Rimholm University: Clandestine

Chapter 29

"Let's warm up a bit like what Freddy and Julius did, Zachary." Mira persuaded the male beside her. Zachary stopped tossing the stone in the air then averted his attention at Mira, "I can't hurt you so, no." Her brows knitted into a questioning frown; starting to feel negative emotion towards the current situation where she's at.

"I often got paper cuts on my fingers so what's the reason? It's normal to get hurt." Mira reasoned out. He hoisted out a problematic sigh, "I haven't allowed you joining on the games yet, and don't think that I'm bounding you to do what you wanted but please, you know that I can't hurt you." She closed her eyes then turned her back against him. That reasoning again, she heard that hundreds of thousands of times now and it makes her ears ring in bitterness.

"I'm not a fragile porcelain doll, you know? I can do whatever I want and if you don't allow me to join then it's alright. I ruled myself." Mira said in a prideful tone then walks away from him. Zachary put down the fruit and followed her to explain the intentions clearly.

"I'm not treating you like that, you know that. I just want to---"

"To what? Zachary, I'm not stupid. I know what I'm doing."

"I know, that's why I'm here."

"Here for what? Here to stop me from my delusions? You know what? I shouldn't come here with Lady Selene because I grow tired here. You always do everything you want but I can't? I shouldn't agree with you in the first place and let myself be killed there." Zachary left flabbergasted and tailed Mira by his gaze. If this gets further, their fight will get worst. Not far from them, two shifters want to dispose of each other's guts by the way they looked at each other. One's presence loathing another. Since the both of them felt hostility towards one another, one more thing that fuels their hatred up and they'll snap.

"I'm not allowing myself to be your sparring partner, you hear me? No." Mattheo relaxes under the shade of the small canopy. Of course, sleeping again is like what he always does. Salem tied her now long hair into a bun before raising her middle finger at him as a response.

"Do you even know does that means, birdie?" Mattheo asked mockingly while raising his brows. Salem remained to stare at her with a stone-cold expression, "F*ck you. I'll prefer to spar with puppets than you, alien from the human world."

"At least puppets are better than you." She added. Mattheo stood up, brows almost knitted to each other. One thing that Mattheo hates; stepping and crashing his ego. Lions are lions. Them being the symbol of pride and they hate being disrespected.

"What are you talking about bird brain? Do you want to get screwed up now?" A low and menacing chuckle slipped into Salem's lips, making Mattheo's eyes flash blue, trying to make the other shifter submit.

"Want me to break your bones again?"

"Let's see if you can break it." Mattheo lowered his face to the girl's neck then snapped the tie on her hair. Salem immediately realizes what he's trying to accomplish after his breath fanned on her ear. Quick as lightning, she pushed the lion shifter before punch landed on Mattheo's face. Mira and Zachary, no not only them, everyone noticed the commotion.

"My little girl is mad, huh? Should I let you break my bones and threaten me again? That scent of yours is too enticing." The shifter whispers. He licked the blood coming out from the small slit on his lower lip, showing his fangs.

"Hey! Why did you punch him?!" Salem looked down at Mira while holding the side of her neck.

"It's not my fault." The younger emotionlessly said. Mira pushed her away all by force but the girl didn't step back or show any hint of emotion, "Stop denying it, you spawn of darkness!"

"Enough of this will you?":Zachary asked as he interrupted them and pulled back the girl behind him. Freddy holds Mira while Julius is trying to stop Mattheo.

"Are you alright?" Kellion immediately covered his sister who's too dazed beneath her motionless façade.

"I already know that," Salem informed her before eyes turned gold.

"It's truly not her fault, Mira! Believe in her!" Freddy said in a panic. Mira glared at Mattheo before Ellistal comes out from her gun. Putting himself into protecting stance.

"What have you done, Mattheo?"

"I didn't do anything."

"Then why she's mad?!"

"I pissed her off."

"Salem!" Their attention got darted at the girl in front of Kellion. Ifrit appears out of nowhere; holding a flaming sword while looking at the shifter.

"I'll do everything for Lady Salem. I don't care who you are." Ifrit pointed the flaming sword to Mattheo. A burnt mark of magic circle emerges from the shifter's feet before the blue flame outburst to surround the boy. Salem stared at him menacingly even her hair is covering half of the portion of his face, "Then it's good for you to know the taste of what you paid for."

"If the four of you didn't get along with your colleague, I won't allow you to join the games and request a replacement." Lady Selene threatened the four students standing in front of her while keeping their heads held down. If she didn't appear at the very moment, the whole grounds will turn into ashes and there's an injured student. She had enough of their chaos for the day. None of them dared to meet her ominous gaze. Knowing that they have done wrong.

"Do you think that fighting is allowed here?" Mira glared at Zachary before looking at the ground again as Lady Selene halted in front of her. She tapped her while tapping her sandals against the ground, "Amira Dionne Chivalry." Mira's eyes widened after the teacher called her by her real and full name.

"This is your first time being involved with fights like this. Go with Kellion and others to warm up and don't let yourself get involved with this next time. You'll receive your punishment later." She hesitantly nodded before moving behind Zachary who's scowling at her.

