Couldn't Wait to See Where She Went

No one quite knew how to resume the trial of capture the flag, and Pegasus had been fully prepared to cancel the event and replace it with something else at a later date, so that they could finally activate the rankings into the system. The school was naturally programmed to rank everyone by how powerful they were once a student displayed their power in battle, and there were another two separate rankings for how intelligent someone was in combat, as well as how well they performed overall. With all of that taken into consideration, the three different rankings would be combined into one center ranking that was projected onto the walls of the school. And, well, there wasn’t much they could do about the rankings if it was impossible to declare a winner, right? Or... so she had thought.

Because, as Asaya helped the sniveling Willow stand to their feet while supporting them the entire way, Elkan suddenly appeared carrying four different flags, his regal demeanor entirely captivating as everyone felt the need to ogle at him. His expensive robes were as fit for royalty as they had ever been, light and pale greens contrasted well with the dark gold and design of his belt, his bare feet not making a sound as he approached her haughtily, before shoving all four flagsl in Pegasus’ face, who was promptly stunned as all the students were disillusioned.

“Here. All of the flags,” the tall elf declared, and everyone slowly felt horror settling in on their faces as excitement crawled upon others. The excited ones were, granted, Ova and Viper... one of whom was on Elkan's team, while the other was simply a maniac. But no matter what your feelings were, each and every single one of them were inclined to listen when Elkan continued to speak, his voice entirely demeaning and condescending in a way that felt almost deserved, given the circumstances. “Viper and Halla’s flag was easy to get. I just killed the snake and then took the flag from where it’d been buried in its guts. And, shamefully, both Nemara and Clementine had dropped their group’s flags, so I just picked them up when no one was paying attention. And now that I’m delivering them to you, this means my team wins, yes?”

To be frank, Pegasus didn’t quite know how to respond, and none of her students could blame her. The group battle would’ve technically been voided, had no one remembered to keep the original task, and with both Lumis and Halla unconscious, it was hard to say if things were even okay as they were. But when Asaya suddenly piped up, her gleaming eyes sparkling as she held onto Willow’s arm, Pegasus realized what an outstanding job that singular student had shown today, and how much it deserved to be represented on the rankings.

"Does this mean my team won?" Asaya brightened, completely amazed at Elkan's performance as she smiled widely at the elf, who was now shining under her gaze.

And Pegasus had to give it them, that was an outstandingly sly performance. “Hah, alright. Yes, you've won, congratulations to both of you!” she laughed smoothly, bright confidence returning as she looked towards her class. “Viper, please carry both Lumis and Halla back to their dorms. They're fine and unharmed, they just fainted from mental shock, and there will be no permanent damage. As for the rest of you, Asaya, Ova, and Willow have been declared the winners, and I’m sure the system this school runs on will be updating the rankings soon. So let’s pack up and take the rest of the day off, shall we?” she clapped once, the students immediately getting to work as Viper looked down at his unconscious classmates.

He was still in somewhat of a shock, though he was also greatly pleased by this outcome. The fact Elkan had killed and disassembled his snake to find the flag gave his brain a pleasant itch, and he wished he could’ve watched it happen. But… seeing Lumis like this still disturbed him.

He’d known the man for three years now, and he knew what a great leader he was. After all, Viper had been one of the students who voted for him as class leader, despite having run against him just for the fun of it. And it had indeed been funny, because while he’d acted as the class leader before the class became so large, he’d never actually seriously wanted to win… especially since Lumis was always such a better leader than him. He prioritized his people, just like he had this time, by getting everyone else outside of the zone of danger even while letting himself get dragged in. It made Viper pout as he elongated his arm into a gentle snake, curling it around Lumis’ unconscious body as he carried him upwards. He did the same with Halla, and began carrying them with both of his snake-ified arms back to their dorms, where these two could hopefully get some restful sleep.

