my final projects for classes are starting to come up and I'm getting scared 😭
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Vil followed Epel's gaze to see the two freshman boys and the monster hunched over a spot on the other side of the coliseum. He watched the purple-haired boy wave Deuce over to signal that Vil had finally awoken after being passed out for god knows how long.
"Huff...huff... Thank goodness... I was worried because I thought I had hit you somewhere vital." The boy puffed out in relief after running the long distance between the groups.
"Deuce, what happened, why are you guys all the way over there? What happened to Emica?" The blonde latched onto the boy's shoulders with a stressed look on his face.
"Uwah, Vil, slow down. Emica got uh... flung over there so we're letting her rest up." He sheepishly answered as he rubbed the back of his head.
Vil's face dropped. "She got what?!" Did he do that? He had no idea what happened considering he was suddenly so angry he blacked out and now he was waking up to a completely demolished venue and several painful wounds.
Deuce noticed the grim look of guilt overtook the dorm leader. "We checked and all her wounds seemed to be fully healed, but she probably expelled all of her energy during the fight so we won't know how long until she wakes up"
"...What do you mean fully healed? Emica doesn't have the magic to heal herself." He raised a brow at their unblinking expressions. His lilac irises blew open at the realization. "Wait, then where did that stone wall come from-"
"... We will let Emica explain once she wakes up..."
Vil's eye twitched before he let out a tired sigh. "...I've shown you guys the ugliest side of me. I threw a tantrum and took my anger out on the others, I'm the worst. It's the ugliest behavior in the world."
"You're right. "Only toddlers are allowed to throw a tantrum", is what you said to me before," Epel smirked.
"Yes... You're absolutely right, Epel. I don't deserve to be the leader of the team anymore..." Vil wordlessly admitted as he leaned his face into his hand. He felt a hand drop onto his shoulder, making him look up.
"Don't be conceited, Roi du Poison. I'm afraid you won't find any of us touching the ground." Rook had a graceful smile on his face, but even that couldn't make the guilt of his actions weigh any less.
"Oh yeah, what about Emica?-"
"She's just taking a quick nap."
"Just as he said, Vil. You haven't seriously hurt anyone yet." Kalim beamed as he pumped his fist. "You didn't commit any fatal mistake."
"Neige Leblanche and the seven dwarfs must have been enjoying themselves while singing if you couldn't tell by the cheerful music playing outside." Jamil pointed out conveniently. "It's somehow difficult for me to say this, but... Let's tell the others we accidentally started a brawl when we were practicing for the performance."
The entire coliseum was in complete shambles. The majority of the stage was decimated in the battle while the rest of the venue had either large holes or had corroded. It looked like they had instead of a brawl, had a full-out war.
"You guys... Are you trying to keep this whole incident a secret?" Vil questioned softly with a confused gleam in his eyes.
Jamil shook his head. "That's not what I mean. I'll explain the situation to the teachers after the contest has ended."
"...Hmph. Jamil, you're a truly wicked person...Ugh." The blonde tried getting up but quickly gave up as he winced while holding his side, his face scrunching up in pain.
"Vil!"
"I just stumbled a little. You don't have to worry too much." With the assistance of Rook, he was helped up to where he could fully stand.
"Your injuries are no small matter. Please don't force yourself, put your arm around my shoulder." He made the dorm leader lean against him so that he wouldn't be hunched over in pain.
"Heeyyy, you're awake! Glad to see I didn't kill you." A familiar voice broke out, making the group snap their heads around to see Emica waving at them with a dopey grin on her face. Vil felt like he was going to pass out again after seeing how much blood there was staining her shirt. It was also evident the crimson liquid had trailed down her face from the dark red smears.
"EMMMIICAAAA!!!" Kalim couldn't hold back his tears when they suddenly gushed out his eyes as he flung himself to the girl, inconsolably sobbing waterfalls into her shirt as he clung to her. "I THOUGHT YOU DIED!!"
The girl gave him a weird look as she tried patting the boy's back to comfort him. "Uh no, I'm still very much alive."
The lavender-haired boy held back from doing the same thing as Rook chuckled at him trying to restrain himself from bursting out into tears. Emica noticed him staring at her with watery eyes and pulled her arm out in a way that beckoned him over. The blonde barked out a laugh as Epel attached himself to her as she began consoling the two with a sweatdropped smile.
"Haha, I'm glad you're awake, Reine du Soleil. We've all been eagerly waiting for you to wake up from your soundless slumber." Rook hummed as his lips curled upwards, his eyes narrowed on her.
"I never thought everyone would mess me this much..." Emica's eyes slightly widened at the new nickname as she looked up at Rook. "Reine du Soleil?"
He nodded quickly. "Yes! A new fit for a monarch that shone as bright as the sun! You made my fearful heart flutter with passion, I could've sworn I saw a goddess in front of me! The heat of your brilliant aura made my face flush red while my hands grew sweaty, it was like I was being doused in-" Rook could've gone on and on had it not been for Jamil slapping his hand over his mouth.
"Yes, we get it so don't cream your pants. Glad to see you're awake, Emica." The raven-haired male shot her a quick smile as he ignored the muffled chatter of the Pomefiore vice.
"Thanks, Jamil, for whatever that was..." The amber-eyed girl nodded toward Rook who was still talking, making the boy sigh wearily. Dude never gets a break, does he?
"Henchman asked if I had turned into a chicken..." Grim grumbled as his forked tail swished wildly in annoyance. He watched as the two boys glued to Emica's side peel themselves off her, revealing two large wet spots on her shirt.
