CHAPTER
3
The world has always had an
unfair power dynamic, even when it was only littered with humans. There’s
always someone in whose favour the scales of fate tip just a little more – enough
to annoy someone less favoured. The Astherians were no different, owing to
their bifurcated society subdivided by classes in pursuit of a constant power
struggle. Every breath was an occasion to do better for these souls.
So, it was a surprise to
Seraphina when the white aether circle erupted all over the crystal floor and
their academy uniforms dissipated into plain white overalls.
“Your class and identities
will remain anonymous for this competition in order to bring out fair results.
Your abilities will be nullified by the crystal that surrounds you, instead,
you shall be provided with human weapons to sustain!” an invisible announcer
announced.
Seraphina slapped a hand
against her forehead. The Astherians’ fascination with everything human was
their only consistent character trait. So much for being a superior species
when the crux of their existence was merely being copycats.
“Additionally, the student who
chose number one will not be able to see everyone else’s ranks, for fun, of
course.” The invisible announcer added.
Seraphina facepalmed, again,
as the number clouds over everyone else’s head disappeared for her sight.
‘Hiding identities was a good
idea but subduing abilities…’ Seraphina clenched her jaw, ‘I am nothing without
the aether.’
Suddenly, the phrase ‘haste
makes waste’ made so much sense to her as the number of peering eyes increased
on her back. The crowd was dead still, maybe choosing their targets, baited
breaths awaited the weapon stands materializing though the crystal walls.
Iridescent shelves came forth, housing an array of weapons ranging from a gun,
sword, saber, nun-chunk, net, scythes, spatula to a microphone.
“Before you choose a weapon,
know that you can only see the chosen number of a person within the same range
as yours. So, if you’ve chosen 599 as your number, then, you can only see the
numbers of students 590 to 600. Though, as you move up in your ranks, your
range may expand.”
As soon as the announcement
ceased, whispers and gasps rose amidst the students. Seraphina looked around
and sighed in relief as formerly piercing glances tore away from her head and
found newer targets to pursue. This was nice. This was easier. This meant her
opponent count took a staggering hit from 1199 to a mere 10! This was some
good, good, fate! Even though she was standing at the very end of the room, an
aeon away from the weapon shelves.
A grin snuck its way to
Seraphina’s lips. Upon two and three observations, she gathered that no one in
her immediate proximity was within her fighting range, hence, making it a good
circle to hide behind.
Now, all she needed was a good
weapon which would work well in long as well as short range combat and she’d be
set to win!
“On the count of three, run
for the weapons!”
Seraphina did not know why she
waited for the system to stay loyal to the countdown. Maybe she was distracted
by the fact that the they were attempting a jab at fairness. Yes, that should
be it. But when the system went, “Zero, one, three!” Seraphina realised that
her trust was easily earned.
The crowd rushed like starved
cattle let loose on a fresh grass pasture. All they missed were pointy horns to
impale Seraphina and lift her into the air like a sad battle prize. If it
wasn’t obvious enough, Seraphina had never been the most athletic person in the
lot.
But she knew a few mundane
tricks like elbowing people in the sides to move forward.
It came up as an unsaid fact
that the only way to reach the best weapon was through mortal combat, as the
Dreads believed; or a stampede, as the Heroes figured.
Someone pulled the other in a
chokehold; another threw a resounding, concussion inducing, kick to the person
in front; some girl grabbed two others by their hair; screams erupted within
the crystal hall, vibrating through its aether and reaching up to the
upper-most section, behind which the Aetherunes Staff sat and giggled.
What fun.
Seraphina avoided a trip and
pushed her hair in a bun for safety measures. She crouched low and poked her
elbows out, hoping to survive the battlefield like a lucky grandma if she
figured the best way to reach the gun shelf.
She winced as she saw two
people in an intense punch fight right in front of the gun. Those hefty bruises
would require a Class 2 Healer, at least, she thought to herself.
Suddenly, Seraphina doubled
over, grappled with pain as someone punched her side. “Freaking hell, are you trying
to sell me life insurance? Because I’m almost convinced,” she spat out. Her
face fell into a grimace as looked up to see a smirking curly haired ravenette
wriggling her wrists, steadying, for another punch.
