Varithra steps into the warcamp with a sulking face. She hoped the suspension day would pass by slowly, alas here she is. She just stand there, after exiting the cave of mournsteed, unwilling to join the crowd in their excitement of upcoming battle.
A hand was placed on her shoulder. Varithra glace at her side to see maria standing there as both of them arrived here together.
"Keep what I said in mind, alright. no friendship out there with any luminaran or the cursed child" Maria reminded.
"I wasn't- yes, maam", she tries to argue but choose not to, knowing she cant win the conversation.
Maria nodded her head in satisfying.
"You go on ahead. I will go discuss some things with the commander". Maria said gesturing her toward the camp.
Varithra reached her tent, waiting for the first horn as she always do without much to do.
"Varithra".
"Sheron?".
A girl with a dark blue hair approach her with a bright smile. Sheron, one of few people actually approach her time to time, though they can't be really be called as friends. Varithra make sure to have some distance for Sheron's sake as she doesn't want to cause any trouble with Sheron's friends who just afraid of Varithra. Sheron was popular from the academy days after all.
Varithra glanced at the Sheron's friends standing some pace away, clearly uncomfortable.
"What's up?", Varithra asked casually.
"Heard about your suspension, came to check out. you good?" Sheron asked with a worried face.
"Never been better. It's just sucks that it didn't last longer" Varithra shrugged.
Sheron chuckled "Wasn't enough time to finish one of your books I presume?. So, what really happen?".
"Nothing much", Varithra glossed it over.
"…Well, as long you are fine. I'm leaving then. Careful out there" Sheron said and run back to her squad without prying much.
Just when Varithra though she was done for now, she felt a shadow approaching her. She glanced up to meet a men with a scowl on his face, glaring dagger at her.
"...Gillard".
Gillard had a brown hair with a black eyes. What captures her eye immediately was the burn he had in both of his arm up till his shoulder.
"I hoped you would die out there or packed for Solar's embrace, I would have personally escorted you. Slightly disappointed knowing it's just a suspension", he said as he spit on the ground at her foot.
Varithra sighed. He was one of the victim of her 'talents' during their school days when they were younger. She did approach him multiple time for forgiveness but his hatred just made her numb. She just accepted it was her fault and moved on but he just can't.
But she knew how to deal with him. She extend her arm toward Gillard and a black flame roared to life, make him jump and stumble backward and fall down.
With a smirk Varithra asked, "It still stings?".
Gillard's face twisted in anger. He stood up and said " Don't get on your high horse . I will make you pay for you did to me". he walked away.
Gillard is the victim here who had a loss and that made her sad ...few years back. But now? She had no reason to felt this way after he continue to harass her over years.
Just then she heard it, the first horn of the day. She, just like others, jogged out of the camp straight to the heart of the abyssia to met with the luminaran's army.
After some paces away from the camp, Varithra derailed from her path and started to make her way toward the edge of the battlefield and slowly scan through the area.
Who she was looking for is that 'luminaran friend' as she was her ticket to get to the cursed child.
Varithra only stumbled upon him few times but for some reason, this woman always finds him no matter what. Half the time, varithra just follows her as Lucielle straight lead her to the place she wanted to be.
Then Varithra sees her. A girl with a golden hair confidently trotting away from the battlefield. Varithra choose to follow her silently as always.
…
Caelum was laid down on his back while tossing some pebbles around to pass the time. The place he chose last week has been perfect. No troublemakers.
It's been a week since he sawed them.
"Did they gave up on me?", he wondered loudly.
But he knew those stubborn girls wont back down that easily. There must be something going on with them.
'Well, not my concern'.
Just then he heard a footsteps from the dome's broken wall that lead to the inside .
'Did someone finally found this place?'.
But to his suprise, who showed up was Lucielle and followed by Varithra shortly after.
Lucielle turns and glared at Varithra.
"Did you follow me?", she demanded as she always do.
Varithra just shrugged, clearly had no intention of answering.
Caelum slowly stands up and brushes off dust from his already tattered clothes.
"I thought both of you already given up".
They say nothing.
"Guess we doing this", Caelum shrugs and summons his golden blade.
'Better finish this faster and start the search for next place'.
Lucielle frowned , eye locked in the blade he holding.
"Change it", she ordered.
"Excuse me?", Caelum tilts head in confusion.
"You blade, change it".
Caelum briefly glance at his blade before look back to Lucielle with a smirk.
"Nope".
"Then i will make you".
She dashed closing the distance in mere seconds.
Caelum blocks her attack and push her back. Both of them jumped back as if sensing something just to barely escape from a wall of black flame that crossed and roaring between them.
Lucielle changes her course and rush toward Varithra which baffled caelum as they always focus on him rather than fight each other.
Varithra calmly spins her hand to form a black flame around her to protect herself. As the circle almost half done, Lucielle stab her sword on the ground and thrust it onward, creating a striking light travel across the ground until it intercepted the closing black flame, halting its progression.
"Tsk".
Varithra clicked her tongue on annoyance on unable to complete the defensive circle. Lucielle steps inside circle through the path that haven't closed yet and swung her sword from left.
Varithra conjures a black flame and interrupts the blade mid swing. Both of them locked in a tug of war when both the blade and the flame refusing to move either way.
'This is my chance'.
Caelum rush forward, hoping to neutralise them both in one strike.
When both of them realise his advance, they cancelled their blessings. Varithra jumps out of the half burning cycle safely as her own blessing wont hurt her.
While Lucielle turn around to block caelum's attack who just enters the flaming circle himself, varithra started to conjure new flame on her hand, ready to toss it in our direction.
Both Caelum and Lucielle was on a sword dance, where they would block one of their attacks and shift back to parry the incoming flame and focus back on their meele combat.
Caelum, who think fighting inside the circle was limiting , ceased his assault and jump back.
There was silence between them.
"Let's end this here", Caelum commented.
Lucielle run foward with her golden blade while varithra too run forward with her flame covered fist.
Caelum summon another sword shadow sword on his left hand and run forward to met the attack head on.
And then, they clashed. He use his golden sword to black Lucielle attack while uses shadow sword to block of Varithra's flame.
As they met in the middle, a tremble starts to shake the entire ruin and the ground give in before any of then could utter another word.
The abyss below swallowed them whole.