Knight

by RA. Gil

  The music continued playing, so Valeriana went towards it to shut it off. She didn't exactly want it losing its battery life since there were no electrical sockets in this world. When the song stopped, the room was filled with silence. The girl turned to her aides and smiled again. The three looked startled when she did so and stared at the MP3 she had in her hand in wonder.

  “What are you here for, again? I don't think I called for you or anything.” She placed the MP3 down on her bedside table.

  “You never do, Miss Valeriana.” Quincy said.

  “That's right, so we decided to come to you instead! It's an aide's duty to help their ranker prepare for their duels, after all.”

  “It is? I didn't want to bother you guys.” She glanced up at the clock and out the window. “It's still awfully early and I don't think anyone's up yet in this hour.”

  “A lot of our classmates are awake now, Miss Valeriana. Lord Charles and the others are, too!” Poulette informed.

  “Huh?” She glanced at them questioningly. “They are?”

  “Yes!”

  “Oh,” she whispered. “I guess I didn't realize.”

  “It looks like a lot of people are coming to watch, Miss Valeriana. They look excited, too. They're really looking forward to it!”

  “Well, I'm not.” She sighed.

  “Um . . . can we ask a question?”

  “What is it?” She asked, grabbing a towel and using it to wipe off her sweat.

  “I hear a voice singing and music playing . . . but there's no one else in your room. What's more . . . it seems to be coming from that thing in your hand. What is it? If we may ask.”

  “This?” She held up her gadget. “It's called an MP3 Player. It's programmed with pre-recorded music, so you can play it any time you want, and anywhere.”

  “Amazing. Is that one of the so-called human technology?” Zoel fixed the glasses around his eyes.

  “It is.”

  “Anyhow, I'll get your bath ready, Miss!” Quincy made her way towards the door that led to her personal bathing space.

  “You don't really have to do that.” Valeriana said.

  “Oh, but I must! Zoel and Poulette will get all your things ready.” She said.

  The girl sighed, but smiled at their enthusiasm. “I feel really bad making you guys do this. Thank you anyway. You've done so much already. I wanted to do that myself but . . . I guess there's no stopping you guys, I might just as well back down.”

  Quincy giggled before she trudged into the bathroom and disappeared. Valeriana heard the water running later on. She turned towards the other two, and saw them poking the MP3 Player curiously with their fingers. As soon as the pad of their fingers made contact with the object, they hopped back as if it was going to bite their hands off.

  Valeriana laughed. “There's no need to be scared.” She told them. “It doesn't bite.”

  “But . . . what of the voices inside?” Zoel inquired. “I don't think it will allow us to touch it unless permitted by you, Miss Valeriana.”

  “Really. This thing's not even alive. It's just a device with music.”

  “I-Is that so?”

  “Sure. Here,” she forced the object in his hands. “Be gentle or you'll break it.”

  “A-alright.” Zoel looked down at the item on his palms.

  “It's . . . pretty.” Poulette commented, leaning over his friend's shoulder.

  Zoel pressed a random button and music started to blast off its tiny speakers. It wasn't that loud, but it was enough to startle the boy it almost flew out of his hands. He held it away from him and stared at it in arm's length, wide eyes.

  Katy Perry's Roar was playing, so Valeriana couldn't help but chuckle and sing along.

  “I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath. Scared to rock the boat and make a mess. So I sat quietly, agreed politely.”

  Poulette stared at her curiously. “You aren't the best singer, are you, Miss Valeriana?”

  Valeriana went beet red at his statement. “N-no. I'm . . . not really . . . good at singing.”

  Before she even knew it, the two were holding both of their hands against their mouth, trying to hold back the fit of snickers threatening to spill from their lips. Valeriana went even redder and bit her lip in embarrassment. She probably shouldn't have opened her damned mouth.

  “It's not nice to laugh, you know.”

  “You're really good at dancing, but your singing is horrible.” Poulette giggled.

  “I know. I've been told that millions of times already.”

