Today's a bit different. Because today, I'm being forced by Farah to join a school trip.
. . . Damn her, she knows I despise any school trip
But in the end, I eventually accepted it. Because of the deal she proposed to me
2 days ago
"Come on, Dan. It'll be fun "
Farah said that to me, as she looked at me with the hope that I would join
". . . It's just a technology event. What's so special about it? "
"What?! Don't you dare act stupid now! You know that those mad geniuses present their prototypes for their next inventions there, right? "
". . . You'll see it on public soon anyway when it's done, so why are you so excited to be there? "
"Dan. . . They take any advice as an opportunity for improvement before launching their invention. And when I say any, it means any "
"So? "
"So, that means if I ask them to put a feature that allows it to feed those cute cats, they might accept it! " She says as her eyes filled with glittering hopes
"Huff, should have known you were going there for that alone "
I said calmly before I opened my textbook and started reading it
"But still, there's no point in my coming along. If you want to, just go there without me "
She tapped her chin before smirking and saying her next lines in a mock mastermind tone
"Hey, Dan. If you join, you'll be sitting with me at the VIP seat for the next magic tournament "
". . . Huff, not interested-"
"Suraya is in it "
That alone was enough to make me instantly drop my book and focus my attention back on her
". . . Come again? "
"The next tournament is held by Witchwall University, which they also make part of the exams as well. And guess who's competing for their exam~? "
". . . "
"I also coincidentally have enough money to buy an extra VIP ticket. Which means you could see the competitors at the front. Hohoho~"
". . . When's the school trip? "
". . . Worth it " I whispered to myself
"Alright students, we have arrived at the exco. You may take a look at the building " The teacher shouted to us
I take a look at the building from the bus window. It was a huge building, shaped as a rectangle
. . . I can't see the end of it. . .
"Welcome students, to Artlington La Miserth. The main building of our country to hold any big event, just like this technology exco "
"Waaahhh~"
"It looks great! "
"Bro, where the hell is the end of the building?! "
"It looks so big! "
The teacher laughed at the student's reaction, before continuing the lecture
"Please be respectful out there and act nice. And don't wander around alone or you will get lost "
As the bus parked beside the building, I stepped out of the bus while the other students talked with each other, before Farah suddenly slapped my shoulder
"Hey, Dan. Be cheerful a little bit "
". . . I hate school trips"
"Heh, yet you join when I asked " She smirked at me
". . . That deal hooked me. And your 10-cent face sold me away "
"Hey, that's so rude! You're telling me that my face is only worth 10 cents?! "
"You're right, it should have been lower "
"Dan! "
Ignoring her tantrum, I looked at the inside of the building, with Farah looked at me with a dumbfounded face
"Err. . . What are you looking for, Dan? "
". . . Registration place "
"Heh, you really didn't pay attention when the teacher gave us instructions at the bus earlier, eh? "
"There's an instruction? "
"It was given when we were on our way here. Did you pay any attention at all? "
". . . I was asleep. This is what happens when you force me to go somewhere I don't like "
"Well, guess I need to act as your 'savior' once again huh? Hohoho~ "
I turned around and looked at her smug face, currently smirking at me while her hand was under her chin like an arrogant royalty
"Come on, plead to me and I might consider it "
Well. . . Guess I play around with her, just this one time
". . . Please show me the way, oh 10-cent-face savior "
"Hmm, I suppose I would. Be grateful as I will act as your guiding light to your destination, peasant "
"Yay " I say deadpanly
She giggled at my response before pushing me lightly into the registration hall
"Come on, Dan. The quicker we register, the quicker I can give my suggestion! " She says as her eyes filled with excitement
"Yeah, yeah. . . Please don't push me "
---
As I walked beside her to the main Hall after she gave her suggestion to at least 100 inventions we encountered, I couldn't help but ask her about it
"Oi, Farah "
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"What? "
". . . Did you really need to give that suggestion to every single thing we see? "
"Of course! Those poor cats need to eat food every day, just like you "
". . . No, I mean. . . How the hell will an automatic shoe cleaner execute such a thing. . .? "
"Erm. . . I-I don't know, ok?! I'm hoping those inventors know how to! "
". . . I can understand that you want an Android detective or an automatic food refill to do such a thing. But what did you expect from that? "
"S-Shut up! I just care about those stray cats! "
As we both arrived at the main Hall, one of our classmates, Kain, decided to approach us while waving his hand gently
"Hey, Dani. Hey, Farah "
"Kain! You here as well? " Farah asks while smiling at him
"Hmm, of course I am. So, you guys gave your suggestion as well? " He says as he's combing his hair
"Not me, only Farah did " I say calmly
"Don't mind Dani. If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't even come here you know? "
"I see. Well, you should live up a little, Dani. This is a one-of-a-kind experience, not every day you can go to such a great event "
As he keeps combing his hair, the comb itself seems to be glowing brightly. Not enough to be blind, but it does attract attention
". . . Where did you get that glowing comb? " I ask him calmly
"Oh this? One of the guys here gave it to me, saying that he wanted to test his invention. I still don't know what's so special about this tho "
. . . Isn't that. . .
". . . Hey, Kain? "
"What? "
"Tell my parents in the afterlife that their son pour milk first before cereal "
"Eh??!! " Farah was surprised at my sudden dark joke
". . . What's with the sudden joke? "
"Did you even know what material the comb was made of? " I ask him
"Err. . . No? Why? "
". . . Huff, alright. Name me magic stones that are glowing whenever they release their mana "
"Err. . . Solflare, Glacium, Skyrune. . . "
"Tell me one trait that they all share "
"Err. . . They all are radioactive-" The realization hit him as he slowly lowered the comb from his hair
Farah just closed her eyes with a mock acceptance face before talking calmly, trying hard not to laugh out loud in that exact moment
"Well, Kain. . . You're surely will be remembered by us "
"Not me. I already have so many things to think about, there's no space in my brain I can spare to remember you " I say calmly
". . . A-Am I. . . Going to die? " He says as he gulps, scared of such a possibility
Farah, who can't hold her laugh any longer, laughs at his face about it
"Hahahaha. . . Oh, you poor man, get startled easily by Dani. . . " She said as she wiped her tears from laughing too much
"W-What did you mean. . .? "
"Well, Kain. . . This is why you shouldn't fall asleep in class. While what Dani says is true, that thing is not bad for you"
"H-Huh? "
"If I'm not mistaken, that thing looks similar to Dawncore. A radioactive stone that helps something to increase its growth rate. So if anything, that comb actually helps your hair to grow faster "
Kain instantly turned his head at me with a red face and murderous eyes, before shouting at me
"Oi Dani! You make me scared to death there! Don't joke about this shit! "
". . . Not my fault you didn't pay attention in class "
As Farah giggled to me about the tease, a speaker on the stage suddenly made an announcement
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen, from the kids to the eldest. Welcome to the 1000th Eloimas Techno Expo! "
His announcement was celebrated with confetti, before the hall filled with thousands of claps from the audience
"And now, we're honored to welcome a hero from Aloren who's willing to come here as our honored guest. Please welcome. . . Frost Diamond! "
As the name was announced, my head suddenly felt a headache again, and my senses started to shatter
Why? Why is he here?
Why? Why?
My sight becomes more blurry, the sounds of clapping start to fade from my ears, the feeling of disgust starts to fill my throat, threatening me to vomit on the spot
Why is he still alive?
My parents died because of him
So why is he here? Being healthy. Being fucking alive
It's unfair!
It's unfair!
IT'S UNFAIR!!!
Damn him
Damn him!
DAMN HIM!!!
I hate him.
Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate.
Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate
I hate him!!!
I HATE HIM!!!
HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE!
HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE!
HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE!
HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE!
HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE!
HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE! HATE!
