You need to learn to adapt. And to adapt is through either deception or destruction. Give your opponent too much to think about, overload their brain, and make them confused. A confused fighter is a useless fighter. 'Accuracy is truth, speed is death.'"
"Overload, confuse, useless." I repeated it out loud. "Alright, alright." Nodding my head. "So… what in the Monarchs did you do to my arms?!" I tried to raise them, but couldn't.
"Oh, that?" She said with a grin. "Pressure points! Don't ask, won't explain." Turning her head away from me. "Telling you now won't help, anyway. Even Leo's still learning." Glancing back at me with her eyes, her grin wavered slightly. "Though, I could still use some work… I guess. It seems I've accidentally bruised you. Bad."
Looking down at my purple arms, their throbbing was visible for every beat of my heart. "You don't say."
Despite the pain, I've had worse, and didn't make a big deal of it. This is just… mildly uncomfortable. Yeah. A little pressure sensitivity isn't all that terrible.
Monarchs! I can't believe I've fallen so far, to the point of comparing worst pains.
"You'll recover. No permanent damage. Promise."
Sighing helplessly, I relax my shoulders.
Seeing my moderate reaction to the injury, her grin widened.
Just when the quiet settled in the chamber, the echoes having dissipated, Leo silently walked through the doors. Arms raised behind his head, walking at a steady, relaxed pace. The sleeves of his signature sleeping robe draped down.
Looking towards the movement, Lavinia and I watched in silence as he drew closer.
He chuckled, not surprised that we're both already up.
"You're up earlier than I expected. Couldn't sleep either." Lavinia remarks.
"Not really. Having been a wild night.Though the party was fun." He glanced at me, his face twitching. "Though, I guess not for everyone." Close enough to see the details of my sorry state, he physically recoiled, hissing in shared pain. "Ooo, Monarchs happened to you?! Oh, wait, never mind. I recognise those bruises." He continued nonchalantly.
"Where's Kuno?" I ask.
Leo shrugged, not giving much attention. "Still sleeping, or crying?"
Lavinia and I shared a look of confusion.
"So…" I hesitated. "How'd the party go?"
Leo, having reached Lavinia and me, sat down crossed legged. Resting his head in his hands.
"Well, after father stormed off, followed by you running away crying,"
I didn't run away crying!
"The party mostly continued on like normal. After you headed to bed, sis, only then did they begin all of the special events."
"You didn't stay the whole night?" I asked, looking at Lavinia.
"My sleep schedule is important."
"Riiight." Leo smiled. "Anyway… With father, you, and Lavinia gone, and the Lords considering the party a disaster, mother pushed forward all the planned events. Bla bla bla, people rushed their duties. The Jenningsons won the Royal Palace Tour, bla bla bla-!"
There was a Royal Palace Tour?! Why did nobody tell me about the special events?!
Ignoring me. "Items were up for auction, bla bla bl-"
"Ooo, what items?!" Lavinia hurriedly sat down. The three of us making a triangle.
"Uhhh," Leo looked up in thought, "A new Artifact that's being developed at Iston. Apparently, it 'paints' portraits really fast. Lord Von Leer bought that. A few essence cores. Someone in the Voyager Guild bought them. There were two Beast Wills, a High-Fire, and High-Mind Will. An Elite bought the former for his kid. Lord Von Leer didn't even glance twice at it, which was weird. And the latter was purchased by some loaded merchant. There were a few weapon and armor Artifacts, but none were particularly impressive. There were a few non-Will related items, like art, but that was about it. The only thing after the auction was the–Oh! Right, a song performance was done. It was… pretty lackluster if you ask me. Bla bla bla, and we ended the night with the countdown. Which you two! Missed! It was very impressive." He huffed. Staying quiet. A statement that he wouldn't continue.
I leaned forward, my arms dragging at my sides. "So… you're just… not… going to give us the details?"
Lavinia leaned forward, agreeing with me.
He huffed again, averting his head. "If you two aren't willing to stay the whole night," He grumbled, "Mister 'cry's himself to sleep'! And Lady 'My sleep's important'!" He waved his hands dramatically. "That you don't deserve the details!"
"Don't group me in with Kuno!"
"It is important!"
Lavinia and I chided simultaneously.
Leo glanced at us, his head still turned.
After a moment, a wide smile spread across his face.
Hopping closer, he leaned in as well. "Ok, ok. But when I tell you, you're guaranteed to get jealous!"
Lavinia and I snorted in disagreement.
