66TH GEAR - TURNING POINT
After those unlucky incidents that led to us being delivered to the school infirmary, the school nurse told us to skip our Speedmage practice for the day. I was feeling under the weather anyway, and Flu got her mysterious glittering mana problem on her. None of us two would be able to practice at this rate.
The school nurse also told Flu that the result of her magic circuit problem will be released tomorrow, so we are looking forward to that.
About my sickness, the school nurse prescribed pain-relieving drugs for me to drink once every morning. I will only have to continue this medication for two weeks until the pain is gone. The jolt I’ve been feeling was the side effect of the Medical Amnesia wearing off from my brain, and it is akin to a bandage getting ripped off from hairy skin. It was nothing serious, and my mature brain can now handle a trauma I once suffered when I was a kid.
I thought everything was doing fine but I was surprised that the next day would be the turning point that will change our world upside down.
<>
It was a good day. Miss Terror was absent, saying that she has matters to attend to, so we did not have our first period. Our second period continued smoothly, but we do not have the third and fourth periods because of some mysterious circumstances in our school. I heard there are a bunch of paperwork to be filed, so we had our early dismissal hours before the bell.
So as a result, most students have already gone home or gone to their respective clubs.
“Yaaaay! Time to practice! I’m so excited! I’m so excited! I’m so excited!” Flu dispersed her homework that are supposed to be due today like confetti.
“Hey, we have to wait for your mana circuit scan results. Professor Dekadavra told us to visit the Academy Infirmary, remember?” I said.
“But we will practice after that! I can’t wait! I can’t wait! I can’t wait!” Flu squealed as she flailed her arms all around.
Man, Flu is so excited to practice. She must have been bummed about having been unable to run and use speed spells for these last few days. However, we have this remaining problem with her glittering magic sickness.
We do not know what really is it if it is a condition that will hinder her performance as a Speedmage or even have her stop playing completely. Well, it already had hindered Flu’s performance not only in Speed Battles but to her magical classes.
I don’t want to be pessimistic, but I’m afraid that the glitter effect on her magical trails has something to do that would stop her from being a Speedmage.
I just hope I’m wrong.
All of a sudden, we heard a familiar cry coming from the corridors.
“Uwoooooooooooogh!”
The ground trembles with every footstep. When the classroom door opened, we saw our sophomore panda man Cruzo who is drenched with sweat. He is carrying a piece of paper in his hand and then approached Flu and me with a sonic boom because of his sudden break.
“Coach! Flu! We have very bad news and very good news!” Cruzo shouted from the top of his lungs.
“Oh, Sir Cruzo! Good morning!” Flu jollily raised her hand. “Are you excited about the practice too?”
“I love that Flu still has the same determination and guts, but hear me out!” Cruzo hurriedly said. “What news would you like to know first? The good news or the bad news?”
“Good news first. We had enough bad news going on already.” I said.
“Okay. Good news: Miss Fluonessia Asahime will now be allowed to take part in the National Speedmage Tournament!”
As the rays of the sun went to lighten up Flu’s face, her sapphire sky-blue eyes twinkled. Her smile turned to a wide open one, and there are glittering effects all over her!
“Really!?” Flu pumped her fists.
“Yes!” Cruzo also pumped his.
Stolen story; please report.
“Really really!?” Flu pumped two times.
“Yes! Yes!” Cruzo also pumped two times.
“Really really really!?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!”
“Really really really really!?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”
“You two better stop, or else I’ll have your asses do ten laps around the Triangle without using magic,” I said.
“I… I can’t believe it!” Flu flailed her arms up in the air and cried. “I did it! I don’t know how, and I still can’t believe it, but I am so happy that I will be participating in the Nationals! Waaaaaaah!”
The pink-haired idiot ran around the classroom and then stopped right in front of me after doing one whole lap. Flu immediately held both of my arms and forced me to stand up and jump like an excited puppy!
“Did you hear that, Coach!? Did you hear it!?” Flu happily asked.
“Yeah,” I said with a forced smile. She sounds genuinely glad about it, which is music to my ears.
“I will be participating in the National Speedmage Tournament! Yehey!”
“Congratulations, Flu.” I patted her head.
Flu wiped away the tears of joy from her eyes and continued smiling as she cried. “Finally… Finally… I will have the chance to prove to myself that I can fulfill our promise to become the Speedmage Champion… I’m so happy!”
I was shocked by the sketchy news too, but my mood got lifted by Flu’s happiness. I can’t help but do a small fist pump too when I heard it. It was a big break for Flu and me, and even for Merry Knights Guild.