"She just woke up, but I think she's a little loopy..." Ace whispered to Deuce who went over to see if she was okay despite being with her just 5 minutes ago.
"Emica, I think you need to sit down. You look like you're about to pass out again..." The bluenette's voice was lowered as he took hold of her shoulders and noticed how faintly she shivered in place.
"Yeah, I think so too..."
The blonde watched as she was helped down considering how much she stumbled, making the guilt of the whole thing come crashing back. Even though she greeted everyone with a bright smile, he couldn't help but see how awful she looked. There was dried blood caked all over her body, some of it looking new. Her clothes were covered in dust and dirt, as well as littered with holes and other tears. Emica's face looked sunken and pale, her eyes tired and her lips chapped as a smeared trail of blood tainted her cheeks and forehead.
The girl looked up at him, giving him a warm look. "Hey, you alright?"
The man pressed his lips into a fine line. "...I hurt you. So why do you look so forgiving?"
The ravenette hummed as she held her chin in between her fingers. "Well, I know that what you did or what you said was influenced by something out of your control. You didn't know how to express it and you chose to shove it away until the last possible moment until it came back as rage. I can't blame you for having all of that pent-up frustration." She shrugged as she leaned against her arm. "Besides, if I was really angry at you, you wouldn't be standing there."
Vil didn't know whether or not she was being serious, but he let out a quiet chuckle at her laid-back demeanor despite looking like she got shoved in a dryer machine full of metal nails. "Thank you... Emica."
"Now that you remind me, Deuce, the magic that you used to defeat Vil... What was that?" Ace demanded as he raised a brow to Deuce.
"You're right. That powerful one-shot was so awesome!" Grim raved as he tried mimicking the motions Deuce used during the spell. "Deuce, when did you learn magic like that?"
The humble boy backed away slowly as the two first-years kept prodding him with questions. "Nah, I wasn't the one who made it so strong, it was thanks to Vil."
"What do you mean?" Kalim queried as he folded his arms over his chest.
"The magic allowed me to absorb the power of my opponent every time I received damage, then I could strike them back directly with all the power I have. To put it simply, the reason why I was able to cast out strong magic was that Vil's attack was real strong."
"What the hell kind of power is that?! Is that some sort of magic to get revenge on the people who start a fight with you?" Ace yowled as he looked at him in disbelief.
"That's not what it's used for! My first time using this magic was when I went to the ocean with Epel. I was deflecting their magic at the time, but then I accidentally let out a powerful blow on them and ended up hitting a homeless man in the process..." The blue haired boy scratched the back of his head as he recalled hitting Claude on accident.
"I wonder what would've happened if Emica hit him..." Grim wondered, making Epel sweat drop.
"Calamity, that's what would happen..."
"Haa... Don't cast magic on ordinary people, even if you didn't mean to. You could end up getting suspended." Jamil sighed as he shook his head.
"Ugh, s-sorry. After that, I wasn't able to cast out the same spell again no matter how hard I tried. I started to get the same feeling of it during the fight with Vil."
"Ahaha! Do you see? That hard head of yours... In other words, that's your uniqueness!" Kalim beamed.
Deuce's eyes blew open at the realization. "Unique? Ah, that's right... Maybe this is my... Unique magic?!"
"You said the spell, but don't remember?" Emica hummed, making a nod and scratching the back of his head.
"Yeah. It was a spur-at-the-moment kind of thing, so I completely forgot about it. ...Wait, I said the spell?! Oh shit, I can't remember it at all! Emica, tell me what the spell is after this!" Deuce fritted with panic all over his face, making the girl snicker.
"Sure, sure~"
"Marvelous! Merveilleux! You have successfully broken out of your shell, Monsieur Spade. Look. Even Vil was enchanted by your final hit." He pointed to the souring expression of Vil, who looked like he wanted to punch someone in the nose.
"Do I look enchanted?" He grumbled before looking over at Deuce. "But indeed. Your last hit brought me back to my senses. Not bad, Deuce."
"...Yes!! Thank you, sir!" Deuce cheered as he threw his hands up. He was elated to receive the first bit of praise from the dorm leader.
"So wait. If you hadn't succeeded in casting the spell, what made you yell at us to get down with so much confidence?" Jamil questioned as he quirked up a brow. "I'm glad you were able to cast it out, but I can't imagine what would've happened if you failed to do so."
"Don't worry about that! It worked, and in the end, isn't that what matters?"
Jamil narrowed his eyes at Kalim and Deuce before letting out a sigh. "...Really, I will never understand how you spontaneous types think."
"D-Deuce learned his unique magic before me... For real~?..." Ace whined as he hung his head low.
"Out of everyone, I didn't think Deuce would surpass us first," Grim grumbled, glaring up at the bluenette.
"Fufu. Now we have to work even harder to catch up to Deuce!" Epel declared with a cheery smile. He was happy about how everyone could find humor in the dark situation.
"Well, now I have an excuse whenever I need you to smack you around, Deucey." Emica grinned at the boy, making his face flush a bright red.
"W-what?!"
Jamil looked around, feeling the adrenaline from the fight wear down. "Now... We have to do something to fix the coliseum. Fortunately, thanks to the poisonous mist that covered the entire venue, we are the only witnesses of this whole incident. On the contrary, I'm glad Vil's unique magic has a continuous effect, or else this would've become a huge problem. Let's fix this stage and break the curse before anyone notices..." He looked down at his shakey hand, making him frown. "But it'll be impossible to fix this all with our remaining magic. ...Uh, I can't think of anything. There is nothing we can do about it."
