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Part Twenty-Four

Matthew was exhausted as he kept taking deep breaths. The ruins which were simulated disappeared turning the field pure white. He walked over to Isabel who was sitting flat on her butt and offered her a hand.

She reached out her white hand, and Matthew lifted her up.

“I didn’t think you would be so strong. I won’t underestimate you again.”

He told her as he fixed himself up.

Isabel pouted a little bit when she heard him; she honestly thought she was going to win.

“For now you’re ahead of me, but I'll catch up and get you.”

Biting her lower lip, she made a vow to herself.

She saw his previous fights and prepared for everything he had to offer. She knew her chances of winning were high, but she truly underestimated his control over gravity. It was her own fault; she would work harder to ensure she would win the next time.

“She’s pretty cute when she bites her lip. Maybe I should tell her that.”

Matthew said to himself in a low voice. He wasn’t paying attention as he seemed a little lost in his own world. He didn’t even realize he was thinking out loud.

Isabel who heard him couldn’t help but blush. Turning her beautiful face red like a rose.

Isabel grabbed her silver revolver lying on the ground and placed it back in her holster. After which she left the field going back up to the stands.

As she exited, Nick entered.

“You are full of surprises, zero gravity? Even I'd find that hard to deal with.”

He complimented Matthew in his own way.

Matthew scratched the back of his head; there was no need for that compliment. He wouldn’t even be able to use it now! The amount of essence left in his body was enough to stop someone in place for about two seconds. His tank was running on empty.

He was really looking forward to his fight against Nick. Finding people who were on your level to compare notes with would only help both of them improve. However, it seemed he was not destined to fight Nick today.

Sure he would be able to recover his essence if he meditated, but that would take hours. Class would be over when he was fully rested, and at that time no one would be around.

“You’d be surprised at what I can do.”

Matthew responded back to Nick.

“I’m tempted to find out; I've never fought a gravity user before. It will be good for my training. However… “

Nick stopped mid-sentence as he turned to where the stands were located.

“I forfeit.”

Nick shouted out causing many of the students to yell in anger. What was this? They wanted to see a good show, not this! The battle of the titans, two male lions going at it. A fight would make them hop out of their seats, something that would make their blood boil until it exploded out of their bodies. That is what they wanted, not this crap!

Matthew was confused; he was just thinking about doing the same thing. He had all reason to forfeit as he was not in his best shape. However Nick? He had plenty of time to recover the essence he used, so why would he give up this chance?

“Nick, what are you doing?”

“There is not much of a difference between the two positions, we both get to use the essence pool for the same amount of time. If it was not for the essence pool, I wouldn’t even try as much as I did today. Being class president or even vice president will not help me towards my goal. This position just puts more stress on the student as they will have to help cultivate their classmates, which takes time away from them. I could be using that time for other things; you are much more suited for the task than me.”

Nick explained to him. This position did not give the person any benefit, and Nick only wanted benefits. He was happy that he was getting to use the essence pool, but he didn’t really care about this position.

“Besides you are in no position to fight me, make it to the finals during the freshman competition. Then let's go all out and give them a real show.”

Hearing Nick’s explanation, Matthew felt something warm inside his heart. He gave Nick a nod, and they both left the field.

This friend of his was too kind. Nick has set the stage for them to duel again, all Matthew had to do was answer the call. He would work even harder from this day forward.

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Since the beginning, he never really had a goal or ambition. Just attending school, dueling others for fun, graduating and landing himself a job in the military would have been enough for him. That was no longer the case; he thirsted for more.

In his eyes, he saw Nick as a bright light burning with hopes and dreams. It was something Matthew lacked, and he wanted it. Today was the birth of a new Matthew!

He set the highest goal for himself he could think of, although he might not reach it. He had something to work towards, and on this path, he knew that him and Nick would meet again.

They both walked back to the stands. As soon as the students caught sight of them, they started battering them with questions.

“Why didn’t you two duel, it is such a shame.”

“They probably came up with this plan. C’mon tell us, you did didn’t you?”

“Personally I think Nick is too scared to face off in front of a mighty royal. It is true right Nick?”

No one said it, but there was another thought going on in a few of the females heads. ‘It may be that the two were a couple and they didn’t want to fight each other.’ When they pictured those two together their hearts started beating fast.

