The yellow glow of the setting sun pierced the window of the library. It's warm gaze landed on a lone male as he sat with his head lowered, deep in thought. Atop his head sat a flickering flame that wouldn't disappear no matter what he did. It had shrunk in size, compared to it's boastful presence from earlier, but still proved its existence nonetheless.
"What do I do…?" Zain muttered to himself while staring at the wooden table. He knew full well the extent of his capabilities. The other chosen mages for this tournament would obviously be powerful, but with his combat experience from the future and all around viciousness when it came to fights, he felt like it wouldn't be much of a challenge. Especially since their class hasn't gone on any battle training missions yet. He felt like he would be fighting children who were too full of themselves. But it wasn't just that.
"I don't remember who Suzaku's vessel was during this point in time. If I carelessly defeat them, then there's no chance in hell that his power will reach Scarlet." Zain, more than anything, wanted Suzaku's power to land in the hands of Scarlet. Without a doubt, she was the most powerful fire mage in his destroyed future, and that became doubly so when she obtained their deities' flames.
"That damn bird messed all of this up…"
"Ah, there you are!" James' voice flew into Zain's ears. Once he recognized the males voice, he let out another sigh before slumping down further into the table.
"I've been looking for you everywhere after you suddenly ran off like that! But still…even after all that I can't believe someone like you got chosen as a candidate for Suzaku's vessel." James' eyes were glued to the ember that stood stationary on top of Zain's head.
"To think, the last time we saw Suzaku descend was around forty or so years ago. I wonder what happened between him and his old vessel?"
"What are you doing here…?" Not interested in his idle chatter, Zain got straight to the point.
"Glad you asked!" James quickly sat across from Zain before slamming down a hefty book onto the table. He started flipping through the pages before landing in his desired spot.
"So, while you vanished I went around gathering the names of the other candidates. If you're gonna be fighting against a bunch of fire mages, you at least need to know who to watch out for, right?"
The boy happily began pointing out names of his fellow classmates before stopping over someone in particular.
"Oh! This girl is definitely someone you should-"
"You didn't have to do all that."
"Awh shoot, you don't need to thank me!" Mistaking Zain's words for praise, James scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
"No, I mean you didn't have to do that at all. I'm not fighting in that tournament." The wooden floor creaked as Zain stood up before walking out of the room.
"Wait, what about all my data?!"
"Get rid of it you creep. You shouldn't be taking information of other students in the first place."
The door was swift to close behind him as Zain walked the hallways in silence. His mind was clouded with worry as for how he would continue going forward. If he chose not to fight, Scarlet would eventually obtain the powers of Suzaku once his next vessel dies in battle….but that would be akin to sacrificing someone's life and countless others for just one person. Was he in any position to decide whether certain people would live, and others would die? Without realizing he thought he held everyone's lives in the palm of his hand.
As he continued walking in silence, a burst of flames appeared next to him. He was brought back to reality as embers danced across the sky before falling to the ground. The white stone on the ground was singed pitch black as a lone female fired off spell after spell towards targets. Her destructive power was nothing to scoff at, as a flaming spear tore through a target before exploding. Flames continued to rain down as the female put in more effort into her attacks, and before long all her targets had burned away.
"Phew…" She sighed from exhaustion before stretching her body.to relax her muscles. She sensed someone staring at her before locking eyes with Zain who stood at the door to the training room. She took in his features for a moment before noticing the flame flickering on his head. Her lips curved into a smile as she faced him completely.
"Well, this is a nice surprise. To think I'd run into another candidate this quickly…"
"Another..?" Zain turned his attention towards the top of her head, where a similar flame was twitching from the after effects from her attacks. He had confused it for a flying ember from one of her earlier spells, so Zain hadn't thought much of it.
"So you too…"
Her grin stayed on her face as her bright orange eyes stared towards Zain. With the glow from the sun coming through the open roof it seemed as if her eyes were fire themselves. She radiated brightly in the slightly destroyed room.
"Sorry, I was so focused on my training that I destroyed a number of the dummies. Since you're here I assume you're training for the tournament in a few day's time, correct? I'll move out of your way." The mysterious girl was quick to gather her things before walking past Zain, but was halted by what he said next.
"You don't have to leave. Keep using this room was much as you want, I'm not fighting in that stupid tournament."
Her eyes widened as she looked towards Zain.
"What? Are you certain about that?"
"Never been more serious. I have no intention in fighting for that bird's power, so knock yourself out."
"Why are you choosing not to fight?"
Zain stopped in his tracks as he stared at his fellow classmate. She looked back with a serious gaze of her own.
"You don't seem like the type to run away from a fight. If my guess is correct, you're Zain aren't you?."
"That depends. Who's asking?" His anger started to bubble to the surface as he turned back around to face this random student.
"Ah, forgive me, I haven't introduced myself have I? My name is Vira, eldest daughter of house Vermilion. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." She slightly bowed as she met Zain's eyes once more.
"Vermilion…so you're a royal." Zain clicked his tongue, even more pissed off after finding out this woman's true origins. "Are you sure someone of your status should be bowing to someone like me?"
"Status or not, the fact remains you are a mage of exceptional caliber. It's not every day you can meet a Black Mage. However…this brings up even more questions. Why is it that someone of your ability isn't trying to claim Suzaku's power for yourself?"
"That's none of your business. What I choose to do, and my reasons behind them are my own."
"That is true." Vira chuckled a bit as she smiled towards Zain. "However, I find it hard to believe for someone who became a Black Mage to suddenly stop desiring power. Whatever choice is binding you, I pray that you figure it out. It would be a shame to fight you when you have yet to figure out what you wish to do next. A clouded mind slows the body after all."
Zain could only look on as she left. She was right, Zain wanted to fight. This was a perfect chance to fight powerful fire type mages to prepare himself for Osiris's leader. An opportunity that he was looking for had fallen into his lap at this moment. But he still had a choice to make. Either fight and take victory in this tournament, and take Suzaku's power for himself to grow stronger. Or leave it alone, and let history take its course. This was his crossroad of decisions.
"…"