"Ffgna..." Grim moped. There was no hope of getting his tuna, was there?
"No way, does that mean the VDC will have to be canceled...?"
"Well..." The girl hovered her hand over the stage as her eyes began to glow, making the loose tiles float. "I mean, I won't be able to fix everything since I can only reverse the damage I've done, but I think I can-" The glares she received made her slowly draw her hand back.
"Don't you even think about it, Emica," Vil growled at her, the threatening look made her sit back down.
"I guess that's a no..."
"Well well... What do we have here?" A deep voice mused, making everyone snap their heads toward the person.
"!!!"
Vil's mouth was slack-jawed at the person walking towards them, his eyes wide and full of disbelief. "You're-"
There stood in all of his glory was Malleus Draconia, his towering stature seemed to cast a shadow over them as he placed his hands on his hips. "I arrived earlier than intended, but the stage is already ravaged." Malleus hummed as his strikingly green eyes scanned each of them until they landed on Emica, who was staring up at him with her mouth slightly agape.
"The hell d'ya mean earlier than intended? You're two hours early, Tsunotaro." Emica sighed as she lulled her head to the side tiredly.
The name that spilled from her mouth made everyone but he drop their jaws to the floor.
"TSUNOTARO!!!!!?????"
It was as if it was Moses parting the Red Sea when Malleus brushed past the group and knelt before Emica to grasp her dirt-stained hand and plant a tender kiss right on her knuckles. Flabbergasted gasps loudly erupted at the sight of a prince, let alone one of the most powerful wizards in the world kneeling before her. "Carissima, what has happened to you? You're covered in blood."
"Shit. Shit happened."
"Oh, so you're the one who keeps wandering around the courtyard of Ramshackle at night." Grim casually strolled up to the prince. "Emica told me about you. You really do have horns stickin' out your head! Nyahaha...MRAH!" As the monster held out his hand to shake, he was quickly snatched away by Deuce who had a petrified look on his face.
"Grim, are you crazy?! You shouldn't speak to your senior like that!" The boy hissed, hoping that the Diasomnia dorm leader didn't hear him.
"Emica! There are plenty of ways to kill yourself y'know?! Why out of everyone would you call THIS guy Tsunotaro?!" Ace grilled as he slowly reeled back with horror on his face.
"Don't ya know who this is?!"
Emica looked at Malleus who was inspecting her face before shrugging. "I mean, he let me call him whatever I wanted. The guy never told me his name."
The horned man suddenly brushed her bangs from her forehead while his other hand was on her cheek, guiding her face from side to side. "...Hmm, that's good. It's strange that there's blood coming from your head, but I see no injuries." He let go of her face with an approving nod.
"Roi du Dragon, how did you get inside?!" Rook interjected as he looked down at the fae, surprise plaguing his usually cheery demeanor.
"I was invited by Emica...I have my invitation right here." Malleus frowned at the male, slightly offended that he would assume he had just barged in here.
"No, that's not what I meant..." He pointed at the doorway clouded by the swirly purple mist. "The entire venue was surrounded by poisonous mist caused by Vil's unique magic. There's no way anyone coming into contact with the mist would come out unscathed."
The green-eyed male hummed as he held his chin. "...Oh yes, I suppose I brushed past some sort of spell when I came in. But no curse, no matter how powerful, will work on me." Malleus smirked pridefully, amusement lingering in his eyes as he watched them whisper amongst themselves.
"Hmph. You seem to be having a lot of fun toying with Emica's naive mind." Vil glowered down at the dorm leader. He didn't enjoy how close the two were by the way they sat comfortably next to each other. The girl gave him a defeated grumble at his remark, too drained to snap back.
"The dorm based on the lofty spirit of the Fairy of Thorns, the Diasomnia dorm leader... Malleus Draconia!"
Hearing his name announced could make someone feel chills run up their spine, make them bow their heads in fear of what might happen if they looked him in the eye. He was, after all, a soon-to-be ruler of a powerful nation as well a crazy strong wizard.
Emica paused as she stared at Malleus. 'I'm I supposed to act shocked or something? I've known his name for a long time now...Ah, what the hell "...Malleus Draconia, huh?" She gaped in "surprise" as she shot him a look.
The man felt his lips curl into a smile, enjoying how his name left her lips. "...Indeed. I am Malleus Draconia, the crown heir of the Valley of Thorns."
"Ffgna... The crazy-strong wizard Ace and the others mentioned during the magift tournament... You mean to tell me that was Tsunotaro?!" Grim screeched as he looked at the humored man.
"I trust you see what I meant now when I said you would get chills upon hearing my name. Names, after all, are a powerful thing to fae." Malleus strummed regally.
"Hmm, If I said your name three times to a mirror, would you suddenly come into my house and haunt me?" Emica teased as she leaned against her hand, looking up at the Diasomnia dorm leader.
"I might if you beckoned me in such a way." Malleus mused before looking over to Vil to see he wasn't the only one in physical shambles. "By the way, Schoenheit, what did you do to make you look so tattered? The beautiful queen would cry if she saw your appearance." He smirked, making the blonde frown.
"...That's..."
The fae prince turned back to the girl who look like she was ready to go back to sleep. "What's wrong? Now tell me the whole story, Carissima."
Emica looked like she was about to sock him in the nose as air puffed from her nose. "Well, for starters...
...is basically what happened. Need me to clarify anything else?" She crossed her arms, but he only smiled and shook his head.
