Chapter 6: Same Incident from Before
Chapter 6: Same Incident from Before
It has been days since Lucas have transferred into White Day High. He started to familiarize the whole setup of the school. He can wander willfully without someone he would ask questions as to where was the Office, where were the Facilities, where was the Faculty Room…
It was now lunchtime. Everyone from the school was heading in the same direction as Lucas, Moon, and Doll chatted as they walked— well, it was mainly Lucas doing the talking and two were listening to him in silence.
Doll began accompanying the two of them since she was always alone. After leaving their fancy car to get to class and riding it back after, no one would dare to befriend her.
Lucas started noticing that they were about to head into the canteen. He felt this sense that he didn't want to feel: nostalgia.
This place… it was the same place, but in White Day, where he started to feel hopeless. It even removed all his capabilities to achieve what he was studying at Aspho High.
But the White Day High canteen was a very neat place. The entrance was spacious. It was quite huge yet still ventilated. Long tables with two long seats at both sides were all scattered accordingly.
"I wonder what food we can get here today," Lucas whispered at Moon, as they stood before the cashier and decided to order their food. It looked like a fast-food chain.
Unlike Aspho High, it was more clean and worth dining in for prestigious students. Also, students who have important treatments here have their parents as one of the stakeholders of the school. White Day High was indeed a wealthy school that was almost run by the students' parents.
Moon started thinking of the food they will buy. However, Doll talked into one of the other cashiers, one designed for talking with females. She picked her food by pressing it onto the monitor placed before her. Lucas stared at Doll —how she moved, and how she took her order.
Wait.
Behind Doll… Who was that? It was a man that looked familiar to Lucas. He wore black but he can't see his face, for it was behind Doll's head. That suit was once worn by an Aspho. He can't even tell who wore that and when. That made Lucas suspicious.
He has to see his face, but Doll kept him hidden.
"Lucas, let's order some grilled potatoes and bacon." Moon pointed the monitor in front of them. The waiter that was facing them looked disgusted at them with how long they choose their order. Lots of students were waiting for them to get finished.
"If that's what you want, then buy some for me as well," Lucas replied and stared at Doll, who was walking through some tables and sat there. There's no one sitting at the table she picked. The man behind her earlier begone instantly.
The waiter exited for a second and came back after, bringing Lucas and Moon's order to them. Moon handled the orders as Lucas excused themselves to sit at the tables for lunch.
There were so many students, all with the same uniform they wore. After all, White Day High was willing to give them a whole set of uniforms for free. Well, the Principal here was quite generous to newbies, unlike Aspho.
Moon placed one of the rectangular plates at the other long chair Doll didn't occupy. Lucas sat there and smiled in front of her. Moon walked and went beside Doll and placed his plate at her right side.
"Good, let's eat then." Doll smiled and sat properly. Moon sat beside her as they both stared at Lucas, staring at his food.
"Did you know?"
Lucas stared at them with a huge smile, still his intimidating aura on. His pink, sweated hair was all over on his forehead again, looking messy yet haughty.
"This famous swordswoman inside the school was a good par to fight with! I heard that she's Winter Dawn, and we will be coming at some time to battle again, as per her request! Sorry, I forgot to mention it to you. I became excited practicing at the Fire Class Room!"
"Oh," Moon responded nonchalantly. They kept eating, as what Lucas have said seemed unrealistic.
So much for an unrealistic story for Doll, who has known more information about Winter. However, news and gossips about Winter having mental breakdowns have gotten cheesy. But battling with a newbie for nothing has something to do with that breakdowns.
Lucas suddenly pressed. "She was even hallucinating! I don't know I have the skill to read what was inside people's minds. I didn't know I was that strong to equal her into a battle, though it was her disadvantage for having mental issues."
"So?" Moon retorted as Doll kept eating. His voice was cold.
Lucas stared at her. He can't even tell if she's not listening intentionally or she was not convinced on how he told his encounter to her. It was like she was letting that information pass through her ears.
"Why are your reactions so lukewarm?" Lucas began to felt conscious about his talking. "Aren't you excited at all? I met some people."
Doll coughed slightly. With some tissues, she was wiping on her mouth. It doesn't look like a simple cough, but a gesture. To Lucas, he interpreted it as, what was there to be excited about?
