บท 4: Monsters (2)
Night passed as all nights do and Elisium's chimes heralded a day that 373 never really looked forward to because of one fact:
They had sparring today.
The little girl with black eyes didn't really mind how the pairing for their sparring classes was. Although students were allowed to challenge peers who were more powerful than them, those who didn't were matched with other children who had about the same level of power. The teachers always made sure that no students would suffer serious injuries so 373 had always faced someone average. Sometimes she would win. Sometimes she would choose to lose. What was important to her was that her rank stayed inconspicuous. She didn't really care about who she was facing – she only cared about the rank she would end up at after the adult's deliberation.
She expected to see the same today. Just like always, she retreated to a far off edge of the gigantic hall and opened a book. The space looked like an artificial football stadium complete with trimmed grass, goal posts, white lines and marble seating that enclosed the hall. The lighting above them shone brightly, almost like an artificial sun hung up above their heads.
373 was oblivious to her surroundings as she cracked open a notebook which contained a collection of notes about enchantments. Unknown to her, a boy with an big build had intentionally asked to be left out from the teacher's match making. A sneer was on his round face. He occasionally sneaked glances at the small brown-haired female and laughed internally as 373 passed the time not knowing of the humiliation he was going to teach her.
Gabriel Fernandez was turning eleven this year and he was one of the top ten students in their class. He was recognized as one of the possible candidates for the Sanctuary. But whenever he competed with the other nine children who scored higher than him, he would always lose. And although most of the lower ranking children in their class feared him because of his big bulky body, the black eyed brat didn't seem to care about his existence. The though alone made him irritated. That's why he decided to put the girl with no name back into her place. Gabriel planned on using 373 as a stepping stone while pushing her down to the bottom of the class. Since the girl was just an average student, the plump boy was confident in his ability to embarrass the auburn -haired girl in front of everybody.
When 373's number was called along with Gabriel's name, hushed whispers filled the room. 373's face darkened as her small black eyes narrowed into slits. On the other hand, the boy's face lighted up and a proud grin was plastered on his face. Unfair was an understatement. In the eyes of the teachers 373 was in for a beating. Their teachers' eyes widened at the pair and looked at the students who still hadn't fought. As the two children slowly made their way to the center of the large space, the adults started searching their class lists for someone who could replace Gabriel Fernandez.
Unfortunately for them, Gabriel wasn't planning on waiting. He charged at the small unsuspecting female even without their teacher's go signal.
"Fulcio!" He shouted. The moment he did, the energy inside his body grew hot and strength seeped into his muscles. Every step he took became more powerful. The distance he traveled increased by a good amount. Gabriel covered the distance that separated him and 373 in four steps. And in a few breaths, he released a storm of punches towards the girl.
He considered himself an expert in fulcio. There was no one in the class who could rival him in his usage in the amplification spell. The more punches he threw towards the girl, the more his smile grew. The brat called 373 had beads of sweat dripping form her forehead. Although she dodged his attacks, 373 was only escaping his attacks by a hair's breadth.
373 aimed a poorly constructed Ignis at his chest. Gabriel ignored the unstable fire ball and leapt for her again with his fist heading straight for her small face. The ball of flame met with his chest and he ignored the heat the gnawed at his clothes. 373 crouched in an attempt to evade his attack. But her reaction was a few seconds too slow. His big fist struck her shoulder.
Her footing was already unsteady so the impact sent her falling down in an awkward manner. Her arm grazed the rough surface of the floor and an angry welt was forming on her porcelain-like skin. His mocking grin grew even wider as his cheeks flushed in excitement.
"Sorry. I can't control my strength!" He declared, his voice dripping with arrogance. He looked down at the usually calm and silent girl. He expected to see her suffering expression, to see her teary-eyed and tired. However, her black eyes stared at him with a gaze that seemed to swallow him whole. And when he heard her voice for the first time, her tone gave him an unexplainable chill that permeated into his bones and gave him a foreboding sense of danger.
"You did this… just to feel good about yourself?" She whispered, her eyes never leaving his. "You did this… because you thought you could bully me?"
He stopped. Did the little girl just read his mind? His hesitation broke his concentration. The Fulcio spell that he was known for suddenly faded. It took him a few seconds before he realized that the amplification spell was wearing off and that his body was losing all its strength.
His expression become wretched as he panicked. He tried to cast fulcio again. Before he could, a palm struck him at his solar plexus and sent him flying backwards by a few feet. The hall became quiet. The girl who was ridiculously average turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing! Unlike the fulcio displayed, 373's fulcio was concentrated to her palm and was more powerful than his. She said no incantations and not a single spell had fallen from her lips. At this moment, her lips moved. The audience thought that she was going to chant incantations. Instead, an unfeeling look was plastered on her face as she decided to utter two syllables.
"That's it?"
"Shut up! I'll beat you up! Fulcio! Fulcio!" Gabriel stood up as fast as he could with his face red with anger. He rushed at her in a frenzy while he yelled his favorite spell over and over again.
On the other hand, the girl he was facing calmly assumed a common fighting stance. Her right foot behind her left and both feet were a shoulder width apart. Both her hands were loosely clenched. Her guard was raised and she looked like an experienced martial artist. He growled at her, focused all his energy into one punch, and aimed for her head in hopes to knock her out with his punch.
His punch met with her small palm. With lithe and graceful movements, she guided his fist with a tug while she side step right beside his body. Her other hand was clenched tightly and was inches away from his face. Sparks crackled around her body. Her fist collided with his nose with an audible crack. Gabriel felt a thousand needles pricking his face. As he tumbled to the ground, the dust flew up before settling back down on the floor,
There roles were now reversed. The bully was looking up at his prey. The girl he thought he could oppress was staring down at him with a gaze that instilled fear into his very being. His body shook as he scurried backwards. The only word he could say was, "Monster!"
***
A few days later, and updated ranking was released. The students were all staring at the white sheet of paper intently as the adults posted it up on a cork board for all of them to see. 373 stared at the hordes of children crowding at the announcement. But as soon as her peers noticed her approaching, they all parted and made way for her which earned them a curious gaze from the black-eyed female. But as soon as she read the new ranking, she understood why they had reacted that way.
Her expression turned dark as she pursed her lips into a thin line.
In their class of 40, Gabriel Fernandez was demoted to rank 15. And she had replaced him in the top 10.
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