"...Ah, I see, thank you, Carissima. Now I understand what happened. I must say, though. I'm most impressed. A magical reaction on the level of an overblot... And not a single one of the many mages on campus, including myself, took notice of it." His clarification seemed to be a shock to everyone. How could no one take notice of the chaos that transpired here?!
"Eh? Does that mean the outside of the venue has been peaceful the whole time?!" Kalim questioned in alarm, his red eyes fully blown in surprise.
"Yes. The students of Royal Sword Academy are singing in the gymnasium. A crowd of humans is crowding to watch their performance..."
"The battle of magift, the tests for defense magic, and the duels to decide the dorm leaders are always held in the coliseum. All the events being held here might damage some of the campus outside the venue, which is why there is a special barrier to prevent that from happening... This is what a teacher told me." Rook summarized, his eyes closed and his brows frowned in sorrow.
"If we didn't get Vil to return to his senses in time..." Epel gulped.
"We would've been in real deep shit," Emica mumbled as she picked at the broken stage. Had she not had enough energy to fully defeat the overblot, who knows what would've happened to them?
Ace cringed at the thought of still fighting Vil with the little magic he had left. "Yeesh, that's terrifying..."
Malleus watched as Emica fiddled with the small pieces of debris, noticing how her eyelids drooped more than usual when his eyes lit up at an idea popping up in his head. "......Hmm. Well, alright then. You owe me one, Schoenheit."
The blonde gave him a perplexed look. "Eh?"
The ground suddenly began to shake as the loose pieces of debris began floating up into the air. The amount of magic pouring out of Malleus felt as if an elephant was standing on top of you with how dense it was.
"Ffgna?! What's happening?! I'm getting chills!" Grim screeched as he attached himself to Deuce's leg, his fur stuck up as he got flashbacks from being chased by floating furniture.
"Ugh... What strong pressure!" Jamil grunted as he struggled to keep standing.
Emica felt a pair of hands grasp hers as they pulled her up. She found herself having to crane her neck up to look at Malleus who was grinning from ear to ear as he held her hands in his own. "Fufu. Emica, this is my gift to you." He cooed fondly, making her mouth slightly part at his unexpected offering to her.
"Malleus, what are doing?!" Vil demanded as he gawked at the man, holding onto Rook's arm to keep himself from falling over.
"This is much easier than repairing damaged fabric," Green aura started to lick off his body as electricity crackled through the air. Emica could feel his magic crawl on her skin, evaporating the exhaustion weighing her limbs down. She could tell he was transferring magic into her in order to combat the fatigue of the fight subtly, making her look up at him in surprise.
His eyes shone brightly as he smirked smugly considering spells such as these were mere child's play to him. "Now, return to where you belong, return how it was supposed to be!" His voice echoed throughout the coliseum, causing a blinding white light to erupt from his hands.
Emica screwed her eyes shut considering she was the one holding hands with the damn guy. She could feel large pieces of debris flying past her, sending gusts of wind blowing in her direction.
The sound of things being put back together quieted down, leaving everyone in a blanket of silence with their eyes still closed.
"You can open your eyes, Carissima..." Emica jumped at Malleus suddenly whispering into her ear. She could feel warmth bloom in her fingertips as she hesitantly opened her eyes to see the fae warmly smiling at her as he pulled himself back and let go of her hands to rest one of his on her back.
The entire coliseum was back to what it was before. There were no more holes in the ground or melting stone. The stage was completely fixed, the decorative arches stood once more while the screen behind them displayed the VDC logo.
"...Ugh! ...Eh, what just happened?" Epel slowly opened his eyes to see that everything was put back together, astonishment making his face drop. "No way! The coliseum is back to its former state, in an instance?!"
"You're right!" Deuce yelped as he rubbed his eyes to make sure he was actually seeing things right.
"WOOOAAHH?! Malleus, did you do this with your magic?! That's so awesome~~~!" Kalim beamed at the older male as he began feeling the repaired parts of the stage.
"Uweh... I've seen his power during the magift tournament before, he's on a different plane of power compared to us..." Ace gaped at the Diasomnia dorm leader, feeling even more intimidated after his display of power.
"Roi du Dragon, c'est magnifique! Your magic never fails to amaze me!" Rook praised as he gave him a close-eyed smile.
Emica suddenly let out a loud sigh as she dropped her head into her hands. "...Oh thank god, I'm so relieved I won't have to deal with Crowley. I could kiss you right now."
"Nothing is stopping you." Malleus so happened to casually reply with the smuggest of smiles.
You could hear the collective sounds of people choking out noises that made it sound like they were punched in the nuts. How did Emica acquire the ability to befriend some of the most powerful people in the school, as well as have those same people wrapped around her finger without her even realizing she has? No clue. She also has no idea about the calamity she set up for herself.
"Every nerve in my body feels like they're about to tear in half so maybe it's that. Perhaps later." She shrugged, making the horned prince let out a low laugh at her casual demeanor.
"Hahaha... What a truly amusing human you are. I hope you keep your word." Malleus' sharp gaze turned back to Vil who was struggling to keep his mouth from hitting the floor and his dignity from flying away. "I get to see your performance now that the stage has been repaired, correct? I've been highly anticipating the entire show."
"Thanks to you, Tsunotaro, I won't be spending my day wondering if there was any true meaning to life after all of the work I've put into this damn event." Emica gave him a grateful smile, wondering if she was crying with relief.