"You met many people, huh?" Moon cut the awkward silence. His monotonous voice didn't even cut it but added to its awkwardness even more. Both of them seem to joke about Lucas. They blatantly replied at Lucas, doting at him as he bowed his head.
Doll held her glass of water and drank. Once finished, she wiped her lip with another tissue paper.
"By the way, the Headmaster announced that there will be no classes after lunch. They said they will have a meeting for some serious topics…" Doll informed the two.
After all, she was the one who knew almost all the details and news that the school will release. It was quite suspicious that she even shared a ride with the Headmaster yesterday. Only she was treated that way.
Who would be her parents? Were they alive still?
Doll got her phone ready and browse at her messages. "After a week of training hard, many have suggested partaking on the Local Skill Trial for the upcoming Tournament," she added.
Lucas began gaining attention. That tournament Sting talked about days ago… All classes have a chance to rise and soar.
"It was a tournament associated with interconnected sets of schools that will battle different fields, and the winning school will be granted a prize." Doll continued to inform the two about the news. "As per the winners, heaven knows what grand surprise it awaits…"
Moon chewed his food fast and started wiping his lips with some tissues. He drank his water before talking. "Little did I know, it was held annually, right?" Moon asked.
Lucas kept absorbing the pieces of information he was hearing. He even stopped eating to listen. This tournament became the sour topic of all the students.
"Right! But it will be completely different every time from its lasts." Doll replied as she placed her phone on the table. "Every year, the game constantly changes. It was full of mysteries!" she grimly narrated. "Maybe next month, they will start the trial for selecting players."
Lucas looked hyped. It was like he was now up to the challenge! His dark smirk lurked onto his face. He didn't know what made him feel that way. It was a survival game, for what he knew.
But he only wanted to prove, even at his young age, was that he has meaning in this world. That was his inner motto after he and Moon lost both their parents back then. They have to be strong independently, and Lucas hasn't seen his purpose still.
Seemed that joining that tournament and proving his strength and his capabilities will fulfill his ego and dreams. It would be gratifying to think about.
"I will compete in that selection!" Lucas suddenly shouted, full of certainty and determination. His hyped energy made other students look at him in contempt.
Becoming conscious that it was indeed a public place, Lucas grabbed his spoon and fork as nothing happened and faked a smile, and began swallowing his food.
"He was too excited."
Moon and Doll whispered to themselves. After this first week of studying here, he was now daydreaming of becoming one of the school's representatives.
Doll can't help but chuckle. Even if that was awkward to Lucas, she remembered how she thought Lucas was dancing some fire dancers. Hilarious!
But that chuckle was shifted into terror as some students started panicking, running outside the canteen. Doll started to become aware and checked the surroundings.
Lucas checked the runaway crowd and saw that familiar man again standing behind them. At the far corner of the canteen, there he goes smiling grimly at Lucas. Who was that? It was dim at his place and he can't see his facial features.
Lucas stood to take a sneak peek at that man. He started walking towards the crowd. A loud explosion burst occurred next, near the vicinity! Lucas can't help but check where it came from.
Moon held Doll's shoulders as they both stood. Lucas lost his sight of that man. Again, he can't find him. Where did he go? And why he looked so suspicious?
The students at the canteen continued panicking.
"Fire! Fire!"
All the remaining students tried to escape as soon as possible. Lucas stared in awe, as he began to felt a little déjà vu. His face darkened, as he started reminiscing what happened back at Aspho High.
He remembered how the canteen was raging with fire and everyone was running away for their safety. Any act of heroism was not present at that incident, and he doesn't want to repeat it. Heroism must be at this point.
Lucas stared at his right palm, just like how he stared at his right palm that was smoking back then. Right now, it has no smokes. But how? The canteen became reddish and reddish as the fire began escalating the buildings near the place.
Lucas' obvious unawareness and his nervousness gave him severe sweating. Half of the whole canteen place was now fiery. He can't think properly, knowing that he did not commit such a hideous act now. He can't do that twice! But who would do?
"Help! Help! Help!"
Everyone left inside the secluded and crowded place of the White Day High canteen was asking for rescue. The sounds of crispy and aggressive fire echoed at the conscious yet unaware Lucas.
