A loud shriek coming from Sera's room could be heard.
"I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! I didn't know what happened, we went out to watch Miss Sera's performance on stage and then when we returned to fix her dress for the next category, the room was a mess! Everything is broken! The gown has been shredded and burned, i am so sorry Miss Sera! Miss Naja! Madam Castillano." The make-up artist and hairstylist both kneeled on the floor and bowed their heads.
Sera was just silent, Naja was speechless while gaping and Kenna had no expressions to show on her face.
"It is not your fault, you're not the one who ruined everything inside this room, so there is no need for apologizing, what we need to do is to look for the one who made this mess and make them pay." Kenna said and turned around to face Naja and Sera.
"Naja go and get ready, you will be called after everyone had finished performing their talents, you need to be on stand by. I'll handle it here." Naja just silently nodded her head her eyes were looking sad but she couldn't do anything at the situation.
After Naja left the room a knock was heard.
"Excuse me, we heard someone screamed, is everything okay here?" It was Megan. Their rooms are next to each other after all.
"Nothing to worry about here," Kenna didn't even care to open the door.
"I think i could still wear this dress at the next category,"
"No Sera, you have to wear that gown."
Sera looked at her funny.
"No, i can't wear that." Sera even pointed at the unrecognizable gown.
"What do you wan't me to be? A laughing stock?" But Kenna gave her a serious gaze.
"Okay, okay. If anything funny happens i'll blame it all to you." Sera picked up the shredded and burned gown, went somewhere where she could change in to the gown.
Sera came out from the comfort room wearing the tattered dress, indeed it looked ugly but when Sera wore the gown it looked like a fierce Phoenix wearing it.
"We just need to make some little adjustments, and that tattered dress would look like a new gown once we are done, for now fix yourself for the casual wear." Sera just silently followed as to what Kenna would say to her. Its not like she could do any better, so she better act up and stop being a burden.
Hopefully her clothes for the casual wear were safe, nothing missing or reaped so she quickly wore her clothes in the comfort room, had her hair fixed and applied a light make up on her face.
"Oh, is everything really okay back there Sera?" Megan quickly asked her as soon as she joined the line.
"Oh, it was just a cockroach. The make-up artist was just startled to see it crawling to her foot." Sera deliberately lied.
Megan smiled at Sera but her insides were itching to see Sera wearing a rugged gown, she was excited to see the embarrassment and shame on her face.
"Oh, the staffs should be cleaning the rooms, why is there a cockroach on your room?"
"Maybe because they didn't cleaned it well."
"Next! Contestant number 15!" Sera didn't say anything as she just walked back on stage, she was just wearing a plain black leather pants, a plain khaki loose long sleeves shirt, and a pair of khaki boots.
Harold was also wearing a simple orange polo, its sleeves were folded to his elbow, black trousers, and a pair of brown shoes.
Sera smiled, even though she was not really on the mood, but she need to keep her character. Harold who seemed to notice Sera's struggle talked to her while they were taking their pose.
"Is something wrong?" It was the first time they talk, all through out the other categories, they never talked while posing.
Sera sighed before flashing a bright smile again. " The gown that i will suppose to wear later for the long gown, was tattered. Not only that but other this such as my head dress and jewels were gone missing. I felt guilty because all of those are not mine, ugh! Who ever made that will have to pay!" Sera can't help but roll her eyes as they both exited the stage, Harold on the other hand was puzzled.
Why would someone do that to Sera? If they wanted for them to loose why only Sera? Why didn't they ripped his clothes too?
Meanwhile, the three were busy killing the narakas trying to reach Sera, but it didn't escape their eyes. The guilt, sadness and furry on Sera's eyes.
"Damn this! They keep on coming, Sera must be having feeling strong emotions! Her power is attracting too much narakas." Cloud said as he freezes the narakas with his ice.
"No, Sera is getting stronger because the Divinity is finally awakening her full strength at this time, we have to prepare ourselves for war. Sera might not only attract narakas, even other stronger creatures." Caious said as he slashed and pierced his katana on the narakas body.
"My lady, is stronger than the three of us fused together." Sylvester threw five of his daggers towards the five narakas that was heading towards the back stage, they were all hit in the head.
"I hope she'll be fine after accepting her powers," Cloud froze another set of narakas while Caious break them to pieces.
"I believe in Señora, the question is. Would she accept the fact that she isn't really a human?"
As the competition continued, the three kept fighting the narakas, they didn't mind fighting them in public since Sylvester was using his mirrors as a barrier and to create illusion and if ever any human would see them fighting off narakas Cloud could just simply use his 'Snowy memory' to erase all of their memories and change it with something else, just like what he did when Pryll burned Sera's house.
Meanwhile at Sera's room, Sera was feeling tingly. It was like ants were crawling all over her body, she would some times twitch or scratch her body. She wanted to get off of her chair and shake her body, or took off her clothes and bath herself in ice to stop her itching and tingly feeling.