"Fu, haha! Although you know who I really am, you still stick to that pet name?" He tilted his head to the side as the corners of his lips pulled upwards.
"Awww, you mean I can't call you that anymore? But it's so perfect for you." Emica pouted while obviously feigning sadness. "You're lucky I didn't go with Lenard."
Malleus shook his head as he gently smiled down at her. "You can call me whatever you wish, Carissima. I don't mind. I've set the stage for you, Schoenheit. I trust you will keep me suitably entertained." He glanced at Vil who scoffed at the fae.
"Hmph. It goes without saying. Your urging to put on the best show possible is hardly needed." The blonde waved his hand as he stuck his nose up. "You'd best be ready for a standing ovation and loud screaming."
"That's the spirit. Now, if you'll excuse me. I'll be looking forward to the show." Malleus gave them all a smile fit for someone of his rank, making the ones who weren't used to his praise go rigid. The prince then curled his hands around Emica's shoulder as he lowered his head down to her ear.
"Make sure to not fumble on stage for me."
The girl snapped her head back to smack him in the head before he burst into green fireflies, leaving her to slap at the glowing bugs. "Ugh, that bastard!"
"I don't think anyone but Emica could call the Malleus Draconia a bastard..." Ace wheezed out considering no one knew about their buddy-buddy relationship-if you could even call it that.
"I think I have grey hairs..." Deuce shakily nodded in agreement.
"Fufu, I never thought we would've received a blessing from Roi du Dragon. Lady Luck is truly on our side." Rook chuckled to Vil who rolled his eyes, noticing how he glanced at Emica.
"It seemed like he was more eager to see someone else than the actual performance." The Pomefiore dorm leader rose a brow at Emica who was being confronted with a bombardment of questions regarding... whatever that was.
The bob-cut blonde had a prideful smile on his lips. "It's the time to show our fans the show of a lifetime."
Vil nodded as he closed his eyes. "Yes. I will be the one to take full responsibility for explaining the whole thing to the headmaster and whatever follows." He turned to the NRC representatives with his model-like smile. "For now, we have the Vocal & Dance Championship to win!"
"YEAH!"
___
Emica found herself in her own designated dressing room since she wasn't the only one having to get ready as the clock neared go-time, leaving them with an hour and thirty minutes left.
She stared herself down in the mirror with sweat dripping down her chin, her hands weakly clenched around each other as her eyes focused on one specific spot.
Her chest.
Although covered by the spaghetti strap tank top she wore, she could tell that the black spot part of her chest had grown and darkened in color, now no longer a dull grey but edging towards a shade of graphite grey.
It had gotten worse.
She let out a bitter laugh. Of course, it had gotten worse. She chose to ignore Kaladin's warning and go head-first into danger. And now she felt like she was being boiled alive while she kept the overwhelming feeling of nausea at bay.
Well, she was trying to, but failed when she felt something inside her contract. The girl lunged for the small trash can as she lurched forward, squeezing her eyes closed as she coughed whatever decided to come out.
Emica peeked her eyes open to see that what she thought was bile was a black and bloody mess splattered in the trash can. Her breathing was ragged and uneven, her hands shaky and sweaty as she struggled to even hold up the trash can.
The girl wiped away the blood trailing down her mouth as she clawed her chest which felt as if it was lit on fire as every nerve in her body screamed every time she moved. It was pure agony, and she couldn't even do anything about it.
Emica slowly set down the can as she slumped over the vanity table, chills going up and down her feverish body. She was slow and uncoordinated, her hands dragged against the varnished wood to find her phone. A low groan bubbled from her throat as she knocked her phone off the vanity, making her slouch even more.
Although Malleus had so graciously transferred some of his magic to her, it was no use considering her energy was being sucked up from god knows where. Emica couldn't even register the sound of a door being opened with how much her ears rang.
"Emica, this is no time for lazing around we need to-" Vil stopped mid-sentence when he saw how pale she had gotten, how sunken her face was as sweat dripped from her chin. The state around the vanity she had glued herself to was messy with all sorts of products scattered along the floor and shirt. He let out a shaky breath, not expecting her to be in such a debilitated state. She seemed fine earlier, so why was she like this now?
The blonde rushed over and helped her to that she wasn't slumped over. He spotted the trash can painted with blood and something black, making his heart just to this throat. His lilac eyes trailed back to her face, but he couldn't help looking further down to her chest to see the large black spot staining her skin, making a gasp squeeze from his mouth.
"Emica, what is going on?! Did... Did I do this to you?" Vil was now fully in panic mode as he held her up by the shoulders, making her drift her eyes to his.
"...No, no this has been here before. You didn't do anything... I promise..." Emica's voice was barely above a whisper, now raspy instead of the confident tune he had grown used to.
The dorm leader pressed his lips into a thin line before grabbing his phone to dial someone. "You clearly need help, you shouldn't be getting ready if you're like this-" He suddenly stopped when the girl forced him to lower his phone as she shook her head.
"It's no use, Vil. If I can't heal myself from this, no wizard on this planet could. I would need to go home in order for me to do so... But, could you do me a favor?" Her once brilliant amber eyes wavered while trying to look up at him.
He didn't like how she was too weak to even look up at him. "What... what do you need?"
"I need you to not tell anyone about this. If you ever speak of this, I'd have no choice but to silence you in my own way." Her sluggish glaze quickly sharpened into something hostile, making Vil swallow thickly.
He wasn't about to back up about getting her help, but her glare suggested otherwise. He sighed while giving her an uneasy look. "You clearly need medical treatment, but... Is that what you truly want?"
