"Lenfiare, aren't you supposed to stay in the room and wait for Kirin?" Astrid, in his human form, is walking beside Freyja disguised in robes, and a baseball cap covering most of her face.
"I thought you're not fond of Kirin. You seem to agree with him this time?" She teased, hoping to get a reaction from the straight faced Astrid. "I am not fond of him. But I can tell that he won't endanger your life. In that sense, we agree."
"Anyway, I'm only going to buy soda in the store and it won't take long. And you're with me so I'm technically NOT alone."
"But you're still using too much aura to maintain my form, aren't you Lenfiare?"
He was ignored. Spotting a stack of bottled juices displayed on a nearby store, she excitedly ran ahead. She bought an ice-cold, grape-flavored juice. Satisfied.
Just as when she's about to leave the store, she overheard a group of men talking. She heard one of them mention Kirin's name. She pulled Astrid's arm, both of them hiding behind a wall. "Lenfiare what's—"
"Shh..." Freyja leaned against the wall, trying to hear more about their conversation.
"That Aethelmaer boy is back right?"
"Yeah, last year it was a younger Aethelmaer who became champion."
"He's so arrogant because he's the son of that monstrous family. He's seriously mocking the fighters here by bringing a weak little girl."
"If it wasn't for his family, we could have slit his throat long ago. He's nothing but a heartless murderer who enjoys killing because that's the only thing he can do. That's the only way he can get self-gratification because everyone hates him. And everyone's just afraid of the Aethelmaer clan that's why they won't touch him!"
"Hey, I heard his father sent him on a mission and failed. He must have lost his wits with that."
"You're right. I bet his winning is just a fluke, or like a trick or something."
"If he's no longer Aethelmaer, then, we can teach him a lesson! Urgh, that arrogant bastard."
Freyja's felt her veins pumping. Her fists trembled, her aura started leaking out. She can tolerate the bad things people say about her, but she can't bear hearing them say bad things about Kirin. Noticing her anger, Astrid held her shoulders. "Lenfiare, calm down."
"It's annoying that all the ladies are drooling over him and he won't even look at any of them! I think that boy is swaying to the other side! Haha!" They laughed.
Freyja reached her limit. She ordered Astrid to return to the medallion, which he couldn't disobey. Then, she jumped out of hiding and stomped her way to those guys and kicked on of them hard on his butt. "Listen you scumbags! You don't know a thing about Kirin! You're just jealous of him because you're all butt ugly and a bunch of losers!"
"And who is this boy? Are you that Aethelmaer boy's fan?"
Freyja slowly reached out for the sword on her belt, prepared to fight it out. She's there to fight anyway, it won't make a difference if it's on the stage or outside.
The brawl was about to start when all of a sudden, a familiar young man interrupted. "Stop. Don't underestimate her." He stood in between, cutting the fight off immediately. It was Ruis, Marco's younger brother.
At once, the men backed off and respectfully greeted him. "I'm sorry Master Ruis, this boy came out of nowhere and kicked me."
"This girl is Kirin Aethelmaer's protégé." He introduced, earning her more even attention. And one of those men is a big, buff man, more than thrice Freyja's size— Sieg. He has battle scars all over his body and an intimidating look on his face bearded. "She'll be your opponent later Sieg." Ruis introduced.
Even Freyja was shocked. She knew she'd be fighting her first match later that day, but she didn't expect her opponent to be Ruis' underling. Though worried, Freyja kept her cool. "If I can't beat his man, how do I expect to beat this Ruis guy?" She thought.
"Alright, see you later then." She calmly excused herself, mimicking Kirin's cool demeanor, and went back to her room.
Freyja found Kirin standing in her room, arms crossed, and a scary look on his face. "I told you to wait for me, didn't I?" Freyja swallowed. "I, um... I'm sorry. I got thirsty and bought some juice."
"Anyway, the lots have been drawn. Your first opponent is..."
"Sieg. Right?" She cut him off, surprising him. "How did you know?"
"I met him. He is kinda scary to be honest." Kirin noticed her trembling hands. He smiled and ruffled her hair. "Stay focused and remember everything I taught you. Use a bit of your aura to strengthen your defenses most of the time. Focus on your footwork, and reinforce your sword only when attacking. He isn't that strong, believe me."
Freyja nodded.
