Azure moonlight cast its way in through the open window just above my head. The light rested gently over my closed eyes, illuminating them enough to draw me out of the uneasy slumber I found myself in.

  In nearly the same moment I opened my eyes I felt my face growing hot—The memories of the previous evening, the uncomfortable near intimacy Tulip threw herself at me with, it still felt like far too much.

  “Mmmmf…” I groaned while sitting up. My body felt groggy and slow, leaving dull aches to pulse through it with my waking heart.

  “Uughh….” Tulip moaned out in a similar tone to my own, rolling over and pulling her sheets with her in a manner to try and cover herself further. “Why is the night so short…”

  My eyes narrowed at Tulip’s words as I reached for my pillow, when Tulip didn’t get up I caved to the urge in the back of my head—Throwing the pillow at her. I did so with enough force that it sent a dull thump through the room, bringing a cry of surprise and an annoyed squawk from Topaz.

  “Hey!” Tulip shouted, sitting upright like a bolt. “What was that for?!” She further exclaimed.

  “You are the reason we’re both so exhausted…” I grumbled while swinging my legs out, pressing my arms back to rise out of the bad. “Frankly, you deserved that.” I stated flatly.

  Tulip didn’t look happy, but she also didn’t look like she wanted to—Or even could argue against my point, she just let out an exhausted sigh.

  I felt at least marginally better, but the uncomfortable itch of embarrassment still crawled along my spine just at the thought of Tulip holding me.

  The rest of our morning routine was performed in silence after that; I was far from being in a talking mood and it seemed that Tulip was in a similar mood. She kept her eyes narrowed whenever she looked at me, putting me off just a little more every time it happened.

  “Did I annoy her that much?…” I wondered while listening to the echoing clicks resounding in the halls. Tulip didn’t look that annoyed when I glanced at her, but when I noticed her gaze flickering towards me, her eyes were narrowed in some annoyance that I couldn’t quite recognize.

  Letting out a slow exhale under my breath, I resigned myself to figure out what Tulip was so annoyed by later—In the meantime, I had to mentally battle against the anxiety of this being the last day of training I would be offered before fighting that accursed Golem.

  My wandering mind was however drawn like a bolt back to the world before me, the screams of metal on metal reaching my ears through the halls. The clashes were quick and violent, echoing out with enough force to almost be felt through the air.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, looking at Tulip with a raised brow.

  “No idea…” She answered with a low tone. With a mutual look with both sped up into a low jog, aiming to reach the source of the noises.

  The strangest part was the direction in which the sounds were originating from—It was the same hall we were already beginning down, the exact one which we went down every day. In fact; the clashing metal was even originating from the training ground used.

  The furious clashing of metal overlapped upon labored breathing and the whistles of blades moving through the air.

  “Faster!” An angered, feminine voice shouted out—Her words were so oppressive that I almost instinctively knew the owner of them, despite hearing her only twice before. “I know you can do better than this Kendrick, now move!” Lushia boomed as I rounded the corner, Tulip only a step behind me.

  Two figures were clashing against each other in the field, sparks of metal flew through the air whenever their armaments collided.

  It was easy for me to recognize one of the two figures—Kendrick Armester—Even if I had only seen him a handful of times before, his figure was striking and easily recognized. His tall, muscular figure intertwining with piercing golden eyes and brown hair made him quite memorable. He held his greatsword in one hand, a blade that was easily as long a she was tall.

  And yet, there was an entirely new figure standing opposed to him, illuminated by the sparks of clashing metal. They stood a head shorter than Kendrick, yet they traded each blow with equal, if not greater power. Clad in full plate armor I was unable to identify anything about them, however, the armor they wore was more than striking.

  The armor they wore held a brilliant sheen so bright that it almost hurt to look at—Despite the fact that it was barely bright enough to even see out! Furthermore, accenting the white plate was a thick layer of black leather underneath and red cloth draping across their shoulders.

  In one hand the armored figure held a longsword, a far cry from the gargantuan weapon in Kendrick’s hands, yet still a fearsome weapon. In their other hand they held a great tower shield, one which sat only a few inches lower than their total height. However despite the weight of that shield they easily maneuvered, handling it with only a single arm to engage with Kendrick.

  “Move faster!” The tinny voice of metal shouted out, it was too muffled to tell whether they were male or female under the armor.

  “Why don’t you move slower!” Kendrick spat as he was shoved back. The earth shifted underneath his feet, catching his momentum before guiding him into a powerful spiraling slash.

  The armored figure turned their shield, catching Kendrick’s blade without flinching. Only a heartbeat after Kendrick’s blade halted the armored figure shoved forwards, turning their shield up, clipping Kendrick’s ribs in the process.

  Kendrick let out a cry of pain as he was tossed back, yet with an impressive display of agility and grace he rotated through the air and landed upon his feet. His blade was held shakily in one arm, his other now found itself resting across his chest to steady his breaths.

  It took him only a few seconds to steady himself, yet as he stepped forwards they both ground to a halt.

  “That’s enough, we have spectators,” Lushia’s dissatisfied tone brought both figures to a halt, and brought all eyes present towards Tulip, and then with hate they fell to me. “Carria, you are dismissed for today.” Lushia waved to the armored figure, gesturing to one of many exits back into the school.

  “Yes my Priestess.” The armored figure, Carria, answered hastily. With a regal bow she effortlessly holstered her blade, planting her shield over her back before leaving.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Now exactly what are you two doing here?” Lushia spat out, making no effort to hide the bile in her voice.

  “This is where we are supposed to train, Priestess.” Tulip answered before I could even begin to open my mouth. I was rather curious about the respect she chose to give Lushia now.

  “And yet the fields were empty, so again I must ask, why are you here, Princess?” Lushia pressed further with a now condescending tone. While she did so she walked towards us, her arms crossed and her golden eyes narrowed into thin glares.

  “What?” Tulip asked, her own eyes narrowing into a similar glare.

  “Simple, you’re here, and your teacher isn’t. So why are you here?” Lushia's face contorted into a twisted smile. With another step forwards she leaned in, planting her face firmly in front of Tulip’s.

  “Now run along, little Princess. You and that filth aren’t welcome here.” Once she finished she gestured to the side, hurriedly swiping her hand towards the doorway we had come from.

  Tulip stepped back, her expression was torn when her eyes fluttered between Lushia and me. Yet, with a deep sigh she pivoted on her heels, backing down from Lushia when she spoke.

  “Let’s go Kirin…” She muttered in a defeated tone. Tulip already began walking away, even when I remained rooted in place—My eyes locked defiantly upon Lushia’s, my vision narrowed into a glare.

  “Why should we listen to you?” I asked in a perfectly calm voice. I heard Tulip turn on a dime, her boots squeaking across the polished tile, sending a high-pitched echo through the room.

  However, another sound reached my ears before Tulip could even attempt to utter a word. It was the sound of wind rushing out of my lungs, and the feeling of screaming, white-hot pain flashing through my gut.

  “Kirin!” Tulip’s piercing scream reached my ears only moments after they stopped ringing from pain—Yet, other words reached my ears with far more dominance.

  “Watch your tongue, insolent lowborn,” Lushia whispered into my ears, her hand was embedded firmly into my gut. It was the only reason I hadn’t fallen to the ground, the pressure holding me upright while she spoke. “You do not speak to the ears of divinity like that, Vulender. You do not deny nobility, nor do you deny divinity.”

  “I am the sole ears of our Golden God. All those who seek his grace must seek it through me, for without my words, they are without God.” Lushia’s warm breath cast across my neck in an uncomfortable draft. “Such pretty white hair, such a shame that you had to inherit that.”

  Lushia let her fist go and the next thing I knew, my gaze was mere inches from her feet. I layed there heaving, desperately holding the bile that tried to escape back. I saw Lushia take a step forwards, her knees entering my field of view as she crouched down—Soon followed by a pulling pain at the back of my head, Lushia forced my head upwards using a handful of hair.

  “Krin Vulender, history will forget you,” Lushia spoke with a smirk. “And it will remember me. Even the dirt I walk upon will be memorialized, but you?—”

  “Lushia! Leave her alone!” Tulip cut in, her voice turning to a scream.

  “Shut up,” Lushia answered, flicking her free wrist to the side. “This isn’t your issue, Princess, so do yourself a favor and shut up.” Lushia turned her gaze back to me, leaning in, her face moved even closer to my own.

