Lynx had no idea what he was supposed to do. As soon as Ray let go of his arm and seemed to drift off to sleep, Lynx’s first thought was to rush and get Mrs Kaden to get her to take care of his fever. However, after being begged not too, he became hesitant. In the end he did as Ray asked and decided against getting her. That being said, there was no way he could just leave Ray in his current state and decided to watch over him until he woke up.
“A drink and some sleep,” Lynx muttered to himself, walking off to get the things Ray claimed would make him better.
After grabbing two cans of soda, one for Ray and one for himself, Lynx also collected the books he packed into his bag for studying so that he was no longer so behind everyone else. It was what he wanted from Ray before he collapsed as he considered that the best way to learn was to be taught by the smartest person he knew.
When Lynx returned, he noticed that Ray hadn’t fallen asleep like he had originally thought but was staring blankly at the table. He was so out of it that he didn’t even notice Lynx piling his maths books on the table. To get his attention, he lightly tapped one of the cold soda cans on his cheek, which was still a deep crimson colour.
“I’m awake,” Ray jumped, sitting up as straight as humanly possible. “I wouldn’t dare fall asleep during your lessons.”
“Okay, that was a weird reaction,” Lynx claimed as he sat back down in front of Ray. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah… sorry, I didn’t realise I passed out,” Ray said as he rubbed is eyes and lay his body back across the table. “It seems I have a tendency to blurt out random things when I’m half asleep.”
“I noticed, you have a habit of talking in your sleep too,” Lynx stated, as placed the can in front of Ray. “Here, I got you this.”
“Why?” Ray asked.
“Because you said having one will make you feel better,” Lynx rolled his eyes. “Just take it already.”
“Th-thanks…” Ray muttered.
He grabbed it and dragged it closer to him. While still holding onto he rested his forehead against it and sighed.
“Did the fever melt your brain?” Lynx asked. “You’re meant to drink it not hug it.”
“I’m aware of that,” Ray snarled quietly, as he picked the drink up and placed it on his forehead. “It’s just nice and cool that it makes my headache a little easier to bare.”
“Honestly you get weirder by the second,” Lynx sighed with a shrug. “Speaking of, what were you thinking about just now to make you shout out about sleeping during lessons?”
“Not sure, don’t remember,” Ray muttered. “Aleron used to say that it may be my memories trapped in my subconscious, and when I’m not entirely conscious I tend to mumble things about my past that I know nothing about. Or at least something like that.”
“Meaning…?” Lynx asked, confused by Ray’s explanation.
“My mind is thinking about my memories and when I wake up, I can’t recall what I was thinking about,” Ray re-explained with a sigh.
After that they didn’t speak again. Lynx opened his books and got to work. He couldn’t understand most of the sums in the text and thought about quitting many times. However, he swore to himself he was going to try catch up to the genius in front of him. Lynx occasionally looked up at Ray to ask for his assistance, but he was still out of it. It was like he was completely lost in thought as he continued to stare blankly out in front of him. After several minutes, Ray blinked, shook his head slightly and shifted his gaze to Lynx.
“Are you… studying?” he asked, sitting up straight and removing the can from his head. “You’re actually skipping class to study?”
“Took you that long to notice?” Lynx sighed. “You really are sick, aren’t you?”
“I’m fine,” Ray narrowed his eyes.
“Sure, whatever you say,” Lynx muttered, returning his gaze to his text book.
“Why the sudden change of heart?” Ray asked as he finally opened the soda. “I thought you said learning all the technical stuff was pointless.”
“Well, after what happened the other day, I realised that haven’t exactly been in the right mindset. I’ve been quite selfish instead of focusing on saving our country,” Lynx replied as he wrote the answers to the questions in his notebook. “I’m too arrogant on my abilities and have neglected to notice the important things, not to mention my behaviour towards others isn’t exactly friendly. I have to change if I ever hope to accomplish anything.”
“The other day?” Ray muttered after taking a sip of his drink. He then placed it back in the table and stared at it with a somewhat gloomy expression. “You mean the day of that mission, right? Can I… talk to you about it?”