"Yes." The girl turned away, her hair brushing over her eyes. The feeling slowly returned to her cold fingertips, making her flex her hand open and closed. "Besides, I'll be fine. I just need to take it easy for like, five minutes and then I should be back on my feet in no time." Her lips curled into a smile as her color began to return to her face.
Vil looked at her with complete doubt. "You can fool all those half-wits but me, Emica. You need more than just five measly minutes to recover after... whatever is going on with you." He pointed at her chest, making her puff out her lips as she leaned away.
"Heeeyyy, quit pointing at my titties you're making me feel exposed."
"DO NOT START JOKING IN THIS SERIOUS SITUATION."
The ravenette let out a quiet laugh as she leaned her elbow against the vanity before her eyes lit up at an idea. "Haha... Hey, do you have one of those energy rejuvenation potions? My magic relies on how much energy I have, and right now I feel the equivalent of a raisin that's been run over." Vil cringed at her withered expression.
"I see... Yes, I believe I do. I'll be right back." He quickly stood up and strode to the door before he whipped around with a glare on his face. "If you so much as move a finger I will make sure you are glued to that chair for the rest of the VDC, you got it?"
Emica gave him a feeble thumbs-up before he slipped out of her dressing room. The girl was left alone once more before she pulled herself from a slouch position to something more composed. The pain was beginning to subside, but not without trying to leave her body aching from heaving so hard earlier.
But she felt... odd. Emica would usually feel frustrated after the overblots, frustrated at everyone and everything. But now she felt strangely serene, almost as if she was satisfied. Well, she wouldn't say satisfied, but at the cusp of it. She had a similar reaction when the ink from Vil's overblot seeped into her skin, feeding into her blood-thirsty rampage she went on.
It was exhilarating.
Oh dear, she could feel herself getting stirred up at the moment. Wouldn't want that, would we?
No, because Vil had already come back with a small vial in one hand while holding a glass of water in the other. Ah, what a way to ruin the fun...
"I wasn't sure how potent you wanted it, but I have some water to dilute it. If you drank the whole vial, it'll end up with you in spasms with how concentrated it is," The blonde had a soft look on his face as he set the glass of water down before tipping the vial into the water, letting only one drop of the potion to fall. "Now, you must pace yourself, this potion is made to give you energy, so drink it slowly and-"
But before Vil could heed his warnings, Emica grabbed both the vial and the glass of water and simultaneously drank both of them, leaving the dorm leader in a frozen state of shock. The girl wiped her mouth as she set the two down before looking up at the petrified blonde.
"What? You look like I drank poison."
"W-WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?! SPIT IT OUT THIS INSTANT!" He grabbed her cheeks frantically in an attempt to make her hack out the potion, but he was too late since she swallowed everything.
"YOU'RE GOING TO RIP MY CHEEKS OFF LET GO." The ravenette screamed out her mushed face before the dorm leader gave up as dread took over his face.
"Oh my god, I'm going to kill you a second time why did you do that?!"
Emica grumbled as she rubbed her sore cheeks that began to blossom with red. "Vil, that was half of what I'd usually need. It's like if I ate a spoonful of sugar, I'll have a small burst of energy but in the end, I won't die." She shot him an amused smile, making a low growl escape his lips.
"Ugh, you're no better than those sorry excuses of spuds."
The girl glanced at her reflection before looking back at Vil and the bottles of makeup scattered on the floor, making an idea pop into her head. "Hey, d'ya mind if you could cover this up with makeup? The dress has a rather large dip so uh, wouldn't want anyone seeing this." She gestured to the very eye-catching black-stained skin, making the man give her a weary look before sighing.
"...Of course." His eyes scanned the products on the floor as he occasionally glanced at Emica to make sure he found products that matched her skin tone. After he gathered the ones deemed acceptable he grabbed one of the makeup sponges before looking down at her. "I need you to pull down your shirt a little more if you want me to cover the whole thing."
"Yes, yes, do whatever you need to do," Emica mumbled as she tugged her shirt front further down, reaching the end of the grey stain. Vil's head buzzed with all sorts of methods before settling on one and began gently applying a liquid foundation to her skin with the sponge.
The room fell into a comfortable silence as the Pomefiore dorm leader meticulously worked his way from top to bottom, making sure to be soft just in case the spot caused her discomfort.
"I wanted to ask, but why did you hide your magic? Your life would've been so much easier had you not." Vil questioned as he gently fanned the wet foundation with a piece of paper.
The girl hummed as she watched him taking out the concealer. "Oh trust me, I would've had it not been for the fact that where I got my magic from was revealed. Who knows what would've happened if people knew." Vil felt like he shouldn't pry considering it was serious enough to put her in danger because of the fact she was seen as someone without magic. Emica could tell by the way he nibbled at his lip to his brow twitching.
"I see... "
"Vil, do you believe in Gods?"
The question caught him off guard, making him pause at applying the concealer to look up at her. "What...?"
Her face had an expressionless look, her eyes gleaming down at him. "Gods, my power comes from Gods. In my world, there are Gods that bless 7 God Candidates, or in other words, "Royal Guards", with blessings that grant them the power to establish order in the world. Those 7 champions serve under the crown of the Aista's, the current ruling family of the kingdom of Teyrativit. The world was riddled with war and homicide, and people couldn't take not becoming empires so they fought neighboring kingdoms for more land," Emica sighed as she fiddled with a tube of mascara. "Sending one of the 7 is more than enough to stop a war."
