Along the way, Arthur constantly moved the mana through his body and gradually got used to all the passages that were possible for the time being. He knew they had more, but they were clogged with black goo. When the mana recovered a little, Arthur tried to send it straight to his right hand, but the mana always ran out before reach the objective. He was feeling a slight pulse in his hand every time he did this, but he ignored it as it didn't hurt.
While listening to music, Arthur took time to observe his brother. Longer hair than normal, a little fat, but you can still tell he's not fat. Just a kid who hasn't reached the height of maturity yet, and he was way behind on that. Beautiful, but that disinterested look that only changes in front of a computer ends up bringing down the elegance. But now his gaze held more than disinterest.
"Do you want to keep going to school?" Arthur asked suddenly. They were just enjoying the breeze that passed on their bikes.
"No..." Thomas spoke without having much to think about. Still, Arthur noticed a change in his gaze.
"Very well! I'll find a way to get you out of there." Arthur spoke, shaking his head. He noticed the excited look Thomas tried to hide from him and said, "Don't even be happy. You have one year to study the whole subject of high school. And it has to be perfect grades, I give the tests!"
The excitement on Thomas' face didn't go away. After all, it was worth it. First, it wasn't very difficult. Second, he could spend more time on the computer!
"Go home and study today's classes. You should already have class schedules! If you need anything, talk to Amanda." Arthur let Thomas go.
As they weren't far from home yet, Thomas said goodbye and went home excitedly.
'Maybe I can finish that project and present it to him…' Thomas kept his thoughts away with excitement.
Arthur noticed Thomas' excitement and the reason for his disinterest in going to school. Thomas was smart and cute, so he must have excelled in school. This highlight was something he detested, and something could be going on.
But Arthur didn't care too much about teaching Thomas. He was a genius and going to school would only hold him down with everyone else who might hate him. Arthur understood Thomas well and freed him from this obstacle, focusing on what was most important. Quick talk and problem solved!
After some time riding alone, Arthur suddenly felt a pang of pain.
'Fuck, the reaction!' He thought the reactions would stop after yesterday, but it looks like they've only increased the time between each one!
Pedaling quickly, he entered a large random market. The market was quite big and tidy and there was even a restaurant and bakery inside. A market like that would definitely have a bathroom!
As the black lines slowly spread over Arthur's body, he tried to cover himself with a black hoodie, hiding his arms. His entire body was already dressed and no one would be able to see anything. Looking quickly, soon the bathroom was seen.
After locking himself in one of the bathroom cabs, Arthur gritted his teeth. The lines had already reached his face. Taking off his shirt and coat, he looked intently at the lines on his body.
They were less dark than before, and they also had fewer lines, but there were so many lines that it was almost imperceptible. The remaining lines, apart from the thickest ones and the cores, had noticeable white threads at different intervals. That meant it had been cleaned a little, but not all.
Focusing on the Mana in his body, Arthur felt a connection with it and guided it with the Force. An unpleasant vision of the black goo popped into his mind. Unlike this morning's lull, this goo now seemed frantic and pulsed like a heart. Arthur tried to push it with Mana, but he ended up suffering an attack of spikes that caused that line to be interrupted. It didn't interfere with anything other than a little pain. Waiting a bit, the goo came back and allowed mana to pass through.
Finally, after 1 hour, longer than yesterday, the pain stopped. Arthur also realized that if it hadn't been for his tolerance for the pain he received from yesterday's hellish training, he would have screamed a little. The pain was worse than yesterday and felt more aggressive, as if the goo was feeling threatened.
'I really don't like training like that, but I think this shit will kill me first if I don't kill it!' In understandable anger, Arthur cursed the black ooze.
Arthur was about to put on his clothes when he realized he was all sweaty.
'Damn... I'll look for somewhere to take a shower...'
Wiping his torso and face with his shirt, Arthur took another from his inventory and put it on.
He walked through the market and was drawn to the smell of the cakes in the bakery. Looking at the various options, his eyes shone.
"Good morning, I would like two pieces of these two cakes, please. I'm not going to eat here, so can you put it in a lunch box?" Arthur politely asked the attendant. He pointed to a strawberry vanilla cake and then a chocolate cake.
"Sure, just a moment!" The attendant politely replied back.
As she organized the lunch boxes with the slices, Arthur asked her, "Is there a bathroom with a shower here? I got dirty on the way and I need to shower and go to school."
"There is, but only the staff bathroom. I'd have to talk to the manager for that!" The attendant looked closely at Arthur, trying to see the dirt. Despite trying to wipe it away, sweat marks were still on Arthur's forehead and shirt. The pants looked a little dirty too. She also noticed that this boy was very handsome and felt in favor of him.
"I really need it, please!" Arthur gave an apologetic smile at the inconvenience.
After a while, the attendant returned with a smile. Arthur had seen her talking to the manager, a man, and he nodded slightly as he looked at him.
"Please don't mess anything up! We'll charge more if it's dirty." The attendant let Arthur past the counter and pointed to a door, indicating the bathroom.
Nodding slightly, Arthur ordered two more slices of the cake with a smile and went to the bathroom.
