The rosters were challenging.
Jai learned a lot from their battles. He noticed that elemer martial arts were more flexible than the one his grandfather had taught him.
He wasn't sure what kind of martial arts did the old man taught him. But he knew enough about other martial arts in the Before to notice the differences.
Raka's and Torfo's battles were the most interesting of them all. Jai learned a lot from their battle, and he felt his body ached to get into action. He wanted to try fighting them.
But he knew he still had to wait.
The committees were collecting the list of winners from the second match and will announce those who made it to the next round when they're done. So they gave the competitors a short break while they work.
Darrion tiptoed, trying to see whatever or whoever it is he wanted to see.
"Where's Galum?" Darrion asked
Jai let Madam Serena shook his hands and sat on his left."Oh thank you for letting this old hag accompany you for a while, dear Jai," Madam Serena said. Her excitement had receded quite a bit after the handshake. Although the madam still seemed happy, indicated by the wrinkle smile on her face.Jai smiled politely, "It's quite alright, madam. I can relate the feeling when found someone you look forward to."The woman blushed and giggled."Sorry for the intrusion, boys," Madam Rue said with a curtsy.Galum tapped his foot on the ground twice and the pavement a feet in front of Jai moved. It was raised in round shape like a stool. The earth stool was made smooth for the lady to sit on."Your seat, madam," Galum offered to the standing lady."Oh thank you, dear. Galum, was it?" The lady asked nicely as she sat gracefully on the earth
Jai, Darrion, and Galum walked to the South stage with the ladies. The participants were told to go there because that’s where the semifinals would be held.And because it’s the semifinals, they were joined by crowds of people wanting to watch the battle.Darrion observed the crowds of people and narrowed his eyes in thought, “The south stage is going to be more crowded than before. Let’s slip ourselves by the fountain to get to our box.”“Well, boys. We will be in the audience box, cheering for you,” Madam Rue said.“Oh yes! Do your best Jai! I will give you more presents if you win!” Madam Serena patted Jai’s arm a few times.Jai sent a nervous smile, “thank you, madam. I will do my best.”Madam Serena giggled and walked to the audience boxes. “Let us be off, Ruru.”
*A/N:Happy New Year.Thank you for being our reader to this chapter. We hope we could give you good chapters this year too. Salam.p.s.The title was meant to be that way. Once again, happy new year!**Galum shifted his left foot forward and the earth rumbled under Jai’s feet. Jai widened his eyes and sidestepped to the side as a wall of earth jutted upwards in a swift motion.Jai was sure the big guy didn’t use this earthwall at all in their training yesterday. But that made Jai a little bit proud as a temporary mentor, because Galum didn't show all of his moves even though they're friends.The ground beneath him rumbled again, but Jai was prepared this time.‘Alright, let’s dance,’ Jai thought, he was getting excited. Then he side stepped the upcoming earth wall again and later, some spikes ju
Galum opened his eyes slowly. The first thing he noticed, was that he seemed to be in some sort of a tent. Because he could see white sheets high above him in an arch, covering the place.'Where is this?' Galum asked he tried getting up. But he ended up coming back down with a grunt.He felt his body aching all over. There's also a stinging sensation on his stomach.'Jai didn't hold back didn't he? My body hurts...' Galum thought.While he didn't blame the guy, he just hoped this crippling-stinging sensation go away quickly.Then a lady in white dress and green barrette approached his bed. She was bringing a wooden bowl."Hello, Galum. So glad to see you're awake," the lady said brightly while putting the bowl on the bedside table."Um... Excuse me but, who are you, madam?""I'm Lin, I help nurse the participants when they pass out. How'r
Galum was afraid. He wanted to trust what has been offered. But what if that was a trick so that Jai can get back at him later? He didn't actually know the guy before this competition.Galum was just a village boy who travelled to a big kingdom in hope of finding a cure for his parents. It was already a great effort to pass the border, the longest journey he had ever traveled on.Not to mention the concern for his parents' well-being.While earthmates care for each other a lot, and while each family feels a deeper connection to one another...And even though he trusted them to care for his parents... He's still worried."My parents were sick for very long time. And the doctor said their condition almost reached critical... I need to find the cure fast, Darrion."Darrion took a second before he asked, "then... Isn't that just the more reason to accept his help?""Yeah, but-" Galum stopped himself
High in the sky.A flying ship appeared from under the clouds.It was a normal size of ship you could see in pirate movies. Only, this one was white in color, and decorated with royal dark green, and intricate designs.Foliages of leaves and colorful, beautiful flowers filled its deck, making it seem like a ship themed "a garden flying in the sky".A man in white robes was sitting on one of the antique green seatings in the middle of the main deck. He was sipping a cup of aromatic green tea.He had long white hair, like snow. His skin was flawless white, like porcelain. And his eyes were icy with a darker blue undertone, like a blizzard in the middle of winter night.He was wearing a white, long, Japanese styled robe that was tied with small blue sash on the waist."What is the purpose of this... Contest, of yours, Your Majesty?" his deep and masculine voice pie