He seemed to be deaf to his surroundings; all those alarms buzzing with red lights and deafening sirens —Lucas can't think properly.
"So tell me, how did you start the fire?" He remembered Mister Vacio talking with anger. "Who helped you?"
That scene… was the most confining interrogation he have faced and it kept rewinding in his mind. And this White Day High incident… was it true?
"I didn't start any fire!" he remembered himself replying at him with a shout. "It wasn't done by anyone," he insisted. "and neither do I."
He didn't want it! It can't be!
Lucas can't ever forget the fact that he'd caused huge trouble at a powerful academy like Aspho High. Not just huge trouble, but it created a trauma at him and it looked like it was repeating, worse than before.
At that moment, Moon began suspecting that it was Lucas, too, who did this. He clenched his jaws and aggressively pulled Lucas with anger and worry. They kept standing at their table even the crowd was panicking already.
"Lucas? Was that yours?" Moon shouted at Lucas. He even squeezed his cheeks and forced him to answer, but he was still in awe. "Answer me! I can't take it!" He tried his best not to curse Lucas.
Lucas yanked Moon's hands off of his face, still unwilling to answer. Maybe he can't, or he wasn't listening.
"I'll be leaving!" Doll picked up her phone from the table and prepared to leave. Her panic was suspicious, and she kept her gaze at Lucas since the fire had started.
"Wait—" Moon interrupted, and grab Lucas' hand and run as he dragged him. The fire continued burning the whole canteen! It was gruesome. Some debris from the attic started falling off the floor.
Doll ran as fast as she possibly could, Moon began chasing her. But if he let go of Lucas, he will probably stop in here and stared unknowingly as an idiot spacing out.
The gate of the canteen was open a long time ago, and it was easy to escape the place. Uniformed Personnel came running in the opposite direction of the exit as they checked the canteen's interior.
Sirens began doubling, as a Fire Truck passed after Doll had crossed the street as she exited the canteen. Moon stared in both left and right directions to avoid getting hit by an upcoming vehicle. He grabbed Lucas further, and they both crossed the street, and finally accompanied Doll.
Lucas fainted on his knees as soon as Moon let go off of his hands. "Lucas! Was that you?" Moon wasn't angry but worried.
Lucas took a deep breath before standing. He held Moon's shoulder for support. "I don't—I don't know why…" Lucas murmured silently. He can't talk much; his throat dried. "I didn't start it. I can't—"
Moon glared at Lucas. His closed fist was shaking involuntarily. "It's the same stuff you'd utter back then at Aspho!" Moon shouted at Lucas. His brows were arched as if a problematic parent, and can't help heaving sighs.
Doll was shocked at how angry Moon went with sermonizing Lucas. She was not aware that Moon was this matured when taking care of Lucas. Despite them being at the same age, she can see that Moon has a lot more mature traits than Lucas displayed.
After all, Moon was Lucas' caring cousin from the very start. He can't even face another embarrassment done by Lucas with his name belonged.
"I am now telling the truth! It's like I've overused my skills when I fought Winter the last days. I have overtrained my skill earlier as well… There's no way—" Lucas was now pale in color. "But as we all know, there were two Fire Starter like me in this School that was known more and had a lot of control over their skills… which were Zanc and Maru!" he finished, as he wiped her sweated face.
"Don't tell me you were to blame the Two Bastions? Those two were the pride of the school for keeping and using their powers accordingly. They can't do that!" Doll replied with worry as well. She stared at how massive the canteen fire has become.
"Yes, the Two Bastions can't do that!" a mysterious female voice uttered from afar.
Moon and Doll were shocked, and they both looked back and checked where that voice came from. Lucas stared blankly as the person slowly walked nearer and nearer to them. Donning very sparkling leather shoes, the three overhearing its tic-tac sounds.
"And the last Fire Starter that was left…" the voice continued, "…was you, Lucas Martin!"
Lucas gasped, as he looked onto this elegant and mature girl, donning formal attire. Her smirk was domineering.
Lucas heard the same words and accent he heard from Mister Vacio back at Aspho High that he can't ever forget. The woman let that authorized voice came out of her mouth. "Go with me to the Principal's Office!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone