After the heated conversation with her mother, Serenity came back to her dorm room. She closed the door behind her and slid to the ground; only after confirming that she was alone did she let her guard down. She started breathing heavily; the more she tries to control it, the more suffocating it gets. She opened the buttons of her dress to give her upper half extra space so she could breathe.
"Huff...huff...huff...huff." While her breathing was in chaos, the wound on her face started expelling blood like crazy. In a panic, she used one hand to stop the bleeding while she put the other one on her neck, moving it up and down.
That scene kept on folding for over an hour or so; when it was really over, she was half-dressed and exhausted on the ground.
"Finally ...huff...huff...I thought I was going to die~."
She removed her hand from over her neck and reached out to her phone. She looked at the time; she found it was just 5 pm, but she was so exhausted and covered in sweat.
"Ugh...I need to take a shower..." She bumped her head slightly against the door; she removed her glasses and put them aside.
"I can't believe she released her killing intent on me when I am only a human." She seemed disappointed.
She rubbed her eyes; using one hand, she leaned on the wall, struggling to stand. She removed her black dress completely and threw it on the floor. As she walked to the bath, she also removed her shoes on the floor, making her way to the bath.
She took a hot shower wearing a simple white T-shirt. She kicked the shoes to the side after she got out, then headed to the cabin beside her bed.
She took out a first aid kit; only then did she remove her hand from her wound. It was swelling and so red. She cleaned the wound and then treated it.
After bandaging the wound, suddenly the room was filled with bright red light. She waved her hand slightly, and all the blood that was previously on the floor vanished into thin air. She adjusted her clothes, got her phone, and crashed on her bed, falling into deep sleep until she woke up naturally.
"Mhmm...ugh...what time is it…?"
She was still holding her phone, but the phone was dead, and looking outside, it was deep into the night.
She placed her phone on the charger beside her bed and reached out for her other phone from under the pillow. Once she opened it, she was stunned.
"What the hell is going on?" She said,
Her phone was full of messages and calls unanswered; she was confused herself, but the phone suddenly rang again.
"Brother," she answered immediately.
-You finally answered your phone. Why did it take so long for you to answer my call? You worried me sick. -Although he was shouting, the voice of the person on the other side of the phone was full of genuine fear, and hearing it, she couldn't help but smile.
"Aries, my dear little brother, don't worry about your sister; I am okay, don't worry." Seremity said,
-Then why didn't you pick up earlier?-
"I didn't hear it. My phone was left at home while the other one was on silent mode."
-òh , okay—a sudden realization hit him as he said, "Wah...wait, wait a sec..."-
"What's wrong?!"
Aries said with a hesitant voice yet full of expectations, "W...what did you call me just now?"
She smiled and playfully said, "Ooh, my dear little brother, what? You don't want to be my little brother?"
-Who the hell is the little brother? We are obviously twins. -
"Still, I am the older, even if it's just two minutes; just give up, little brother."
-You! ...haah...fine, fine, I won't argue with you. Do whatever you want.-
-Back to the main topic, how did it go? Did you manage to talk to her? - Aries's voice turned serious .
"I already told her."
- And she didn't get angry?! -
"Are you kidding me? ...It's not like you don't know her impulsive personality. I made her angry to the point where she used her killing intent on me."
-Bang...Thud...Aah...Damn...Are you okay? She didn't hurt you, right?-
"I am all right, but the question here is, are you? What was that noise just now?"
- Don't worry about it-
"Nothing much; I just said I wanted to dissolve the engagement and that I will go with Dad from now on."
- I admire you for real. -
"Stop mocking me already, but this engagement is a big no-no; that man is an idiot, an asshole, and a good-for-nothing at best."
-Let me ask you this: if Mother agreed to dissolve the engagement, would you still leave and come with us?-
"Arise...it's no longer possible between us, and I already told you back when we separated as kids that I will be coming back. It has nothing to do with anyone; it's just that my time here is over, that's all."
-That's good. I was afraid that you might regret it at some point, but now there is no coming back.-
"Why is it that when you say it like that, I feel like I am getting myself into some big trouble? Say, what in the world are you hiding?"
-Actually ...you may ...have an engagement here ...as ...well-
"..."
- Hey, are you okay? ...Why aren't you saying anything? ...Hey! ...Are you alive there?!! ...-
"Am I a scumbag!?"
- What?...What are you saying? -
"I am engaged to two men at the same time; if not a scumbag, then what?"
-Hahahahahahahah...haah, that was hilarious, but no need to worry about that.-
"Why?!!"
-There exists an engagement for the eldest lady of the Alkana family. Back when you were with Mother, you were a Voldemort, but now that you are back, you will take the Alkana name, so this engagement will automatically transform to you, just like how the engagement you got when you were a Voldemort will become invalid once you change your name, got it? -
"So basically I got rid of one engagement to find myself stuck with another!"
-Isn't it great to throw one and get another for free? That's a great offer, right?-
"Whatever, I will just accept this as bad luck for now; I'll deal with this later."
-You accept it just like that? -
"No, it's just that I can't refuse someone I've never even met. Since this engagement seems unavoidable, then I'll just go with the flow, and if I am not satisfied at the end of the day, I can just dissolve the engagement again."
- How?...No, wait, stop playing around. Don't worry, I guarantee he is a good match. -
"We will see about that."
- Oh...right. When will you come home? -
"Why are you asking?"
