Falling down a fifty story building on a quiet afternoon was definitely not my idea, but maybe jumping off from the 135th Floor of the Tower of God would be in my bucket list.
The harsh wind whistled in my ears, the sky slowly sinking in as I plummeted down to my possible death. Curse that damn shinsu swordsman and all his etceteras. He said training today would be fun... oh. I get it. It's fun for him to see me try and fail miserably.
Gritting my teeth with frustration, I stretched my limbs to slow down the fall. Think, think, what does he want me to do?
It was getting hard to breathe, with all the gushes of wind piercing my entire body. I couldn't just recollect myself by taking deep breaths for concentration.
Ninety feet, eighty— Maybe it was time to go KER-SPLAT.
Now isn't time to panic, focus Variiya. I closed my eyes tight to straighten out my thoughts. Your shinsu quality is the wind, isn't it? Why not make use of that?
Seventy feet, sixty—
I clenched my hands to fists to steady the winds as if I were taking the reigns of a horse. Shinsu seemingly wrapped my body; I felt like I was gradually descending.
Fifty feet, forty—
Yes, I think I got this. I didn't need to gasp for air; my head stopped spinning as well as my body.
Thirty, fifteen—
Nope, never mind. I can't do it.
As soon as I broke my trance, my body flailed, falling to the ground faster than ever.
"Shit!" I screamed as I summoned my Arms Inventory in haste. I grabbed my rapier, Lambent Light, and stabbed it deep in the building's brick walls. The blade clawed down, destroying the cemented blocks as I slowed down my fall.
Dust and debris littered on the rocky floor. I coughed and heaved a breath, clutching my heart as my ears kept on ringing.
Just then, Paxley just dropped down to the ground without a sweat, an exasperated expression on his face.
The swordsman sighed. "Variiya, I believe the exercise aimed to develop your shinsu skills." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I appreciate your quick but mediocre thinking, but come on!"
I grumbled and sat down on a broken chunk of the sidewalk. "You know you didn't have to push me off suddenly. A warning would've been nice."
He clicked his tongue and approached me. "You have a knack for overthinking nowadays. Besides, I noted you work better under pressure."
I made a face. "I'm always open to learning things level by level. If it's something complex, why not baby steps?"
Paxley sighed, his purple scarf waving in the breeze as he stood by me. "You're getting too comfortable, and I need to push you out of your safe zone, Variiya. Didn't you tell me your team aims to join the Workshop Battle on the 30th Floor?"
He has a point. I looked down in guilt and muttered in agreement.
"Same place, same time, tomorrow." The brunette prompted and left me and my sulking self.
I knew I was falling behind. In terms of power, I wasn't that strong. I was just stubborn, hot-headed, and incredibly stupid.
I was frustrated too. Why can't I do anything right now? Before I was ahead of everyone, I wore the Violet Wave's title like a crown. I managed to do so well when I was learning the Kaitorin Wind Lily Techniques. People looked up at me in fear and awe in the lower Floors.
So why now? Why am I failing?
If this were a story, I wouldn't be the main heroine. I'm nothing special. I was more powerful than the rest. But people learn how to evolve and grow. Now I'm left behind.
What the hell am I going to do now? I mentally kicked myself, I already knew the answer, but I was still missing something.
A gasp sharply cut through my chain of thought. I glanced up, seeing a blonde man clad in blue, staring at me in horror. I frowned, wondering what he wanted.
"Hello--"
He instantly darted away, dashing back to the main streets.
My recklessness got a better hold of me and I ran, following him through zig-zags and people. He was trying to lose me in the crowd. He took a quick right to a narrow alley and I did the same.
I had a sudden flashback to the 11th Floor. I hope he wasn't a creep.
The man was trapped at a dead end. I took a step towards him and every time I did, he recoiled back in fear and disgust.
"W-What in the world is your problem?" He cried and stumbled. "Are you part of some kind of cult? If you are, I already told him sorry!"
I choked. "Excuse me, what?"
He pointed to his short blonde tresses. "Your hair. Are you f-from the same cult or g-group or whatever?"
"What concerns me is your ability to draw conclusions." I retorted. That's when realization hit me hard like a truck.
My violet eyes widened and I grabbed hold of the man's blue collar. "My hair, you say? Who? Where are they?"
Another Kaitorin was here. Perhaps they could help me. It wouldn't be bad to recruit someone new or to see my kin. It's not bad to think of home every once in a while.
The Regular flinched. "I d-don't know! Our team disbanded a few days ago. I know I was kind of an asshole to him, but he was an asshole to me." A dark look clouded his face, but it quickly dissipated as he saw my dumbfounded expression. "Don't kill me or anything, please!"
I shook him violently. "Oi, stop saying that. You're making me wanna kill you because you're pissing me off."
The man gulped and nodded.
I sighed. "Jeez, stop overreacting. We're no cult." I dropped him on the gravel floor. "By the way, what's his name?"
He shrugged. "Varino."
What?!
I choked again, my heart running a marathon. I squatted down to look the man in the eye. "Varino?"
He nodded quickly.
"Do you know where he is?"
The man paused. "Not sure, plus, he changed his name, he's not registered as Varino anymore."
I gritted my teeth. "Find him for me. I'll give you a message."
The blonde man shifted uncomfortably in his blue trench coat. "Well, as I said, we're not in excellent terms—"
"I'll pay you 300k Points."
"Make it 500,"
I groaned and buried my face in my palm. "Fine, I'll pay 200 now, 300 after the job." What a waste of money. If he doesn't do his job, I'm definitely going to kill him.
He gave me a crooked grin as I transferred the said amount to his Pocket. His smile faded as soon as he saw the name of my account.
"What did you say your name was?" He asked me, lips quivering ever so slightly.
"Variiya," I replied.
"Are you family?"
"...Yes,"
Family. What a touchy word for me. I didn't like a lot of them, but there are still people I cared about and who cared about me.
My eyes wandered up to the blue sky. The thought of seeing him again brighten up my day just a little bit more.