Act: 28
He saw that the girl was completely naked.
"Ah! Stop looking!"
Flustered, he quickly looked away with his hands covering his eyes from blushing.
"Uhh, where are your clothes! What the heck! Your skin.."
The female's voice began to stutter and sound embarrassed.
"Are you stupid! Clothes don't grow with you, I entered naked in the first place."
Shizu started to calm down but was still shaken up.
"Doesn't that make you then.. like 40 years old or something? And you still have such beautiful skin?"
"Hmph, Rude. Seems like you were paying quite the attention. Huh, I never aged while here... I think I entered when I was like 16 or 17 or maybe even when I was 10... I can't remember how it's been so long..?"
"You mean to tell me you could've been here longer than 30 years!?"
"Perhaps yes."
"Huh well let's get you out then. Yes! Though I will have to look at you so bear with it in the meantime while I think of a way to get you out. Would you happen to know of something that can help?"
"Hm... Allow me to think. Not a single clue?"
*Sigh*
"Ok, well I will figure something out..."
Shizu looked back at the glass and his surroundings to see if there was a way to get her out or maybe unhook her from the tree vines around the crystal.
Out of nowhere, Shizu felt strange, the room around him began to spin around in circles as if he were hallucinating. His right hand leaned up against the side of his face, knees feeling weaker, he stumbled in place for a few seconds until collapsing on the crystal with his hands arched over.
"Shizu! Shizuu! Are you ok! Shizuuu!"
The sound of her voice was the last thing echoing through his mind before completely going unconscious, likely due to him overusing his body after all; he lost an enormous amount of blood during his fight. The blood on his body began to slowly smear onto the crystal but most of it dried upon his clothes.
- - - -
During school hours at the student council office.
Hano sat at his desk as usual with his hands crossed glancing at the other four members, Kyde and Rin who were sitting across from him on the right side, and to his left on the sofa sat Aikawa who was reading, and Amamoto on her phone next to her.
"You all, I would like to discuss something new."
All focus went straight to him, and he became the center of attention.
"I would like to address some information that concerns every last one of you. From This day on we will now have a new member of the student council."
"Hinako Chisaka. Who will now become second in command and my right-hand woman."
Aikawa's eyes widened, closing her book, and hiding her hands behind her back as they started to shake after hearing the news.
Everyone's head turned after seeing the door open and entering inside was Chisaka herself, along with her new armband followed by the new student council uniform.
Hano shifted his attention to Aikawa. He let out a sigh as if he had been annoyed by her.
"Aikawa, I hate to break this to you, but you're no longer second. I've demoted you to the fourth rank."
Aikawa stood up.
"Huh! But Sir! Why not third!"
"Sit down. I did what I needed to do, and I do not want to hear any complaints, understood. The third spot is taken by Amamoto, someone who has shown amazing reliability."
Lowering her head, she sat down quietly without a word to say.
"Wait a minute! That makes me sixth? Damn..."
1. Hano 2. Chisaka 3. Amamoto 4. Aikawa 5. Rin and then me... Oh well, I still can beat anyone one of you any day."
Kyde said with confidence.
"Sure. That is all for now, all of you leave. And get to work, understood."
All replied.
"Yes sir!"
"Yes sir..."
Aikawa was the first one to leave the office.
"Shizu! I swear when I find you! All of this is your fault! Ever since you became the talk and why!"
- - - -
4 weeks have passed since Taku's attack. Arriving at the guilds after school:
At the usual spot, Bruce and Lin sat next to each other waiting. Tila and Taku walked in at the same time sitting and joining them across the table.
Lin spoke up first addressing the situation.
"Well, well, well, looks like the lady found herself a frozen prince hah."
"Oh, shut it already!"
She replied.
Taku was confused as he looked back at Tila and then Lin to see him snickering.
Bruce cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention.
"So, kid I heard you had a rough fight amongst some classmates, recovering and then taking Tila through some higher-ranked quests, correct?"
Taku nodded his head in response.
"I need to get stronger so that will never happen again. Plus, I have a tournament that's coming up and I promise you guys I won't lose!"
"That's what I like to hear, kid! We'll make sure to watch the entire way through cheering you on! Now, Lin, why don't you bring us the paper and tell us what quest we're taking on today."