“You overslept, it happens,” Lynx said, pretending he wasn’t taken by surprise by Ray’s question despite accidently ripping the page he held onto. “There’s not much else to talk about.”
“I know that you and everyone else lied about it. Can’t you tell me what really happened?” Ray sighed.
“What makes you say this all of a sudden?” Lynx laughed anxiously. “Nothing hap…”
“Stop, I know that it can’t be true. When I woke up a few days ago, I realised that I had this exhaustion I couldn’t explain. If I had just fallen asleep like I originally thought I wouldn’t have felt like that, which led me to think I actually went on that mission. I couldn’t before but now I can somewhat remember being there but it’s all very hazy,” Ray shook his head, tightening his grip on the can. “And then there was your reaction. You were mad at me, but you seem scared of me at the same time. Did I… do something… or rather, did I suddenly attack you?”
Lynx frowned, closing his book. Pennie was going to hate him for telling Ray the truth but being completely dishonest about something Ray really wanted to know about was not going to help improve himself.
“Yeah, you did,” Lynx said, looking straight up at Ray. “You tried to… kill me. You said it was better for everyone if I wasn’t around.”
Ray’s eyes went wide with shock before a weary expression appeared on his face.
“I really apologise for doing that, I really don’t feel that way. Was it… was it bad?” Ray muttered.
“It was mostly my fault. I purposely aggravated you until you snapped at me. I then even got mad at you for yelling at me,” Lynx explained. “We were separated after that but once we found you… you were like… a different person.”
“Different?” Ray questioned. “Different… how?”
“To basically sum it up you were extremely dark and cold, covered in blood after brutally attacking the target of the mission,” Lynx replied. “Of course, like the moron I am I decided to pick a fight and that’s when you attacked me. I don’t know what would have happened if Blaze didn’t come and stop you. After that you stormed off.”
“I see… I really am sorry. I don’t know why I behaved like that…” Ray frowned. “I can’t believe it happened again.”
“Again?” Lynx asked.
“Yeah… I once… nearly killed Aleron,” Ray stated, looking away. “When I woke up seven years ago, not only could I not remember anything, but my magic was practically non-existent and didn’t return for months. When it did… it was too much for me to handle. I lost control and my consciousness went with it,” Ray stated. “When I came to, I was in a severely injured Aleron’s arms in a forest that was so burnt it was practically pitch black.”
“What happened?” Lynx asked, shocked by Ray’s confession.
“I can’t remember. Aleron did tell me a vague story. He said a monster attacked him and nearly killed him and that when I found him the shock forced my powers to return,” Ray explained. “However, they apparently went awry, and I unintentionally began to destroy everything around me. The only way he could calm me down was to hold onto me, burning him in the process. And now this has happened… perhaps I really am dangerous.”
“Maybe… but if you weren’t things wouldn’t be as fun,” Lynx claimed.
“Fun… I nearly killed you,” Ray sighed. “How can you be okay with that? I’m even afraid of me and I don’t even really know who I am.”
“Nah, you’re fine. You’re a better person than I am, that’s for sure,” Lynx claimed. “Who knows, once those memories of yours comes back you’ll be able to keep your emotions and those crazy powers of yours under control.”
“Since when have you been so optimistic and encouraging, especially towards me?” Ray asked, looking a little frighted by Lynx’s newfound outlook on life. “It’s kind of creepy.”
“Get used to it. From now on I’m going to be a better person,” Lynx stated. “You may as well start considering me like a brother.”
“I really don’t…” Ray began before he grunted in pain and clasped his hands onto his head.
“Are you okay?” Lynx asked in shock.
“Yeah… my head just started pounding,” Ray replied.
“Are you really sure you’re alright? What if this illness is serious?” Lynx asked, starting to get a little worried about him. “You should at least tell Mrs Kaden about it. She could help.”
“As I said before I don’t want people to know about this,” Ray said. “I will be fine… things have been this way since I can remember. Whatever caused me to lose my memory left behind an unhealthy amount of Kohai energy in my body, which leads sudden headaches. It just hasn’t been this bad in a while, so it’s caught me off guard.”
“Are you sure?” Lynx asked.
