I open my eyes time seemed to still as I look at Oreo.
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I didn't notice when or how, but at some point during my time out of it Emmy and Caroline had fought, Emmy won and I was now against her.
' Do I have to hurt another friend?' I ask myself as my body, as if on auto pilot, moves me to the center of the ring. ' Why am I doing this?'
Emmy stands apart from me and gets a clear look at her opponent, me.
Lifeless gray eyes with deep black bags, on a body that seemed of it got any paler would arguably be dead, even the highlights of my hair seemed to lack any sort of color simply fading to grey. The sword in my hand lay along side my leg supported only barely by the tips of my fingers on my limp arm and the tip that was touching the ground. As a whole I looked pathetic, the shaking and my difficulty even standing up evident to all onlookers. I looked like a reanimated corpse that had been beaten to death a few times over just without the bruises, yet Emmy only looked at me with a kind reassuring smile.
The Announcer seemed supprized I even came up at all and wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. If he started the match, it would be unneeded violence since it was obvious I wasn't going to put up a fight, but I came up meaning I was going to participate.
Emmy being that absolute goddess she is simply walked over from her spot and gave me a hug. A long, deep, meaningful embrace ensued and I let go of the sword falling into her embrace.
" There is no need to fight, I concede" Emmy said and I twitch a little, I currently have little to no control of my body but I wanted to tell her, scream at her, to stop. Winning seemed so meaningless, I didn't deserve it. I didn't deserve anything.
" She's too fast, it would have been a fun fight but I know I would have lost" Emmy then looked back at me with her soft smile. The tears I had just barely managed to stop with the help of Oreo, start cascading down my face once more. Emmy pulls me on closer and I feel someone come in from behind and put their arms around me to.
" Don't worry You'll be okay, that girl you were fighting is already being checked out and healed as we speak. Those aren't the worst injury's that have happened, you know. Guess you always have been a bit on the clueless side. But it's reassuring, you reacting like this, it shows you still have a heart." the person speaking let out a small laugh I could tell this came from Caroline and tears started falling harder. I clutch onto them harder than I have anything before.
' I never want to let these people go.'
The Crying and day of physical exertion catches up to me and I fall asleep in the cosy embrace of my two roommates.
I wake up and I find myself laying my bed. I stretch my arms I and shift myself so that My legs and hanging of the side of my head facing the empty one. I hear a Ding and read a Notification from the system
[Academy Competition] (Complete)
[Place: 1st (Claim Rewards)]
I was slightly pissed when I saw the notification and shot an ignited blast of Sunfire. I had gotten to the point I could Gather condense and fire the energy in about a second or two. The bed across from me splintered from the impact and the sheets caught fire in a panic, I store them in my inventory hoping that would do something and when I bring them back out the fires gone, but all that remained were sheets full of burn holes and a bunch of splintered, burnt wood.
[Basic Sunfire Magic (lv4->5)]
[Basic Mana Manipulation (lv2->3)]
I just let out a defeated sigh and walk down to the entrance of the school and hear the shouts of fighting. Moving closer; the Announcer declared the winner of the Third year tournament and thanked the audience for coming. I walked to the stands and navigated my way to a pair of pleasant people, Blake and Grant, who seem a whole lot more dignified without Jacklyn.
" Hello" I say to them catching their attention.
" Howdy" I got from Grant who waved with a cookie in one hand and a few bags in his other.
Blake approached me and gave me a hug which I didn't refuse. "Good morning, Alice" he said.
I let out a small yawn, and Blake and Grant follow on suit, guess they're pretty tired too.
" Where are the others? I ask
Grant who was sitting beside me replied to my question " Your friends are out selling those treats for the guild, they're pretty good by the way." Grant then puts a marshmallow like thing in his mouth and continued shortly after swallowing " They said that you were pretty into it and they needed to pick up the slack Since you were taking a small catnap. Jacklyn found out what they were doing and insisted on helping in your place which is why she's gone. The matches are all over so they should be coming over soon."
" Alice!" I heard Jacklyn yell out
" Speak of the devil" Grant said and had a good, hearty laugh.
I see Jacklyn run up to me and in one movement she hugs me, picks me up and squeezed me. However I could tell she was being more gentle. I could breathe but part of me didn't want to.
Setting me down Jacklyn started machine- gunning questions at me and I had to slow her down so that I could comprehend what she was saying.
Taking a breath she calmed down and asked only two questions. " Are you ok? What happened?"
" I'm fine." I reply, unconvincingly " ... just remembered something really unpleasant. Some sleep made me feel better though." My eyes start to cloud over again.
I then remember Tanya and they clear up as I ask "Is the other girl ok?" I sounded a slight bit desperate.
" Why don't you go visit her?" I heard Blake and Caroline recommend at the same time. I simply nod my head and I go to a medical area with Blake, as the others had things they still needed to do with the restaurant. Blake leaves me at the door saying he was needed over with the teachers, apparently he told them he would help clean up the event. I walk into the room see Tanya laying on a bed with a Medical mage tending to her.
" Is she going to be alright?" I ask, my eyes never leaving Tanya?
" She will be fine" The mage said, "Healing magic is quite good at making sure people don't die, she is only sleeping because of her physical exhaustion."
I slowly nod my head in acknowledgement. Standing over Tanya for a moment I see her eyes flutter slightly. She opens her eyes and she meets mine and gives a tired smile, which tore at my heart. Sitting up she stretches and begins looking around the room before her eyes refocus on me.
" Well, hello Alice." she said in a soft choked voice, probably because she just woke up. " How are you doing?"
" I'm, fine, but how are you? Are you ok?" I mentally facepalm. ' Is she ok, I just bisected her upper and lower halves and ask if she ok?!'