Vil could feel himself growing cold. Someone who is capable of ending a war on their own? He felt himself staring at her before he shook himself out of his daze to focus on covering the stain. "...Have you been to war?"
"I was in two, one when I was 12 and one when I turned 15. But I've been mainly sent to deal with large scrimmages or to clear disputes with force. All of my siblings have participated in some sort of war throughout the world, but two of my older siblings have been in 4 wars each. They all ended rather quickly so luckily there weren't many casualties." The girl responded casually, which didn't ease Vil's growing anxiety about it.
"Emica, you make it sound like war is a very common occurrence in your world."
She set the tube down as she gazed down at the man. "It is. Kingdoms are still trying to get back at others for the actions of their ancestors during the calamity 17,000 years ago. They aren't allowed to become empires, but it seems like everyone is ready to throw that rule out the window." The girl grumbled. It was true considering that almost every kingdom was becoming increasingly agitated to expanding its power throughout the world. "War is a horrible thing. It forces children to be left without parents or forced into the battle itself so that they can 'bring honor to their country'. I've had thousands of people throw themselves at my feet as they begged me to tell them if their loved one had perished in battle... 1 in 50 people usually get good news." Emica's eyes lowered as she pressed her lips into a thin line.
"Funerals, mass mourning, famine, disease, economy crashes, and devastation were always an outcome of war. There was more bad fallout even if your kingdom won, it still didn't cover the loss everyone experienced. Current monarchs don't seem to realize the damage they've inflicted on their own kingdoms, but I believe there will be hope when the Crown Prince of Teyrativit starts his reign." Emica's frown turned into a soft yet hopeful smile. "I believe he is the fittest for the role of a king."
"So you'll be serving under him once he takes the throne? I should've noticed the similarities between Malleus' retainers and you now that I've heard the whole picture." Vil muttered sarcastically as he began adding small amounts of blush to bring out the color of her skin. "How old is he even?"
"I believe he just turned 17 not that long ago. Technically I'm serving the entire royal family, but I seem to be taking care of him more than anyone." Emica droned with a bitter look on her face. Nolan had a habit of being extremely clingy to her. Whenever he spotted her in the hallways or coming out of meeting halls, he'd stop whatever he was doing just to go greet her. "His Highness tends to latch himself to me whenever he can. He'll always ask me if we could do one on one training sessions or lessons, I don't understand why he needs me when he has an army of tutors," She grumbled with an unimpressed expression. "He also has a habit of bringing me random bundles of flowers to my office. It's become so out of control that I once had 11 vases of vastly different flowers on my desk."
Vil looked at her with an 'Are you serious right now' look. She didn't seem to realize what she meant to Nolan aside from the fact she was to serve and assist him in ruling the kingdom. "...Emica, you do know the reason why he's doing those things, right...?"
"Nope."
The dorm leader wanted to face-palm himself. He had overheard how atrociously dense she was to any sort of affection directed her way and completely doubted them. Boy was he wrong.
The girl looked at her reflection, her mouth slightly parting at the sight of the stain on her chest having completely disappeared. "Oh wow... it's like it was never there." Her lips pulled into a smile as she looked back at Vil with amazement in her eyes. The man couldn't help but lean into her praise as he slightly turned his nose up.
"Hmph, of course. Did you just assume I would do a horrible job? How hurtful." He smirked as he applied the setting powder to make sure the products stayed put. "Now let me see your dress so that I know what to tell the makeup artists." Vil shooed the girl off with an absent look, but in reality, his head buzzed with all sorts of questions with the newly found information as his thumb rapidly pressed against his cracked screen to request a team to come to her room to get her hair and makeup into affairs.
"Yeesh, you don't have to be so salty, I'm going," Emica grumbled as she grabbed the garment bag and she shuffled into the changing room.
'She went to war when she was 12? No matter how powerful she might be she was still a child.' There was a sour taste growing on his tongue, making him look back at the closed door of the changing room. Vil sometimes found himself staring at her, not only was she extremely eye-catching, but she excelled in almost everything. She was smart, diligent, graceful, confident, and wasn't afraid to voice her opinion. From the way she blinked to the way she walked, every step was to the point of perfection. There were times he felt spiteful of her, after all, she practically overshadowed him.
But he always wondered why she always had such a calculating and criticizing glint in her eyes, her eyes that glittered like precious gems in the sunlight. They were striking and distinguishable, and when sunlight hit them just right they looked as if they were the eyes of a goddess. It was so hard for him to stop staring; Emica was like a bright lamp while he was the moth, drawn to her aura that acted like a homing beacon for all types of attention. He hated how people casually thought they could go up to her so easily while he was glued to his seat with his arms crossed judgingly.
He could finally get why Rook was so infatuated with her. Vil used to roll his eyes in annoyance while his vice dorm leader went on 30-minute tangents about the girl, he couldn't stand it all. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that people preferred her over him, the most beautiful person in the world. Vil found himself wishing that one day the girl would get into an irreversible accident, leaving her face horribly deformed at revolting.
Oh, how he felt so stupid now. Vil felt utterly foolish when she came out of that dressing room wearing a gown that made her look like a freshly bloomed flower. The way she moved her head with slight bashfulness in her expression made him part his lips.
"There's some skin-showing but I think I'll manage... What do you think?" Emica's hesitant question made Vil's lips dry as he struggled to get an answer out.