***
"Why hasn't he arrived yet? Is he avoiding me? Did I do something wrong?" During break time at Arthur's school, the trio of girls were talking near a staircase. It was Emily who spoke and she was dressed cutely and beautifully in her course uniform. On her mouth was a pout that made her look even better.
The whole yard was full of students and some were playing football. From where they were sitting, they could see the school gates clearly.
"Honey, stop thinking these things. He was just late, we went to see. A girl named Aline spoke up." Sara was stroking her friend's back as she sighed.
"But why was he late? He didn't even text me yesterday and he has my number! Why didn't he text me!?" Emily was on the verge of tears. Most of it was female drama, but she really was feeling a little hurt.
The girls had never seen her like this, so eager for someone else. That was a great sign for them.
"Did you two kissed yesterday?" Madison was the one who switched to a livelier topic.
Emily instantly blushed upon hearing this and scenes from Saturday night popped into her mind. The way Arthur held her in his arms and pulled her close. With that in mind, she replied, "Y-yes... On the cheek..." Her voice was so low it sounded like a mosquito buzz.
"On the cheek?" Madison asked, a trace of a smile on her face.
"Y-yes… But it was a lot!" Emily understood what that smile on her face was and spoke loudly and firmly. But this attracted the attention of a few people around and she blushed as she realized what she had just said.
"Since it was a lot, we'll leave it alone, haha! He'll be here soon, my dear. Also, the video of you two already- look over there, talking about the devil!" Sara was talking to Emily when a figure walked through the school gates.
***
"Man, I'm so angry I could kill someone by hanging!" Charles kicked the ball, trying to control the rage he was in. His movements were deft and the ball landed straight at another person without falling to the ground, who played for another person in the same way. He was talking to Carlos next door.
"And what happened?" Because of Charles' mother, as well as himself, Carlos wasn't talking to him as much anymore and was out of date on the news.
"Patricia, that bitch, dumped me. Every day I try to talk to her, she either ignores me, or says there's something better waiting for her!" His eyes displayed clear hatred as he looked at a beautiful figure in the distance. This figure seemed to be waiting for someone at the gate.
"Is she talking about Arthur?" Carlos more or less knew the ins and outs of the story.
"Certainly. That bitch must be waiting for him right now. If he was in front of me right now, I wouldn't hesitate to kick the ball in his face!" Angrily, Charles passed the ball again.
"Well, I guess it won't be long then. Look at the guy!" Carlos pointed to the school gate.
As soon as he saw that figure, Charles' eyes flashed with anger and a devious smile appeared on his face.
"Pass it to me!" He said to whoever had received the ball.
***
Arthur was entering the school on foot. He decided to store the bike in the Inventory halfway through. Since Thomas wasn't going to come with him anymore, walking was good too.
He had showered and changed out of his pants and shirt. He was dressed in the black hoodie and his appearance was handsome. Wireless headphones played music for him as he carried a bag of cakes in his left hand.
He was looking straight ahead and his gaze met Emily's. A bright smile appeared on her face at the sight of him.
'The day just got more beautiful...'
His gaze was then drawn to a small, dark figure with unparalleled beauty and physique. It was Beatrice, who also looked at him at that moment. She was reading a book.
'Now he's so fucking beautiful...'
Going back to what he was going to do, his way was to go straight to the secretary and explain the reason for his delay. Some excuses were popping into his mind when he heard someone call out to him.
"Hi Arthur! Remember me? I'm Patricia. I was thinking and maybe we could schedule something..." In a delicate voice, the pretty figure of Patricia appeared beside him.
Taking off the right phone, he spoke with a strange expression: "No, I don't remember you. But I appreciate the invitation." His voice was calm and it really sounded like he didn't remember.
He logically remembered. The thing is, his thoughts of revenge or playing with her had already disappeared. His time was precious, and if he wanted to spend it on developing love, Emily and Beatrice would surely be his only options.
With a slightly broken expression, Patricia didn't know what to say. She knew he remembered her, but the disinterest in his gaze and the desire to leave hurt her ego inflated by the desire of the boys around her.
When Arthur was about to leave, a voice called out to him.
"Caution!"
Bang!
With a loud crashing sound, a ball that was coming at high speed hit Arthur's right hand hard. The force was such that it crushed the phone in his hand. The scream and the sound of the impact caught the attention of those in the courtyard, almost all the students.
With shocked looks, the audience saw Arthur hold the ball with just one hand, and without dropping it! His calm gaze made it seem like it was a simple task for him.
"Ah!" Patricia turned her face away in fright.
As the audience watched Arthur still standing, he looked at the ball in his hand. Or rather, to his own hand.
'What the fuck was that?'
Looking at the drops of blood slowly falling and running down the ball, Arthur's expression became confused.
___
Author Note: I must apologize in advance to those who like a more straightforward story. I'm sorry but you won't get that at some points in the book. I am very detail oriented and I like that as it makes the book have some life and fusion with reality. For those who like the details and can capture some between the lines, enjoy!
Good reading and follow the chapters!