Chereads / The Second Dawn / Chapter 26 - The Final: Prelude

Chapter 26 - The Final: Prelude

After finally patching myself up in the medical wing, I trudged off to eat lunch with Callum, Ariel and Amelia. "I can't wait to go home, no matter how great of a vacation it's been so far, the beds are too hard and the pillows aren't quite to my liking." Ariel stated happily, before taking a sip of her drink. "Also, good luck winning your third round. You had me worried half the time."

I smiled faintly, glancing towards Amelia. "So you do care about me huh?" I joked half-heartedly.

"No shit."

Callum laughed hysterically while Ariel grinned.

"So the next fight is Emerson against Thorne..." I stated curiously.

"Yes," Callum replied quickly, "which is also the battle to decide the finalist... are you really planning on going up against one of them?"

"Probably, Thorne seems easy enough and Emerson is the perfect matchup."

"Thorne isn't weak like Quentin though..."

"If I win, I get the same glory and pride."

Callum rolled his eyes.

The next couple of hours were spent conversing casually about trivial matters such as our schedules and exams. We eventually ran out of topics to discuss. We sat quietly, savoring each bite, listening carefully as the remaining students talked amongst themselves, filling the cafeteria with loud chatter. Eventually the conversation was interrupted once again by an announcement.

The voice belonged to Professor Ego who came over from the front of the cafeteria to congratulate us personally. I wondered if he always acted like an uptight, proud douche, or if he saved that for special occasions. Regardless he seemed genuinely pleased with my victory, as did Ariel and Amelia.

"Excellent work, I expected no less from you." The older man stated firmly, as if confirming his expectations of me. "I look forward to your final battle against Emerson or Thorne. Remember, don't get carried away and play dirty, you're young so act it."

My jaw nearly hit the floor when he offered his advice, but he continued on without bothering to explain.

"Also, I'd like to congratulate you on finally learning to control your Aether."

"How did you...?" How did he know I was infusing all my punches with Aether? I did it so sneakily I didn't expect him to figure it out.

"It's quite simple. Your eyes... when you punched, your eyes flashed that strange purple color you've always sported, it's been a dead giveaway this entire time." he explained. Then he shook his head slightly as if pondering something else and added, "I'm curious however, are you perhaps somehow able to draw out the Aether when under stress?"

"We should probably stop talking about this before the others walk over." I whispered.

Professor Ego paused briefly as he scanned the group of people surrounding us. Once certain he understood our intent, he replied simply, "Okay, fair enough. However, I expect a full explanation soon after the tournament. Until then, have a pleasant day Mr. Moreno." And with those final words he walked away to take his own seat near the entrance to the hall where a group of teachers awaited him.

With that I took my seat again between Amelia and Callum. "Well?" The latter questioned impatiently.

I looked over at him with a tired expression.

"You can't lie to us, we all saw it too."

Ariel smiled slightly as well.

"Fine... yeah okay, I'll tell you later."

***

The final match of the tournament is upon us, Thorne was able to make quick work of Emerson and kick her out of the tournament and what the leaves is this bastard against me. Everyone on school was at the Great Hall to gather for this special occasion, even the third years who have a menacing presence. I glanced around the hall looking for familiar faces among the audience, eventually finding my classmates watching over us.

"Professor, can you tell me why you decided to get the entire school to watch this match?" I asked, confused as I stared over the crowds of students that were surrounding the stage, filling up most of the seats available to us.

"The entire school needs to learn." He started, answering simply. "This is our chance to show them our greatest strength, and to show them why I should remain at this academy as headmaster and professor for as long as I see fit."

"Because no one will ever defeat your students?"

Professor Ego chuckled softly. "That's part of it. But as for the other part, it is because I know what I'm teaching the children of today, and if we're successful in establishing a proper fighting system among these young, talented minds, then we could revolutionize combat forever. With the combination of magic and basic martial arts, our future generation could potentially become unstoppable." He explained, getting slightly worked up, smiling broadly, clearly confident in himself.

"Very well."

Thorne looked at me with this arrogant expression. God, I just wanted to wipe that shitty smirk off his pathetic face. I locked eyes with the arrogant bastard and instantly frowned at him, if he didn't seem too keen on engaging in a chat, fine I will break his shitty face.

Professor Ego cleared his throat loudly, causing both myself and Thorne to turn and look towards him expectantly. "Before I declare the beginning of this match, please remember that no fighting outside the circle is allowed, this includes anything inside or outside, including punches, kicks, grabs, tackles and pinning someone down with one's weight or using weapons of any kind." Professor Ego explained firmly and sternly, causing the both of us to nod our heads silently in acknowledgement, before continuing. "Good. Now let's get started."

With a swift flick of his hand, he pulled out a red button and pressed it lightly. The wall behind him glowed bright crimson red and suddenly an image of his face appeared onto the wall. This drew cheers from all around the audience, including from the teachers in charge of keeping them under control. A sudden gust of wind blew through the room, sending goosebumps running up the skin underneath my jacket and causing me to shiver momentarily, which thankfully didn't happen long enough for anyone else to notice.

Thorne immediately got into a fighting stance, showing the basic form needed for the competition, indicating he was ready for anything and willing to put up a fight. As we both circled around each other, the students began yelling loudly, getting excited about the start of the battle and hoping we would just charge straight at one another rather than fight properly. The sight caused my blood to boil and my temper flared to life, searing the air and heating the world around us as our mana clashed, the pressure and power of my aura reacting to his presence.