[As Jack was being healed in a ward by the healers, a certain man walked into the room and told the healers to leave he then closed the door behind them.]
Brian: Hello, Jack.
[He wore a smile on his face]
[Jack wouldn't look up he had his face buried into the pillow he was laying on]
Brian: We watched your match on replay thanks to the force field being made of spirit magic, so we could watch the match even after you blocked us out.
Jack: So you heard everything?
Brian: Heard? No. But we did see you two talking a lot and then him beating you up, Heh, the crowd laughed at the faces you were making and are still laughing.
Jack: Is that what you came to tell me? If so then leave... I'm not in the mood for your jokes.
Brian: Jokes? Heh, I'm merely just telling you what's going on outside, your chances of getting into Agrath's Academy squandered, and your reputation in the mud...How do you feel about all that?
[His smile broadened.]
[Jack sat up from his bed]
Jack: Is that so...Well there's nothing I can do.
Brian's POV
He's usually the loud type to act first and think late but looks like Brightfil broke him, Heh, this should be fun.
Brian: Do...you want revenge, Jack?
Jack: Re...venge?
[Brian couldn't stop smirking he had to use his hand fan to block his mouth]
Brian: Yes, Jack, revenge, all those who scorn you are over there.
[He pointed at the window and saw the crowd laughing then he pointed at Aser, Breeze, and other royal candidates laughing as well.]
Brian: Look at the way Lady Breeze, Calliope, and Areli have disdained eyes for you, being scorned amongst your peers must sting.
[Jack looked at all of them with cold indifferent eyes]
Brian: ...All those years of effort you put into your techniques went unappreciated, all the powerful magic of a royal's bloodline coursing through you and it just got put to shame because of a certain individual ney, a certain commoner...Aiden Brightfil!
[Jack hung his head low contemplating...]
Brian's POV
This should do it...
[He raised his head.]
Jack: I do not need revenge.
Brian: Hm?!
Jack: I lost because I was weak, I did all I could...but I didn't win...if all I could do didn't grant me success even though I thought my opponent was supposedly weaker than I am...it just means I was the weaker one and don't deserve to go to Agrath's...and I'll live with that shame. At least I went out giving my best...That should count for something.
Brian's POV
Tch! He's still trying to hold on to his pride, that might be a problem...I wanted mindless pawns, not philosophers.
But let me check something...
Brian: What did you both talk about inside the barrier? We may have been able to see, but your
Jack: That's none of your business, Brian, and if you have nothing else to say please leave.
Brian: So it was THAT personal, huh? Interesting...
Jack: ...?
Brian: Oh well, you need your rest to heal up quickly... I'd love to see the reactions of faces when you leave this room.
Jack: What do you want from me?
Brian: Oh nothing really, just thought I'd make a chitchat with a former candidate.
Jack: ...
[Brian walked towards the door.]
Brian: I just hope our 'Parents' didn't see that match.
[Jack's eyes widened and he looked up hastily but Brian was gone.]
{Outside the ward}
Brian's POV
So those are it, huh? I have to break his pride, and something about his parents gave him a jump...His pride and his heart? Seems simple enough.
[As Brian was walking through the hallway he saw a familiar face leaning on the wall he smiled and went to greet]
Brian: Why hello...Aiden Brightfil.
[Aiden glared at him]
Brian: Oh my, such dangerous eyes, I could almost feel... afraid? Hahaha.
Aiden: Where are you coming from?
Brian: You'd like to know where I'm coming from? Hmm...I don't know, you tell me.
[He smirked and Aiden kept glaring at him.]
Brian: Ohhh, if only looks could kill...Like you tried to do to me back on the Island.
Aiden: You mean your forged footage.
Brian: Forged? I have no idea what you're talking about, the mirror "views all truths" and "tells no lies", you in that mirror are responsible for the deaths of those royal knights by hiring Clay to disrupt the exams...
[He paused briefly]
Brian: If I report that and give this mirror as evidence supporting it, I can already see your head rolling.
Aiden: That's one Ironic mirror.
Why aren't you telling anyone about it if you want to get rid of me so badly?
Brian: Investigations are still ongoing about that turmoil "you" caused, and If I happen to say I recorded what happened but couldn't give it to them because I was scared that you'll call an assassin to hunt me down.
Aiden: ...
Brian(In a wimpy voice): A-and I-I w-was S-s-scared!