  “But this song is really good.” Zoel said.

  Katy's voice echoed through the whole room and everyone fell quiet. 'You held me down, but I got up. Already brushing off the dust.'

  “This song is very meaningful. It sorts of suits you, Miss Valeriana.”

  “It does?”

  Both of them nodded. They all went silent and continued to listen until the chorus came.

  'I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter. Dancing through the fire. 'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar. Louder, louder than a lion. 'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar!'

  “It's perfect! But I think we have to change lion to dragon. That's Zion's alias, and we don't really want to offend Lord Charles and make him think we're challenging him.”

  “What are you guys talking about? And I thought only the Twelve's got aliases?”

  “Zion was recognized for his great talent.” Zoel explained. “He's called the Snapping Dragon because he bares his fangs to anyone he considers a threat—those he considers strong. He challenges anyone who interests him, but after he got his purpose, he purposefully loses in the end . . . although he would win easily if he tries.”

  “He loses on purpose?”

  “That's right. He said so himself—that he didn't want to win any fight not worth winning.”

  “So that's why Corvan was so pissed off . . .” She mused.

  “And that being one of the Twelve, which was a big honor to be a part of, was boring and that the responsibilities that came with it are just burdens.”

  “So he's going to lose anyway? I guess I don't have to worry about anything.” She said.

  “I wouldn't be too complacent, Miss Valeriana.” Said Zoel as he fixed his glasses. “Zion leaves his enemy in a state of utter shame before he declares his loss—so it'll be clear to anyone if you lost or not. Even if you won formally, you wouldn't receive the recognition of anyone if they saw you like that.”

  “Agh. He sounds . . . like a jerk. A total eccentric jerk.” She thought. “But it's not good to judge.”

  “He's exactly as you say, Miss Valeriana. I believe he's a seriously cocky . . . pruck? Pluke? Plick?”

  “You mean prick. You're right. But what were you talking about a while ago? What are you planning to do with this song?”

  “To cheer you on.” They replied.

  “Alright!” Quincy screamed as she burst from the bathroom. “The bath's ready now, Miss Valeriana! I put in Lavender scented oil!”

  “That's nice but . . . I'm going to get dirty any way.”

  “It's nice to smell good, though.”

  She grunted. “Whatever. Thanks anyway.”

  “You're welcome! Now, let's have you take a bath!”

  “Ah! Um! Er . . . Miss Valeriana!” Zoel ran after both of them. “It won't stop!” He cried, pointing at MP3 Player which continued playing.

  Valeriana laughed. “I'll teach you the controls.”

  After the girl finally was able to teach him everything he needed to know about the device, Quincy pulled Valeriana towards the bathroom while Zoel and Poulette set out to do their own tasks.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine ♣ The Boy Under the Hood

  After getting the necessary preparations done, Valeriana was dragged towards the arena. Quincy, Poulette, and Zoel looked more nervous than she was. It was ridiculous.

  Valeriana almost groaned. This school's policy was seriously harsh. It was
kill or be killed or eat or be eaten type of system, so it wasn't pleasing at all. Now, the girl was getting the reason why Lord Aeron said if she survived and the reason why some students die or if they simply quitted.

  The girl sat anxiously, waiting for the time when the duel would start. She looked up from her seat and stared at the royal box. The Celestial Circle was proudly taking their seats, and none of them were absent. All of them, including Corvan, were patiently reclining until the start of the fight. She noticed Lady Seraphina, Headmaster Kylon, and Lord Aeron as well.

  “Really. I wish that Zion tried to misbehave.” She muttered, rolling her eyes.

  The duelist's waiting area was a small cavity under the numerous seats in the arena. It was where the competitors take their place and prepare for the upcoming fight they were participating in. Valeriana tapped her feet nervously while Quincy, Zoel, and Poulette merely cowered in their seats in anticipation.

  “Can you guys stop that? You're making me more nervous with the way you're acting.” She told them, frowning in displeasure.

