***In the Inner Outskirts of Continent Eclipse of the Oceans..
***In Clingford Academy's martial grounds.
...
It's a rather brilliant afternoon on the martial grounds today. The sun is out in the blue sky though unlike its recent fiery streaks, the atmosphere can be considered as cool.
Soft wind occasionally blows through the grounds and the people in the inner Outskirts can be said to be having a great afternoon.
On beautiful afternoons like this, the Academy's martial campus usually gets into short period of high-level activities.
Atmospheres like today's is said to be more condusive for the flow of mana and so, disciples love to train in these condusive conditions as the ultimate goal of every disciple is to embark on the path of cultivation by sensing mana.
On afternoons like this, there can be said to be a mild craze for martial trainings as many disciples would flood martial grounds for a lesson or two though on today's afternoon.. things are a little different.
Like usual, there is a high level of activities in the martial grounds though this is not at all because of martial trainings.
Infact, today the various martial training spots can be considered to be rather empty.
Amongst disciples, there is a very noticeable craze in the air. Discussions and rumors passes from mouth-to-mouths through the martial campus as a sense of excitement and tension fills up the warm atmosphere.
Today is the big day.
Today is the day of the death duel and surprisingly, most disciples cannot stop themselves from feeling excitement at the thoughts of bearing witness once more to such a savage activity!.
Almost every disciples can still remember the most recent death duel between Tio Nadan and Montana Winslet and a lot of disciples have been first exposed to the concepts of death and blood by what they had witnessed that day.
Some weaker and newer disciples are scared and nervous about the experience of wacthing a death duel though more mature disciples are more nonchalant about the event.
Despite difference in mindsets, every disciple holds something in common to today which is a buzz of excitement in their moods.
This unconscious excitement can be considered as a result of people's nature.
Everyone loves a good real-life storyline and considering how dramatic this one has started and is about to end then excitement is normal.
Nobody has been able to broadly specify the reason behind the approved death duel and so without any solid grounds to build on, the young imagination runs wild.
Because Marien Lee has come to Navi as a result of Navi killing a 'She', rumors spread about a tragic romance story with Navi being painted as the devil's spawn.
Did he kill Marien's sister after she had refused his love?.
Did he do unspeakable things to her before killing her?!.
A few other rumors speaks about Navi being a cruel coward who had invited his roommate, Marien's sister and a couple others to his house then poisoned them to death after an argument!.
All sorts of rumors has been birthed from the very day when Marien has uttered his dramatic challenge and by now, everybody carries a different narrative of the story in their minds though with one common summary.
Navi is a piece of scum and Marien is the knight who is determined to flush him back into the lands!.
Now that it is all coming to an end, the disciple's are all experiencing a strange sense of excitement as they look forward to the grand closure of things.
More innocent disciples question the excitement that they feel while feeling a buzz of guilt at their own positive moods.
After all, the entire purpose of a death duel is death and so.. why are they feeling excitement at wacthing such a blody activity?.
Some of these 'innocent' souls have tried to lessen the levels their own excitements though they fail.
With the levels of anticipation and excitements in the academy, it is almost impossible for the people with these thoughts to have a down mood.
Instead of feeling down, these innocent souls find themselves subconsciously feeling more and more excited though these feelings of excitement make them feel like bad people.
Being good people, these class of innocent persons somehow redirects their reasonings to a new direction in order to justify their moods.
They somehow convince themselves that.. they are not excited because of the death duel but rather, they are excited because an evil scum(Navi) is going to get rightfully punished.
Problem solved,..
Relief!. Once more they are the good guys in their minds as someone else can carry the cross of being bad.
Sometimes it is a little amusing to observe just how hard people try to justify their actions and moods even to themselves.. by telling a very obvious lie.
It becomes more amusing and pathetic to know that aspiring cultivator's(disciples) have these internal struggles and feel the need to be the heroes even in a story where they are only by-standers.
All information on today's martial duel has been announced and all possible information about the two people involved in this has been circulated and diluted with rumours.
