by Tj Dixon
I can’t see past the other students so I close my eyes and use my senses. She gets past Sor and Emi who are sitting in front of Emma and Yu Kii at the end of the front row of desks. The next desk is empty but other students are approaching the large pot now, so the area around it is busy. Ash waits patiently as another student empties her water into the large pot successfully.
It is clearly Ash’s turn next so Ash approaches the pot and moves the water towards it. As she does so the student who has just put her water in the pot sticks a foot out to trip Ash. Ash steadies herself without falling, but her water drops to the floor as she loses her concentration.
“Ash, stay behind after class.” Professor Schwarz sighs. It seems she was focusing purely on the water.
“Yes, Professor Schwarz.” Ash says without protest.
“You were so close though. Try not to lose your focus, I am sure your second attempt will be successful.”
“Thank you.” Ash nods.
“I heard how you freed your slaves yesterday. I’m glad you did, because they are all good students. It was your right to keep them though, so it was a very kind thing to do.” Professor Schwarz says and Ash hesitates before nodding.
“Peter.” Emma says and I lose my focus on the conversation.
“Yes, Emma.”
“We’re both having trouble, any chance you could help us?” Emma asks and Yu Kii nods, clearly embarrassed.
“Yeah, sure.” I say a bit annoyed at the distraction. I’m worried about Ash. She is clearly upset.
“Is something wrong?” Emma asks.
“No.” I say, suppressing a sigh. Then I give them the same instructions that I gave to Ash. Rin, Asuna and Hermes all listen in and even Gabriel and the girl sitting next to her seem to be listening. Emma manages on her first attempt, but she is probably the best air mage out of my friends from this class.
Ash returns to her desk and tries again but she is too upset to clear her mind properly. I don’t think she is going to manage this today. Gabriel seems pleased but avoids mocking Ash, because her own attempts are still failing just as badly. I don’t know what to say to Ash, so I end up not saying anything at all.
Yu Kii, Asuna, Rin and Hermes have soon completed the task having followed my advice and are sitting there chatting. I don’t join in because I am still worried about Ash. I am so distracted I only notice Sor as she taps me on the shoulder. Yu Kii who happened to be looking in the general direction gasps.
“Rude girl.” Sor says with a scowl at Yu Kii. Then Sor glares at me. “Are you not competing?”
“In the tournament?”
“Of course in the pointless bloody tournament.” Sor says with a voice as cold as ice. In fact her aura chills me to the bone.
“If it’s pointless why…?” I start to ask but her aura changes from a glacial fury to a fiery rage. “Yes, I’m competing.”
“Good, because I’m going to beat you and free you. That way I’m no longer in your debt. You’d better give it your best though, and if you lose before fighting me I’ll port you straight to hell.” Sor says and I’m not so sure it’s an exaggeration.
“I don’t plan to lose.” I tell her honestly.
“Then why are you helping your enemy? Ash is a demon summoner, so she’s dangerous. I would beat her, but I’m not so sure you will if you keep helping her like this. Also you will be the one fighting her in the next match.”
“I’m not going to lose to Ash or to you.” I tell Sor, who glares at me before turning and walking away without another word.
“What debt?” Rin asks curiously.
“I removed a curse from her. Well, Dairon did actually, but I was the one who agreed to have him do so. Lucy was all up for having me marry Sor, or...”
“Marry!” Rin exclaims loudly and everyone in the class is staring at her.
“Who is marrying who?” The girl beside Gabriel asks.
“Sor is marrying Peter.” Gabriel says loudly, throwing oil into a fire. Then Sor is standing behind Gabriel with both hands on Gabriel’s shoulders.
“Do you want to die?” Sor asks Gabriel sounding deadly serious. “And which hell would you prefer?”
Gabriel pales, obviously not having considered that not only the rest of the class, but that Sor would also hear her comment. Gabriel can’t work up the words to answer.
“Sor…” Professor Schwarz says loudly with a very strong warning edge to her voice.
“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t really port her to hell. Probably not anyway…” Sor says with false cheer in her voice.
“Make sure you don’t!” Professor Schwarz shouts. Then she looks at Gabriel. “And stop spreading stupid rumours, before you get yourself killed.”