A young man with olive hair fell to the ground with a groan. The man writhed, turning to his left and clutching his stomach.A crackle roar sounded, tracing back to a fiery napalm which soon dispersed in the air. The dispersing fire revealed a man with violet hair a few meters away. The man had a very tense expression and beads of sweat all over his face. He looked exhausted.The guards signaled the violet haired man to stop his attacks, and the violet haired man bent over and started sucking heavy breaths.After checking the fallen participant, the guard sent a signal to the committee table like the previous battles. And the battle was ended.“Hugo is unable to continue, Mugen wins the battle! And that concludes our semifinals!”The audience cheered loudly.Jai puffed his cheeks and blew his breath slowly. “If what I think will happen is happening next then I have to cheer him
Galum was helping Oki to walk, with the green haired boy leaning on the big guy. While Darrion walked with a hand on Jai’s shoulder, in case he slipped in his walk."Why should all of us go hear the announcement? Oki and I both lost our battle," Galum said."They want to announce the next matches," Oki answered casually.Darrion glanced in Oki's direction with slight irritation. "Hey! I'm their personal windlet, you go find someone else!"Oki stuck his tongue at him."They said the semifinals were concluded. So does this mean we're getting to the finals?" Jai asked his blonde friend."Yeah, oh wait," Darrion paused, then he said, "no. This is the second part.""What did you mean by second part?" Jai asked."He meant that this is like-" Oki started."-the second semifinals," Darrion replied fast.Oki glanced at h
Jai felt something wrapped around his stomach from behind. He immediately looked down to his waist, spotting two smaller sized hands coiling on his waist.‘A kid, obviously. But who is it?’ Jai wondered. This was a baby shower event, so he wasn’t feeling weird if children attend too. The question is, who is this kid?He tried to turn around to look at the hugger, but the kid was hugging him tight. It wouldn’t be hard to push it, but he was reluctant because it’s a kid. He knew there’s nothing he could do but ask.“Oh? Hello? Is there anything you need?” Jai asked with a friendly tone.He could hear giggles, but the kid didn’t answer his question.“Oh are we playing guess?” Jai asked.More giggles.“It’s a boy.” Someone whispered from his left side. A familiar voice yet he could not name.“Hey!” The boy protested.But from that tone alone, Jai could already figure out who it is. So he said. “Hello, Ruta-kun.”The kid let him go and Jai could finally turn around. True, it was Ruta. The
On the day when the baby shower was held, Jai arrived at the place with Baji.The venue is in a mansion in the North Town. Jai hadn’t been in that certain neighbourhood, but he finally understood that the North Town is the place for the riches, and the neighbourhood they were in is probably among the richest. The mansion building is tall, and the garden is so wide. There’s a medium sized pond with two gazebos on the side, and then there’s also a small orchard on the right side of the mansion.Baji leaned in to whisper something. “The party is in the back garden. And keep your mouth shut, please. You’re a famous guy and I don’t want you looking stupid.” Then he leaned back.Jai immediately closed his unconsciously parted lips and recited the plan. He couldn’t, of course, confront an important figure of a clan in a crowded venue. So Baji and Gilbert had made a plan to help him talk alone with Fuuji Fu in the venue. He just have to make sure he could deal with the ‘fans’, though he hoped
It isn’t a doubt that Cynthia was reluctant to share that information with Harris because Jai was there. So Jai proposed to the brunette to re-visit the place later in the day to ask about it.Baji was there when they returned, and Jai immediately told him about the findings he got also to consult about the Fiery Lotus.Baji crossed his arms on his chest and nodded in acknowledgement. “It’s fortunate that a promising lead is finally here. We’re sorry for the late initiative from our part. We should’ve worked harder.”He didn’t think that he would receive an apology from Baji. But it showed that the man is a responsible person. Jai shook his head. “It’s alright. From the start, it was already a scavenger hunt. But do you know anything about either of those?”Baji fixed his seating before he explained. “Well about the Chief of Fuuji, he’s a strict person on males. He’s nice to females, and he’s really into babies. There’s only one male person he had shown his friendly side to in public,
