Pain pulsated through Keres' body, rivulets of sweat and blood streaming down his face, as he gasped for air, struggling to gather himself.
"Stand down, vermin." Invel declared.
"Honestly, I was kinda pissed before. But you turned out so weak, I'd rather you just called it quits and spared yourself from any more trouble," he paused for a moment before resuming his words.
"I don't mind continuing though... but I doubt you'd be able to move for a while. So if you promise you'd make things a bit more interesting, I'm willing to give you a moment to reco—"
"As if!" Inara sharply interrupted. Invel halted, turning towards her.
"It's getting late, and we haven't even had dinner yet. You've got to get up early tomorrow, and I'm pretty sure Keres' mom's freaking out by now" She nagged. Next, she continued, curling the corners of her lips into an ambiguous smile.
"So how about we call it a night and sort this out later, maybe with a game of chess or something?"
"Ina, being forgiving is a good thing but this guy almost had your neck with that swing. It's okay to get mad, you know?"
"Key word, 'almost'. Is that really worth losing sleep over?" She asked, rolling her eyes.
"Let it go, really. This is a C-rank test center, not some fight club. Plus, unauthorized entry is forbidden, so you're trespassing right now." She added, tugging at his arm.
"Wait, for real?" He asked, raising his brows and she nodded, giving a determined reply.
"Yeah, it's stated on a signboard outside. Besides, you're the governor of Vertia starting tomorrow, I bet the citizens won't be too pleased with you breaking the law" She said, her gentle tug evolving into an insistent, more spirited pull. With time, Invel yielded.
"Alright, but shouldn't we..."
"Lord Invel, I'm cold" He tried to speak but Inara interjected, backing up her statement with a theatrical shiver.
"Oh, one sec..." Invel said. However, when he attempted taking off his jacket, she countered, shaking her head sideways.
"It won't matter unless we ditch this place for a warmer setting, like our cozy living room, for example." She said, and resuming her determined pulling, she led Invel along the path homewards.
The prince chuckled.
"Fine, you win this round." He surrendered, giving a subtle shrug.
As Inara persistently dragged Invel away, Keres' senses swirled. But despite the haze that enveloped his mind, a sudden jolt pierced through his senses, snapping him back to the painful awareness of his situation.
"Wait!" His voice cut through the forest. Grimacing in pain, he pressed the point of his blade against the ground, slowly raising himself.
"I'm not done yet" He declared with a stern look on his face, the whispering trees deepening the intensity of his voice.
"..." Gazing in his direction, Invel lifted a brow in amusement. Those attacks were potent enough to send the average person to a hospital, so Keres getting up from them was somewhat unexpected.
Inara soon picked the thread of the dialogue.
"Keres, it's pretty obvious you're not in the best shape to keep this going, and—" The princess intended to continue speaking but Keres promptly cut in, denying her the opportunity.
"Give me a moment." He said.
He staggered towards his snow-covered knapsack and retrieved two vials of Aqua Ambien. Next, he uncorked them, gulping down the white liquid within.
As the elixir coursed through his veins, a calming sensation descended upon his mind, and the once-pervasive pain gradually yielded into a fading memory.
Exhaling a gentle breath, he tightened his grip on the sword's hilt, aligning his fingers as he assumed a resolute stance.
"I'm all ready to go" He declared, and silence descended, only to be broken when Inara replied.
"I just don't get it. Why do you keep putting yourself through this? What do you stand to gain from all of it?" She questioned with a hint of sadness surrounding her voice. Keres shut his eyes briefly.
"Yeah, people like you wouldn't understand..." He paused his words and after a fleeting moment, he resumed speaking.
"Your status, and the powers handed to you on a silver platter, shield you from the challenges that define me..."
"You'd never have to face discrimination, as one of the marginalized in a hostile environment."
"You can only imagine the struggle of starting with nothing. A broken chakra panel, no family or loved ones, not even a sense of self— just a living void, the walking embodiment of emptiness."
"Even the one person I thought I could trust..." Gathering his quivering fingers, he squeezed them into a fist, determined to suppress the emerging emotions.
"Yet, I have no other choice but to keep moving forward. The disdain I hold for this society, this city, this accursed continent, and its people is the core of my identity."
"With all this in mind, how could I pass up the golden chance to pulverize the face of the society I despise with every fiber of my being?" A disquieting expression briefly flickered across his face as his words hung dry in the air.
"Still, you're bleeding. Swinging a sword should be the last thing on your mind right now" The princess insisted with concern etched on her face.
However, Keres remained undeterred. Reaching into his bag again, he retrieved a brown ski mask— the one he always wore during his live streams.
"It's not a problem." He reassured, donning the mask to conceal the blood-stained evidence of the previous battle.
"Invel, just a heads up, I plan on stealing the governor's insignia from the ancient church headquarters" The masked teenager spoke, taking a deliberate pause.
"So even if you ignore me now, we're gonna have to go through this all over again tomorrow" He added. A moment of silence settled, and Invel shook his head, releasing a sigh.
"Vermin, the people you hurt and humiliated... they must've deserved it," he took a chilling pause.
"They're clearly the ones behind your misfortunes, so it must've felt good punishing them for it, am I right?" The prince asked, narrowing his eyes at Keres. And the masked teenager swiftly retorted.
"Are you really being sarcastic right now?"
"Well, someone has to call out your hypocrisy, don't you think?" Invel said and his calm voice was met with a resounding silence.
"If you believe society mistreats you and your solution is to go after innocent people, then maybe there's something fundamentally wrong with you up here" The prince pointed a finger to the side of his head, and as Keres maintained his silence, he continued.
"It's plain obvious that your antics have nothing to do with your circumstances. Your actions reek of envy and your words show that you're just desperate for attention. It's as simple as that"
"Are you planning to just stand there and lecture me all night?" A hoarse inquiry burst out from the masked teenager's mouth and Invel shrugged slightly in response.
"Fair enough then…" A smirk formed at the corner of his lips. "But then again, someone as sharp as you would've sensed the gap in our strength and experience. So, what now?"
The smirk dissipated, the atmosphere suddenly tense with an unparalleled intensity.
Nevertheless, Keres stood firm, an unwavering castle wall in the face of an enemy cannon.
"Worrying about me, really?" He tilted his head and asked.
"The spotlight remains upon us, so let's keep dancing till our legs can't move anymore." The masked teenager declared in a firm voice and Invel tightened his grip on the handle of the wooden sword.
"You're one stubborn little vermin, aren't you?" The prince uttered, letting out a mild yawn as he took a step forward.
When Invel's footstep crunched down on the snow, Inara quivered, frustration hovering above her shoulders. She reached forward with her arm, pleading to him.
"Lord Invel, please! Any more of this, and he could get seriously hurt!"
But Invel had no intention to back down. Glancing towards her briefly, he calmly responded.
"Ina, as you can see, this kid won't go down without a fight" He said, coming to a deliberate pause.
"No need to worry, though. It'll all be over in a moment." His voice beamed with a chilling tranquility. And a commanding aura, blazed around him as he took another step forward.
—