“Yes, Professor!” Gabriel says rather enthusiastically.
“And how is your work coming along?”
“Ummm…” Gabriel mutters.
“Then focus on your work!”
Chapter 20 (Peter)
The lesson ends and as I expected Ash hasn’t even come close to completing it. I understand all too well why some of her classmates hate her. If I’d been her slave I probably would too. It is easy to look in from the outside and say that it wasn’t her fault, but when you are the victim it is much harder. To her victims she is just like the guards at the arena were to me when I was a slave.
“Do you want to eat with us?” I ask but she shakes her head and ports away.
“That was rude.” Rin says sounding annoyed.
“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t think she would, but I thought I’d offer. With Ling gone and everything that has happened I doubt she has any friends.”
“She could still have said ‘no thank you’.” Rin says with a frown.
“And why do you think she doesn’t have any friends?” Gabriel asks me with a glare.
“I know, but you chose to enter the tournament knowing the risk. You are very lucky to have been freed. You could have lived your whole life as a slave and you would have had no right to complain.” I tell her.
“Do you know what it is like to have your vision and hearing stolen and be forced to stand against a wall in a line for days on end? To eat only every other day, or to have your breath stolen from you?”
“I’ve lived through worse.” I tell her coldly but as I continue to talk I get emotional. “Food every other day would have been a treat, and there were times I wanted to lose my vision and hearing. That way I wouldn’t have heard the screams or seen… And…”
My voice breaks and I port back to my room. Tears pour from my eyes as I remember the darker days of my life as a slave. I recall scenes that I had buried deeply under less painful memories. Even as a slave I had forced myself to forget. To forget being tortured for what seemed like all eternity. To forget what I had been forced to do. To forget the blood on my hands. How could I forget any of that though, and why did Gabriel’s words bring back those memories?
“Peter?” Rin asks. I blink and look up. She is standing there looking confused, but with a determined expression.
“Rin…” Is all I can manage to say.
“I want to help. I don’t know how. What can I do?”
“Are these memories real?” I ask, even knowing there is no possible way she can answer.
“Memories of your life as a slave, before you came here?” Rin asks.
“Yes.”
“Why do you think they’re not real?”
“I don’t know how I could forget them.” I answer honestly. “He was my only friend, and I killed him. How could you forget killing your only friend? How could you forget killing anyone? I killed so many people over the centuries, but he was still my best friend.”
“The centuries?” Rin asks in shock.
“Lucy said this might happen.” A small voice squeaks from above us. I recognise it instantly, though she seems to be invisible at the moment.
“Sakura?”
“Lucy was worried about you, so she had me come here and follow you.” Sakura
tells me without removing her invisibility.
“Who is Sakura?” Rin asks in shock.
“A fairy.” I answer.
“I am Legate of the First Legion.” Sakura says proudly.
“How, why?” Rin asks in complete confusion.
“I obey King Dairon.” Sakura explains and Rin’s mouth falls wide open. “More importantly though, those memories aren’t yours.”
“They’re not?” I ask in surprise.
“No, not exactly.”
“What do you mean? Then whose are they?” Rin asks, but I have a bad feeling.
“Is it ok to talk in front of the girl?” Sakura asks me.
“Yes.” I answer and Rin just about manages to restrain herself from lashing out at Sakura.
“When you took too much power from Elucia it disrupted the balance of your souls. It will take a while for the effects to completely die down. Until then you may experience memories from both of your souls and may even be fed false memories. They will seem real to you, but after a few minutes they should fade. If they are close to your own memories they may get mixed together too.”
“Both Peter’s souls?” Rin asks in confusion. “Not that I believe in souls, but wouldn’t you normally only have one?”
“Doesn’t believe in souls.” Sakura laughs.
“Don’t laugh at me you little pixie.” Rin mutters.
“I’m a fairy legate, not a little pixie.” Sakura snarls. Rin and Sakura sound like they will get on well. Almost as well as water and fire.
“You’re right though. The memories have already faded.” I tell Sakura.
“Of course I’m right. I’m a fairy legate, so I’m always right. Anyone who wants to disagree with me can tell me from wherever I choose to send them. Perhaps hell, like that girl suggested. Oh, and she was right about not helping your enemies.”
