04: CLOSED CURTAINS

"She's awake," Luciana heard a voice say from within her dream. she was coming to.  Jalon had snuck close to her. She fought to open her eyes and could hear footsteps rushing to the other side of the room as she did so. Someone was up to no good, she realised right away. She straightened her back and lowered her feet from the top of the bed to the ground, resting them over a pair of sandals next to it. She was blasted with an increasingly terrible headache as soon as she did so, and all she could do was clutch her head. On the other side of the room, she could hear Jalon's quiet giggles. "Can you tell me what happened?" "How did I end up here?" Luciana inquired, struggling to regain her balance.

“You've been out for quite some time."  Norval tried hard not to laugh as he stated, "The medical staff brought you here after your match with the prodigy from the North." Luciana felt sceptical of their mannerisms and speech patterns. Norval never wanted to laugh inappropriately, and she understood that if he did, it was because of something that had prompted him in the first place.

"what did you do? " Luciana inquired, her gaze fixed on Jalon. Jalon averted his attention from her. She strained to get to the window on the ward's front door. As she noticed the paint strokes on her face, she turned to Jalon with a vengeful scowl.

Jalon busted out laughing right away. Norval, too, couldn't stop himself from laughing through his clamped teeth. Because Luciana lacked the strength to retaliate, she shrugged it off and walked over to the sink to wash the paint markings away.

She walked back to her bed and sat down once she was finished. For a brief moment, the room fell silent as the three brainstormed a narrative to tell or something to do with their leisure time.

"In your Match, I saw your tactics."  Norval stated, "It made me think about something, or perhaps to be more specific, about someone." Without even glancing at him, Luciana responded with a sigh.

"Remind me who it is that you're talking about again? " Jalon inquired, as confused as ever. Luciana and Norval both gave him a critical look. would never get tired of his bumbling, but it always caught them off guard and irritated them. Jalon did nothing but shrug his shoulders and wait for them to answer.

" You know, I never imagined I'd forget about him so quickly. I mean, the man who used to get on my nerves, and I don't know how I forgot about that obnoxious brat,” Luciana explained. Jalon eventually put the pieces together and figured out who the two were referring about.

"Are you talking about him?" he asked, stating the obvious.

“Of course you fool, who else would she be talking about?” Norval said.

"I'm sure you guys remember what you said to Cecily, don't you?  I'm hoping we'll all be able to keep our word. I've told you before, and I'll tell you again, my father is not who you believe he is. With the news of his and Mr. Starkridge's plans being revealed, we've all confirmed that. This Kingdom will always find a way to reveal his true nature, no matter how hard or regular it attempts to disguise it."  Luciana explained, "That's how the truth works."

For a while, Norval and Jalon remained silent. "I pledgde to bring Justice to Nelanian, and I am a man of my word," Norval said, breaking the stillness. " I promise you, Luciana, that if I am chosen champion, I will keep that commitment and carry it out to the best of my ability,"  He turned to face Jalon after saying, "I hope all of you will do the same." Jalon hesitated for a moment.

“Oh come on, for once,  could you just put aside your pride and promise that you will fulfil this promise? " Norval pressed him for further answers. "Guys, I can't say I promise because I know I won't be able to keep it.  I'll say this: if the opportunity presents itself to assist me in serving the justice that Nelanian deserves, I'll take it. But I'm not like you guys; I don't make false promises or deceive myself by attempting to conceal the reality beneath a mask. You've all witnessed the Kingdom's nature. Luciana,   You've heard the news, and you've told us that everything we've been told could be true. If that is the case, then there are many worse things going on in this kingdom than the poisoning of a little boy who has no official position in the kingdom and has no bearing on the rulers. Imagine the extent they'd go to to deal with someone bearing a title as hefty as the Champion of Ithea if they could do that to someone with no name, no family, and no real impact in their affairs,” Jalon said. His words drastically altered the atmosphere in the room. 

"So you're saying you'll do nothing even if you win the champion's seat?" Luciana had inquired.

Luciana had inquired. "I'm not saying I'm going to do nothing; I'm saying I'm going to wait for the perfect time and opportunity to do anything to help him get justice." Jalon was the one who responded. "So you're saying you don't care enough about him to go to such lengths to bring justice to his name?" She inquired, becoming agitated.