" I'm feeling great!" She said with confidence, but I wasn't so convinced.
" Did it hurt a lot?" I ask, she seemed fine, was I worried for nothing? No, I refuse to do that again.
" Oh, I don't know" She said in a flat tone " I think it tickled a bit."
" Oh, I thought it would have hurt a lot." I say attempting to imagine being cut in half and have it not hurt, oblivious to the obvious sarcasm in her voice.
" Yah, it was kinda fun. Want me to do it to you?" She said continuing the joke since it went over my head the first time, luckily I got it this time.
I kindly decline her offer, but told her I would be willing if it made her feel better. She just hugged me and I returned in kind. Tanya then suddenly leaned on me and we fell onto the floor.
" Well since you two seem fine, get out I have other things I need to do." The mage went from kind to hostile in about a second so we leave as we were told. Opening the door I look back into the room and notice there was literally no one else in the room and could only shake my head.
I walk out with Tanya and We head to the guild, through the arena and We arrive in the front, walking up the stairs we arrive at the guild's restaurant and encounter Jacklyn, Emmy and Caroline talking to Kline and surprisingly Lily.
" Hello." Me and Tanya say on unison
" Alice, Are you feeling better?" I heard from Lily. " You seemed pretty terrified of something"
" Yah I'm doing ok, better now that I know I didn't kill someone."
Lily just laughed, " I remember when I did that in my time in the academy, I was so freaked I avoided the person like the plague, afraid of confronting what happened."
"How did you get past it?" I asked
" I was forgiven by them and it was awkward at first because we had never met before that fight, the teacher noticed this and assigned us to the same team despite the fact we got to chose our own and now five years later were engaged." She said with a happy smile looking next to her.
" Well that's nice" I reply, and quickly was cut off.
"Your engaged! To who!" I was surprised at the sudden shout, and when I realized I had heard Jacklyn was the one saying it, I was a bit confused. I didn't expect Lily to have a significant other and I was more supprized her own sister knew nothing, I now want to meet this person.
" Hmm, you all know him relatively well I think." She said forcing a thoughtful expression.
' I don't know many boys let alone ones your age ... did she mean to include me?" I ponder to myself and notice Lily looking elsewhere with a gentle smile. Traveling her gaze my eyes land on Kline. He was staring back in kind, then left the counter to join us.
" Theirs no way it's Kline. Is it?" I say after a moment of silence. Lily just smiled, wrapped her arms around Kline's neck and they kissed in front of everyone.
" Since when were you two a thing!" Jacklyn was still hung up on the fact her sister had a fiance.
" I though you would be lonely forever sis, I'm upset you would keep something like this from meeee." Jacklyn was pouting, and perked up two second later " When's the wedding!"
" It hasn't been decided yet." Lily said and got an immediate response from Jacklyn " Do you plan on telling mother and father?"
" Nope, You know how they are, I'm not telling them." After a moment Jacklyn just laughed, "Heh, that makes sense."
Jacklyn and Lily continue their conversation and I was approached by Kline, "Are you doing well?" He asked
" I'm fine for now, I hope this doesn't effect me in the future." I reply, I have noticed from the way people fight, and talk about death and killing, it was commonplace here and that means people die often. It also means I will probably need to kill to survive at some point, and If I freeze up again I will probably suffer for it. Though I could comprehend this, it didn't make the terrible feeling in my chest go away.
Kline just stared at me for a moment then pulled me aside, " Are you still able to work?" he asked
" Yes sir!" I say with enthusiasm I don't really have, " I'll be a- ok!"
" Good because I'll be putting you to work in about two hours" He said
Pulling out the pocket watch he gave be I notice it was just past three, " I get on work at six not five, Why so early?"
" You still need to get started learning the language enough to understand others" Kline said " You remember earlier, not everyone can speak Universal"
It's true, during my shift this morning their were a few times that I had encountered people who I couldn't understand and I had to get Kline to help with them. Apparently magic is not available to everyone. Some people are unable to use it and it restricts some of the skills they learn, it's not that they are any weaker than people with it just they are restricted from it's use. Kline told me that those type of people are typically physically superior to people who can use magic, they are faster, stronger, and more perceptive than normal but are prevented from using magic since the Mana in their bodies passively supporting them, instead of an active power bank. It is quite the interesting topic. Another cool thing is they are relatively rare about 1% of people have this condition but they make for excellent physical combatants, or so I've been told. Anyways he has a point I do need to get better, but I learned a lot already, I think I'll be fine.
"I think I'll be fine, I learned a lot yesterday" I say remembering the 'Fun' time I had after using the Nexus.
" How much could you have possibly learned in such a short time?"Kline asked unconvinced
" Try me." I said with a confident smile, but a nagging feeling of forgetfulness clawed at the back of my mind.
" Ok then what is this" Kline asked in common and pointed to an item on the menu
I just realized their was more to it than simply learning the language, I forgot I had to learn to comprehend it vocally too. I barely got what he said, " It's ... Jäger ... schnitzel?" I try to say back. Its not because I couldn't read, but hearing someone else say the words made it a lot harder, I could barely piece the words together and talking in another language is incredibly difficult if you don't know how to pronounce the letters and you aren't used to it. The book helped a little on that front but it was still not enough. Also the item he chose was one of the hardest to pronounce correctly.
" Hmm, You didn't seem very confident in that answer" He said " But I guess it wasn't a bad guess"
" I learned the basics of the language only yesterday. What did you expect?" I complain indignantly, I had learned all this stuff in one day, I think I'm doing a hell of a job.
After some thought " Alright you can come half an hour early and we'll spend that time getting you used to hearing and speaking." Kline said