Five o'clock in the afternoon, and the preliminary round officially started. It's now Freyja's turn to fight, and she's still extremely nervous. If she would tell herself a year ago what she's doing right now, she is sure is hell she'll freak out. The thought made her laugh and calmed her down a bit.
"Listen Astrid," She felt the medallion under her shirt. "Don't interfere. That's an order."
"Understood Lenfiare. But, you can easily kill every human here with my aura."
"I can't release your full form because my body can't handle it. The one who's limiting you right now is me. I must get over that, if I really want to call myself a Lenfiare." Freyja closed her eyes and prayed to heaven, and to her father, so that he will watch over her in this fight.
The bells rang. The crowd roared. "All contestants, please proceed to Arena 1" The announcer called. Freyja cleared her throat and headed down to the spacious, open fighting ring.
Freyja looked up. There, on the VIP seats, Kirin is watching. He winked and gave her a 'thumbs up.' Freyja smiled and did the same.
Her opponent finally entered the ring. Sieg is around four times her size, and however you look at it, Freyja is at a disadvantage. When it comes to strength of aura and fighting style however, it's a different story. The referee stepped in and the impatient crowd roared. Freyja and Sieg faced each other in their battle stances.
"Ready.... Fight!"
Freyja drew her sword as fast as she could, blocking the swift and strong attacks of her surprisingly fast opponent. "Damn, he's strong! And fast for that size!" She thought, the fear starting to creep in, as she's getting pushed out of the ring little by little. Remembering Kirin's advices, and knowing that she had sparred with Kirin for quite a long time, her confidence was saved.
The crowd shouted and shouted, observing how the thirteen year old girl fought against an experienced fighter. Although she managed to block Sieg's attacks, her movements were amateurish, and rough around the edges. "Is she really Lord Kirin's student?" The comments started to annoy Kirin.
Freyja started to get tired. All she's been doing was dodging and blocking and running. She couldn't even land a single attack.
"Jeez, Freyja, what are you nervous for!?" She slapped herself hard, trying to regain her composure. "Think!"
Freyja had no choice but to use her weapons. She pulled a couple of marble-like spheres from her pocket. Reading her opponent's movements, she purposely let herself be cornered.
"Just die brat!" Just as when Sieg was about to deliver his finishing blow, a smirk escaped Freyja's face. She threw the small spherical bombs at him, instantly filling the ring with dark pink smoke. In that moment of confusion, Freyja took this chance and went on the offensive. She channeled her aura to her sword and slashed Sieg's exposed back with all of her strength, sending Sieg flying out of the ring in an instant!
There was a brief moment of silence from the crowd. Kirin smiled, relieved. "What a flashy fight. But Freyja's physical synch with her aura is magnificent." He thought before leaving his seat to fetch the girl.
The smoke subsided, and all that is left in the ring was the thirteen year old girl holding a short sword in her hand. It was her complete victory.
"Sieg! Sieg! That girl is a monster!" Sieg's friends came to his rescue right away. "What on earth.... Her body couldn't possibly have that strength!" Only now that spectators were finally convinced that she is Kirin Aethelmaer's protégé. Though she might not look like it, the outcome of the match proved that she is a fighter they must never look down on.
Marco, from not so far away, eagerly watched her fight. "Not bad. That's a powerful aura strike. What do you think, Ruis?" He ruffled his brother's hair, which obviously ticked Ruis. He shoved his brother's hand away and stood up. "It wouldn't be interesting if she's defeated by someone like Sieg." He mumbled under his breath as he walked away.
"Kirin!" Although she's still trembling, she ran to him first thing. "Kirin! I did it!"
"I told you." Kirin raised his hand for a high-five. "Great job."
Kirin gave Freyja an eat-all-you-can treat for her first victory. "You could have easily finished him, you were just nervous. I saw your hands trembling a while ago." Said Kirin. "Well, yeah." She didn't deny it. "But you know Kirin, I was surprised. I never thought I could defeat a scary guy like him."
"Well, of course, you sparred with me long enough. Plus, you can totally see the difference in your aura at the start of the fight." He knew that when it comes to aura, Freyja is far stronger. "But, that type of guy is the weakest in the arena, there are a lot more who's stronger than him. Be prepared."