  “W-were so sorry, M-miss Valeriana.” Quincy stammered.

  “Nah, stop shaking. It's fine.” She stood up from her seat. “I'll go to the bathroom to wash my face first. I'm going to die of anxiety just sitting and waiting here.”

  “B-but the duel . . .”

  “The duel won't start anytime soon since it's still a bit dark out.” She said before turning towards the direction of the public bathroom. “I'll be back in a jiffy, don't worry.”

  The three looked at her worriedly before reluctantly nodding, their eyes watching her as she disappeared around the corner. Valeriana flashed them a reassuring smile before she walked out of their sights. Despite the smile, she could feel her knees shaking uncontrollably beneath her. Her hands trembled uneasily, so she clenched them and tucked them into her pockets, trying to get herself to relax.

  She breathed deeply. “You can do this, Val!”

  Although she originally wanted to go to the bathroom to refresh herself and get rid of her apprehension from the upcoming fight, she figured taking this walk was enough. Still, she wanted to make sure she wouldn't piss herself in the middle of the duel, so she chose to continue.

  Valeriana grinned and started jumping on the balls of her toes as she neared one of the corridor's sharp turns to the left. She curled her hands into a fist, mindlessly punching them in the open air while envisioning an imaginary opponent. Seraphina said that there was a possibility that the weapon would get knocked out from her hands, so she needed to know how to defend herself properly without a sword just in case. She already got the basics from her father, but she wasn't particularly an expert. If it was self-defense, she knew a bit of karate . . . from watching movies.

  She threw a right uppercut right just when someone suddenly rounded from the corner. Her fists collided with the person's chin and he was thrown back by the strong force that he fell directly on his back. Shocked, Valeriana gasped as she watched the person she accidentally punched fall on the ground with an evident thud.

  “Oh my god!” She shrieked, placing both of her hands on her cheeks while the feeling of utter guilt and shock welled up inside her.

  He groaned in obvious pain and rubbed the part where she hit him. He rose slowly and the hood covering his face fell, revealing a young boy about her age. Golden locks with stripes of black fell on his face, framing eyes of molten gold with darkening specks of black. His hair was short, layered into short tresses that framed his handsome and fair face.

  He wore a simple brown cloak that covered his entire body. He also seemed to have hidden his face under that hood—until Valeriana punched him that is.

  He looked up and met the eyes of the girl, who stared back at him with wide eyes. They stayed like that for a moment before a shocked expression creased his features. Seeming to have realized that his hood fell, he scrambled from his position and pulled it back to cover his face before rushing past Valeriana hurriedly.

  “Wait!” She screamed, running after him and firmly circling her hands around his wrist.

  He halted and looked back at her, his boots making a loud squeak as he was abruptly pulled to a stop. His eyes looked like they were glowing despite the shadow that hid his face. They stared at her with great intensity that Valeriana swore she almost felt an ever familiar chill run down her back, but she dismissed it as if it was nothing.

  “You . . .” She trailed off.

  He tensed. The boy's eyes widened again and he tried wrenching off his hands away from her hold.

  “Are you okay?” She asked worriedly, tightening her grip around his wrist to hold him in place. “Look, I'm really sorry for punching you like that so suddenly but you don't have to run away! I wasn't trying to bully you or anything, I'm so sorry.” She told him, staring straight at his face to show her sincerity.

  At first, he looked panicked, but when she asked him her question, he looked more than surprised. She released her grip around his wrist and reached towards his face, trying to examine the damage she had done. He flinched from her incoming touch, but immediately allowed her to examine the bruising part of his chin. It started to swell and when she traced it with her fingers, the boy flinched.

  “I think we should get you a first aid.” She muttered. “I'm really sorry about this. Let me patch you up.”

  “N-no . . . I'm fine.” He said and turned his back on her, taking long strides away.

  “Wait!” She yelled after him. “At least let me take a little bit of responsibility . . .”

  He stopped. He spun around to face her, seeming hesitant. “Are you not . . . scared?”

