A/N: Sorry for the delay! Ok, first of all, shout out to @HazehanaMonousagi for making me an awesome cover! Like it's amazing. Second, this book is cut into 2 parts; the first part currently is planned to be around 30 chapters, give or take. Phew, look how far we've gone!
I immediately went after Alex the next day to show him of my new found skills. I might've tried to attack him in the process. To say the least, he wasn't very impressed.
Rubbing his arm where I had just headbutted him mere seconds before, Alex glared at me. Well, sort of glared. We were still at school, so he still had his fake smile plastered on his handsome face. But his eyes were quite murderous if one were to look carefully. Besides him, Alice was giggling gleefully.
"So you've managed to unlock your aura I see," he whispered sarcastically. I grinned. It was an exhilarating feeling, the energy rushing through my body and feeling as if I had flown. I didn't get exhausted after running a mile anymore, which was a bonus.
Alex just rolled his eyes at my antics and said, "You do realize you are still going to get your butt kicked, right?" My shoulders slumped at his words- perhaps I had gotten a little overconfident.
He gave a laugh. Was it just me, or did that laugh sound evil? I gave a slight shudder as I listened on. "It's time for the real training to start."
Fast forward a couple of days, I was now laying on the ground with my face facing the sky, trying to catch my breath. Meditating helps boost your aura and energy, but it can only go so far. You also have to put the skills into real life.
"Again," Alex called out, his voice arrogant and filled with confidence. From the background, I could hear the three girls clapping and cheering, eating all of my ice cream. Traitors.
With a grunt, I lifted myself up, my legs a little wobbly. Then, focusing and releasing my aura, I ran towards Alex, and with a swift kick, my foot landed on his body. Only it was already caught in his hand. Struggling to get my foot away from his grasp, he twisted my ankle, causing my to let out a yelp. Then, with a smooth movement, he tossed my foot like it was nothing, resulting in my body- yet again- to be on the floor.
I gave a groan from the pain and the frustration. The worst thing was, I knew this wasn't even a fourth of his strength. It was expected from the previous champion, but the losses still stung. I absolutely hate losing.
"Lunch time!" Felicity's voice rang out, lightening up the atmosphere. Quickly, I jumped up and ran to where the girls were standing. I was famished. I sat down on the benches placed in the middle of the garden, typically used for tea parties but has since become my training ground. My father had agreed to the whole ordeal, only giving Alex a light glare and a threatening pat on his back. Alex's expression was absolutely priceless.
Reaching for the sandwich-thank god most of the food here was similar to the ones back home- I quickly took a bite. I felt hands on my shoulders, causing me to tense up, but when I realized their intentions, I quickly relaxed again.
"How does that feel?" Alice asked, kneading her magic hands between the muscles of my shoulders. I gave a pleasured sigh. Her hands were literally magic; the light gives her slight healing powers, which did wonders for my body.
"What about me?" Alex called from behind me, sounding like he was pouting. He walked up to Alice, who gave him a light peck on the cheek (*sorry for destroying your hopes and dreams*), before settling down in front of me, pouring himself some tea.
I had gotten used to their displays of affection by now. At first, all I wanted to do was gag and walk away, but now I found it sort of cute. Especially since Alex only shows real happiness around Alice. The three of us had formed some sort of odd, tentative friendship, with me and Alex only standing each other due to Alice. And Alice, well, let's just say if I was a guy, I would have stopped at nothing to steal her for myself. Seriously. She is the kindest person I have ever met, and her attempts at teasing will never fail to amuse me.
When Alice had touched a particularly sore spot on my back, I gave a slight flinch. She hurriedly rubbed my back soothingly.
"Do you have to be so harsh on her," Alice asked disapprovingly.
Alex shrugged. "It can't be helped; the competition is only a week away. This was what she had requested, right Camille?" He smiled knowingly.
Clenching my teeth, I returned his smile, wanted, once again, to slap him. Once was apparently not enough. It will never be enough.
Fortunately enough, Felicity spoke before I could start formulating a plan to do some serious harm to this "Prince".