When Freyja and Kirin stood up, Freyja suddenly felt her ankle hurt. "Ouch..." She winced. "What's the matter Fre-" All of a sudden, a hooded man, clad in white robes approached her. The hooded man held her ankle before whispering a few words. In a couple of seconds, Freyja felt the pain subside, until there was no pain at all.
"I guess I twisted my ankle a bit. Thanks a lot!" She thanked the stranger, who had a familiar smile on his face. "No need to thank me, Freyja." The stranger took his hood off, revealing the young rune master, Alaric Fullmar. "How have you been, Freyja?"
"Alaric!" She held both of his hands, jumping in excitement. "Wow! You really came! How are you!? It's been a while!"
"I watched your fight a while ago. I'm impressed. You improved so much Freyja!"
"W-well... um... thanks. It's all because of Kirin's training!" Freyja bashfully replied with a blush.
"Don't get so excited, you have to practice more." Kirin twisted her ear all of a sudden "Ouch! What was that for!?"
"Kirin, that's not a proper way to treat a lady." Alaric said in her defense.
"Why can't you mind your own business? Freyja is my student."
While Kirin and Alaric glared at each other, Freyja could feel other glares aimed at her. Admirers of both Alaric and Kirin are starting to hate her more and more, simply because she's with them.
"It's Lord Alaric! The handsome prince of the Runemaster's tower! He really is so elegant! Like a prince!" A girl shouted from the crowd.
"And Lord Kirin! He may be cold but he's super strong and handsome!"
Freyja sighed after hearing all those comments. It made her feel out of place instantly, just like when they were in the airship. "And who's that kid?" Finally, someone noticed her. "That midget is lord Kirin's student. I saw her fight, she is a brute."
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A MIDGET BRUTE!?" She shouted, chasing the girls away.
"Anyway..." Alaric had a serious look on his face, as he whispered to Kirin. "I've seen Aethelmaer minions here in Djin. They are led by a boy."
"I know, it's Keon. As a matter of fact, we already met him." He briefly explained. "Is Freyja going to be alright? Are you sure it's alright to let everyone know that she's here with you?"
"We didn't train for nothing. Freyja can't hide forever, that's why she needs to survive all these threats. That is, if she's serious about finding Celestia."
"Harsh words Kirin, sometimes I even doubt if you care for Freyja or not." Alaric shook his head.
"Do you think Freyja will be happy if she'd hide and run?"
Kirin agrees with Alaric. But he remembered the first time she met Freyja, when he tried to scare her off many times, and still, she persisted. Then, a gentle smile escaped his lips. "She's a lot stronger than you think. Don't underestimate her."
"Arena 2 fighters, please proceed to the ring at once... Arena 2 fighters...."
The announcer started calling the fighters for the next round. Finally, its Alaric's turn. "Well, I have to go." He excused himself. "Good luck Alaric! We'll go and watch your fight!" Freyja cheered him on. "That's be great! See you later then!"
The arena was raging with cheers as Alaric stood there, against another rune master. While Freyja loudly cheered for him, Kirin's eyes narrowed, noticing something unusual with Alaric's opponent. Finally realizing what it was, Kirin unintentionally said it out loud, "That's an Aethelmaer sorcerer."
"Alaric is against an Aethelmaer?" Freyja just had to confirm.
"A minion of our family, yes. Shouldn't be that much of a threat but... who knows."
"Alaric!!! You can do it!" Alaric heard Freyja's loud cheer from the crowd. He chuckled conjuring a two-meter long crystal spear from his bright blue aura.
Wasting no time, Alaric's opponent summoned flame pillars from the ground, trapped him instantly in a fiery prison. Surprisingly though, Alaric easily sliced the fire pillars off with his rune spear. Then, he pierced it into the ground and from there, sharp pillars of ice emerged from the ring's floors. The ice immediately crept to his opponent's feet, instantly immobilizing him. Alaric pulled his rune-spear from the ground and charged at his opponent. With one quick strike on the head, his opponent fell, unconscious.
The fight didn't last very long. Before they knew it, Alaric has knocked his opponent out of the ring. The fight ended with a loud cheer for the rune master.
For a several weeks, Alaric and Freyja fought on several matches. For each fight she won, Freyja gained more and more confidence. Without the aid of the Legendary Astrid, Freyja won every single match. Not for long, the two of them advanced to the much awaited semi-finals.
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