However, sketchy news is still sketchy. I have to clarify some things first with Cruzo.
“Only the Top 3 Speedmages in the Regional Tournament are allowed to participate in the Nationals, is that right? But Flu won 4th place. What happened?” I asked.
“That is where the very bad news comes in,” Cruzo said as he gulped to remoisturize his throat.
“What is it?”
“Vincent Shadowseek, the 2nd Placer of the Regional Speedmage Tournament, is retiring.”
“What!?” I exclaimed.
“It’s not just that. He is leaving Eaglecrest, Saint Crusade Academy, and even from this country!”
“Nani The fuck!?” My inner weeb language surfaced because of confusion.
What the hell happened? Vincent Shadowseek is a happy-go-lucky person who always has an insulting smile on his face. His clubmates love him. Saint Crusade loves him. He may have lost the previous tournament, but that was not his first loss as far as I can remember. Is he upset just because Lilith has defeated him?
I looked at Flu who is now frowning. She looked at me with eyes of pity and sorrow. Yes, Flu might have wanted a second chance to prove to everyone that she can be a Speedmage Champion, but she does not want any of this. This sweet victory of ours is leaving a bitter aftertaste in our mouths.
I remember that Flu had a surge of depression and self-frustration days after Lilith defeated her. Maybe Vince is experiencing this too, but he is much affected by it. It even resulted in him leaving everything behind.
“Vince, what the hell are you thinking!?” I muttered as I clenched my hand.
Then I ran as fast as I could, towards the exit.
“Coach!” Cruzo and Flu reached out for me, but I already left the classroom.
<>
“Gaaah… Haaah… haaah…”
I panted right after I made it in front of the Eaglecrest Guild Building. Unlike the Merry Knights Club Building which looked like a drug den for gangsters, the Eaglecrest has a royal medieval castle vibe on it.
It has walls and gates made with magic-enhanced bricks, and there are towers on each of the four sides of the walls. Right after getting inside the gate, two fountains run by magic will greet any visitor with elegance. The gigantic front door was made of magic pine wood, and there is a huge logo of an eagle etched in it.
The wooden front door automatically opened when I stepped foot on the blue carpet. The lobby was clean and shiny; the floors are tiled with marble and the exquisite ceiling is hanging chandeliers. The whole place has a motif of gray and blue which are included in Eaglecrest’s logo color schemes.
The lobby is wide, but right now, it is filled with Eaglecrest Club members wearing blue and white varsity jackets. They seem to be watching something in the center of the lobby.
I slipped through the walls of people until I finally saw the commotion.
It was Vincent Shadowseek, together with his little brother Justine and their President Levi Armstrong. And they seem to be talking about two special people-
Lilith Nightshade and Gaylord Draculus. Lilith is the same witch but with the more menacing smile and heterochromatic glare of a chimera, and Gaylord is still the same vampire terrorist who must have sucked blood from cocks.
“It’s nice to have a visitor from two immortal guests like you two,” Vincent said with a smile.
“The honor is mine, Vincent the Teleporter.” Gaylord bowed, and Lilith did a curtsy.
Judging from the rising tension in the atmosphere, this meeting has just started. I am lucky that I got here in time to watch this stand-off.
“What brings you here, Mister Gaylord? You did not even file an appointment to meet our Speedmage Ace.” President Levi asked with a slightly irritated tone.
“I was just curious about Vincent the Teleporter here, and his decision to leave the National Speedmage Tournament,” Gaylord said.
“Oh, that.” President Levi walked forward with his bulky biceps swaying around. “It does not concern you, so rest assured. You may take your leave.”
“It does concern me,” Gaylord smirked. “Is Lilith’s performance too overwhelming for you that you cannot handle a single defeat? Is Lilith too fast that you decided to give up chasing her and retire so early? Is Lilith’s abilities too much for you to handle that you are leaving out of frustration?”
“Hah!” Vincent gave a single laugh. “None of the above, Gay…lord. My reasons are my own. As my Prez just said, it is none of your goddamn business. Now, I do not want outsiders prying on my personal matters, so you are now free to leave.”
“You are conceding on Lilith’s might and speed. You are just shy to admit it, in front of your fellow talentless Speedmages. You know you cannot defeat me and my Lilith! Wahahaha! ” Gaylord laughed.
“I know..” Vincent smiled with rage. His blue eyes shined with menace. “But he can.”
All of a sudden, Vincent raised his arm and his index finger pointed at the crowd, to one specific person…
Me.