[Brian broke out laughing]
Brian: Oh God I haven't had this much fun in ages!
[Aiden kept staring at him]
Brian: Anyways, I haven't given them yet to hold something over you, heh, without it I'm sure I'd be on the ground now, right Brightfil?
[Aiden smiled]
Brian: Why are you smiling like that?
Aiden: Oh, nothing really. I just thought about what a broken marriage does to a guy. Tee-hee.
[They both stood in silence and stared each other down until Brian forced a smile on his face that you could see a slight vain appear on his forehead]
Brian(In a strained voice): The next bout's about to start, let's walk together!
Aiden(In an even more strained voice): Sure, pal!
[They left the hallway and made their way back to their stands]
******************************
Aser: Where have you been Akill?
Brian: Oh, nowhere really, I just decided to take a stroll.
[He chuckled]
Aser: Your magic isn't any better than Jack's so don't go messing up our next matches after this one.
Brian: We're going to be in another one?
Aser: Weren't you paying attention?! After our matches we're fighting other candidates who won their fights...and after that, we have to fight those girls that decided that they wanted to participate, Tch what a pain!
Brian: Oh my, that's a lot for one day, it's getting tedious.
Aser: So rest up, this school doesn't play around!
Brian: Your tone towards me seems rough, Tune it down.
Aser: What are you going to do about it?
[Brian smiled]
Brian: Oh nothing really, I just thought you should show some respect towards me.
Aser: Hmph, respect a desperate man?
[Brian opened his eyes and glared at Aser]
Aser: I know about your history with Breeze, Calliope, and Areli, It's almost as laughable as Jack's display if not that yours was sadder.
Brian: Hm?! Care to say that again, I couldn't hear through all your currying towards Breeze.
Aser: What did you say to me?!
Brian: Heh, Oh nothing was just talking to myself.
Aser: Good.
Announcer: The next match is Armin Clifford, Vs Aaron!
.
.
.
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Announcer: Can Armin Clifford and Aaron come down to the ring.
[Aaron slowly dropped his brother, Alan, on the chair and went down into the ring where he met Armin]
Lyra: What a Stern face he's putting on.
Draven: Armin Clifford also known as the indestructible man, his ability to equip any armor with high resistance to magic made him feared amongst others, he cannot be harmed physically, mentally, or spiritually as he can equip and re-equip any armor that suits the occasion.
Aiden: Wow! Such a cool power way more interesting than
Draven: Depends. (Canceller flames?) He has various types of armor with different effects and weapons for each, so he can also equip different parts of armor for different parts of himself.
Aiden: Hm?
Draven: For example, he can wear a gauntlet that's completely fireproof while also equipping a breastplate that grants him resistance from physical attacks.
Aiden: That seems pretty impressive and powerful, heh, then there's us, fire magic and a...a ...what was your magic again?
Draven: Tch! I use light magic, you idiot! How could you forget that?!
Aiden: Hehe, I've got a lot on my mind, sowwie.
Draven: *Sigh...* It's fine.
Aiden: That armor thing though It's pretty interesting I wonder if it has drawbacks.
Draven: It does have drawbacks, he can't maintain differently equips easily, so he can only use two equips at a time for efficiency.
Aiden: So like the top half of him would be equipped with armor that has "Aquare
Draven: How did you guess that right?
Aiden: Hehe, I'm a good guesser. How bout you, how'd you guess he has those?
Draven: I would love to say that we both have sparred together once but that's not it.
[He looked both ways]
Draven (Whispering): I have a skill that lets me see others' abilities, strength magical reserves, and a whole bunch of other things, and if I squint hard enough their weaknesses. I call it Rizor-Eye of truth
Aiden: Even you have a cooler power than me...Sigh...
Draven: I'm sure you have one too.
Aiden: Oh really? Check me then.
[Draven's eyes glowed golden as he was about to use his skill then he looked at Aiden]
Draven: Hmm...All I can see is regular fire magic nothing special- Oops!
Aiden: Sigh... Even you know it's nothing special, I'm a boring character, sigh...
[Draven patted his head vigorously]
Draven: Don't worry, about it I'll just have to be the cool one for the both of us!
Aiden: Y-you s-seem h-happy a-about t-this a-and c-can y-you s-stop p-p-patting m-my h-head s-so f-fast?!
Draven: Oops I got carried away.