"...You... That dress suits your figure very well." The blonde managed to pull himself together professionally as he stood up to inspect the rest of the dress. He nodded approvingly as he scrutinized the flowery lace and the hidden seam lines that held them together. Vil's eyes stopped at the exposed back part of the dress, his gaze wandering over the countless pale scars marring her skin. "Where did you get these...?" His slender finger traced over the scars, making her shiver at contact.
"Uh, I think I got some of them during scrimmages when I was younger. My healing abilities weren't the best back then so they managed to scar," The girl scratched the back of her neck as she looked over at him. "Will they be a problem?"
Vil quickly shook his head as he retracted his hand. "No, no. But if you're uncomfortable with them, I can cover them up if you want...?"
Emica grew quiet as she looked over her scarred arms and a soft smile grew on her lips. "No, I think I'll be fine. I like to think of them my own little medals. They serve as a reminder of my efforts to get out of situations in which I thought I was going to die." The sincere glint in her eyes made him regret suggesting that he cover up her scars. "Besides, they make me look super cool, kinda badass."
"You look like you're going to beat someone up while dressed up for a gala." Vil sighed as he pushed her hair to the side to get a better look at the back. He couldn't help but smile at her pride for the scars she had. "But you look more than presentable. I'm afraid people will pay attention to you more than the actual performance." The man smirked as he let go of her hair. "I feel bad for the hairstylists who will have to deal with all your hair."
"I try to cut my hair to more manageable lengths but it just keeps growing back..."
The fashionable man snuffed out a quiet laugh as he walked back around to face her. "It seems like I won't have to chew you out for a horrible dress choice."
"Well, I did have a lot of help with choosing it, so I'd hope so." Emica grinned as she looked down at the way the black tulle danced around her when she swayed in place. "I've never worn a dress like this, even during balls or galas. I'd always wear a uniform or dress clothes, so I'd never worn a skirt until coming here." She shrugged as she looked back up at him. "You can only imagine how I felt when I was suddenly required to wear one after Crewel made me."
"Ah, well that man has very strong opinions about fashion. I admire his work and attention to detail, but I can see your shock when he required you to wear one." Vil wondered what she was like in a uniform considering how laidback she dressed. She never wore her vest or school jacket, and she always had her sleeves rolled back to expose her forearms.
"It's a little hard for me to wear the vests and jackets considering they were made to accommodate the male anatomy, not a female. It's always a tight fit no matter how many adjustments are made," Emica somehow managed to answer the question bobbing around the man's head just from a single glance as she gestured to her chest.
Ohh... Now it made sense.
"I have no problem in wearing it, but it just restricts a lot of mobility in my torso, so I choose to not wear it. My uniform back home was made to accommodate any sort of fighting whereas the uniforms here are made for a school environment, not a battlefield." The girl further explained as she placed her hands on her hips. She stretched her stiff limbs upwards as Vil hummed in thought.
His lips suddenly curled into a pleased smile when he looked back at her. "Would you like me to redesign your uniform to be more tactile? You seem to be fighting an awful amount around this school."
His offer made her pause. "Really? You'd wanna do that?" Emica teased as she looked up at the dorm leader. He seemed sincere enough to make her grin even further.
"Do you doubt my abilities?" Vil smirked as he tilted his face in a way that made it seem like they were seeing eye to eye. Emica always found Vil better than other people considering he wasn't a stickler for attention despite always getting it, and he was not only extremely mature despite only being 18, but he had the diligence of a great leader. During the few conversations they had before the VDC was nothing short of pleasantries and other polite exchanges, but she noticed how the gleam in his eyes would change in a way she couldn't recognize.
Vil was someone she had never paid too much attention to despite her catching him staring at her on numerous occasions. It was weird seeing another side, personal no less, being shown to her as he smugly smiled at her.
"I'm sure it'll be a challenge. How many commanders have you made uniforms for, hm?" The girl quipped back as she strolled around him to her phone that sat on the floor.
"Oh, I'm sure it won't be hard. I've made plenty of athletic uniforms, you just seem to be the only one that's skeptical," Vil gently tapped against his screen, reading the comments of the post about the VDC. He swore he could feel his heart leap into his throat when his shoulder was grabbed and pushed to make him sit on the bench, now the one to look up at the girl as she looked down at him with an unreadable expression on her face. "E-Emica?!"
"Hmm, you still have some lingering blot in you. I need to get rid of it in order for you to have any sort of drastic improvement in terms of your health." Emica's eye glinted in a way that made him swallow thickly, what was she going to do to him??
Vil could feel himself being pulled forwards as he screwed his eyes shut. "Wait, what are you doing-?!" Expecting some sort of pain, he was caught off guard when a pair of warm lips gently pressed against his forehead, making his eye blow open.
He watched as Emica reeled back slightly, the content look on her face didn't seem to calm the beating of his heart that deafened him. "There, all better!" She declared as she grinned brightly at him. The dorm leader couldn't even think straight, did... did she just kiss his forehead?!
He also didn't seem to hear the sound of the door opening, revealing the large team of flustered stylists that stared at the two with their mouths wide open.
I mean, when did you ever see a world-famous celebrity blushing so hard his entire face was red while the girl that captured the attention of all holding his shoulders with her face so close to his?
____
-Malleus was still smug af when he left the coliseum (bro got no chill 💀)
-Emica mistook Grim for a rotisserie chicken after he was trying to perform what he called CPR on her. In reality, he was really just smacking her torso while Ace was holding him back, so he really wasn't hitting anything.
-Fun Fact: Vil stares at Emica much more than Rook does, he just denies it though 👀
I'm so happy I got a 100 on my trig quiz 😭