“I’m fine, and I’m actually feeling better now. It just sometimes takes a while for it to pass is all,” Ray stated. “However, I can’t stand the idea of people seeing me like this and how they’ll react. I guess you could say that thinking about it makes me feel worse and delays my recovery. So… it would be great if you kept this between us and not tell anyone.”
“Okay… I won’t…” Lynx agreed, uncertain whether he was doing the right thing. “Can I at least do anything to help?”
“This may be asking a bit much but… if I start to act strange, will you tell me? I don’t want another incident like the other day to occur. Other than that, I don’t think there’s anything else you could do,” Ray stated. “Let’s forget about me now, you wanted my help with something?”
“I was going to ask you to help me with my studies…” Lynx replied. “But then you yelled at me and then collapsed.”
“I see, well in exchange for keeping my secret I guess I could help you become less of an idiot,” Ray sneered.
“Really, you…” Lynx exclaimed before he realised Ray had insulted him. “Oy! That’s completely unnecessary! You must be feeling better if you can make remarks like that!”
“I’m just teasing,” Ray smiled. “Here let me have a look at how you’ve done so far.”
“Fine…” Lynx spat, still annoyed at Ray’s insult as he handed him his answer book.
Lynx waited patiently as Ray examined each page and writing corrections. A few pages in he sighed, grabbing a hair clip from his pocket and pulling back the left side of his fringe before continuing. After sitting there in silence for a while, Master Isaac came up them.
“So, this is where you two have been,” he said. “Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”
“We’re taking today off so I can help Lynx catch up,” Ray lied. “However, there is a lot more work to do than I thought since he practically got every question wrong.”
“It can’t be that bad,” Lynx complained.
“Want to bet,” Ray said, turning back to Lynx. “Although I wouldn’t recommend it after how badly you lost last time.”
“Fine… I’ll take your word for it,” Lynx grumbled.
“Well, while it’s good to see you two getting along I’m going to have to take Brayden away for a while,” Master Isaac claimed. “Sir Richardson wants to see you.”
“That is never a good sign,” Ray sighed. “What does he want?”
“He said that since it’s been six months since your last exams, he wants to retest you,” Master Isaac explained. “And before you ask, he said it was compulsory and he’s running them again due to unforeseen circumstances.”
“Fine… I guess I best get ready then…” Ray sighed again as he got to his feet. “Sorry Lynx, we’ll continue this when I get back.”
“Yeah… sure…” Lynx muttered as he watched Ray leave with Master Isaac, feeling unsure what to think after everything that had happened.
Ray sat outside Sir Richardson’s office with his face buried in his hands feeling completely exhausted. As always, the tests he had to undertake were extremely gruelling, bringing back the headache from earlier that he had finally gotten rid of. However, the after-effects seemed to be worse than usual, especially after the one examination that Ray hated the most. It was extremely painful test to check his Kohai and Ikiru energy levels by being strapped to a chair like machine that had a metal headband and wrist cuffs with needles that pierced his skin. Every time the machine did a scan the pain always got worse, but the hardest part was having to suffer through it for a half an hour. Thanks to that horrible test making him feel worse than usual, he found it hard to focus on the remainder of the tests and even struggled with his IQ test which was always the easiest.
“What does he even want with me?” Ray groaned, sitting up straight as his head span slightly. “I just want to go home.”
Ray hated having to be at the MLC headquarters when Mr Ansel was absent as Sir Richardson became extremely demanding and with Master Isaac off running errands, he had to deal with the vice president on his own. After hours of waiting, Ray was finally called into his office.
“Brayden Valero, I’m glad you came on such short notice,” Sir Richardson said as soon as he walked through the door.
“It’s not like I would have been given much of a choice,” Ray sighed. “So, what happens to be the issue? You don’t often ask me to stay back after taking those tests.”
“Yes well, we wanted those to see those results and speak to you about them,” Richardson claimed. “I must say though, I am not impressed. Your recent performances have not been up to scratch and the results I was just given were dismal.”
“Dismal? How so?” Ray frowned.
“Every examination today came up with worse results than we’ve seen from you in years and that IQ test was most definitely not up to your usual standards,” Richardson explained. “A disappointment such as this is unacceptable.”