“Hahh, what a day. Me and my snakes are tired,” he whined after dropping off both people off, slinking towards Druyn with begging hands. Lumis and Ova shared a dorm, and Halla shared a dorm with both Nemara and Clementine, but Lumis’ dorm remained empty as Ova ran off someplace else with Asaya and Willow. Their team looked like it was getting pretty close, probably thanks to Asaya, and Viper thought warmly about that as he drooped next to Druyn. He leaned his head on the other man’s shoulder, who’d gotten used to his clingy tactics by now as he ignored the snakes nudging at his face and hissing for his attention, and instead opted to just pat a hand on Viper’s back.

“There, there,” Druyn said, voice rather monotone as Viper gave a dramatic sigh.

“Lumis and Halla were so heavy. My arms are so tired,” he whined against the other’s shoulder, but Druyn continued not to pay him much mind as his gaze kept being centered on the people sitting on the couch in front of them.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he humored, because he knew that if he didn’t pay Viper any attention at all, his whining would just get worse until he began to get out of control. It was best to at least be somewhat attentive, because that way, Viper wouldn’t feel the need to, perhaps, bite him or inject him with poison. Which, Druyn didn’t mind getting injected with poison sometimes, since it made Viper happy, but right now was not one of those instances.

Instead, he was more focused on his younger sister, Clementine. She was the one who looked like she was struggling to understand something as he and Nemara both carefully examined her scrunched up face, and since she was the one who could see and manipulate souls, it was possible she might’ve witnessed something horrifying or hard to comprehend inside Willow’s soul. So Druyn patiently waited for her to gather her thoughts while diligently playing with Viper’s head of snakes with one hand to keep the man content, before Clementine finally began to speak in the eerie silence that had consumed them.

“I just don’t get it,” she spoke sinisterly staring off into the distance as Druyn listened, preparing himself for something sensitive. Except, that wasn’t what he got. He only found himself surprised as his younger sister by three years looked up in bewildermently, before she exclaimed something ridiculous. “Willow, I understand. It makes sense they’d be so attracted to Asaya’s soul because of how she helped them today. But, what gets me is that... four other people’s souls also lurched to be held by her at the same time,” Clementine voiced, slightly amazed with the concept that was developing. “Nemara, Lumis, Ova, and Spike’s souls all felt a form of jealousy when they saw Asaya holding Willow like that. Nearly all them felt borderline obsessive, with some being worse than others, which means we have five people who are attracted to Asaya's soul, which her soul is already strange enough as it is. How is that possible?”

It was silent again as Druyn was forced to process something he’d rather not know. So… Willow’s soul must’ve looked normal, then. Or average enough that Clementine hadn’t been too bothered by seeing it today. And in other words, she found everyone else’s reactions to be more interesting. He should feel relieved by that, glad his sister didn’t see anything that scared her, but instead, he kind of felt like she was violating others' privacy. That couldn’t be okay, could it? Druyn might need to have another talk with her about not looking too deeply into other’s souls without permission…

But he only cringed when Viper burst out laughing, his sharp fangs poking out from under his green lips as he clutched onto Druyn’s shoulders, who scowled as he tried to push him off. “That’s so funny! I want to be friends with Asaya, too!” he cheered, snakes all shifting on his head and hissing in celebration. “Maybe she’ll even want to try some of my poison!”

Druyn had to repress the urge to just up and shove Viper off of him right then and there, who was busy laying his entire weight onto his sides as the queer man's snakes kept nibbling at his crimson red hair. Sometimes he felt like a babysitter, with the way he had to watch these two. Some of his most commonly used phrases had to be, “No Clementine, you shouldn’t touch that,” and “No Viper, you can’t say that to people,” among other such things.

At least Nemara seemed to be another pillar of reason in this group. She was usually pretty reasonable, and she did things that made sense, so Druyn was never too worried about her. In fact, he’d even go as far as to say Nemara was someone he really respected, as the number one student their class had to offer. She was someone strong who was easy to admire. She was level-headed and was a stoic woman of few words, but she was deeply insightful and always scored first not only in power, but also in intelligence. She rarely showed much emotion and wasn't as open about her feelings as others, but even the stricter members of their class, such as Halla and Lumis, held a deep respect for her.

