Takumi dragged a chair over and sat near Itsuki's bedside. "After you passed out, the healers came and carried both you and Drayce out of the arena."
"Me and Drayce?" Itsuki's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why was Drayce taken out too? Wasn't I the one who got injured?"
Kairo and Takumi exchanged puzzled glances.
"What are you saying?" Kairo leaned forward. "Drayce was carried out because you almost killed him."
"I... WHAT!!?" Itsuki's eyes sharpened with sudden disbelief.
"The instructors had to step in and stop you. After they pulled you apart, they declared you the winner."
"I won?"
Fragments of memory surfaced; Nui's voice echoing in his head: "Nui... Nui helped you…"
She helped me win... But how?
Kairo and Takumi watched him ramble on at himself then leaned towards each other.
"He must have hit his head pretty hard." Takumi whispered.
"A little too hard if you ask me."
Itsuki looked up at his friends and asked: "What about Shion? Where is he?"
Kairo and Takumi both looked away.
"He… couldn't come." Takumi said in a low tone.
"Why not?"
Kairo hesitated, "H- He lost his match."
"Shion lost? How?" Itsuki couldn't believe what he heard.
"His opponent was Tier-Two," Takumi explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "And because you beat a Tier-Two—Drayce—he got overconfident and, well..."
Itsuki paused. Shion wasn't weak; if anything, he was the strongest among them; sharp-minded, skilled, and impossible to predict. And yet, he lost?
"Let's go see him." Itsuki tried to move, but Kairo immediately placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Oh No! You should be resting. When you're fully recovered, we'll go see him together."
Itsuki shifted back to his position, managing a weak smile. "Okay."
Takumi suddenly perked up. "Oh! And the carriage that will take us to Zenkai arrives in a few days. The instructor announced it after all the matches were done." He paused for effect. "He also listed the top thirty warriors of the trials, you were ranked number two."
Itsuki stared at the ceiling, his mind a whirlwind of questions. Number two... I don't even remember winning at all!
"Who was number one?"
Takumi grimaced. "Urgh, that girl from the Mini dojo in Runevale... I think her name was emm… Sayaka."
"Sayaka?" Itsuki repeated.
"Yeah, the girl that made the crystal glow the brightest, and she completely destroyed her opponent."
"Probably why she ranked first." Kairo nodded his head in agreement.
Cough! Cough!
A sudden sharp cough escaped Itsuki's throat, his body tensing from the effort.
The healer's head snapped toward them from across the room. "Alright, that's enough." She walked over, hands on her hips. "You two need to leave now!"
"But we just got here!" Takumi protested.
"And you've already tired him out," she said, gesturing toward Itsuki's pale face. "Out! Both of you."
Takumi stood reluctantly, pushing his chair back. "Rest up, Itsuki. We'll check on Shion for you."
"Thanks, Oh and Kairo, how was your match?" Itsuki managed.
Kairo paused, then smiled. "Piece of cake." raising his hand to show thumbs up.
The healer ushered them toward the door. "You can visit again tomorrow."
Takumi grinned, walking outside. "We will!"
They closed the door behind them, leaving Itsuki alone with the healer once more.
She returned to her counter, resuming her work with the mortar and pestle.
Itsuki shifted his gaze toward the window. Outside, he saw a bird flying back to its nest with worms in its mouth. The bird landed and dropped the worms to its chicks waiting below.
Itsuki smiled, then drifted off to sleep.
- - -
Drip! Drip!
Water fell from a rusted pipe, each drop echoing in the narrow alley. The stone walls surface slick with moss and grime. Wooden crates were stacked haphazardly against the wall, their contents long since scavenged or rotted away.
Shion walked past the area, watching his steps as he avoided the broken pieces of glass on the ground.
After a while, he stopped and raised his hands to stop the flow of tears dropping down from his face. He had been cheated before, ignored, hated, but none of this came close to this feeling of defeat. A feeling that felt debilitating; weakening him even in his bones.
He looked down at the puddle near his feet and smiled in anguish. His reflection stared back at him; eyes red, hair messed up, a stranger he could barely recognize. With a sharp motion, he kicked the puddle, scattering his reflection into ripples.
"Pathetic…" he muttered under his breath.
"Hello there," a voice called from the far end of the alley, smooth yet oddly amused. "Care for a drink?"
Shion turned toward the voice and saw an old man in an black hoodie holding a bottle of wine.
"No, thanks. " he said, looking at the man with caution.
The man laughed lightly, and he lowered the bottle to his side. "May I ask what's troubling you, boy?"
Shion walked to a nearby bench and sat. "I…" he hesitated. "...didn't qualify for Zenkai Academy."
"That so..." The man took a drag from his bottle.
"I trained out for years and it still wasn't enough!"
The man agreed with him and sat himself on the other end of the bench. "Talent's never fair, the ones who shine get noticed and the others are left to fade away."
"Sounds like you know the feeling." Shion gave a half smile.
"I do." The man turned the wine around in his bottle. "Did it hurt? Hearing them call other names while yours never came?"
Shion kept silent.
The man took another sip. "You know what the worst part is? I bet they've already moved on. Right now, they're probably celebrating the ones who made it. Your name won't cross their minds."
Shion pulled his head up sharply. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because it's the truth..." The man gave a small shrug. "And also, it does not have to be that way."
"What are you talking about?"
"There are different ways, " the man declared as he got up.
"Ways that are not for their rankings or rules. Places where strength is not handed to you, you take it!"
Shion got up slowly, taking three steps back. "W-who are you?"
"It doesn't matter who I am, " the man came a step closer. "That anger that you are feeling right now... you can either leave it with you until it consumes you, or you can take action against it."
Shion lowered his head, the man's words ringing true to him, "I am angry, I admit... but to make up for my lack of power I must train- "