“Then allow me to retake that one,” Ray claimed, feeling annoyed that Richardson was complaining. “I don’t know how you to expect me to do well when you force me to do the most agonising test first.”
“You should not speak to me like that,” Richardson spat. “I cannot allow you to retake any test since it was a clear indication of your incompetence as of late. We were not pleased what occurred in the Enlil ruins and have come to the conclusion that you are not living up to your potential in your current situation.”
“What are you saying?” Ray asked, becoming increasingly concerned.
“It has been decided that you will be moving to Espoirs Lumineux to join my army,” Richardson stated.
“Wait… what?!” Ray exclaimed. “But…”
“As of tomorrow, you will quit Twilight Heart, leave Asteria and live here where you will be trained to be a proper solider,” Richardson raised his voice. “If you do as we say now and perform well you could even become a Starlight Knight in a matter of months.”
“But I…” Ray began to complain.
“It has already been decided, you have no choice in the matter. If you had followed our expectations we wouldn’t have gone to these lengths,” Richardson bellowed. “You will follow our orders. Do I make myself clear?”
“Followed your expectations?! Are you kidding me?! This has to be some kind of sick joke!” Ray yelled, furious that after everything thing he had done to please the MLC he was being treated like a tool. “I have done everything you’ve said. I take all those yearly tests and I haven’t left Asteria unless you have ordered me to. I’ve had one mission in four months! Now you’re telling me I have to leave Twilight Heart because you claim I haven’t done as you asked?! No, I refuse!”
“Your talents are wasted in that guild,” Sir Richardson stated. “You are a powerful warrior Brayden; you will be joining us as a soldier and become a Starlight Knight. Whether you like it or not.”
“I said no,” Ray growled. “There is no way I’m leaving Twilight Heart.”
“I’m not discussing this with you any further,” Sir Richardson barked. “You are to go back to Asteria and pack your things. I expect you to be back here in two days. Do as I say, and I may be willing to let that hamara of yours come along.”
Ray clicked his tongue. The last thing he wanted was to become a solider that Richardson could use whenever he wanted. He stood there in silence attempting to think of a way to convince Richardson to allow him to stay in Asteria. He thought of everything Richardson wanted of him and things that he could agree to that he hadn’t in the past. The last thing he wanted to do was blackmail him but for some reason Ray couldn’t think of anything better, especially when he couldn’t get one person’s name out of his head.
“Then how about a deal?” Ray asked darkly. “I know there’s one other thing you want from me.”
“Ohhh, that’s interesting,” Sir Richardson sneered. “And what if I refuse to make any kind of deal with you?”
“Then I leave here and go join Darkyn,” Ray spat. “I’m fully aware how corrupt this government is without Mr Ansel’s presence. If I’m going to join some evil organization, I’d rather pick the strongest I know. He’d be happy to have me you know.”
“You’re bluffing,” Sir Richardson growled.
“Try me,” Ray growled.
“Fine, I’ll consider it,” Sir Richardson stated. “What exactly did you have in mind?”
“I’ll participate in that stupid MLC competition,” Ray replied. “I’ll prove to you that I don’t need to be a soldier to fight for this country.”
“Very well. You can stay at Twilight Heart as long as you participate in the MLC competition. However, if Twilight Heart loses, you will quit. You will join my forces and will do whatever I demand of you. Do I make myself clear?”
“Only if I can have one more thing if I win,” Ray sighed. “You’ll tell me everything you know about me, including my apparent connection to the Dark Oviri.”
“Very well, I’ll agree to that,” Richardson sneered. “Hopefully you won’t disappoint us again. You are dismissed.”
Ray stormed out of the office and slammed the door behind him. Ignoring his spinning head, the tightness in his chest and the urge to collapse to the ground in exhaustion and frustration, he continued to walk down the halls. Everything that had occurred in that building had made him feel extremely uncomfortable and anxious and he just had to get as far away from that place as possible. He hated the fact that he had given in and agreed to participate in the MLC competition since he disagreed with the premise of fighting for entertainment. However, if everything went well, he’d finally have all the answers he was searching for.571Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFdufkzhox
