Eternal Awakening

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Round Two! Fight!

Richard woke much earlier than he normally did, on the first day of the tournament. It had stopped snowing at some point in the night, and now the sun was out and bright light lit up the frozen landscape of the academy. It was the perfect type of winter weather to be outside in, and Richard had a feeling he would be out there a lot. His day of vengeance had finally come, and he used the few extra hours he had, from waking up so early, to mentally prepare himself for what was to come.

He ate all of the hearty breakfast that had been prepared for him and sent up to his room; even if he really didn't feel all that hungry. When he was finished, he slowly put on his duelling gear with a purpose, making sure every piece was exactly how it should be and that nothing was loose or out of place. He wanted the sight of him to be the one thing that Dawkins remembered for the rest of his life, and he wanted it to be perfect.

As he went about putting it all on, Richard found that he was filled with a new confidence. It filled him to the brim and warmed his body, which shook a little in anticipation. After everything that had ever been done to him, by every single bully he had ever met, Richard was finally ready to stand on his own and stop the cycle. And the first step towards that goal was to cut down Dawkins and make him remember it for the rest of time.

Richard didn't much like the idea of becoming a bully to stop the bullying, but he had been left with little else to do. Besides, he couldn't help but think that Dawkins deserved what was coming to him. He hadn't just bullied Richard, but many others as well. Lisbeth, Karo, Lythia, and many other students had been the ones to get bullied by him. And that ended now.

The school bells tolled three times just before ten in the morning, and all the students left their rooms and headed outside. Every single one of them was dressed in the duelling attire, and each had a look of excitement and determination painting their slightly pale faces. And none of them spoke even a single word, allowing a chilled silence to fill the area.

Once outside they met a group of professors, who arranged them into neat and orderly lines just outside the towers. They were split up by year, and Richard looked around for his two friends that were in the same line as he was. He couldn't see them though, so he quickly focused on getting his mind set for what he needed to do.

A few moments after the professors were satisfied that everyone was where they were supposed to be, they then marched the students through the school grounds and towards the arena that sat at the far end. Men, women, and even children had lined up along the parade route and waved and cheered as each year went by, getting louder and louder as the older students started to appear. It was almost intoxicating, the scene they were creating, and Richard tried not to smile as people picked him out of the first years and yelled out his name and title.

This must have been the gladiators felt throughout history, he thought.

There was a small opening ceremony before the tournament could actually begin, and when the students arrived outside the massive and very imposing arena, they were lined up in front of a small podium. Standing on top of this podium were several professors and nobles, including Aura, and even the headmaster; with her thick glasses and grizzled grey hair that hung over her thin and frail looking shoulders.