- Maybe I can arrange a meeting for the two of you to get to know each other, so tell me when. -
"Haah...you just had to do it; your impression on him seems way too good."
-Of course, he is my best friend, and just thinking about him calling me brother-in-law is enough for me to look forward to this meeting.-
"I didn't agree yet, and are you sure he is your friend? ...I feel enemies or rivals might be more suited for you two."
-Don't worry about it; we still need to change your name and personal information first, so tell me already.
"Hmm...Let's see…this semester began only a week ago, not to mention that tomorrow is the first day of 'cup of glory,' so about three weeks till the next opportunity to get some days off."
- Okay, we'll be waiting for your arrival. -
"Okay...goodnight."
-night-
After the call ended, Serenity browsed through the internet.
"It's all about a cup of glory...huh..." she said.
She got up from bed, opened the curtains, letting the moonlight shine on the floor, and sat in a meditation pose on the floor in front of the window directly under the moonlight rays. She started meditating.
'The cup of glory will start tomorrow morning; I must win.'
"CUP OF GLORY"
It's a championship where all talented people from across the world gather on this land to fight.
This championship is like a death game where the chance of survival is slim, but even though people still participate, it's because those who participate are looking for the thrill and excitement, some are looking for experience, others for recognition, but most, if not all, are here for the grand prize.
The rules are simple: one must be at least a third-circle magician or have blood purity of at least 40%.
The contestants will fight against each other till only 16 are left. The next step will be on the second day, where they'll be fighting one on one till only one person is left. That person will be crowned the champion.
Another important thing about this is that some strong people from those who attend the matches end up selecting some talented people to sponsor their progress or train them; some lucky people may end up being chosen as successors for some great warriors. That's what most people are really after in the middle of this fierce competition since the first prize can belong to one person only.
And there is a rumor spreading right now that the prize for third place is a chance to use the black tower, the spiritual artifact of the 'AVALOR' royal family.
The torment starts today at the stadium. A beautiful lady wearing a beautiful red dress with bunny ears and golden hair suddenly came on stage; she held the mic in her hand, shouting,
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the grand event. I'll be hosting today's events. I am Lana, your beautiful hostess. Now, without any further delay, let's welcome our great fighters."
The doors of the arena opened, and people who came started entering one after another, but some people couldn't move past the doors. The hostess saw this and said,
"At the grand stadium, this arena is over three thousand kilometers. A special barrier was formed around the arena, preventing those who don't meet the standards from entering, and another special one to protect the audience from getting hurt. So for those of you who couldn't get in, I am sorry to inform you, but you, my friends, don't meet the standards."
After saying that, the hostess threw a disc in the air, and it turned into a pair of wings that got attached to her body. It was a magical artifact that took her straight into the sky. She took a whistle and blew it, and the barrier stopped allowing any more people from entering.
She held her mic again as she flew around the arena in circles, saying, "As you all know, the roles are simple. In the first round, you are allowed to fight however you want and with whoever you desire as long as in the end only sixteen people are still standing. No killing allowed, but if you look carefully at your wrist, you will find a black bracelet. Collect them by defeating your opponents and keep them; we're going to need them later on. Good luck, everyone."
Then she clapped her fingers, releasing a strong wind that shut the arena in silence in a second. She shouted, saying, "Raise the barrier and let the fight begin!"
The crowd exploded in cheers and encouragement for them; the moment she gave them the signal, the arena turned into a battlefield.
The hostess started talking about what was happening in the arena. "Would you look at that? The participants of this year look so promising. That one over there seems to be from the giant tribe. He seems to be fighting a human boy wearing a taekwondo suit. Ooh, that kick was hard. The giant tribe lady hit the ground hard. Oh, she is up again. Both of them seem to know martial arts. Interesting. People around them, be careful and make sure to keep your distance. Let's see the others, shall we..."
"Over here we have a swordsmanship-masked lady; she is paving her way with swift sword moves. She has collected over twenty by now. If you see her, run as far as you can before she sets her eyes on you."
"Achoo! "...why did the temperature suddenly drop, or is someone cursing me?"
She turned her head to see what happened but got terrified by the scene. Over a hundred ice statues were standing there, and in the middle, a girl wearing a black maiden gown while covering her eyes was standing. Once she touched the ground with her foot, the snow broke, and over a hundred bracelets came flying her way. She moved her hands, and the snow statues turned out to be frozen people.
The hostess hurried towards her, saying, "Young lady, if you kill, your qualifications will be revoked."
The girl waved her hands, and the snow covering them melted away.
And the hostess landed on the ground to check on them. "They just fell unconscious to the ground. The little maiden killed no one, so her qualifications still stand," she said but thought to herself as she flew up again, "She has insane control to be able to achieve such results."
"Let's continue observing everyone. Let's see what we have here. That one seems to be using daggers to knock his opponents unconscious, but he seemed to have gotten the wrong opponent. That fire magician wearing a mask and a hoodie seems able to avoid his daggers. Seeing no hope, he decided to leave him, but that fire magician seems unwilling."
"And there are those two over there; they are actually working together to steal the bracelets without a fight, but it looks like one of them got caught by a plant. It's wrapped around him like a snake. Wait, there is something coming out from the planet...it's a boy with green hair. Why do I feel strange saying that? But he actually stole his gains for himself. I wonder if that's even legal, but there are no such rules."
"This year's contestants seem quite strong, but all the fun reached an end." She shot a ball of fireworks that marked the end of the fight.