“I dunno what that is but I’m
only trying to win over rank one,” the girl replied with a click of her tongue.
She threw another punch but
Seraphina blocked it with a knife-hand-strike. She lunged her foot forward to
wrap it around Seraphina’s but the latter found it as an opportunity to grab a
hold of the hand she struck and gain a footing. The girl tried to trip
Seraphina while simultaneously attempting to choke her, but Seraphina twisted
with the grip on her hand and swung her over her shoulder and onto the crystal
floor.
The loud thump attracted more
attention than she was comfortable with and Seraphina couldn’t help the
maniacal grin on her face. Her body was moving on instinct, as if some latent
muscle memory had decided to resurface in the face of flight or fight. It was
way nicer than being beaten to a pulp.
Another student slung an arm
around her neck and clenched it for a choke. Seraphina elbowed him, but to no
momentary avail. She began clawing her nails into his arm only for him to grab
them by his free hand and twist it behind her back. Choking for air, Seraphina
haphazardly looked around for some kind of help. Then, she saw it. A sturdy
back in proximity.
Seraphina used one leg to
propel herself and another to bounce off the sturdy back, using momentum to
throw her attacker off balance. She landed behind him, twisted and in a heap.
She had a moment to pant and suddenly there was a gun shot.
Oh, this was fun. The
best weapon was already grabbed. Seraphina couldn’t lose anymore time. She
stepped over the boy and grabbed a hold of the splattered curly haired girl.
She slid her hands under her armpits and began circling; as her steps grew
wider, the body swayed harder and faster. Like a man-made tornado, Seraphina
stormed through the crowds, parting them with partial awe and partial
annoyance.
She succeeded halfway through,
until someone grabbed the girl’s foot, mid-sway, and flung her off balance.
Seraphina fell and the world zoomed around her; left momentarily vulnerable, a
sword wielding student raised his arm, ready for slaughter, but was stopped by
a bullet being shot into his armed hand.
“No attacking the defenseless.
Haven’t you learnt?” the gun wielder snapped.
Seraphina’s hands grappled
against the crystal, trying to hinge herself back into reality. The sword fell
beside her, clanking, and a hoard of students clamored forth for the taking. Instinct
drove her to kick a person’s shin and pull them down so she could stand up. She
turned to face her savior but caught no glimpse of him as another body lunged
at her.
Seraphina merely stepped away
and missed the attack by a finger’s width. She sped towards the weapon shelf,
only to be caught again, this time in the middle of already two fighting
students.
“Do you even know how to use
nun-chunks? Do you even know what they are, you hard boiled egg brain?” the girl
shouted, throwing a punch.
“I, for one, pay attention
during weapon mastery. Have been doing it for fifty years now, unlike someone
who constantly simps for the professor!” the boy scowled, as he stopped the
girl’s punch with one hand.
Seraphina was brought into it
as the girl interlocked her fingers with the boy’s and they flung a kick each
in her direction. Sandwiched, Seraphina stalled the kicks by holding onto their
ankles, midway. She hurled a kick at the boy but he was swift to stop it with a
mid-way grab of his own. She smirked and using his grasp as a hinge, Seraphina
twisted into a jump and knocked her foot into the girl’s jaw.
She faltered, about to fall,
when the boy rushed to grab her by the collar. Slanted, scowling, but conscious,
the girl gained back her footing. Seraphina barely landed on her two feet when
the girl was chucked at her.
“Can you see how she fights
better than you? You’re disappointing, Nysa,” the boy taunted.
Nysa growled as she threw
punch after punch at Seraphina, haphazardly.
“Who are you? My love rival?
How dare you try to hit on my man?!” Nysa screamed as Seraphina tried to block
the punches being rained down on her.
“Are you kidding me? You call that
your man?!” Seraphina tsked and blocked a punch to her nose. “And you guys
literally pulled me in this!” she tsked.
Without a pattern to observe,
several of Nysa’s bony fists landed on Seraphina’s gut before she realised the
uselessness of Nysa’s feet and kneed her groin.
“Shit,” Nysa jumped into a
backflip and swung a kick at the boy’s head. “How dare you try to manipulate
me, you dog, Irewin. I bet you’re trying to hit on her!”
