One week has passed since the first round. Alisa did everything in her power to avoid her father. The last thing she wanted was for her memory to be tampered with. She stays in her room all day. Fei made sure she didn't starve to death by giving her meals whenever he's eating. On the first day of August, Harriot gave his son a call.
"Fei I have some bad news. There's a chance Sue will die before this competition is over" said Harriot.
"Hey, Hey, Hey, for an adult you don't have any manners. What happened to my good morning. How are you doing son? It wouldn't hurt to say that ya know" replied Fei.
"I just said some serious news and that's what you have to say. Unbelievable! The doctor says Sue won't live to see her next month. August is all she has left. I really want to head to the island and train you senseless but Sue insists I stay with her" said Harriot.
"Yeah stay with her. Sue will hang in there until I win this competition. This isn't the first time I've heard the doctor say she won't last the month and in the end, she did. As long as I win this Dragon Hunt thingy then we're all good" Fei responded. He showed no worries for her sister. Harriot hung up feeling ashamed of himself. "That boy has gone through so much. Where the hell was I?" Harriot asked himself.
Fei left his underground room and went inside the large forest. Fei was the only one that's familiar with the whole island because of the amount of running around he did daily. He remembered when Alisa paralyzed him and made him feel powerless. That moment made him realize the huge weakness of his gift. "Speed is Motion. If my motion stops then speed cease to exist" said Fei. He stared at his shadow while thinking of a solution to Alisa's gift. To Fei, Alisa is the only threat he needs to concern himself with. Not a Sniper, a Soldier, the Bodyguards, Monks, or Assassins even comes close to his worries but a teenage girl does.
"I'm not entirely sure but maybe it has something to do with the shadows. She walked up to me and stepped on it before I couldn't move" Fei thought as he stared at it. His mind quickly drifted from Alisa's gift to her face. "When she's sad, happy, or even upset they're all the same to me. Fun to look at"
Clap! Clap!
Fei heard someone clapping behind him so he got startled. He just said something out loud he would rather people not hear. He began to sweat as if just finished a marathon and turned around to see who clapped. "Ronald doesn't take Romance lightly. He might kill you if he finds out you have hots for his daughter" a voice spoke. It was a middle-aged man with short grey hair. "Gordon Pescara, the Prime Minister of my home country. You're a part of The Golden Circle. How was this group formed anyway" Fei asked.
"That's something only finalists are allowed to hear. I didn't expect you to still be on the island. Don't you want to see Harriot? There's news spreading about how you're his son. It's astonishing how I didn't make the connection earlier" said Gordon disappointed.
"So what brings you here?" asked Fei.
"To ask you a simple question. What are you going to do after you win the Dragon's Hunt?" replied Gordon. He said it with such confidence. It almost sounded like he wants Fei to win. "Save my sister's life. That's all I need it for" said Fei.
"Great! All you need is half of the potion to fully cure her. I'm here to make a deal. Let's join forces and if any of us win the Dragon's Hunt then we'll share the potion between us two. You can save your sister and I can save my beloved. Everyone's happy" smiled Gordon.
"Wait! There's enough to heal two people!" shouted Fei surprised.
"Yes, I thought you knew. Harriot must have given you a poor explanation" grinned Gordon.
Fei doubted Gordon's words. If what he says is true then Fei would have to ask himself the big question. "If the potion can heal two people them why didn't dad heal my sister too. Why was I the only one free from the disease?"
Suddenly all the drive Fei had to train withered away. He wanted to have a talk with his father as quickly as he could. "We'll talk tomorrow. It's a pleasure speaking with you" Fei said as he ran inside the cave. When he made it to his door he bumped into another Golden Circle member named Aoi Quin.
Aoi was at Fei's door waiting to see him. She pulled both his ears then headbutted him. "It's rude to keep me waiting brat! Where were you!?" she asked pissed at waiting. Fei pushed her away and replied "Sorry Miss but I don't have time for this. I need to speak to my father right now". "Did I do something I shouldn't have?" wondered Gordon.
PINCH! PINCH!