"So, this year, or I guess last year? It was performed by Lord Blake, Lady Marry, Elite Kei, Apostle Luiza, and Mother! Of course, Father was also meant to be there. But, well, you know." He paused, his excitement wavering a bit. Before his cheerful smile returned, recounting the events with giddy energy.
He described the events as descriptively as possible. To the point I could almost imagine it. "As the crowd grew silent, with only the whispers of anticipation filling the air, Mother drowned the hall with her shadows. Casting the entire chamber in an eerie, eternal darkness. One unable to even see their own feet. As the initial gasps of shock subsided, a wisp of light flickered, floating high in the center of the chamber. Mother's shadows made it seem like it was a frivolous, weak flame in an eternal abyss. But the flicker of light was only to draw attention. As the weak flame waned and eventually extinguished, darkness engulfed the chamber once again. For a few moments, all was dark, and empty. Just when the extended silence became irritating, pellets of light shone in unison, all across the hall. Darting across the room, they gathered at the center, slowly at first. As more pellets appeared, the faster they moved. Shooting above like a shower of meteors. Converging where the wisp of fire once was, they created a nucleus of flames. As more pellets combined with the nucleus, the larger it grew, until it came to be a large, oval-shaped ball of raging fire. Too big to bear its own weight, streaks of lightning sparked across its form. Cracking its unstable structure. Its formation was obvious moments before it 'hatched'. Exploding into sparks that somehow lacked heat, a ferocious, yet majestic beast emerged from the egg. A dragon. Its form and detail held together by the prestige and proficiency of Lord Von Leer. Lightning crackled along its spine, coiling to the edges of the abyss. Marking where the darkness ended and the ceiling began. Its wings were small for its size, but menacing nonetheless. Instead of flying gracefully across the sky as the beast normally does, it coiled through the chamber. Slithering and bending with varying, unnatural speeds to move. Lord Von Leer used the illusion of the shadows and altering its size to simulate it flying farther than the chamber would have allowed. After several laps around the hall, and descending near the floor, close enough to feel its heat, a ring of fire appeared at the opposite end of the chamber. The dragon moved at breakneck pace towards the ring, performing a show of loops and swaying along its path. As it drew closer to the ring, static formed in the damp air. Raising the hair of all within the chamber. Unbeknownst to us at the time, the darkness of the room was cloaking hundreds of little droplets of water falling from the ceiling. As the dragon crossed through the ring, a charge of electricity linked every droplet, causing a small explosion from each one, while connecting like a spider's web. Drowning out mother's shadows for a moment, the room of over a hundred faces could be seen in the flash of light. It was impossible to look away. After the dragon passed through the first hoop, a second one appeared, then a third, then a fourth. Still soaring across the sky in romantic movements, every hoop the dragon passed through resulted in another being formed. As the time neared midnight, and the time till the new year was only five seconds away, five last rings of fire were formed. The dragon moved through a hoop every second, counting down the time. As a hoop was conquered and midnight drew closer, the crowd of awed spectators counted down with the disappearance of the hoops. 5…4…3…2…1… and as the final hoop was passed, the whole room exploded in a roar of cheers. Along with the spectacle dissipation of the dragon, the ring, and the droplets of crackling electricity. Still surrounded by darkness, the constant blasts of light illuminated the crowd of cheering bodies. In the endless void, the wave of people welcomed the new year. And as the explosions and shadows faded away, the year was greeted with voices of peoples homage…" Leo's voice rang wistfully, experiencing the memory in his head.
He took a deep breath, seemingly already longing for the past. "So, what do you think? Jeeealouuus?!"
Angry, I was absolutely jealous.
Where would I get the chance to experience something like that again?
Next year, I guess?
But that's not what was important now. Who would want to wait a whole year!?
Stammered, I huffed my response. "A-absolutely not! Who-who even cares about something like that?!"
"You're telling me I missed that?! Last year was so boring compared to that!" Lavinia's voice rang out. In a high, girly pitch I had never heard from her before.
Leo immediately buckled backwards, clutching his stomach in laughter. "I knew you two would get jealous! Should'a stayed the whole night!"
Lavinia's face contorted with pained sadness.
While I didn't show it much, I felt much the same way.
Jumping back up to his seated position, slapping his knees, Leo bent forward with the widest grin on his face. "Now! Why don't we get something to eat, while I continue to rub the countdown in your faces? What do you say?!"
Lavinia and I groaned in response.
As the two of them stood up to leave, forgetting about my state in the process, I twitched my arm to the side, forcing a pained moan out.
Hearing me, Leo jumped to my side, helping me up with a chuckle. "Right, right. Why don't we search for Sir Chiron first?"