Now that the contest was over, I had to find Devin.
There was a lot at stake—a lot to understand.
He stood with his arms crossed on the field, gazing into the distance. He had gone out to get some air after the contest, while Delight went to check on Daniel.
I approached steadily, stopping just behind him. "Let's have another one of my stress chats."
Devin turned, a distant look in his eyes. "Alright, let's hear it. What's wrong?"
We both sat down on the grass.
"When I was fighting, a voice appeared in my head," I began, staring up at the sky. "She called herself Bernia. She gave me so much power, Devin. It felt unreal. But the way she spoke... it was like some weird, old English."
He raised an eyebrow. "There's a strong chance you're just imagining things. You've been under a lot of pressure lately. Hearing voices might be a sign you need rest. A lot of it."
I turned to glare at him, my face heating with annoyance. "I'm not crazy, and I'm definitely not just tired. I know what I heard!"
Devin bit his lip, holding back a smile. "Alright, kiddo. But you should still get some rest."
I bristled. Kiddo? We were the same age.
It was clear this wasn't something he'd take seriously. Fine. I'd figure it out on my own.
After that, our conversation shifted to the contest. We ended up discussing his fight, which, in my opinion, was the most interesting to watch.
---
Later that day, the squad gathered in the squad room.
Daniel was up and moving again, though a little slower than usual. The nurses must've used some strong healing elixirs and abilities on him.
"I'm sorry for letting you all down," Daniel said, bowing his head slightly as we sat around, waiting for Mr. Sayo to arrive.
Delight was quick to respond. "Why are you apologizing? It's fine."
I nodded, turning to him. "There's no need to apologize. You fought well. Besides, Mathew is leagues above all of us. If it makes you feel any better, this dimwit lost too," I said, pointing at Devin.
"Hey! I didn't lose. It was a tie," Devin shot back, folding his arms.
"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Daniel said, brushing his hand through his hair.
The room broke into laughter, the tension easing as we joked around.
I couldn't help but smile at the group. They weren't perfect, but they were mine.
With a gust of wind, Mr. Sayo walked into the room, his usual grin plastered across his face.
He strolled to the center, and we instinctively shifted our chairs to face him.
"Damn, you all got beat up out there. Especially you, Daniel. Hope you're keeping ice on that," he said with a laugh.
Snickers and quiet remarks rippled through the group.
"Alright, here's where we stand," Mr. Sayo began. "According to the leaderboards, this squad is in the top six of the contest. But your performance in the fights was... lacking. Two of you got knocked out, and don't forget, we're the smallest squad in the school. Instead of six, there's only four of you. If you want to win, you'll need to ace the next contest."
The room grew tense. No one wanted to lose, and the stakes were high.
"What's the next contest?" Daniel asked, his expression determined.
"Great question!" Mr. Sayo replied, his tone as cheerful as ever. "The next contest will test your ability to slay monsters quickly. You'll need to defeat 40 intermediate-class monsters within four hours. Nothing too crazy."
The announcement hit like a ton of bricks. I could feel the unease spreading through the room.
"Well, I can't wait for the contest," Devin said smugly, arms folded. "We'll blow their faces off and finish first."
"I believe in us!" Delight said with her usual optimism.
Daniel nodded, resolute. "We'll win."
I glanced at Mr. Sayo and smirked. "Can't wait to stab 'em till they bleed," I said, forming tendrils with my hair and jabbing the air.
He chuckled. "This squad sure is something."
After a few more remarks, Mr. Sayo left us alone in the room.
"Hey, what ever happened to Sora? I haven't seen him in a while," Daniel asked, smiling at Delight.
She glanced at me. "I stopped bringing him out because it makes Beatrix uncomfortable."
I rolled my eyes. "You can bring out the damn rat. I don't care."
Delight grinned and summoned her flying rat, Sora.
"Hey, Sora! Long time no see. You should thank Beatrix for letting me summon you," she said.
With a loud squawk, Sora flapped his wings and flew toward me.
I screamed, jumping out of my chair. "Get that thing away from me!"