Irewin, mostly out of shock,
could not avoid the kick and spun a three-sixty on his heel. Though, before
Nysa could attack again, he leaped forward, grabbed her by her hair, pulled her
back and launched himself at Seraphina like a bullet.
In the blink of an eye, his
hands were grabbing her by the shoulders whilst he was suspended over her head
and he was able to pull her along in a semi-circle and thrashed her into the
floor.
“How dare you turn my
girlfriend against me, you bitch, do you like me?” he mocked her.
Seraphina groaned. “There is
something wrong with your head, but, thankfully, both of ours is a Class 1
healer’s problem,” she smiled and swooped her foot to make him trip. Irewin
jumped but Seraphina was already twirling into another kick as she shot up. The
blow struck against his face, hard and he propelled into another person nearby.
Nysa instantly went for an
underhook, a chin for a chin or some poetic revenge, but Seraphina evaded with
backward bend. The punch, instead, landed under the chin of the person who was
right behind Seraphina, ready to attack. He was a big, burly, giant of a man
with an ill proportioned head to body ratio.
Nysa’s eyes widened at the
sudden enraged scream the man let out. She instinctively reached out for
Seraphina’s hand and pulled her towards herself, away from the raging madman.
“Shut the hell up!” Irewin
erupted like a volcano of his own, charging at the man with a whirlwind kick.
But he was blocked with that man’s knife-hand-strike and sent flying back into
the girls.
“You’re almost as annoying as
he is,” Nysa spat at Irewin, eyeing the raging man.
“Oh please! That’s so you when
things are not going your way!” Irewin retorted.
“Can we focus on the matter at
hand? Please?!” Seraphina exhaled in exasperation as she somehow found herself
standing in between the two.
“Of course,” the couple looked
snapped in unison.
“I’ll go first,” Irewin
announced and ran before confirmation. His long legs worked like swords, urging
blow after blow on the big man’s hands. Bruised enough, the big man kneed him
in the gut and shot Irewin high into the ceiling.
Unconcerned, Nysa instantly
went for his gut with a flurry of her own punches. The big man doubled over,
momentarily, and Seraphina saw it as an opportunity to lunge forward. She
grabbed his arm and used Nysa’s back as a stepping stool to snake her way onto
the big man’s shoulders. She wrapped her thighs around his thick neck and
elbowed his nape with vigor.
The big man shook himself,
violently, to dislodge Seraphina but Nysa’s punches kept him occupied
momentarily. Though, he instantly figured to throw himself on his back in order
to crush Seraphina instead.
As he toppled backwards, Nysa
dashed as several jumps back, her jaw hung in awe with what she was about to
witness – probably a skull being cracked open in front of her very own eyes.
Seraphina’s breath hitched,
awaiting her demise. ‘A hard crash against this crystal floor and being buried
under the size of this giant man’s sweaty back…what a lame way to die. Mother
would be so asham—Oh heaven, I cannot die! I still need to put away that
skeleton in my bathtub!’ she thought to herself.
Before Seraphina could attack
or even break her skull, someone else had already taken action and lodged
themselves in between the floor and that hulk of a man. Seraphina slipped onto
the floor, on her own accord, chest heaving as she saw a girl grinning
menacingly at her. Her ruby hair covered her face for she was leaning slightly
forward, her elbow stuck right against the big man’s spine.
“How much do you consider your
life’s worth?” the girl wheezed, raised her head and pushed the big man to fall
face-first into the crystal floor, “Because I just saved yours.”
“Thank you,” is all Seraphina
could say. Her savior was beautiful; her eyes, big and glimmering like the
ocean under the summer sun and the soft curves of her nose, lips and cheeks
made it impossible to believe that she could survive even the sight of blood.
Over her arched brows were embedded two dark crystals, at the ends, making
Seraphina gasp in shock.
That girl was a true
Astherian. One who had mastered Two Ancient Runes which would fulfil her
purpose. A true S-Class aetherfolk.
Seraphina was saved twice even
before she could reach the weapon stand.
The weapon stand.
Ah.
Seraphina looked around as
soon as she realised the silence around her, only to witness all the student
body passed out on the crystal floor. The only ones standing were the redhead,
Nysa, Irewin limping and lodged on Nysa’s shoulder and him.
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