With or without knowing the true story, the disciples have obviously decided on a favorite and hero of the story and unlike the last death duel where their chosen hero had fallen.. this one would most likely be different.
Afterall,.. Marien Lee an older isanfa three year long martial disciple and Navi is just a wierd thirteen year old kid with eerie physical features.
From the disciples' line of thoughts, the facts have been stated just as they are though - the disciples choose not to see things as they are.
The seeing of things as they are is that: This death duel is nothing but a flight against a thirteen year old whom from their perspectives cannot fight back.
Luckily, everybody may be in for a serious surprise.
..
..
***In Clingford Academy's Male Dormitory-B.
Since it's afternoon, some of the disciples that resides in the B-complex Male dormitory are currently within the Martial campus rather than indoors.
The Male and Female B-complex dormitories serves the special purpose of housing the few martial disciples who have sensed mana as well as those who have received martial trainings from the Academy for more than three years.
A good majority of the disciples who resides in the B-complexes are those who have been under the wings of Academy for over three years and these class of disciples are usually reffered to as Martial Seniors.
On the Second floor of the Male's Martial B-complex, the hallways are completely empty and quiet though approaching a specific door, deep and spaced groans can be heard from inside.
*Ummmgh!.*
*Ugggrgh!..*
*Umh!..*..
These groans are deep and lengthy and they sound a little painful. Listening closer, some words seems to be whispered at the end of each faint groan, sounds like..
*STEP¡*..
*STEP¡*..
*STEP¡*..
The silence of the hallways is broken by a set of paced approaching footsteps with a mature feel.
The owner of these footsteps(A male martial senior) stops walking in front of the door from which the deep groans are coming from. Without pause in his movements, this martial senior pulls the door open!.
".. Ummmgh!.. One hundred and eleven!..
".. Gruugh!.. One hundred and twelve!..
".. Aarrgh!.. One hundred and thi-thirteen!..
Inside the open door, another Martial Senior can be seen doing multiple sets of pull-up's.
The pull-up stand the exercising disciple is using is positioned in front of the dorm-room's only window.
The exercising martial senior's muscular back is seen to be strained as the disciple once more pulls himself up in the windows sunlight till his chest touches against the bar!.
The exercising martial Senior's has his ankles crossed into themselves as he pulls himself up once more with a strain.
"..Ouuughh!.. One hundred and fourteen!."
Wacthing silently, the just arriving martial senior closes the door behind him as he wordlessly observes.
The exercising Martial Senior has his body glistering and dripping with sweat and the sunlight from the window in front of him gives a bright aura as he pulls himself up once more with shaky arms.
"..Guugh!.. One hundred and fif-fifteen!."
The martial disciple is now completely strained and in obvious pain.
He seems about to let go of the bar but then, the other senior speaks up.
"Come on.. give me ten more!.", The other Martial Senior says with a rather mature voice as he moves closer to the other exercising martial senior with slow steps.
Hearing these words, the exercising martial disciple takes several deep and strong breaths and then he pulls!.
"..Umwaahhh!.. One hun-dred and sixteen!.", The Martial Senior groans as he pushes through one more rep.
"Coomme on!. Nine more!.", The other Martial Senior says energetically and his words seems to work as the exercising guy starts pulling for another rep.
".. Aarrrgghhh!.. One hundred and.. and seventeen!.. Um.". The martial disciple says with a tremble as he desperately pulls-off one more pull-up.
"You know you have it in you!. Come on!. Give me another one!.", The wing-man martial senior says passionately with a deep tone.
"..Ummurrgh!.. One hundred and..¡¡!¡¡"
*!¡THUD¡!*..*Heavy breathings¡*.
The exercising martial senior flops to the ground as he breaths heavily with his sweat soaked back against the floor.
The exhausted disciple's chest rises and falls as he has his eyes half closes in order to protect his sight from the sunlight pouring through the medium sixed window.
"You almost beat your record.", The standing martial senior wing-man calmly says as he offers a palm to the laid down martial senior.
"You almost killed me.", Marien Lee answers heavily as he takes up the outstretched palm before calmly standing up.
..
..