"Dan! Dan! "
Farah shouted at me as she shook my shoulder, instantly making me snap back into reality before I turned my head slowly to her
"You ok? "
". . . Hmm. I want to go to the toilet for a while, don't mind me"
Before she could stop me, I turned to the side and started walking to the toilet and disappeared between the crowds
". . . Dan. . . "
She turned her head and looked sharply at him, who just casually waved his hand and smiled smugly at the audience
"Fuck you. . . " She says, as she clenched her hand tightly
As I washed my face, I slowly lifted my head up and stared into the mirror, looking at my messed-up face
"I almost vomited there. . . What the hell. . . "
". . . Calm yourself down, Dani. . . You don't want your friends to bear the burden of your stupid decision "
As I slowly let the headache fade away, I washed my face one more time before taking a deep breath and releasing it and walked out of the toilet
That's when I bumped into someone in the hallway, wearing a black cloak to cover his face from the eyes
". . . Sorry-"
"Did that fucking guy show himself already? "
". . . Ha? "
His sudden question makes me dumbfounded for a while, before he suddenly pushes me to the wall and chokes my neck with his arm
"Argh. . .! "
He then slowly lifted up his face and stared coldly at me. His eyes filled with murderous thoughts, but it was broken, as if whatever thoughts were behind the eyes were the sole reason why he was still alive
"Answer. . . my. . . question "
"Argh. . . Who. . . Who the hell is 'he'. . .? "
"That. Fucking. Bastard. Who calls himself. . . A fucking hero "
He pressed his arm on my neck, cutting off the rest of my breath, making my face start to turn blue and my eyes getting more blurry
". . . Yes. . . Yes he is. . . "
He stared into me for a while before moving his arm from my neck, making me instantly cough and gasp for air
He then looked up slowly to the ceiling, tears slowly falling from his eyes before smiling emptily
". . . Ah, I shouldn't show my face to anyone. . . Mom and Dad would hate my messy face right now. . . "
Shit-
He then instantly threw a punch at subsonic speed, before I rolled out of the way and tried to run away. But before I could, he grabbed my collar and threw me back and walked slowly to me
"You're about to tell everyone about me, don't you?. . . I wouldn't allow it, my parents are going to be sad if they see me right now "
. . . Crazy maniac. . .
He then threw another punch, which I instantly dodged and locked his arm with both my arms
"Are you another fucking demon? Sent here to test me or whatever you had in your fucking twisted mind? "
Another tear flowed from his eye, as if my question offended him
". . . I'm a human "
His answer caught me off guard, before his punch landed on my cheek, making me fall and roll on the ground before I spat out blood from my mouth
My head feels like it's almost exploded on the spot. My consciousness faded a little before I shook my head, forcing myself to stay awake
Shit. . . Feel like I just got hit by a speeding car. . .
"My Dad's a human. My mom's a human. I'm a human. Human. Human. Human. Human. Human. Human. Human. Human. Human. Human. Human. Human. Human. "
He repeated those words as he gripped his head and tears kept coming out of his eyes
But his tears now come out as blood, with his eyes wide open as if they almost popped out from his eye sockets
"I'm not it. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not it. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'm not. I'M NOT IT!!!!"
He screamed his last sentence before he dashed towards me and was about to grip my head, when a dagger flying towards his direction hit his hand
As he instantly turned his head in the direction, standing a boy of my age who forced himself to look brave as he pulled out another knife
The same boy that I talked with about his glowing comb earlier
". . . Kain. . . " I whispered weakly
Without saying anything, he suddenly dashes towards Kain, wanting to kill him. With Kain quickly throwing his dagger towards my direction and teleporting to it
"Dani, what the hell happened here? " Kain says as he helps me get up
"Fuck me if I know. . . That crazy maniac just wants to kill me all of a sudden. . . " I said as I wiped the blood from my face
The maniac suddenly turns his body and instantly dashes in front of Kain and tries to punch him, with Kain quickly blocks it with his dagger
Kain then pushed his hand away and tried to stab his neck, but was grabbed quickly and thrown against the wall
"Argh!. . . Shit. . . "
Before he could land another punch on Kain, I quickly ran and grabbed him out of the way and I kept running
"T-Thanks, Dani. . . "
". . . You saved me earlier, I just repay the favor"
As I turn around for a second, his punch has broken through the floor. Which confused me there for a moment
. . . His punch isn't that strong earlier. . .
I quickly snapped myself out when I saw him turn his body around in our direction, preparing to once again come at us
"Kain! Throw your dagger there! " I shout while I point my finger to the end of the hallway
". . . ! Oh, Alright! "
Kain then summoned another dagger in his hand before throwing it there and grabbed my arm
Before he could grab any of us, Kain instantly teleported us to the dagger, keeping our distance from him
Kain then threw his dagger to the left, making sure we both headed to the main hall before repeating the same action
"Can you keep doing this? "
"Huff. . . Huff. . . Probably. . . Huff. . . If my mana didn't run out soon "
As I turn my head around, he is already dashing towards us, much faster than before
. . . Is it because he's getting angrier?
"Dodge! " I shouted to him
Kain then threw his dagger to the left and teleported there, before he stopped mid-dash and jumped towards us and punched Kain's face, making him hit the wall hard enough to make the wall crack
He then gripped my neck before smashing me to the ground. As I hit the ground, I can feel bones in my back breaking, with the debris surrounding us as a result of the broken floor
My head felt the concussion with my vision getting blurry, but I could still see how his murderous eyes stared at me before he raised his fist
Before he could punch my face, a dagger flew directly at his head, and he caught it effortlessly
A few more daggers flew directly towards him, before he dashed to the back, making the daggers hit the ground instead
With my blurry vision, I saw Kain run towards me before he supported me to get up by holding my arms on his shoulder
". . . Don't ask me if I'm ok, Kain. . . " I say weakly, calmly
"You think I'm about to ask that when I literally hit the wall? "
". . . Fair point "
I then shook my head, forcing my vision to stay clear and for the pain to be gone for a moment
As we both looked at him, he slowly bent his body forward with his eyes staring at us, like a predator watching its prey
". . . We can't run, he will just catch us if we do " I say calmly
". . . Hey, Dani. Can you run fast? "
". . . Yeah. Did you want to hold him here? "
He didn't answer it at first, but instead gulped before forcing a smirk and answering my question with mock bravado
"Yeah, I am "
". . . You're scared, aren't you? "
"Heh, me? Scared? No I'm not. . . Just nervous "
". . . "
"Just go, Dani. Run fast, will ya? "
I didn't answer him, but I quickly turned around and ran as fast as I could to the main hall
Don't die yet, Kain
As I watched Dani keep running, I turned my focus back at him, before I summoned my dagger and swirled it around my fingers
"Well. . . Guess I need to act brave here, eh? "
I threw the daggers at him with he dodged all of them effortlessly, before I teleported to one of the daggers and tried to stab him from the back
But, he quickly grabbed me and threw me to the ground making me roll on the ground for a moment before I forced myself to kneel on the ground
I threw my dagger at him once again before teleporting there, and swung it at his face with he once again effortlessly dodged
He then grabbed my wrist, pressing it to the point my blood started pouring out from my wrist before breaking it
"AAAARRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!! "
He then kicked my jaw making me knock into the air before landing on the ground, before he walked slowly and crouched on top of me
". . . Annoying " He says to me
He then gripped my neck and my head, before slowly pulling my head, as if he wanted to behead me
"AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!! IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS!!!!! "
I tried my best getting him off me, pushing him off, punching him, kicking him, summoned my dagger, and swung it at his face
None of it works.
I. . . don't want to die I thought to myself, as I silently cried, still trying to get him off me
I don't want to die
I could feel my skin slowly torn apart
I don't want to die
I could feel the veins tear apart
I don't want to die
I could taste my own blood in my throat
I don't want to die
My eyes slowly rolled back, with the last thing I saw was. . .
Nothing
I don't want to die
I arrived at the main hall, watching everyone presenting their invention to the audience before closing the door, and approached Farah slowly
"Farah. . . "
"Huff, Dan. . . What takes you so-" She cut her own words after she turned her head at me
"Dan! What happened to you?! " Farah shouted at me like a worried mother
". . . I-. . . There's no time for that. Farah, I need you-"
That's when the door was kicked by someone before the door flew to one of the inventors on the stage, who caught by that bastard hero before it hit him
"T-Thank you, Mister Frost Diamond "
"Frost Diamond. . . " A voice calling him coldly from the entrance
On his right hand, he currently gripped a beheaded body with his left hand gripping the head of the body, with the fresh blood still pouring out from both the body and the head
Everyone there was shocked at such a horrific view, especially Farah, who was now slowly holding her mouth with trembling hands
". . . K-. . . Kain. . . " She says, as she forced herself not to cry out of shock
Shit, I'm too late
He then exhaled his breath, before dropping both Kain's head and body to the ground, and stared at the fucking hero with murderous eyes
". . . I'm gonna fucking kill you "