  “Now… where was I?” Lushia wondered for a moment. “Right—History, it won’t remember you, Kirin. You’ll die, it’s as simple as that.” Her voice was absolutely firm, bewilderingly certain of her words like they were an undeniable fact.

  “Lushia Armester!” Tulip shouted, her voice casting across the room with dominance in her tone. “Stand down! I will not stand for you opposing my words! Stand down and leave us!”

  The hall grew so silent that even a hair hitting the floor would have been deafening. It was an oppressive silence—But Lushia backed down, releasing her grip on my hair. She stood up and let out a huff, turning away.

  “Watch your back, Princess.” Without another word, Lushia left. Kendrick spun on his heel with a scoff, leaving at a similar pace to his mother.

  “Mmmmf…” I finally groaned out in pain, pulling one arm to my stomach as I fell to my rear. I was thankful when Tulip walked over, offering an arm towards me—But when she pulled me up I was quickly met with a stinging hot pain across my cheek.

  “Idiot!” Tulip shouted in my face. “What were you thinking trying to talk back to Lushia like that?!” She placed a hand on my shoulder, pulling my gaze into her own. “You neve,r never talk to the Armester’s like that! I can barely get away with tha for god's sake!”

  I blinked a few times to Tulip’s words—I had the answer on the edge of my tongue, I opened my mouth to reply even. And yet, the world began to feel spacey. My body grew lighter, my ears started ringing, the edges of my vision faded into white.

  Finally, I noted how much it hurt to breathe. How much it hurt to breathe right up until the world went dark.

  —

  Carmine stormed through the halls, marching with fury in her steps as she approached the faculty offices. Her face was contorted into such a level of hatred that every person, student or staff made certain to move out of her way before she made them do so.

  “That absolute cheating bitch!” She cursed in her head, grinding her teeth together right up until she placed her hand upon the nob of the door.

  Forcing herself to take a steadying breath, Carmine twisted the handle and stepped in—Momentarily clearing the hate from her eyes.

  “Ah, Miss Carmine, what brings you in today?” Daedrik asked from behind his desk. His wrinkly face contorted into a wry smile, his piercing eyes settling into Carmine’s with a certain grace uncanny that felt for his age.

  “You know very well what brings me in today,” Carmine spoke with bile on her tongue. She could barely even hold her words until the door clicked gently shut behind her. “The trail needs to be moved back at least a week, Kirin is completely incapacitated from Lushia attacking her!” Carmine’s words echoed inside of the office with a loosely controlled fury, most of her effort was focused inwardly in order to keep her own mana from flaring with her anger.

  “Not happening.” Deadrik answered flatly, his wry smile falling into a flattened line.

  “Why is that not happening? I could understand if the injury was unrelated, but my representative was directly assaulted by an instructor!” Carmine hissed the words out, her hands balling into tight fists at her sides.

  “Simple, I don’t feel like it,” Daedrik’s smile immediately returned, furthered by a dry chuckle. “Your little Kirin is a strong girl, I’m sure she’ll manage.” He added while making hurried gestures to calm the fuming Carmine.

  “What if she doesn’t wake up before the deadline tomorrow?” Carmine asked, missing only a few beats in order to breathe.

  “Well, I would suggest you hope for that. If she is unconscious from an injury, precedent has it established that she be given another week to recover. If not?… Well, like I said, she’s a strong girl.” Daedrik chuckled again, leaning back in his chair with crossed arms.

  “Why are you doing this?” Carmine asked her last question. She felt her brows twitching from the tension that was rapidly rising across her body.

  “Carmine, I crave interesting scenarios. I crave for all of my students to succeed,” Deadrik raised his fingers as he spoke, pausing before he slowly raised his third finger. “Lastly, I crave to see an Armester lose a trial in the most dramatic of ways possible.” Once Daedrik finished he took in a slow, exaggerated breath.

  “Now, will that be all, Carmine?” Deadrik asked finally. “If so, then know that I hope for Kirin to have the best possible outcome.”

  “That will be all…” Carmine trailed off with a grumble. Without grace and with little to no respect to spare she turned on her heels, stepping out of the office with her nails digging deep into her palms.

  “Kirin… Please don’t wake up before tomorrow…” Carmine prayed silently for the young girl. “I can’t let you die… Not until I’ve given that to you…”

  Patreon

  Discord

  LoneStar,