"Zachary, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"......."

"I know that you're mad at me but still, I was sorry." The shifter lifted his blank gaze unhurriedly. Though, he never throws even a single glance at Mira. Salem and Mattheo stayed silent like they are and watch the couple by their peripheral vision with a frown. Zachary moved and let out a small growl again after the girl tried to touch his hands.

"Alright, I guess we'll talk later." She smiled before going to the spot where Salem is, "I'm sorry too." Again, Mira received a silent treatment. She stood up then walk reluctantly towards the canopy. Freddy and Julius are having a gossip while Kellion remained in silence behind them.

"Hey, come here. Someone wants to have a word to you." Julius drew her attention from watching the three shifters, causing her to almost flinch. Mira fiddled with her fingers then shuffled beside them.

"I told you to call her nicely." Kellion slapped Julius' arm, "I'm just fooling around, don't be mad." He laughs.

"Are you alright, Mira?" Kellion asks.

"I'm sorry for what I've said to your sister." Kellion looked at her in disbelief then vented out a small chuckle, "It's alright but it's not me who you should apologize with." Mira avoided his gaze with guilt, "That wolf is too mad at me. I can feel it."

"Both of you should talk about your matters. Aside from that, I beg of you to consider his behavior. Wolves are too possessive to their mates, you know? It's too rare to find someone like him. He still respects your personal space, does not harass you, and let you stay with your friends, unlike the other shifter. They're also territorial beings." Julius nodded in agreement with Kellion's explanation.

"On the other hand, he still managed to always sneak into your room despite getting busy being the current leader of all the shifters."

"Mr. Wolf always does that?" Freddy asked in out of the blue.

"Yes? Sometimes he brings Salem while he's watching her asleep. Salem told me that one time. He also went to her room alone."

"Stalker," Mira murmurs, making Julius and Kellion wheeze.

"That's why my familiars are whimpering every night."

"I guess that they're taking a punishment," Kellion said. Julius and Freddy curiously looked in the direction where Lady Selene and the others are.

"What about a warm-up for a while? Two versus two?" Julius changed the topic.

"Sure!"

"I'd rather do that with my sister." Kellion deadpans. Freddy clasped both of his hands as if he's trying to make sure that his prayer will reach the divinities, "Please, Salem's brother, join us?" Kellion stared at the elf with mint-colored hair.

"What about you, Mira?"

"Mira don't kill me!" Julius laughs as the girl shoots rounds of bullets in his direction. Mira hops and rolls herself to dodge Freddy's arrow. She glanced at the vampire. The vampire is fighting Kellion and the high-grade puppet while she's facing Freddy and a high-grade puppet.

"If I'm going kill you then I'll be the one who faced you not Kellion!" Mira yelled before using the resting shield on the ground to prevent Freddy's projectile to hit her. She got small scratches on her skin and dirt on her clothes due to the combat.

"Go kill him now, Mira," Kellion said then used his wings to back Mira away. He throws the daggers on her again but the flying shield hits almost all of it while Mira dodged the others, causing it to get ricocheted. Julius grins at Kellion, "Better luck next time."

"Not by the chance, Julius." Kellion used his wings to brush off the ground and make the dust fly. Mira immediately covers her eyes but Freddy on the other hand intentionally shoots an arrow behind Mira. A giant flower burst out from the ground and released suffocating gas.

"Well? Should I show you how I exactly fight my opponent?" Julius asked while guarding Mira's back, "It's up to you, Mr. Julius." The girl said before tearing her handkerchief into two-piece to cover her nose. She gives the other one to the vampire.

"I will handle the dolls, okay?" She nodded in clarity. Julius grins before pulling out a whip and walks towards the opposite side where he senses the dolls are. He swings his arm, causing the whip to flick against the ground. A lasso is wrapped around her hand where she's holding the gun. She hissed when someone pulled her outside the suffocating air. Mira remove the safety lock of her gun and use her free hand to take the dagger beneath the skirt before letting herself get pulled effortlessly. After seconds of figuring out where's that person who's pulling her, Mira cuts the rope then pulled the trigger before swiftly shifting into another direction to shoot her opponent behind it. She found Kellion grasping his right arm and Freddy aiming his bow and arrow at her. Two of them are gasping for air while enduring the pain from the bullet.

"Woah, what happened? Both of you happen to be very exhausted." Julius commented. He walks towards them and drags the doll into its arm after defeating them in a haste. Freddy releases the arrow in their direction. Mira quickly got dragged by Julius away from the incoming projectiles.

"Earned another injury?" Mira shook her head while catching her breath by the insane rush she covers the small wound on her hand. It's her first time encountering a vampire and the fact that surprises hers is that the vampire uses its inhumane speed. Like what she read from the books when she's in the human world, vampires have inhumane speed and strength. In the human realm, the vampires used to roam the realm after humans hunt the witches down. Some folks believed that they still roam the land together with the other supernaturals.

"Better to clean that. Don't think that you can hide that wound from me. Kellion and I can smell fresh blood "