Aoi pinched Fei's cheeks mercilessly. "You don't need to go and ring out your father's ears. I already know what you're going to talk to him about. If you curse Harriot for the decision he made ten years ago I'll kill you on the spot" threatened Aoi. Fei sighed and stood next to Aoi in the hallway. "Seriously miss, what do you want?" asked Fei curiously.
"Instead of talking to Harriot about the past just listen to what I have to say," said Aoi.
......
Fei lowered his head and listened to what Aoi had to say. "I witnessed your father's victory ten years ago. He was overwhelming, to say the least. We all expected him to win the whole thing. None of us was surprised after seeing what his gift is capable of. Telling Gravity to go screw itself is frightening as it sounds. The night he won King Almon hosted a party for him before he went to Dome his homeland. I don't remember what I ate specifically but I remembered it being sweet. Probably pudding or something. There were people crying over their defeat, others were drunk having disgusting conversations while I was in a corner eating whatever I can find on the table. I don't think I've ever eaten that much before. I was stressed at the time. I was going through a divorce and my aunt was suffering from Dementia. I wanted to win the Dragon Hunt so bad I myself participated to win the potion. I was a finalist so you can understand my frustration. I ate pudding, pasta, stakes, salad, and a lot more. One of those things was poisoned. Without warning the blood vessels in my body started to expand. Almost as if it wanted to burst" said Aoi.
Aoi stepped on Fei's right foot ashamed of what happened.
OOWWW!
"Next thing I know my whole body started to ache. I screamed out for help. Everyone inside the room surrounded me with confused looks on their faces. Professor Jupiter took a look at me and said there isn't enough time for him to save me. I am going to be decease in a matter of seconds. When I heard those words I felt relieved. Relieved that my death won't take long. I rather things end now than endure enormous pain just to reach the same result. Harriot took up his glass bottle and forced the liquid down my throat. Even when I resisted he still kept on filling my mouth with his potion. When the bottle was half empty he stopped and covered it. Your father saved my life that night and funnily enough, that's one of the few times I actually thanked someone. I knew about his wife and two daughters being sick and so did he. He chose to save me that night instead of keeping the potion for his children. I am eternally grateful to him. Harriot says he has his instinct to blame" said Aoi.
"Hmm, because of you he couldn't heal my sister. Hehehe you were going through a divorce. I'm surprised any man would marry a violent lady like you. Hahahaha, how do you expect to be in a long-term relationship when you're so violent. Please rest your hands if you want another guy hehe" said Fei.
SMACK!!
Aoi slapped Fei upside the head furious with his response. She finally mustered enough courage to tell Fei what was on her mind and he gave her a silly reply. She prepared herself for a fight, harsh words, weeping but not laughter as Fei's response.
"Take this more seriously," said Aoi angrily.
"I am, dad lengthened your life so I'm simply giving you advice on how to enjoy it. First of all, you should leave the Golden Circle. It's clearly not a healthy group to be in if someone can simply poison food. You are rich so go buy an island and live on it with some random. Hahahaha I am so glad you're the one that told me this and not dad. Believe me, he was going to get a piece of my mind if you didn't stop me" said Fei happily.
" I figured. That's why I waited"
"But how did you know what I was going to do. It's not like I was talking out loud" said Fei curiously.
Aoi pointed at her ears. "My ears are the reason. They are very special to me so I clean them five times a day. Since Olga failed to pass the first round I'll help you to win the entire competition. With the help from me and Gordon, you can't lose. I don't want anything in return. I'm paying Harriot back for what he did for me" said Aoi.
"Plus if Sue dies you'd be partly to blame and you wouldn't want that" Fei added. Aoi looked up in Fei's green hair and saw something no one else would've noticed. Deep inside his hair, there was a tiny camera that blended perfectly in Fei's head. Aoi took it out and showed Fei the green webcam. "This isn't right. Your father has been watching your every move since you've got here. He knows when you're sleeping, eating, taking a dump. He even hears all the conversations you have. A parent should not invade your privacy like this" stated Aoi.
Fei thanked Aoi for the help and went inside his room. He decided not to call his father. He sat on the floor with his legs crossed and meditated for the rest of the day. Clearing your mind from the outside world felt like heaven to Fei. All the worries, memories, and actions meant nothing to Fei at this moment. What concerns him is attaining the potion that can save Sue. He continued like this for the rest of the day.