The Best Friend's Inescapable Fate

Chapter 3. Watch out, fireball!

"I'm Lillia. Lillia Olgray." Lillia meekly answered. Miss Marie crossed her arms. "You're not half-bad, you held out well on your own." Not half-bad??? Lady, do you know who you're talking to?!

"Oh, thank you, Miss Marie." Lillia raised her head and smiled quaintly. She had the type of smile that was so pure, it could end world hunger, unite all nations, and grant prosperity for all generations to come.

Ruth looked at the sky above her. The faint outline of the silver quarter moon had appeared in broad daylight! On a clear and sunny afternoon! Ruth remembered this was Lillia's ability to gain magic powers and strength from the phases of the moon, called "Moonglow Surge". Lillia seemed to just be able to pluck out the moon from the sky whenever she did her magic. This was the power of a divine celestial being, how come it had been bestowed upon a scrawny teenager?

The whistle was sounded. Rene had already gotten up and made his way towards the rest of the class. Miss Justine stood in the center, apart from the students who circled her. Ruth quickly ran to get close.

"You probably wonder why I called you all out here to play this game."

"The first reason being that I can assess the capabilities of every individual here. Meaning I can see here who needs improvement and who needs some...help." Miss Marie looked over at Ruth still clamping her bloody nose with the handkerchief.

"You see, our anatomy is like this ball. We absorb particles of light and dark, and we turn them into magic. That's where all of your abilities come from. Our class is about focusing on those abilities and using them in combat. This is where you must apply the skills you've learned in other classes."

"In the near future, your first real taste of using magic in practical situations would be in the ruins exploration. Even beyond that, you will be going in the rush domain for training before going off to the Gylder Tournament. And let me tell you, the Gylder Tournament is absolutely no joke; you'll be up against formidable novices from other schools and our pride will be at stake here. After getting out of school, no matter what job you wish to take, what you've learned here in school now will be important."

"I hope you all understand what I'm saying. You are now dismissed."

"And you, head to the clinic near the courtyard." Miss Marie gestured towards Ruth. Ruth walked away when Vivien, Lillia, and Ezra approached her.

"You were NOT kidding when you said you were unlucky. How are you even alive?" Vivien asked jokingly as he nudged Ruth's shoulder. He had a stupid grin that Ruth just wanted to wipe off. "I saw how that thing hit you, it was like, fwooo—BAM! And your face got smashed like glass!" Ruth stayed silent.

"I'm just surprised you even made it that far into the game. Sorry about what happened to you. You are in a lot of pain right now."

"Ruth, I'm sorry I just keep hurting you like that, I swear it's not my intention to!"

"Please, my head hurts and I've just lost a lot of blood." Ruth weakly pleaded. "Just chill for a second, okay? I need to chill down too, but I'm all over the place right now." All three stopped talking. "Okay, sure, whatever man." Vivien responded in a small voice.

Ruth entered the clinic. Instead of the place smelling like rubbing alcohol, it smelled more like herbs. The room was just a desk, a few chairs, a bunch of dusty shelves and cabinets filled with glass vials, and a row of beds.

The one in charge of the clinic was a tall elf lady in the same cloak as the teachers. Her features were smooth and youthful. Knowing how elves could be, Ruth assumed this elf lady was probably way older than she seemed. When the door swung open, she immediately put the book she was previously absorbed in down on the desk.

"Miss Marie's class?" Oh, this must be a natural occurrence here. Ruth nodded. The elf lady sighed. "Go sit on that chair. You three are fine, aren't you?" Lillia, Ezra, and Vivien nodded. "Then get out of here. Shoo!" They hurriedly shoved each other and left the room.

The elf lady took a glass vial out of a cabinet. The liquid inside the vial was of a bright pink color. "Here. Your nose should be fixed right after so you don't lose more blood." Ruth took it in her hand. She inspected it before opening the lid, then she swallowed the liquid.

Ruth sat there for a minute before reluctantly touching the bridge of her nose, expecting to feel a sharp pain. Her nose had miraculously healed and wasn't crooked anymore! It would be a big worry for Ruth if her pretty face was ruined on her first school day. Ruth exhaled in relief. Her face was still smeared with blood, however. She went over to the nearby bathroom connected to the room to wash her face. The water in the basin became tinged brown-red as Ruth washed the stains off that had already dried on her skin. She also washed the blood off the handkerchief; she'd have to return it to Miss Marie tomorrow when it's dried.

Ruth walked out of the bathroom. The elf lady gave Ruth a paper slip with details about her injury and a signature confirming that she had recieved treatment. "Give this to your parents," the elf lady instructed. Ruth tucked the slip in her pocket.

"You're good to go. Now, scram." The elf lady waved her hand as if she was swatting Ruth away. "Thanks." She muttered and left the clinic. Vivien, Ezra, and Lillia seemed to have left school and gone home already. There went the opportunity to ask Lillia if she could walk with her to her home. In school settings such as these in stories and shows, walking with a character back to their home was one of the ways to build friendships.

Ruth sighed. What a hectic and tiring day it had been. Two injuries caused by the clumsy protagonist, it seemed her bad luck had been transferred to Ruth instead. Or the Storyteller was just obsessed with torturing her. Either way it was, Ruth didn't care, the answer remained the same: surviving in this world as Ruth Almena would be hard. Ruth picked up her bag from her locker and left Bellaforte to go home.

The quarter moon in the hazy afternoon sky didn't look so bad.