“You don't seem to get it,” Jalon remarked, averting his gaze.

"Yes, I do." Norval, who had intervened, remarked, "I understand him." 

"Then please explain what he's saying," Luciana continued, "because from what I've gathered, he just seems to think about him and him alone." She was having difficulties regulating her temper, and it seemed as if she was becoming enraged out of nowhere at the time. "Did you happen to witness it?" Were you present at Rhaizen Gale's memorial service? "Did you catch a glimpse of what these Nobles were up to?" Norval had enquired about her. Luciana took a moment to react, “yes, I did observe everything,” she said calmly.

"Rhaizen Gale was a national hero. He was regarded as the Savior across the Kingdom, the one who defeated the Trerth and saved humanity from the Monsters. Even though he accomplished all of this for the people, the only people who recognised it and praised him were the poor people living on the streets and citizens from unknown villages. The royals and Noble families look down on those people, but they nonetheless honour him for saving their lives, lives that the Nobles thought were worthless in their eyes. They gathered to his funeral to lament his passing, while the Nobles came to celebrate his death and humiliate him, the man who had shielded them from evil. That just goes to prove that the individuals in charge of this Kingdom could care less about the lives of the less fortunate. What do you think will happen if one of us becomes the next champion and approaches them aggressively, demanding justice for one of their kind, the kind the deem as worthless? " Norval asked.

Luciana slithered back into her bed, taking off her sandals and drinking bottled water. 

“If they can do that to a man who gave his life to protect them, then that goes to prove that we don't mean anything to them, and neither do the villagers,” Jalon continued. " They'll see our abrasive approach to seeking justice as an insult to their power.we can end up hurting more individuals than we wanted to save in our quest for justice for one person,” Jalon remarked. For the first time in his life, he had spoken in a rational manner.

" Yes, I accept it. I accept that this Kingdom is riddled with corruption and ruled by cowardly bastards who profit from others' suffering. But I'm not going to play by their rules. I want to be the change, and if you aren't ready, you should get out of my way and let me be the champion. If you don't want to be the Champion of Ithea, you must guarantee me that neither of you will breach the system. So I'm proclaiming right now that once the trials are completed, I'll go out and look for Nelanian. I don't care if any of you decide to join me or not; in either case, I will keep my word. Cecily, a dear friend of mine, has already been lost to the system. I'll make things right with her, and I'll bring justice to Nelanian,” Luciana declared as she replaced the bottle of water on the nightstand.

For a long period, Jalon and Norval were silent. Luciana grew uncomfortable with the lack of response. She couldn't stay in the room any longer because they had disappointed her. She put on her slippers and started walking out the door, when Norval shouted at her, “I will accompany you.  I'll help you find him after the trials,” he promised, nodding his head to reassure her. He turned to Jalon, who was standing by his side, shortly after.

“OK, OK, I'll join you on your foolish quest. But  if I sense even the tiniest hint that my life was in jeopardy, then that's it for me, I will the two of you to your quest. As long as my safety is ensured, I'll stay,” Jalon stated. At the conclusion, Luciana gave an unnoticed smile.

"I've come too far to give up now.  I remember the first time I met you guys. You Jalon, with your horrible pick-up Lines, and Norval, with your stack of books attempting to sound all-knowing. We sat in that classroom, five of us, and challenged each other to give it our all till the very end. We also failed to keep a promise we made to two of our pals.  We have to mend what we've broken,” Luciana stated.

"I never thought I would be here listening to a speech while high on painkillers, but we work with what we have. After the trials, I'll assist you in your search for Nelanian,” Jalon remarked.

A solid handshake distinguished the Promise between the three contenders. They returned to their beds and turned on the television, waiting for their bodies to calm down after taking numerous painkillers. The competition was brutal, and no one escaped unhurt. They had to sit out the following days and wait for the bodies to recuperate.

/…………………………………………………………………………………….../

Judy's fingers began to tingle as her anxiety level increased. The van's roof was nearly completely melted away. The metallic roof was being burned away by an acidic concoction, bringing the temperature inside the truck to terrible levels. 

“can't you go any faster? " Judy asked the driver who was already under too much strain to answer. The van swerved along the road as they fought to dodge the vials that were being rained down on them.

