Once we’ve made sure that she has not suffered a critical injury, Zora is carried to the infirmary, where she is expected to rest until she gets better. We did consider using Alex’s ability to improve her condition, but due to her extreme exhaustion, it may have been too risky to do so. Since one of the requirements for his ability to take effect is to drain the target’s stamina, who knows what would have happened.
When everything is sorted out, Maestro Lauren demands that we return to our places and she announces how the training will proceed.
“What a marvelous ice breaker! I’d like to extend a warm thanks to Ronald and Zora for this spar! Now, who else would like to have a go at the fourth quarter students?”
The one to raise his hand this time is someone I had forgotten existed in these recent weeks. A man with dark, short hair and emerald green eyes raises his hand. When I turn to see who the bold one is, I see Rowan Clawheart. The very man who abandoned Sylvia and I in a life or death situation to save his own skin. I have not interacted with him ever since, as such, I do not know what type of progress he has made, or if he has made any at all.
With a grin on his face, Rowan points to a thin girl among the fourth quarter students. Following his finger, I glance in her direction. Where my gaze lands, a small fourth quarter trainee stands. Her auburn hair is tied into two ponytails which hang from the back of her head. Her eyes, illuminated by the sunlight appear to have been cut straight out of an amber gemstone. At first glance, she is not any taller than Zora, and her body could probably be hidden behind a single tree trunk. Compared to the other trainees, she is lacking in the muscle mass department, and she does not emit a dangerous ‘aura’ like Sophia or Sylvia. While she may still be beautiful and exude an air of refinement, it is apparent why Rowan has selected her. She looks weak.
‘Guess he hasn’t changed one bit.’
Unfortunately for Rowan, however, he can not glance at the soul of his opponents. If he could, he would have realized that this frail looking little girl is much, much stronger than he is currently. She might not be in the second stage, but I do not doubt that she could put up a fight against Ron or Tiana. From gazing into her soul, I can tell that that woman sits at the absolute peak of the first stage. Plus, that assumption is only based on my perception of the strength of her soul. I have no idea how proficient she may be in pureflow control or how dreadful her melody may be.
“Ah! Rowan Clawheart, how courageous of you to want to spar against Violet. May the two contestants find their places within the battle zone!”
Violet enters the arena, but she does not ask the Maestro for an instrument.
Rowan, upon seeing her sneers and speaks to her. “Hah! Are you sure you do not want something to defend yourself with Miss Violet?”
VIolet’s face contorts into one of disgust and she spits a few words back at him. “Against a pipsqueak like you? No need.”
At this point, I’d expect Rowant to get angry and shout something cliche like ‘do you know who you’re talking to!!’. Against my expectations, however, he remains calm, adopts a battle stance and only says this: “We’ll see about that…”
As the start signal is given, Rowan immediately goes fully invisible. He completely disappears from the battlefield, leaving Violet seemingly alone. As I concentrate, I cannot even hear the sound of footsteps around me, he seems to have improved his skills when it comes to stealth. Regardless, Violet’s expression remains indifferent, she closes her eyes and she inhales deeply.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
With a worried look, Ron, the fourth quarter student, shouts to convey a message to all of us. “Step back, plug your ears, and brace yourselves!”
There is no need to ponder on his words. Without wasting a moment, I heed his commands and prepare for impact. Then, Violet opens her mouth wide, and from it, an ear-piercing, terrifying shriek is emitted. With it, the ground trembles, and the cry shrilling through the air hits my temples with incredible might, nearly rupturing them.
A painful wail escapes my mouth, and I fall to my knees alongside many of my peers. “AAAHH”
Perhaps taking pity on us, one of the fourth quarter students activates his ability, and a protective barrier forms around the spectators, alleviating the pain from Violet’s attack. When I am finally able to stand up and take a few breaths, my attention instantly shifts back to the arena, where Rowan is enduring the full force of her attack. What I see is a translucent figure desperately plugging its ears, attempting to ward off the effects of Violet's ability. He rolls on the ground, screaming out in pain, perhaps even fearing for his life, but Violet refuses to put an end to his torment. Her shriek continues, uncaring for the state of her adversary.
The meek girl, Tianna, speaks out, worried for Rowan. “S-someone should stop her, h-he’ll really die at this rate…”
Maestro Lauren clicks her tongue. “I warned all of you, and her specifically, that this was supposed to be a learning experience!”
The Maestro then exits the protective barrier, and in a moment, she finds herself right behind Violet. Like an executioner’s hatchet, Maestro Lauren’s hand falls on the top of Violet’s head with a chilling force, forcefully putting an end to the attack.
“Ouch damnit! What was that for, Maestro?!”
Maestro Lauren grabs Violet’s head and lifts her up with one arm, then stares at her directly in her eyes. A furious smile decorates her face. “When I put you down, you will apologize to young Rowan, and resume the spar in a way that will allow him to learn something, got it?”
“What?! But he was the one acting all-”
The Maestro’s grip tightens. “Got. It?”
Violet pouts, but is left with no other choice but to agree. “...Yes, I suppose…”
Rowan, who is still struggling to keep his ability active through the pain, is currently half-visible, sprawled on the ground in the center of the battle zone. Painstakingly, he raises to his feet, still clutching his ears, and whispering inaudible curses under his breath.
Without even looking him in the eyes, Violet extends insincere apologies. “Sorry.”
Rowan, however, quickly regains his smile. He tightly grips his sharpsong, then something strange happens. Perhaps I am the only one to have noticed because I happened to be looking in his direction rather than the captivating Violet, or the terrifying Maestro, but Rowan’s jaw makes a strange movement. It appears as though he crushes something between his teeth, and suddenly he seems much more invigorated than just a second before. His soul fluctuates wildly, and although unstable, it now shines much brighter, almost matching Violet. A spark dances in Rowan’s eyes and his grin widens.
‘What the…’
“Are you sure you don’t want to use an instrument, Miss Violet?” He asks her, fidgeting.
She turns to look at him. “Hm? Like I said, I don’t need one agai-”
Refusing to allow her to finish her sentence, Rowan turns invisible and dashes towards Violet at an incredible speed, much greater than what he should be capable of. Startled, Violet quickly raises both her fists in the air and braces herself for impact. It seems like a tall task to fend off something she cannot see, but Violet accomplishes it beautifully nonetheless. When Rowan’s sharpsong clashes with her reinforced forearms, blood trickles from the wound it has created and the small woman is pushed back a few steps. She inspects her arms, and raises an eyebrow in confusion.
“That’s… Is it that you had not been serious before?”
In response to her question, a voice resonates in the air, but with no visible source. “Haha! Are you still certain about your choice to not use an instrument? I would not want you to be a sore loser and use that as an excuse after all!”
Violet’s face contorts into an insidious grin. “Oh my, this could actually turn out to be interesting… Do not worry little chick, I won’t use my instrument, or even my [melody] for that matter. I’ll pummel you with pure martial arts!”
Maestro Lauren, who now stands near me, pinches the space between her eyebrows, seemingly worried about the situation.
As for me, I am still wondering what it is exactly that Rowan has done to himself. His strength has suddenly skyrocketed, and his confidence since the beginning of this battle has been sky high for some unknown reason. Rowan is an arrogant, cocky bastard yes, but he’s also a coward. I’d have expected him to run or give up after being hit with Violet’s first attack, yet here he stands, more confident than ever. I try to make sense of the situation, but no matter which way I spin it, I am unable to come to a plausible conclusion. I suppose I’ll need to see more of this battle to make a hypothesis.