Although, this time, her pale face was burning a soft pink, and before he knew it, she was putting her face in her hands like she was having a miniature breakdown. It was a scene he'd never seen before. Nemara was always so composed, so stone-faced, it felt odd to see a real expression on there. Was she... embarrassed? Certaintly not. What was she embarrassed about? Druyn didn't understand.

It wasn't until her voice creaked out like a broken wooden plank that had just been stepped on, that Druyn finally gained some sort of knowledge, and found himself deeply stumped. “Was it really that obvious?” Nemara asked her friend, voice pitiful and humble as Clementine watched her intensely. His sister appeared to be deeply analyzed the stoic woman's soul, before she saw something that made her gasp, Nemara's emotionally supressed soul reflected deeply in her glassy white eyes.

“Ah, I can't believe it! You’re in love with her! I never thought I'd see your soul react this way to a person!”

“Please... don’t say it out loud. It's not... it's not a big deal,” Nemara pleaded smally, but Clementine was already too late to be stopped.

His sister tilted her face down, her pale skin framed by short, fluffy black hair framing her round face, her expression entirely concerned and confused to the point it was comedical. “But Nemara, why do you feel that way? It doesn’t make sense. Asaya clearly hates you. Whenever she thinks of you, her soul is filled with so much hurt and betrayal it’s hard to look at. And I know you feel guilty, too. So how is it possible for you to love someone you hurt so badly?” she questioned earnestly, as if she were desperately searching for an answer, completely oblivious to the sensitiveness of her question.

He had to repress another sigh, quick to move a hand over Viper’s nose and mouth to stop him from talking and adding anything else to this miserable conversation as Druyn quickly scolded, “Clementine, that’s enough. That’s a sensitive topic, don’t press it.”

“Huh? Is it?” his sister turned to him, glassy eyes wide and unregistering as he gave her a firm nod. And she quickly turned back to Nemara, whose face was still held in her hands, and fretted at her realization. “Ah, I’m sorry, Nemara. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“...it’s fine,” the woman croaked, and Druyn finally let out a sigh as Clementine’s eyes continued to seek more and more information from the soul right in front of her, like prying hands ripping into someone’s heart. He’d really, really have to have another talk with her.

But his back suddenly stiffened when he felt a wet, cold sensation hit his hand, and he quickly turned his head around to face Viper as he kept his hand where it was, ignoring that annoying thick green tongue that had just violated him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” his eyes narrowed, but Viper only gave a cheeky smile as his snakes hissed pleasantly.

“You just weren’t paying any attention to me, Druyn,” Viper told him with a smile, before he reached out to grab the hand that was covering his face, carefully removing it as he examined it with flickering reptilian eyes. “May I bite you? I want to poison you, Druyn. I have the antidote on me,” he begged, scaly hands brushing over the skin in front of him.

Viper sometimes got like this when he didn’t get enough stimulation during the day, whether it be something that probed him mentally or tickled him physically. In short, he just needed some form of stimulation to sustain him, or else he’d go to Druyn for it when he didn’t get it. It was annoying, honestly, but some things had to be done. If he had to take one for the team so that Viper didn’t go and harass or poison anybody else, so be it.

“No, wait until later tonight. I’ll let you before we go to bed,” he told the other sternly, leaving no room for questions as Viper smiled against his hand, nuzzling it as Druyn began ignoring him all over again. It wasn’t until the room’s attention was caught by Lumis entering did Viper go back to being quiet and obedient, and Druyn was the first to speak up on the group’s behalf to address their class leader’s health. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping more?” he scolded slightly, noticing how tired Lumis seemed as the tall man gave a sheepish laugh, long ears flicking slightly as he gave a small shrug.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“I feel better when I’m busy. And Pegasus told me what happened,” he explained easily, Druyn eyeing him with care.

“Well you better get to bed early tonight, just in case.”

“Hey now, I’m really fine, no reason to do that,” Lumis laughed softly, before smiling a bit more when he looked over at Clementine and Nemara, his eyes softened when he laid eyes on his childhood friend who still had her face in her hands. “So what were you four talking about? Anything interesting?”