Nick and Matthew knew nothing about it, but later tonight they would the main characters in those females boy love stories.

They took their seats next to Freya who was no longer sulking about her loss. She looked at both of them for a moment before she nodded her head.

“I’ve decided. I want to become a Cardinal, and don’t tell me I can’t make it. I’ll rise above you both, just you watch.”

The two guys couldn’t help but burst into laughter. She wanted to become a Cardinal? They just couldn’t picture her wearing such a holy outfit. It was not like her temper fit such a position either.

Freya punched them both in the arm. Why were they laughing? She could do it! It was possible; nothing is impossible in the world.

Neither of them doubted her ability to be able to become one as it was not extremely hard. It was just them picturing her as one that made them laugh.

“It’s not that we doubt you Freya, it’s just that I don’t think it suits you.”

Nick explained to her as he wiped the tear forming in the corner of his eye.

“I agree, it doesn’t suit you. Do you really think you would act in a manner that one of them should? I mean… they work for the Bishop! The Bishop, they are like the embodiment of holiness. I just can’t see it, I mean look at you…”

Freya bit her lip and threw punches at Matthew. She was like this now but who knew how she would be in the future.

“Matthew… I hate you, I really, really do.”

“Don’t be like that. Look, I'll tell you my goal. I want to become a Crusader. Can you picture me as one of those guys?”

Hearing his goal, Freya, sure enough, couldn’t help but laugh. That was one of the highest positions an EXO user could have. Even the president treated them with the utmost care.

“See, there is nothing wrong with laughing. Nothing to be ashamed about, I just want to see how high I can climb. I might not reach it, but at least I'm trying.”

“What about you Nick, what sort of goal do you have?”

“Me? I just want to enter the Special Forces.”

Freya and Matthew looked serious when they heard Nick’s goal. He would not look funny in their uniform. His potential was seen as one of the highest by the chairman of the school. Yeah… it was possible… seems like something he would do. That is what both of them thought when they heard him.

“Wow, we have three different goals. If you think about it, we probably would have never met if my ability was not considered a support type. Or if we were placed in different classes. Man… this one week felt like a day to me, these four years are going to fly by. Before you know it, we’ll all be going our separate ways.”

Matthew told them as he leaned back in his seat thinking about this one week he already spent at the academy. Middle school was fun, but it did not mean as much as high school. High school is where you would meet friends, make memories that would be in your heart for ages. It was the best time to live, but it was also a small part of your life.

There was no college after this for them. They would become working men and women, and due to the paths they’ve chosen, they may never see each other again once they graduate.

He took all of this in. Their time together may be short, but he felt a strong connection with these two.

Matthew wished time would slow down, even if it were only for a moment.

“Don’t be so worried about it; we still have four years ahead of us. Just enjoy the moment while we still can.”

Nick told him that, but he could feel the weight of his words. Time would fly by, and before they knew it, they would be living in the real world. There was no time to dwell on such thoughts; it was best for them to enjoy the moment they were living in now.

No one knew what the future foretold it was just a page they have yet to come to in the story.

“Calm down there is no need to be upset.”

Darius’ voice erupted causing the students who were having heated discussions to become silent. He knew everyone wanted to see them fight, one of the four freshman royals vs. another student who might just be as strong. Even he wanted to see what his students were capable of, but given the circumstances, he understood that the well being of his students came first. Matthew was running low on essence while Nick had a lot more stored up. Even if it were not Nick who was down there, any one of these students would have a high chance of beating Matthew when he had such low energy.

“Congratulations to you both. There aren’t any special badges that identify as the class president, but everyone in the class knows, so that is the only thing that matters. Starting next month, you two will be able to use the essence pool along with the other class representatives.

Now I would hate to throw responsibility on you two already, but there is a meeting with the board in two days. Arrive early and make sure you are adequately prepared as they will inform you of the objective this year.

Lastly, I want to tell you all what a fantastic job you have done today. I have an even better understanding of your abilities and will work on a plan for every one of you. If you feel the path I have chosen for you does not align with your goals in life let me know and we can work something out.

Since we have an hour left to kill, how about I treat you all to dinner?”

“Darius you’re so cool!”

“Teach I love you. Number one teacher of the year!”

The only thing on their mind was free dinner. Who would be stupid enough to pass this up?

Darius did not know it, but he would regret his words when he got the bill.