Aiden: Anyways, didn't you see another ability?
Draven: Other than your ginormous magical reserves (and your crazy strength) I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but I feel like I was blocked out or something but that's not possible so I guess this is all you have.
Aiden's POV
Why didn't my
Aiden: Now that I think about it, is that guy who uses stone magic, Alan was it? Up against that guy?!
Draven: (You remembered his magic, though.) Unfortunately so.
Announcer: The winner Is Armin Clifford!
Aiden: Gotta give him guts for trying...
[Aiden's fight with Jack flashed through his head.]
Aiden: Yeah... strength isn't everything...
Draven: Hm?
Aiden: Hehe, just muttering to myself.
{Inside the ring during Aiden and Draven's talks.}
Armin: I won't be too harsh, I'll just get rid of you fast so you won't have to suffer.
Aaron's POV
H-He's scary, how do I win this?
Armin: I'd prefer a concession from you now before this gets rough.
Aaron's POV
A-at least I'll go out fighting
[Aaron bent down and touched the ground.]
Stone magic: Lapisru
Some broken-off pebbles on the ground shot at Armin at high speeds
Armin:
[He equipped his armor before the shards of stones connected with him and not a single scratch were seen on him even after the shards hit him directly.]
[The stones created a dust cloud]
Aaron: D-did I win?
[Armin walked out of the dust unaffected.]
Armin: I see you'd rather go down fighting, I'll respond in kind.
[He dashed toward Aaron, equipped a shield on his forearm, and swung Aaron into the air]
Aaron: Woooaaah!!
[As Aaron was coming down he swung horizontally at him...]
Aaron: Arghh!
[...and knocked him outside the ring]
Aaron: Argh! My back!
[Armin look sympathetically at him then the announcer announced Armin as the winner.]
**************************
Aser: That's how to win against a commoner, where's Jack? He should take notes.
[Jack came through the hallway behind this stand]
Jack: How about you go a round with Brightfil and see how good you do.
Aser: You got a lotta nerve talking like that after you lost.
Jack: I lost, I lost, don't make such a big deal out of it Aldric.
[Jack glared at Aser]
Aser: It wouldn't if you'd had lost to someone powerful. How could you lose to him! That sleeping dog in the forest beat you, aren't you ashamed?
Breeze: Shame? Him? Heh.
Jack: Quiet down, girl, men are talking.
Breeze: Meaning what?
Jack: Your voice just irritates me that's all, can you do me a favor and shut up?
Breeze: How dare you-
Jack: I dare.
[Brian just stood in the background smiling and just watching]
Aser: Looks like that loss gave you a confidence boost, if a beat down was what you needed I could oblige, how about we go right now?
Jack: I always knew your sense of timing was terrible but I didn't expect it to be this bad. Check the time and place before initiating a fight you air-headed moron.
[Aser activated his gravity magic to put Jack on his knees but Jack made a ice barrier that restricted the gravity from pulling him down.]
Aser: You got a lotta guts talking to me like that!
Brian: Aww, Jack you hurt poor Aser's feelings.
[Aser glared at Brian]
Jack: I missed the part where that was my problem.
Breeze: Hm...
Announcer: Candidate Aser and Jack, please refrain from violence outside the ring, any more display will result in disqualification.
[Aser stopped his gravity and Jack put down his Ice block barrier]
**********************
{In Aiden's stand}
Aiden: Jack....He got soo much cooler! Why did he get a character development and I didn't!
Draven: He is acting differently...Hey Aiden, what did you and him discuss in that barrier anyways?
Aiden: Uh...
Announcer: The next match is Draven Lucius Apollo Vs Calico Ruren!
Draven: Heh, looks like I'm next, you'll tell me later, c'mon Calico let's go!
Calico: I don't wanna!
[Draven carried him on his shoulder and went down to the ring]
Announcer: Unusual...But Begin!
******************
{In the ring}
Calico: Sigh...
Draven: Be more active, this is an exam.
Calico: Do I have to? Can I just say I "give up" then you can just win?
Draven: That's possible but No! Everyone else got to fight, C'mon pleaassee!
Calico's POV
He's different from other Royalty I knew and seen but still...You can never trust any of them.
I'll just fight a little to get some light magic essence out of him then... I'll get my revenge on "him..."!
Draven: Hey, what are you thinking?
Calico: Hm? Oh nothing really.