“Oh, we were talking about how yours, Nemara's, Spike's, and Ova’s souls all reacted to Asaya,” Clementine piped up first, Druyn doing an internal facepalm as Nemara leaned further onto the arm of the couch. “I was wondering how so many people would feel jealous that Asaya wasn’t paying attention to them, or envious that they weren't the one she was holding. I learned why Nemara felt that way, but what about you, Lumis? You felt that way even when unconscious. It makes sense, since souls never sleep, and tend to react to each other even if your mind can't comprehend it. Speaking of, your soul also felt somewhat romantic, but it wasn't quite as intense... almost like it was love that'd been scabbed over. Can you explain that for me?” she questioned, voice blunt and eager as Druyn quickly cut in.

“You don’t have to answer any of that if it’s too personal,” he corrected his younger sister’s curiosity, just to be safe, even though it didn’t look like Lumis was too bothered.

In fact, he looked more amused than anything, like he had seen the question coming, which Druyn was somewhat conflicted to see. But their class leader merely folded his arms behind his back, smiling kindly at Clementine as he gave a small shrug. “Asaya’s soul is addicting. That’s the best way I know how to phrase it,” he explained easily, casual in a way Nemara felt she could never be. “She’s always been the kind of person to reach out to people when they need it. When I’d first moved to her town when we were twelve, she was my first friend."

"Me and my Aunt Nita had moved because I was getting bullied back where we used to live, and I was expecting the kids there to be the same, but Asaya proved me wrong. Even though I was so guarded and scared, she reached out to me and held herself there. She has a certain unwavering sense of self about her that I really appreciate. She knows who she is and what she wants to do. And, biggest of all, she sees other people clearly,” he spoke, like he was recalling fond memories at the same time. “I still think of her as the first real friend I ever had, and still one of my best. And you're right, I used to have feelings for her, yes. I'm not sure if I still do, but I'm open to it. I suppose it just depends. But to answer your question, I guess that when I felt her helping someone else, it reminded me of how she once helped me, and my soul must have reacted like that because I wanted some more of her warmth. After all, we’re just now rekindling our friendship, so I suppose I’m just wishing things would hurry along.”

“Ohh, I see,” Clementine nodded, feeling as if that made sense for the reaction she’d observed inside Lumis’ soul. And Lumis only smiled, glad he’d been able to help, as Druyn pondered everything he knew about Asaya so far.

She was wild. She did what she wanted without any concern for how others may view her for it. She was guarded and didn’t get along well with Nemara or Spike. She had a temper that he’d seen lash out a few times at the two people he’d just mentioned, but she could also be exceptionally friendly and bubbly with her friends, like Ova and Lumis. Not to mention, she was gentle and doting towards those who needed it, like Willow. All in all, Druyn saw her as a pretty well-rounded person who had a lot of sides to her.

It made him think that… perhaps he’d judged too quickly. He doubted he could change Halla’s mind just yet, but to him, he was beginning to think maybe Asaya really did have a good, personal reason to hide her power. Because she didn’t seem like a bad person. Not with the way he’d watched her step right into that monstrous storm without an inch of fear in her gaze, only a pure sense of calm that made her stand out more than anyone else.

“Hm. You’re right, I think Asaya would make a good friend, Viper,” he agreed suddenly as his hand moved to garner more of the man’s snakes, and he felt them tangle around his fingers as a few fangs traveled innocently over his olive-toned skin.

And Viper nodded eagerly, moving his arms to wrap them around Druyn’s neck as his taller form towered slightly over the shorter elf. “I agree. Let’s talk to her when we get the chance.”

“Alright, sounds good to me,” Druyn nodded, ignoring the swell of annoyance that was bubbling up in his chest at Viper’s clinginess. But he’d been letting the annoying feeling brew for quite a while now, purposely so he could compartmentalize it and store it in his reserves. And the moment he did so, his annoyance faded away as he continued to pat at Viper’s hair, more power being saved up for another moment. Now, whenever he clicked into his reserves of the emotion ‘annoyance,’ he’d have plenty of mana to pull from to give himself immense strength. That was, of course, the main reason he hung out with Viper. It gave him a large source of power, because he was such an annoyingly clingy brat who threw fits when he didn’t get his way. It still dumbfounded Druyn how they’d ended up being classified as best friends after so many years.