" Jimmy! quick drop me that bag and hurl it here,”  Judy  demanded. The man next her pulled a backpack with his sweaty Palms and  hurled it to her side. The saloon car in front of them pursued them aggressively, refusing to let up an inch. its passengers could not be easily observed because they wore ski masks to hide their face. they continued flinging the potions at them.

One of the potions managed to push itself through a small crack on the window and crash inside the vehicle. The acidic liquid splattered over the driver's hand and rapidly began to eat at his arm. He shrieked in pain as he fought to retain a steady handle on the steering wheel, all while fighting back  inconceivable torment. Judy pulled out a vial from the bag. It wasn't much. All that the potion was designed to accomplish was temporarily protect her body from impacts. It was worthless against acid. but she drank it anyhow, leaving a small portion of it inside the vial passing it over to  Jimmy. he flushed down the Vial hoping for the best.

As Judy looked forward, she was scared when she noticed the driver's arm had been half eaten by the active chemical. A strong Force pushed  them onward and as they looked back, they witnessed the automobile crashing into the van’s rear end. The driver soon began to sink into shock and lost his hold on the driving wheel. Judy managed to extricate herself from the hold of the seat belt with her quivering hands. She tried to reach for the steering wheel, but her short hands were an issue.

"Judy, stop! "

Jimmy shouted at her. Soon enough, he understood that his warnings were falling on deaf ears and resolved to take action. He grabbed her by her waist and dragged her back onto her seat firmly buckling on her seat belt as they braced for Impact. The van went off the road and turned sideways. With the speed they were moving coupled with the weight of the van, there was no way they could take  control of it. The front tyres slammed into a pothole and fell to its side and began rolling across the dusty terrain. equipment inside the van violently overturned and some shot out of the windows as others hit Jimmy and Judy. They rolled for several times  before coming to a complete stop. The Saloon vehicle that followed them Also veered off the road and followed the vehicle as it fell and flipped. The entire world seemed to be tilting and swaying according to Judy's point of view. At one time she could feel her head heavy with blood as the car turned upside down, and at another moment she could feel her legs being pulled down by Gravity as the car flipped over once again. periodically, a camera lens or a vacuum flask would make its way from the back of the van and hit her face, completely blinding her. When the nauseating slope finally came to a halt, she felt out of sorts. She did not know if she was upright or if the Seat she was resting on was upside down.

Her vision slowly began to be recovered, and as she looked forward, half of the front of the van  was completely crushed. The driver's seat sank into a metal sheet as the roof had collapsed on it. she looked to her side, and Jimmy seemed worse off than her.

she looked to her side, and Jimmy seemed worse off than her. "  Jimmy, can you hear me? Are you alright? " she questioned, pushing Jimmy's body around by his shoulder as she gripped it. Jimmy was unresponsive to her touch. he had been fully knocked out. Luckily the potion they had drunk earlier on helped them survive the crash. the same couldnt be said about the driver. Despite the deafening sound of the scorching engine steaming, and the deflating tires, Judy could still hear a set of footsteps approaching the fallen vehicle. The footsteps circled around the van and halted at The Door on her side. sounds of the cracking metal assailed her ears as the door was being wrenched off its hinges. Finally, a hand slid into the van and released the seat belt that was restraining Judy in her seat. the locks released and Judy plummeted head first into the blanket of metal below her. she crashed into it and the chunk of metal bending out of shape and a piece of the hot metal dug into her hand. She was too weak and Confused to react promptly. the set of hands then seized her, yanking her outdoors and onto the dust.

"take her back to the warehouse. will meet you there after we have caught the second one. " a deep voice said. Judy's half dead body was put onto the shoulders of one of the men and as they proceeded back to the saloon vehicle, she glanced behind only to see a man standing over the destroyed one, with the Jerry can of petrol at hand. Despite her confused state,  she could sense what this man was about to do. 

"no! What are you doing? " she yelled, smashing her hands into the man's back. The man reached the saloon car, wrenched the back door open and tossed her inside the vehicle. He got out a nylon rope and began tying her legs and wrists. She was too weak to resist, all she could do was hope that the knots were not tight enough to give her distress. As the door was shut once more, she had one more look at the van, erupting into a ball of fire. The saloon car rapidly drove away when the man  who instigated the arseny  ran back and leapt into the driver's seat.