Chapter 007
1142 Words
I pace around the room I share with Denise. The day before, I never managed to talk to Master Orson about my rebirth. Up until now, I don’t even know how to start a conversation. He keeps on distracting me, and I end up agreeing to come with him this Friday to Senyor Pablo’s inn. I really can’t say no to him. I need to change that; else, he’ll be able to make me join the Scepter selection again. Same as the previous timeline.
However, is that all there is to it? Should I just avoid the Selection? But if I avoid that, what will I do after the mage graduation? Being a traveling mage requires a lot of skill, which I clearly don’t have.
“Can you stop? You’re making me dizzy.” Denise says. “What’s wrong with you?”
I look at her, but then I continue pacing around the room.
“Stop!” she says and bars my path. “Cara says you did not join them in the tavern. Did you spend your time in the library again?”
“No, I didn’t. I was in Master Orson’s workroom.”
“Are you in trouble because you don’t want to get the Operation?”
I sigh. “No. Of course not.” What’s with this fixation on my Operation?
“I’m not gonna guess anymore. Tell me, or I’ll put your robe on fire and open the door and let everyone see you.”
“You have such a disgusting sense of humor.”
Denise shrugs and goes back to her desk. “Stop pacing, okay? Or I’ll really set you on fire and make them sacrifice you to me.”
“And you also have a dark sense of humor,” I say, but I obey and sit down on the side of my bed.
Denise’s anito is Lalahon, the goddess of fire and volcanoes, allowing her to use fire. With that blessing, she had a massive chance of winning the Scepter selection. It just happens that she was already a Scepter for another nation when our country, Benia, started its own Selection.
“You think I can win Benia’s selection?”
Denise snorts.
“Okay, that’s your answer.” I say.
“Sorry,” she says but is still laughing. “But your anito is Anitun Tabu, right?”
I nod.
“And it’s only giving you a trickle of its magic?”
“Unfortunately.”
“And all you can do is to create potions?”
When I got older, I began to create complex potions, but let’s leave it at that. I know where she’s going, and she’s right. If she didn’t know the future, she would think that I had no chance in it. In my previous timeline, the Scepter selection was very different from the usual challenges. Most challenges test the knowledge of the mage, and it almost seems like a Quill selection. That’s why I became a finalist. There’s only one challenge that requires the mages to have the ability to protect a Ruler, and that’s the last challenge, which never happened because of the Ruler’s death and Olivia becoming the new Ruler.
“Scepter selection is more balanced. If the more physically daunting tasks happen first, you won’t have a chance and get eliminated first. You won’t even be able to reach the part where your knowledge will be tested.”
“If it’s just staying alive, I can run and survive.”
“I beg you, Holly, just don’t join it, okay? You’ll die.”
“Well, thanks for the vote of confidence.”
Denise rolls her eyes at me and says, “I know you think the same as me. Remember that practical when we needed to battle a monster? A low level monster,” she emphasizes.
Yes, I remember. It was just a year ago. One of the teachers decided to test our combat ability in action. So he brought a “weak” monster and had us battle it. In shame, I froze, and it almost killed me.
I lie down on the bed. What is it that I want to do anyway? Being a traveling mage was my choice before, but is that really what I want? Why was I so focused on it anyway? All I want to do is escape my death, that’s all.
“Where is Holly?”
“Being tormented by her fate,” Denise answers.
“Hey.” I open my eyes and see Cara towering over me.
“What is it?” I ask.
She places her hand on her waist, and in a louder than usual voice, she says, “You do remember it’s monday and we had classes?”
I turn my back to her and say, “Academics’ not important. It won’t even win me the Scepter selection.”
“First class you’re not there and I just thought you’re late, but the second class finished and you never arrived. I thought something happened to you, only to find out that you’re here wallowing on your grief? And I don’t even know what’s causing it!”
I cover my ears. “Cara, I don’t want your lectures right now. Save those for your students when you become a Marahuyo teacher, okay?”
“You--” she reaches for me and pinches my ear. Then she pulls it upward.
“Hey--that hurts!”
“It will hurt more if you don’t get up.”
“Awww, let go, I’ll do it, just don’t--ouch!”
I massage my ears to soothe the stinging sensation on my ear. I shift my attention to Cara. She’s glaring at me with her arms crossed in front of her chest. This is precisely the reason why Ethan never accepted her to be his lover. He’s sure to be abused. Our academy, with all the vegetation on the walls, is her turf. The vines wind around her feet whenever her emotions are heightened as if warning us not to cross their master, which is happening right now.
Cara’s anito is Ikapati, the goddess of cultivated land, which makes her an excellent farmer. But that’s not the amazing thing about her. It is her uncanny ability to control vines at her will. They said she’s a genius for handling that much at a young age as if she’s the actual goddess Ikapati.
“So? Any excuse?”
“Nothing.”
“What?!”
Damn. I am already older than Cara, but why am I getting afraid? “No excuse, ma’am.”
“And?” she prods.
“I’ll go with you to the class,” I say.
“Good,” she says as if she’s my older sister.
Denise chuckles and says, “Enjoy!” before we leave the room.
To be continued…
- Writer