"Alex, you were the champion of the weaponry faction last year, correct?" She asked, her eyes glittering in awe. Funny enough, Alice seems to not mind Felicity's minor crush on Alex. They even get along greatly now. Alex, on the other hand, not so much.
He gave an awkward but polite nod, gulping down his tea. "It wasn't much. My opponents were quite strong, I just got lucky, that's all." Felicity sighed admiringly at his words.
Curious for more, I continued the conversation. "So, what happened?"
He shook his head. "Nothing. It was a draw. The battle lasted an hour, but neither of us was willing to yield to one another."
"Us?"
"Yes. I think we all know him. The champion of the magic faction last year was Michael. The Prince of our Kingdom."
XXXXX
I was laying in my bed, thinking. It's a little weird that I had met the 2 strongest guys in the school within the first few days of my arrival. But no matter. Perhaps I had lost against Alex, but if I could reveal my powers, I am certain I could defeat Michael. Probably.
I rolled around the soft mattress, anxious for the events tomorrow. I gave a light gasp of surprise when the back of my head came into contact with something hard. Oh yeah. I had forgotten all about the book because of all the things happening the last few weeks. Before I knew it, the competition was tomorrow. Perhaps it was because I was anxious, but I decided to pull out the ominous book, making sure my doors were locked before doing so.
I took a seat, moving around and trying to get comfortable. I ran my fingers along the brown patterned cover. This book had to be centuries old, yet its condition was better than pristine. I slowly opened the cover, my heart racing at the anticipation.
To my surprise, I could read the words inside. They were in latin and coincidentally (not because it would be very convenient for the author), I took 4 years of latin in high school. Which also means I only understood forty percent of the of what the book was saying. But from what I could read, it looked like a journal. It read:
If you're reading this, it means we have won. But it may also mean that I have died, as I would never let the horrors that I had experienced ever occur again. But I can't take it anymore. I have to tell someone, even if it's a piece of paper. I won't tell you my name because that is of no importance. I won't exist anymore in a few years. So let's begin.
5 years ago, the Demon King was summoned. No one knows how, or even why as our worlds had always been separated since the beginning of time. But the effects were devastating. If it had just been the Demon King, perhaps we could have dealt with it. However, the arrival of this beast also came with other monsters. Terrible, terrible creatures. They had no physical form and instead, took over the corpses of those who had already died, becoming the undead. The eyes of their bodies had changed, becoming darker and empty. We called them, the Inanima, for soulless.
Thousands died. There was no discrimination between women, children, or men. A wave of hysteria spread, as we were unable to kill the Inanima. But after a few years, a group of heroes rose to popularity. They had found the Inanima's weakness. Weaponry and Magic were ineffective separately, but together, as found in nature, the group was able to kill these monsters. We had taken our first step towards victory.
I skipped a few chapters, as most of the content was about the endless suffering of the author.
Unfortunately, as the number of Inanima decreased, so did the number of demons the King summoned. The only way for the survival of Earth was to defeat the Demon King and seal him forever. So I was called by the group of heroes. They needed a magician. Specifically, a magician with the affinity of light. I say with great sorrow that I was not summoned to fight. I was the sacrifice.
After all the years of violence, I had no choice but to accept. Because within the deaths of this war, I had looked on as my closest friends and family died while I stayed alive. I will not let others mourn for their loved ones like I did. So I accepted. Tomorrow we will commence the mission, invading the Demon King's castle. Few have succeeded. But perhaps we will.
I stared at the book, horror in my eyes. I could not believe what I had just read. This was never mentioned in all of the history books that I had read. The Demon King? Inanima? A world where all races lived together? No. It was like all of this had been wiped from history.
My hands were shaking. Was this the future if the elf had succeeded? An inexplicable fear crept onto my back. I can't. Not today, when the competition is just around the corner. I'll think about this later when my mind is clearer. Placing the book where it was previously hiding, I snuck under my covers, preparing for a restless sleep. But I couldn't help but feel something was coming. Something big.