  “Huh? Why would I be?” She asked, confusion riddling her gaze.

  “My . . .” His hand reached to touch the multicolored locks on his head.

  “You don't look hideous or anything.” Valeriana smiled. “It looks good! Don't worry! I know a lot of people who does highlights, and you suit the color very much.”

  He stared at her in confusion. “High . . . lights?”

  Unable to say anything, the boy remained quiet and stared at her before his shoulders visibly relaxed. She smiled at him before holding out a hand for him to take.

  “Why don't you come with me? There must be a first aid kit in the duelist's waiting area . . .” She muttered unsurely. “Or something.”

  The boy reluctantly took her hand and she pulled him with her towards the arena. There was something different about this guy and she knew it—she meant that in a good way. Although the way they met was certainly awkward, there was no feeling of hostility between the two of them.

  When they reached their intended destination, her three aides bounded up to her worriedly. “Miss Valeriana!” They all shrieked. “You're back!”

  “Were you expecting me not to return?” She asked them, and they all shook their heads. “I see. Do we have a first aid kit, guys? I accidentally hurt him, so I wanted to patch him up.” She said.

  The boy stared at his feet and refused to meet any of their gazes. He could sense them looking at him strangely so he tried to hide his face from them. The three regarded the hooded figure cautiously before Quincy fetched the medical kit.

  “I was reserving this for later, Miss Valeriana.” The girl told her. “Are you sure?”

  “What's there to use a bit?” She asked with a small smile.

  Quincy grabbed a small box from the corner and handed it to the fifth-ranker. “Here you go.”

  “Thank you, Quincy.” She said.

  “We're sorry none of us have any healing power. It would've been useful.” She told her.

  “Don't worry about it. I had to deal with a lot of situations like this back home. Mostly because of my brother.” Valeriana answered before turning to the guy with her and urging him to sit down on one of the benches.

  “You have a brother?!” The three exclaimed in chorus.

  “Yup!”

  He chose to sit on the bench farthest from where the three were and tur
ned his back on them warily. Although it was an odd behavior, Valeriana decided not to ask anything and proceeded to apply an ointment on his wound. She wanted to pull back his hood, but he immediately stopped her before she could do anything and shook his head.

  Seeing as he wouldn't agree, she chose to attend to him that way. It was hard to see what she was doing, but once it was finished, Valeriana smiled down at him as she stood from her crouched position on the ground.

  “All done!” She said. “I didn't catch your name, though. What should I call you?”

  “Be—” He stopped. “Kyrell.”

  “Kyrell . . . my name's Valeriana.” She offered him a handshake and he accepted, quite reluctantly at that. “I'm really sorry. Let's start over, shall we?”

  “It's fine.” He answered. “It's half my fault suddenly appearing.”

  She chuckled and scratched her head.

  “Everyone, your attention please!” A voice echoed.

  “The duel's starting! Miss Valeriana!”

  Her heart suddenly jumped to her throat that her breath stopped as well.

  The whole arena quieted down and the Headmaster's voice became evident. Since there were no microphones of any sort, his voice was faint even though he was already using his voice in its loudest. The girl turned and looked out from where she was. She realized that the sun's rays had finally broken through the clouds and that with this sign, the duel would commence.

  “Thank you all for coming.” He said. “A ranker's second duel is always regarded to be the most important out of all the duels he or she fought or will fight. Today we witness, the newly appointed fifth-ranker of the Celestial Circle and a student with a famed reputation.”

  Valeriana tensed. “Oh, god. I'm nervous again.” She whispered.

  “Are you saying . . .”

  “As of today, Valeriana will prove her worth as a titleholder. Zion Brunhild stepped up to challenge her for this very reason. As all of you may know, Valeriana is not of this world. Just as rumors say, she's not a Valemnian, but a human.” He made a dramatic pause.

  “Human? You? I certainly did not hear of this when I . . .” Kyrell trailed off and stared at Valeriana in shock.