SELENE
The crowd cheers loud. The grey haired man with a scar on his face started talking, explaining the usual mock up battle rituals. Some girls scream louder. All I can hear are the freshmen's "He's hot. He is so cool. Isn't that Callahan from the Blue Keepers? Yeah he is, he is so hot bro – I mean."
Soren.
My pesky roommate with a pretty ringed eye who bit me earlier to wake me up. She stands there having casual talk with the professor who would be on the opposite side of the arena. Not nervous about the fight but rather… just something…. uncomfortable maybe? I'll ask later if she let me.
"Hey, so that Callahan guy is hot – isn't that your type?" Cage started. Staring at Callahan since we enter the Arena. It's cool that the creators who expanded these things were apprentices of the Dean.
"What, no. I don't have a thing for bulky guys like that. And I don't like older guys. Maybe that's your type, Cage." I said. This guy is totally crushing on that grey haired guy.
"Uh hmmm…. Yeah you may be right. I can't stop staring…." He said and dreamily gets distracted by the way he speaks.
"This arena sure fills up fast huh, is the mock up battle that popular here?" I said, for Cage to hear but is too distracted to notice or if he can hear me with the crowd at all.
"It is. And it is super rare to have this in orientation. I bet the director had a liking for that enhancer kid. That is how he shows his favoritism." A woman… a kid? No, just a small woman with brunette hair and yellow headband started talking to me. "Hi, if you can hear me, I'm Chi Chi! Healer trade. You?"
"Uhmm. Hi, I'm Selene. So I guess you are a senior here?" I asked, she is quite struggling to see the stage because of her height. I motioned to help her but she declined.
"No, I'm fine. I can see it later; the arena has this installed projector for everyone to see." She said explaining that.
"Hey, so what do you mean, favoritism? Does the Enhancer kid do something?" I asked. I am curious with Soren right now. I glance at her in the arena and she had this calm but annoyed face from the crowd. She does look she doesn't want to be here at all. "So why the school put this kind of performance?"
"The director has this habit of inviting kids around the globe that interest him, most likely those who battles at the Echelon Arena. You know that popular battle ground for the elites just to get a ranking?" She said. Already getting relaxed as the projector in the Arena pops up.
"Yeah, I always watched it on TV when the yearend battle starts." I said, remembering days in my childhood doing just that.
"So the rumor is, that enhancer kid got a really high rating and ranking in the Echelon Arena. The result was obscure and it was not shown in TV – so it was really mysterious." She said. "Plus, it adds that it's an enhancer type. They rarely got a spot in the ranking due to their mana reserves and long fight. Maybe that is why it's obscured." She said. "Oh sorry, I am geeking out to you..."
"It's okay, I am pretty curious too. Just my companion is too distracted with that grey haired guy and would not explain a thing to me." Just as I said that, Cage glance at me and wink. Then proceeded to find Callahan in his peripheral vision again.
"Ugh. Callahan." Chichi said, with a disgusted face. "Though I guess he had that effect to newly students."
"I know, right." I said back.
"I just got excited that I got to see this kid, this girl in person. And she is also pretty huh – now that the camera zoom on her face." Chichi said.
As soon as she said that, I looked up in the projector.
It made me think of why did I wanted to be a Painter in the first place.
That is a beautiful face. Pretty golden ringed eye woman who resembles a wolf guarding the snowy mountain.
"Looks like it's starting…" Cage said as I was startled from zoning out.
Chichi is obviously excited, Callahan with that curiosity. And most of the crowds were whispering what kind of ability this enhancer kid has. How would this battle play out?
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Gaston, as Callahan introduced had this bright red haired with brown tips, his hair is combed well, like an instructor should look. He is one of the skilled professor in the Manipulator trade as explained and Soren, my roommate – who I didn't know has this impressive rumored feat. I want to know later.I hope she tells me. They bowed at each other before walking away in a certain distance required at every mock battle. One should respect the rituals to enjoy the battle. One of my mentor in Ives told me that.
Rule, as explained earlier. Soren just have to land a clean hit to Gaston.
Soren, motioned to Callahan to throw something at her. Callahan did in fact throw a wooden sword? Oh her sword that I didn't even notice she was carrying here. Then she nods at Gaston, Gaston nods back and the timer for the battle starts.
"….3…2….1… Start!"
Gaston starts.
He lifted his hands; embers, small, fast and precise snaked in. Soren steps back. Her toes not even touching ground before she completely vanished in light controlled steps.
The crowd cheers heavily. Wow. Soren. Enhancers has this reputation of low mana reserves yet Soren is so impressive in her control. I feel excited just watching her. I look at my left and right and Cage was also feeling excited so was Chichi.
There was a large "crack" from the distance. Soren suddenly appears behind the incoming flames – cutting it effortlessly.
Soren did not even try to attack; from what I can interpret in this projection. But rather, she swings her wooden sword mid-air and disperses the upcoming flames without overpowering it. Gaston keeps pushing with batches of disc and whip like flames. Soren just tilted her wrist, whip it like brushing of threads.
I can tell how Gaston is impressed with how the camera shifted in his direction. They casually say something to each other, but the crowd could not here it so….
Then Gaston lifted his fingers again, now upwards. There are suddenly budding fire from beneath. And BAAAM. The crowd gasp. I immediately tried to find Soren…. I didn't know what she did. but her movements were so fast that she propelled herself in perfectly around the explosion. She is too fast to see that the wooden's sword tip is at Gaston's throat.
The crowd went silent. There are whispering. Soren. I want to capture more of your battles. It's beautiful.
Gaston, truly impressed, shake with Soren's hands.
Her control of speed… is really really kind of high mastery of Arcanum. Just how is she trained?
"Match over. Soren Vale, clear victory." Callahan announced. And he bowed in the direction of the director's – like proving something.
The crowd cheers.
Later that night
"Why are you tagging along with me?" I asked Soren. I was trying to go buy groceries with the remaining money I had and apply with Cage's invitation earlier for a part time job. We are already outside the apartment and was walking in the nearby grocery store. Chichi told me a discount store address and gave me bunch of vouchers.
"Come on, I didn't even make new friends because of my Dean's performance shit." Soren whines.
"Callahan? I literally thought he was just a host." I said. He did not look like a dean.
"Yeah, that one. He is one of my brother's mentor before." She said tugging at my sleeves.
"That took your popularity on the roof though, everybody wanted to be your friends you know?" I said, remembering after that battle and what nots – some professors and top students challenge her and just got defeated in one strike. Then girls and boys came swarming after her. If she isn't fast enough she will not even get away with it. I just found her in our apartment, waiting for me, in her hoodie - ranted and whines then beg me to keep her company. I had to do grocery though.
"I didn't even ask for it." She said. "Can you be my friend at least? I don't want to start my university years like this." She said. Ugh, what a pain in the ass.
"Sure, sure. You sure whines a lot huh. I really had this impression that you are this strict, cool type of person who keeps to herself." I said. That was truly my impression until she bit my ear.
"I am also that. I am still cool you know." She said. Gesturing at herself in bad disguise. "So.." She lowers her face mask and whispers just below my ear. "Where are we going, friend?"
"......…"
"Should I repe-"
I blushed hard and instantly smack her. She did not dodge that.