Lin walked away from the table and to the quest board, then made his way back slamming the piece of paper onto the table.
"Here we go. A nice B-ranked mission. It seems that this giant lizard could breathe intense heat or poison? Soon will know which one it is- hope it's not fire, Taku, heh."
Lin stood with his hands around his waist.
"Alright, guys it's time for the show to begin!"
Taku replied. With a smile on his face.
"Time to get it started!"
- - - -
Shizu was attempting to stand up.
'Uh... My head... How long was I out for?'
Pushing himself up off the crystal and glaring at the dried-up blood on his hands, arm, and clothing that happened to be torn, ripped to the core.
"I don't know how I managed."
He stared at the naked person, still reminiscing on his recent fight till his brain slowly began to re-process everything before collapsing.
"Do you mind not staring at my body! Help me already! You took way too long of a nap- hurry up and get me out, out, out!"
He could hear the eagerness in her tone trying to rush him.
"Yeah, yeah I'll work on it, I'm glad you're worried about me almost dying to save you- let alone get this far."
"Hmm. Maybe you should have been quicker."
Shizu clicked his tongue while looking for a way to free her. He tried to sever the vines, which only resorted to no use, given that the vines as he removed them re-grew within seconds. A second option he took into consideration was punching it with a small amount of strength. Lifting his sore arm, he punched the crystal only for him to feel the vibration and it is returning the impact back to his arm. Trying again he continued to feel the pain. Stopping and coming to his senses that something obviously was stopping him.
"Hey! Be careful, don't try to break me now!"
"No need to worry. That crystal has some sort of protection on it... I felt it."
"That does make sense..?"
The faint light began to come from his bag shining brighter then dimming out for it to get brighter again as if it were reacting in a beacon-like signal to the crystal. Opening his bag, he pulled out the book placing it on the crystal, the light faded, and the book unlocked itself, springing open rapidly, flipping through the pages. The book stopped when reaching a certain page towards the end, on the left side of the page was empty and the same with the right but slowly a circular symbol with a Star began to form with lines swirling around the outside, the lines lit up a dim white color waiting for its activation.
"So, I think, I'll take a wild guess and assume that I need to use my powers like last time?? I mean, whatever happens, happens as long as you're free that's all that matters? Free to move on?"
"Yeah... Finally free, I hope."
she muttered quietly.
"I do have an odd question I must ask? How come you have never asked for my name, Shizu?"
"I never planned on seeing you again? You think of it this way, I'm here to free you and then you go on with your life, I like stories that don't end up sad. So, a simple goodbye, for now, can work for me."
Softly smiling.
"Alright though, time to get this over with!"
Raising his hand over the symbol.
"Resurrection!"
In sync with the glow coming from his palm, the light from the symbol started to absorb into his palm. Afterward, it disappeared, and the book closed itself. Shortly after it then dissolved into nothing.
"Resurrection."
The Star appeared underneath his palm and his hand lit up again to the normal white color, instantly disappearing. The crystal had no reaction even after a few seconds passed by but the room and what could be the entire cave started to shake, the vines that now seemed to be its energy support dried up and small rocks fell on him as the ceiling made rumbling noises and even signs of cracking that became slowly worse.
"What! My power felt. Like it got snatched from me! Uh... um, voice? Are you still there... ahhh this is bad, nothing is happening! The whole place..."
"..."
"Hey voice, I need you right now! Come on respond!"
Shizu panicked looking around impatiently without thinking he began to punch at the crystal hoping it would break, the female with long silver hair and pale skin stayed unfazed and wasn't waking up at all. Nothing happened to the crystal, not even a single dent. Shizu put his whole body onto it.
"I will save you. I made a promise!"
With all his remaining strength wrapping his arms around it, pulling upwards trying to lift the crystal, and hoping to run out of the place with it. Though it wasn't moving at all, straining his body as he tried raising it, no matter how much he tried it wasn't moving.
"Please..."
Her body started to glow the same color as his Star. Shizu stopped what he was doing and watched her body start to vanish from the legs up to her head. Nothing remained except a tiny orb that phased through from the crystal and into Shizu's hand morphing itself into a small silver-sized crystal in the shape of a pendulum.