Although, by the end of the day, when the rankings were all calculated together, no one felt themselves surprised by the outcome. It was what most of them had been expecting, as the class seemed to be fairly self-aware this year. Pegasus thought that was a good quality to share. It meant each person would take accountability for themselves, and they would improve quicker.

For the rankings of pure strength and fighting prowess, the rankings were exactly how people had imagined them…

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STRENGTH RANKINGS

First - Nemara

Second - Viper

Third - Willow

Fourth - Asaya

Fifth - Lumis

Sixth - Ova

Seventh - Clementine

Eighth - Halla

Ninth - Druyn

Tenth - Spike

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For the rankings of intelligence and strategy, that one threw a few people for a loop… but to most, it made sense, considering what the ending of the trial had ended up looking like… perhaps Elkan had significantly skewed this setup...

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INTELLIGENCE AND STRATEGY RANKINGS

First - Asaya

Second - Nemara

Third - Viper

Fourth - Lumis

Fifth - Druyn

Sixth - Ova

Seventh - Clementine

Eighth - Halla

Ninth - Spike

Tenth - Willow

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And finally, for the overall results of the fight… the school’s mana system would deduce who had been practicing the most efficiently over the past month of the new school year, as well as how well they performed overall during the group trial of capture the flag… technically speaking, the group who won first place would dominate the top spots, but, of course… this time, things looked a little different. And yet again, no one could say they were surprised…

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OVERALL PERFORMANCE RANKING

First - Asaya

Second - Nemara

Third - Viper

Fourth - Lumis

Fifth - Ova

Sixth - Druyn

Seventh - Clementine

Eighth - Spike

Ninth - Halla

Tenth - Willow

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Despite being on the winning team, Willow won last place in the overall performance ranking. Again, something like that happening was rare, but it was no surprise. In the end, Asaya was the one who had essentially carried that team to victory by sending out Elkan while she took care of the damage that had been ensuing.

Everyone had to admit, without Asaya, things could’ve ended much worse. Pegasus, too, was of the same opinion. Her method would’ve just been to knock Willow out and help them recover their sense of control when they were conscious, but Asaya had completely flipped that strategy on its head and showed how wrong it simply was. She’d seen right through Willow’s storm and saw the vulnerable, aching soul underneath, and had helped to heal it. Pegasus had never seen so much potential in one student, and she couldn’t wait to see where she went.

And of course, when all three of those rankings were combined, you get the final scores.

Asaya, for one, was proud for having two first places and a fourth place, and she felt this was a great ground to start on. She might not be the strongest, and under any other circumstances, she most likely would’ve lost the group battle. It was circumstance and luck that had helped her win this time. But of course, next time, she vowed to win things with her own skill. She refused to stay stagnant, and she was determined to continue growing her magic to new extremes. Next, she would work on summoning a new character into reality... a second character alongside Elkan. And for that goal to be achieved, she'd need to work even harder.

Nemara felt like her rankings were mostly what she expected. Asaya taking away two first place spots that would’ve normally been hers didn’t bother her in the slightest. If anything, she was proud of her old friend. She wanted to see her shine even more. This made her happy, and Nemara was finally glad she was somewhat a part of it. And soon, they’d be able to have a day all to themselves, for the two of them to hang out for the first time in four years… Nemara couldn’t wait. In her mind, the rankings didn't matter nearly as much.

Lumis wanted to do more. Two fourth places and a fifth place wasn’t bad, but it still left him feeling utterly average. His magic gave him the ability to control the perfection of any object he touched, but he hadn’t been able to improve his magic in quite a while. It left him feeling impatient, and he wondered just how he could improve next. After all, Asaya and Willow were two new powerhouses that had just entered the equation, and Spike wasn’t someone to ignore either, despite his lackluster performance so far. He just wanted to continue doing his best and to keep reaching for new heights, to keep growing… because Lumis would hate to be left behind.

