VAELORNE ACADEMY : SCHOOL FOR PECULIARS [ ON-HOLD ]

CHAPTER 8 : TRADITION

I am smiling as I trace the sharpness of my chosen blade.

"Common is not always the easiest"

Nawala ang ngiti ko sa narinig ko, tinignan ko kung sino ang nag-salita.

Hunter..

He is staring at me, grinning. Papalapit ito saakin.. Dumeretcho kung saan ang mga armas. Pinag masdan ko ito habang kinukuha ang isa pang espada na kagaya ng kinuha ko.

"Wanna try?" He smirked, I am nervous like crazy. Para itong bata na nahanap na ang kanyang paboritong laruan.

"Mr. Tarragon, no fighting before exams" paalala nangg aming guro na nag-pawala ng kaba ko.

"Don't be like that, just a small welcoming occasion for this lady" Ani nito, An annoying smile start to form on his lips.

May pinindot itong buton na may gilid ng pader kung saan nakalagay ang mga armas. Biglang gumalaw ang pader na nag hahati sa weapon area at the training room.

Nag simula nang kumabog ng malakas ang dibdib ko. As a kid in the orphanage, I never learn to do sword fighting. Kahit na required ito sa buong Lanark to protect yourself, but it can be a core to do something illegal too.

"Shall we?" Inilahad nito ang kanyang kamay na parang nag-sasabing mauna na ako sa training room.

Tumingin ako kina Ferelith, they are not saying anything. Even Sera or Dion. Wtf?

They are just silently watching.. am I going to die on my first day here?

"It's a tradition for every novice in this class" Sa wakas ay nag-salita na ang isa sa kanila. Atlas.

"Sorry" Dagdag pa nito.

Muli kong tinignan si Hunter, he's smirking. Even though it's a tradition bakit kailangan siya pa?

Pumasok na ako sa training room, maging si Hunter ay sumunod narin saakin. Samantala, Ang iba ay nag paiwan sa weapon area.

The training room is huge, thrice ito ng lecture room namin. There's only one sliding window pero may kalakihan ito.

"The most significant thing in sword fighting is how you hold the sword," He said.

"We have also done this when we were newbies"

"I'll be easy on you don't worry" He scarcely snickers.

I hold the sword using my right hand at the top end of the grip and the other hand at the bottom of the grip, closer to the pommel. Doing this will allow me for a much wider range of arm movements with the blade.

"Interesting" kumento nito.

"Stop blabbing, you're extra chatty today"

I lift my arms and sword above my head to entice him to strike. I succeed to block him on his first attack pero nung sumunod ay nahihirapan na ako. He sliced my left shoulder, nakita ko ang pag-labas ng dugo ko dito.

I gazed at him at ngumisi ito ng malapad.

He began to blast multiple times. I only thwart his attacks, I know that I can survive if I only do defense. If I lower my guard down.. pu-pwede niya pa akong masugatan ulit.

"Stop" he attacks once again.

"Blocking" and slashing his sword. This time it's much stronger dahil napa atras ako ng kaonti.

He's faster than a typical peculiar, maybe because he's nobility. Nawala ito sa harapan ko, alam ko kung saan siya. Tumalikod ako sa orihinal kong pwesto at tama ang hula ko. He's aiming at my back head.

I parry the recent attack that made him grin. I use the chance to push him with my foot against his body, which made him off balance and turn it into an attack.

Napa-atras ito ng bahagya, pero mukang mas lalong ginanahan ito sa ginawa ko. Tumakbo ito papunta saakin, he didn't waste a moment to attack me again.

I'm exhausted, I am nearly out of my breath dahil patuloy ito sa pag-atake. Hindi ba siya napapagod?

"We can't stop until one of us surrender," he said while firing on. All I can do it to delay or avoid his attacks...

I can't compete anymore, I'm exhausted. Muli itong nawala sa harap ko. He's intending for my back head, right?

Sasaksakin ko na sana ang kung anong li-litaw sa likod ko nang bigla akong tumilapon at tumama sa pader.

I grunted in pain, naramdaman ko ang pag-crack ng buto ko sa likod. I don't think I can fight in this situation.

Ginamit ko na pang suporta ang espada ko para maka-tayo ako but before I can stand up completely. He stabbed my lower leg. Kaya napa-luhod ako nang tuluyan at muling napa-ungol sa sakit.

He pointed his sword at my chest and slowly pulled it in. The pain draw into my face, and I screamed in pain.

Hunter Tarragon.

Hindi ito gaanong malalim pero sapat na para maramdaman kong napupunit ang aking laman. I hold the sword using my both hands. Hinawakan ko ito para sinusubukang alisin sa aking dibdib ngunit mas lalo niya lamang itong i-diniin at inikot ng bahagya. Ramdam ko ang pagka-punit ng palad ko sa ginawa niya, muli ay napa sigaw ako sa sakit na nararamdaman ko.

"Mr. Tarragon, enough!"

Ayan ang huli kong narinig bago ako nawalan ng malay.

Third Person's POV

"It's too much" Sera hissed. Kasalukuyan silang nasa school clinic. Samara is unconscious because of what happened in the training room.

"It's a welcoming gift for us to acknowledge her, it's a tradition Sera. You can't stop it" Nicolas countered.

Malamig siyang nakatingin sa dalagang nasa clinic bed. Para bang nakatitig ito sa katawan na walang buhay.

"I don't wish to hear your opinion" Matalim na saad ni Sera. She's modest and energetic but she can't just withstand such a situation.

"I bet hunter will receive penalty again, katatapos niya lang sa isa bago nanaman." Dion changed the topic.

The guy is known for being a jerk and a pain in the ass. He's not always in the academy learning. He's always in the detention room or nowhere finishing a punishment.

"He deserves it" Wala nang nag-salita sa sinabi ni Ferelith.

The patient is slowly gaining consciousness. She growl in pain when she opened her eyes.

"What happened?" That's the first phrase that comes out of the girl's mouth when she wakes up.

"You almost died. Seriously, this time because of what he did" Atlas explained.

The girl just nodded and shut her eyes.

"Welcome to Alpha"