“So uhh, this person whom you mentioned before with Tsubasa is a very important person. And you want to ask him about Alex?” Darrion asked when they were in the carriage, heading back.Jai narrowed his eyes. “Why aren’t you being straightforward?”“I’m a bit tired from today. There are so many deliveries like yesterday. But ahh… I’m more tired in trying to understand what they say.” Darrion said with nervous smile.Jai forgot that his friend is not adept in Shouha language, it must be hard to work without understanding what anyone is saying.“Sorry.” Jai apologized.Darrion nodded. “It’s fine. Let’s just stick to no name for now, if possible. I… Can’t really erect a barrier right now.”“Sure.” Jai nodded. “The… Family, you know, told me about him. Saying that he is the first person we can ask about Alex. But he has a very high standing, as you’ve listened to me and the father talked about him, so it won’t be easy to talk to him.”“I see. So that’s why you go to them. They can be consi
"Sorry if it's too much of me to ask." Jai said."Oh no, no. It's fine. But my mother is not at home though, is that alright?" Yuta asked as he turned to Jai and Darrion behind him."It's alright. It's very sudden after all." Jai said."Alright then. Would tea be alright?" Yuta asked."Yes. It's fine. Thank you." Jai answered.Fu Fuuji is the head chief of one of the notorious Ten Guardian Clans, the Fuuji clan. After leaving the Komatsu’s residence, he was thinking about how to get in touch with this person. And the Akamine clan is the first thing that came into Jai’s mind.While they don’t really owe him a favor, this family is the closest connection that he has to the Fuuji clan, because they’re also one of the Ten Guardian Clans.Also, he knew that it’s not guaranteed that he would get an audience with Fu Fuuji through the Akamine. There’s a possibility that they are enemies with each other. But he would at least try to ask. So here they were, in the Akamine clan’s residence.Yuta
Returning to the present.“Little Sparks. Fiery Lotus. What the hell are those?” Jai asked as they left the compound.“Quiet down. You’re gonna get us killed for that.” Claude remindedJai turned around and talked in slight whisper. “If it’s associated with the Queen, that means it’s very private. In the North Town, in a community place like thing. It doesn’t ring any bells from the previous search. Do you know anything about it?”He saw an empty horse mount coming in their direction and waved it.The mount stopped in front of them and they immediately climbed in the carriage. “Southeast Windlet Post Office.” He told the horse mount driver.Weaving the air barrier thicker, Claude replied. “I don’t. I’m a hunter, not a mercenary. How do you suppose I know these things?”Jai smiled shortly with a shrug. “Maybe? Ah… But this is a major progress in the case. At least we know he’s not dead, and it will take more effort to rescue him now.” Jai smiled.Claude stared at Jai suspiciously. “Why
They were led to a corridor which have several doors across from each other. Alex immediately knew they are resting rooms, because he could see a bed from one of the opened doors.One of the committees, the previous guy who shot the Cloud Viewing Rune in the ceremony, pulled his hood down, showing his blonde hair. Then he turned around while the other committees went past him, leaving him to deal with the new freshmen batch.“Good morning. My name is Liam. I am one of the guild members and I am one of the supervisors of the freshmen. Well, not really supervisor, but I’m the one they put in charge to look after you when the super seniors are out. Like right now. Oh and umm, I’m not alone. I have my friends with me to look after you. So please don’t do anything rash, because we outpower you by a lot. And we prefer not to hit you, because you’re a potential junior. Please be nice to each other, okay?”Alex didn’t really pay attention. He stopped listening when he uttered the fourth sente
That morning on the day when Jai went to the Komatsu’s house, Alex had already settled in ‘the place’.He wasn’t familiar with the kingdom, as such, he didn’t know where he was taken to.And since he was late, he was grouped with those who were also late. Many eyes stared at him when he entered the room—it was an average room with beds—reserved only for those who arrived late.Apparently, those who arrived first had attended the ceremony and the first phase—and those who were late had to attend on their own. But they would be gathered together after that, and he would be able to meet his roommate. That was what Master Fu said yesterday when he dropped him off. But the old man wasn’t lying.He went through a sleepless night—because there were many others here that he didn’t know and he wasn’t keen on getting surprise attacked in the middle of his sleep. But the night went by uneventfully, fortunately.He and the others were given a tray of scone and tea to start the day. He didn’t eat
“Don’t. Test. Me.”Jai’s eyes glowed brighter for a second as he emphasized the last words.The civilians, of course flinched at his threat. All of them knew him as a humble and righteous young man. Always smiling and looked very kind. They never knew this side of him. That’s why they were very surprised. The Kizuato group wasn’t included though, they were there exactly to prevent Jai doing what he planned to do.Akane, who had have enough of her parents’ plan, stood up.“Akane-chan!” Rio tried to stop her, but she went anyway and spoke.But instead of retaliating at the guest in their house like the rest of her family, she was looking at her mother instead. “Just tell him, mother!”Rio frowned deep at her. “What are you saying, Akane?”Akane gritted her teeth. “Just tell him!! If you tell him, no one will be hurt!”Rio shut her mouth and swallowed, but she didn’t say anything.Akane looked at her mother with bewildered expression. “If you don’t, then I will.” She turned to Jai. But