Ova, on the other hand, was brewing. His rankings were quite average this time around. Maybe even less than that. He kept having to constantly remind himself that just because he was in the lower middle didn’t mean he wasn’t skilled… after all, everyone in the gifted class was an elite, even if they were ranked last. Ova just had to remember that. He had to keep going, for the sake of the woman closest to him. He had to do good so that she could continue to thrive.

Willow felt like they could do better. They wanted to do better. Asaya had helped them immensely and had finally given their power the purpose it needed, so they finally… finally felt like they had the right resolve to keep pushing through. To keep themselves strong and steady. They might’ve been scored last place on two of the rankings, but they wouldn’t let that bring them down. Next time, Willow knew they would do better, and they felt blessed to have been given that next chance on a golden platter.

Spike felt ashamed. He wanted to be capable of more, but everyone else just seemed so much greater than he did. He was so behind everyone else in power and skill. He felt weak. He wasn’t sure if he was right to be in this class. Looking at Asaya and Willow, the two people he’d joined alongside, he just seemed so far behind them… so far out of their league. He hated comparing himself to others, but he just couldn’t help it. He envied their strength, envied their power. He wanted to make something great of himself too, but sometimes, it just felt impossible. How could he ever measure up to anything in front of all the strong people surrounding him?

Viper was excited. This class was turning out to be something amazing, he could feel it. What felt like a long time ago now, he used to be the sole member of this gifted program for two long, lonely years, but things had picked up since then, and now they were picking up even more. He was satisfied with his rankings, and desperate to see more of everyone around him. He felt so much potential in the air, it made him feel like he was foaming at the mouth.

Clementine, unlike the others, forgot the rankings existed. She was too busy writing in her journal about what she’d seen today, about all of the souls she’d gotten to experience first-hand. She wrote about how dark and gloomy Willow’s soul had looked, and how the vision of their soul melting into Asaya’s like a child being taken in by its mother had felt so cathartic. Clementine also wrote about how she was eager to get to know Asaya better, as well. Because she really did have such an interesting soul. It felt immense and warm, a soul unlike any other, and she felt Lumis had been right to call it addicting. But there was also something about Asaya's soul that wasn't quite right... like it didn't belong in their world. Something about it was inexplicably different. She couldn’t wait to experience more of it for herself.

Druyn was busy memorizing both his scores and Clementine’s, since he figured she’d forget and ask him about it later, too lazy to go look for herself. But he didn’t mind. And he was impressed with himself, truly, because Druyn felt he’d had a much better showing this time than the most recent tracking evaluation that had taken place at the end of last year. His power wasn’t the strongest, he knew that and was keenly aware of it, but he always made up for it in other things. And he was glad to see his effort in revising his strategies and becoming a bigger team player was paying off. With the way his power was heading, that might be the road he had to take in the long run.

Halla didn’t know what to think. She’d woken up to seeing the rankings already established, and she didn’t know what to make of Asaya’s newly given rank. It didn’t feel right to her. And even when she heard about what had happened after she’d lost consciousness, of how much Asaya had done and accomplished… it just didn’t sit well with her. How could someone so rebellious and secretive be so kind? Halla was certain she must have an ulterior motive. Anyone who hid their power, which was like hiding yourself from the world, was not to be trusted. So, while being upset that her rankings hadn’t been the best this time around, she vowed to keep a close eye on Asaya, and make sure she didn’t get into any trouble.

And the final rankings, which would be displayed high and mighty at the very front of the school on a large stone slate that shone and reflected the sunlight through its glass screening… were as follows…

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OFFICIAL RANKINGS

First - Nemara

Second - Asaya

Third - Viper

Fourth - Lumis

Fifth - Ova

Sixth - Druyn

Seventh - Clementine

Eighth - Willow

Ninth - Halla

Tenth - Spike

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But it left everyone wondering. Just what would the rest of this school year bring?