"Are you okay Miss Sera? Are you uncomfortable with your position? We could take a little break if you would like."
"Sera are you okay Dear?"
Sera shock her head to strengthen her nerves not to move, and then she just nodded her head to answer their questions.
She was currently wearing the tattered gown, and they were remodeling and adjusting some parts of the gown as she wore it, so that if its her time to show off on stage they wouldn't rush thing.
Her hair was already done, and half of her make up was already applied, they only needed to finish the gown first.
But as the time runs, Sera's tingling and itchy feeling kept on getting strong, her hands were in a fist her toes curled on her heels, as she stayed still on her position so everyone could finish the gown on time.
"Relax your body Sera, and breath. You've been holding your breath for a minute now, relax and breath Sera, Breath." Kenna cupped Sera's face, but what Kenna was actually doing was chanelling her power towards Sera's body just enough for Sera to relax and feel comfortable.
"Yeah, that's right. Nice and slow, breath in and out." Sera somehow felt a little light when she breathed so she continued breathing slowly to relax her body and mind. No she was not nervous, it was something new, she couldn't name what it was but she know it was new.
"Thank you Auntie," Sera held her Auntie Kenna's hand and looked her at the eye, Sera saw Kenna's eye turned blue for a moment, but when she blinked her eye returned to deep brown.
Sera didn't that she was staring to much not until Kenna tapped her cheeks.
"I'm so sorry, i spaced out."
"It's okay, you are done now." Kenna said excitedly as she stepped back to see Sera in a whole. The whole room was filled with applause as their eyes gaze Sera's whole appearance.
"Damn, i don't think those other candidates have any chance at all, i mean Miss Sera had it all. The face, the body, the brain and the attitude." Sera didn't know how to react to that kind of complement but her face showed a reaction anyway.
"Are you ready to blow things up?" Aunt Kenna asked her as she offered her hand to her. Sera took her hand as she exited the room with Aunt Kenna.
The whole back stage was silent and the only thing that could be heard was Sera's heels. All heads turned towards her as she walked her way to her line, eyes full of envy, jealousy and astonishment were directed at her.
While Megan gaped at her gown, her eyes bulging in shock and jealousy.
'How could her tattered dress look so magnificent?! How could they possibly made it work?! Aaagghh!'
Megan screamed in frustration inside her mind, but her face was smiling at Sera who was staring at her, her brows and lips twitched at how long Sera stared at her.
"I don't know why, but i can sense that you have something to do with my gown Megan." Sera only spoke those words with a gentle voice but it sent shivers down Megan's spines.
"W-what are you talking about Sera? Why would i even do that? Hahaha we're friends aren't we?" Megan mustered all her strength not to roll her eyes at Sera.
"I am also wondering why would you do that?" Sera asked, Megan couldn't make what Sera was feeling, she couldn't read her at all.
"Contestant number 15!" Sera threw a glance at Megan before walking to the stage.
"Sinners shall pay their sins," Sera whispered, but Megan heard those words clearly. Her neck snapped at Sera's back.
"Ha! As if." Megan swiftly flipped her hair as she waits for her turn.
On the other hand, Sera had a stoic face that added to her strong and fierce aura, like a queen who wouldn't bow or kneel, Sera walked like she was going to punish who would dare to offend her.
Harold felt the scorching hot atmosphere surrounding Sera which made him backed away a little, it was literally hot.
But they continued to walk at the center, and as Sera walked slowly at the center, Harold noticed Sera's gown. The end of the gown were black and he swear he could see a flickering of fire at the tip. Slowly that small flickering fire, created a smoke. No one noticed the little smoke not until the smoke covered the whole stage.
Sera was just calmly walking there like her gown was not smoking, not even if it was engulfed by flames.
And it did, the moment Sera had stopped walking at the Center, her gown was now covered with flames.
Everyone gasped including Harold who was worried earlier for seeing the small flickering of fire on the tip of her gown.
Sera on the other hand weirded out for not feeling a little bit of pain or burn from the flames, yet the flames seemed to like her. They were like hugging her body, caressing her exposed shoulder so she wouldn't feel cold.
'Child,'
Sera felt the shiver on her spine as she heard that unknown voice, amidst the panicking students and staffs because of her gown being in flames, Sera was still and calm.
'My daughter Seraphina, i am giving you my gift. Remember that you are who you are, and nothing will ever change even if you are a human or not. What's important is the you that your mother has made you to be child. Not the Sera that other people want. But the Sera that you wanted to be.'
"May i know who you are?"
'It is still not the right time for us to meet each other my sweet Seraphina, enjoy my gift. Happy birthday.'
The clouds begun to cover the sky as it rumbles and cry, all the lights inside the auditorium died Sera's gown was giving off light.
Sera's hair glowed a bright yellow until it turned to bloody red, the flames on her gown traveled down, crawling its way to cover the whole space.
People panicked even more, this time the auditorium was slowly being devoured by Sera's hungry flames.