“Ash isn’t really my enemy. I’ll fight and beat her. Then we can be friends.”
“So you’re not planning on keeping her as a slave?” Sakura asks.
“I may have to, but we can still be friends.”
“You can’t be true friends with someone who has to obey you.” Sakura warns me. “It’s lonely at the top, but the view is worth it.”
“I don’t want Ash to be a slave, but if I release her I think she may try to kill herself again.”
“There’s nothing wrong with having her as your slave, but don’t fool yourself into think of her as a friend.” Sakura says with a shrug.
“Why do you want to help Ash so much?” Rin asks me suspiciously.
“Why not? She was used by Ling and her whole life was nothing more than a lie. Her parents were brutally murdered and she was forced to forget about it until now. Now everything has returned to her, and she also has to live with everything she was tricked into doing. If that’s not enough to make you suicidal… or to make someone take pity on you…” I say shaking my head.
“So are those memories of yours gone completely?” Rin asks me awkwardly.
“No, but it feels like there is a fog between me and them. I can still feel them, but not clearly.”
“If they come out like that in the arena it could be a problem.” Rin says sounding worried.
“Don’t worry. If that happens I’ll just supress them.” I tell her calmly. I feel very calm now, though more than a little hungry. “Let’s get something to eat. I’m starving.”
“Are you sure you’re ok?” Rin asks clearly still worried.
“Yes, I’m fine now.”
“Ok, well let’s get something to eat. Do pixies eat too?”
“I’m not a bloody pixie! I’m a fairy!” Sakura screams from just beside my ear. I wince.
“Fine, do fairies eat?” Rin asks.
“Of course we eat, but I promised King Dairon that I would protect Peter, so food can come later.”
“Protect…? More importantly though, what’s with the whole ‘King’ Dairon?” Rin asks.
“He’s king of the elves so of course I call him King Dairon.” Sakura says proudly.
“He’s king of the elves?! Did you know that Peter? You don’t seem surprised.”
“We found out in Nirvali.”
“You could have mentioned it last night.”
“I forgot.” I say with a shrug.
“Anything else you forgot?” Rin asks shaking her head in disbelief.
“Probably, but I hope not.” I answer.
“I hope not too.” Rin says with a sigh. “Anyway, let’s get something to eat. I’m sure the whole club will be eager to talk to you at lunch, so we’d best get over there so you have time to eat too.”
“Let’s eat first. I really am hungry.”
“I could port over there and pick something up for you. That way you don’t have to worry about talking to anyone.” Rin suggests.
“Sure.” I answer.
“So what do you want?”
“Something that isn’t going to break my teeth and is already dead. No bugs though, even if they are dead.” I answer.
“What have you been eating?” Rin says with a laugh. “That request doesn’t really rule anything out that you’ll find in the lunch room. I’ll bring back your usual soup unless you have any other suggestions.”
“No my usual soup sounds lovely.” I answer. “Not that I can remember what it tastes like.”
“You’ll remember when you start eating.” Rin smiles.
“I hope so.”
“I’ll be right back. Well the queue will probably be bad by now, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Rin tells me and ports away.
“How much does she know?” Sakura asks.
“I didn’t want to worry her, so not much about what happened in Nirvali, or about my souls.”
“You could have said it wasn’t ok to talk.” Sakura says with a sigh.
“I couldn’t do that in front of Rin. Try not to reveal too much to her though. You can trust her completely, but I don’t want to worry her about something she can’t change.”
“It would be easier for you if you could talk to at least one person about it, and someone who is your equal and not your slave or your follower. Well as equal as they can be.” Sakura warns me.
“That would probably be Lucy then. She’s at least my equal and I don’t need to worry so much about worrying her.”
“Perhaps you have some sense after all.” Sakura laughs. “I’d say she and Dairon are both more than your equal, though Dairon has to serve you for now, so Lucy is a very good choice.”
“How is she doing?” I ask.
“She’ll be fine with rest.” Sakura says. I can’t see her aura, but her voice reveals a hint of worry.
“I’ll visit her after lessons.” I say, now worried.