Rimholm University: Clandestine

Chapter 31

A knock halts Mira's familiar from reading a book. He found it on the top of his master's study table. There are four hours before the sun reigns the sky again. He placed it back where he found it then marched to the door.

"It's you, Lady Salem. Please come in." He opens the door widely. Salem silently enters the place and he closed the door carefully; trying not to disturb the sleeping roommates, "My Lady is still asleep at the moment. I shall wake her for you."

"Don't bother, I'll wake her up. Prepare and proceed to the training room. Ifrit and my brother are waiting there." She said in calming demeanor. He bows politely and exits the room. Salem opens Mira's door and casually sits on the edge of her bed. Mira; still having her eyes closed, pulled the blanket after sensing how a part of her mattress sink.

"Zachary if you're going to jump scare me again piss off." She murmurs. Salem crossed her legs and placed her elbow on her knee; doing nothing but to stare at the girl and wait for her to wake up. In a moment, Mira stood up and shoved her blanket out of her face.

"That's it, Zachary! Let's break--" Mira turned at Salem like a malfunctioning machine, "Why are you here? It's three in the morning."

"Training," Salem said. It's like a magic word to Mira or maybe a key to her to function. She swiftly goes to her bathroom and does her routine in haste.

"I'm sorry because I forgot." Salem didn't say a word and exited the place with her. They went directly to the training room even the darkness engulfing the surroundings outside and the seven moons serve as the row of pearls in the sky.

"She forgot and overslept, isn't she?" Kellion greeted them as they enter.

"I sort of did that." Mira scratched the back of her head.

"If you're scheming something it's better if both of you behave, Lancelot and Zephyr."

"Let's start by showing us what you can do," Zephyr said before manipulating the air to make Mira and her familiar blow away. Mira hides behind the tree as she takes out her gun. Kellion pulled out his weapons; the twin ring sword then throws it to the trees. The wind continuously blows violently, controlling the ring sword in different directions.

The girl lowers herself after the weapons cut some strands of her hair. Mira aims in the air manipulator's direction then fires a bullet that slows everything. She pulls the trigger again. This time, the bullet brushed against Zephyr's arm causing a small cut on her skin.

"Told you," Salem said with a matter-of-fact tone. A small, proud smirk cracked on her lips. In the same way as how the match between her brother and Mira; disappears right away.

"She's proud of you. I saw that." Kellion whispered to Mira.

"That's not true. Keep your mouth shut, will you?"

"My sister is very in denial as always. Come on, I know are."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"Tch."

"I'm happy that you found another friend even that friendship started roughly."

"We started that way." Mira agreed.

After taking a small break, they started their real training. It's harsher than Mira and her familiar's training in the past few days. The warmth and the ray of the rising sun pass through the window to Mira's face. She covers her face before waking up from her slumber. Her eyes widened in panic; recalling that she needs to maintain her energy flow all over her body. Mira went dumbfounded as the realization hits her at very first the morning.

"Oh. I can still do it even I fell asleep. Four days is not that bad." Mira grabs her towel and took off straight to the bathroom to do her morning routines. Instead of wearing her normal uniform, Mira wears a black-colored uniform. After she eats breakfast with Ellistal since Freddy and Mattheo leave earlier than her, they went to the training grounds.

"I heard that students from Elite class - B are not a joke," Mira murmurs while they're walking. Ellistal hummed, "You don't need to worry, Lady Mira. You can do it. I know something that might help you."

"Late like me," Salem spoke up. She's walking beside Mira nonchalantly, "Continue your conversation and don't mind me." She added. He cleared his throat and turned at Mira.

"So, have you tried applying your magic together with your speed like what you did when you're having a spar with Lady Salem?" A cheeky grin flashed upon Ellistal's face, "If you apply your magic when you run, you can keep up with vampire's and shifter's speed. Add the fact that you can use your magic in front of them without knowing what is it. Aside from that, portion your magic and don't use it on the first. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"Yes. I'll do that."

"Good to hear, Lady Mira." Ellistal bowed before vanishing into thin air when Salem opens the door for her. Her gaze comes upon the seven unfamiliar faces sitting under the shade. They got on to the spot where Zachary and the others are. Mira noticed the judging looks coming from the other group and decided to ignore them.

"Who are they?"

"It's my first time seeing their face, aside from Julius."

"He got teamed up with them?"

"They don't look strong. I bet that elf and two girls will end up crying."

"Those seven succeeded in taking down Lady Marionette on their practical exam, Chloe?" The girl covered by a tribal tattoo asked.

"Tch, come on Tamara. Lady Marionette gets easy on them."

"Ken is right, Lady Marionette just let them pass so the groups on other universities will beat them easily."

"What a shame. Why the administration didn't add our names as representatives? For sure we can fight better than them." Lady Selene entered the room together with Lady Augustine followed by the three other mentors. All of them stand up and greeted them politely.

"Students! Come here at the middle and line up!" Lady Augustine shouted. Mira and her teammates formed into a line. From Freddy, Kellion, Mattheo, Julius, Zachary, Salem, and last but not least, Mira.

"This is the lineup, you'll spar in the person in front of you." Mira eyed the girl covered with tribal tattoos in shock. She has those crimson eyes, indicating that she's a vampire. The girl named Tamara simply smiled and waved at Mira despite how her classmates held a grudge against Zachary and the others.

"Wimps and cry babies." The bulky guy said while eyeing Zachary. Zachary remained standing straight quietly and let the insult slip.

"Enough of that, Nathan." Lady Augustine scolded her student. Lady Selene cleared her throat before clapping to take everyone's attention.

"This match has a simple rule, if you got knocked out then the match is over. Now, I and Lady Augustine will announce this practice match to officially start. The first match will be Cohen and Percival's match. Other participants, go to your places." Freddy and the guy named Cohen were left out by their classmates. Lady Augustine rang the bell. Cohen flashed a menacing grin before putting himself into a fighting stance. Freddy stayed calm even the guy in front of him bared his claws.

"I'll crush your bones and dye your green hair to red using your blood, Elf."

"Cohen the bear shifter," Kellion said from out of the blue before tossing the gold coin to the air, "Known for being a notorious bully. Born with a silver spoon. Always go for a fight to make those shifters under his level to bow and kneel."

"I remember him," Mattheo mumbled while watching how Cohen formed a circle around Freddy, "He's also one of those lads fighting with your sister and me." He added. Freddy observed the bear shifter saunter around him. Tailing every movement that the shifter does. He can his heart pounded against his chest in adrenaline. The shifter jumped into him and the moment was too fast after the bow and arrow appeared on Freddy's hands then shoots Cohen with his arrow. Vines sprung out from the arrow and wrapped around the bear's body, knocking him to the ground.

"Percival wins."

"Cohen was just caught off guard!" One of his classmates yelled; followed by the rest of the group protesting against the victor of Freddy.

"It's very obvious that it was his fault. He let himself get caught." Zachary murmurs. Mira and the other agreed silently.

"Kellion and Anthony." Kellion and Anthony stand up from their seat then walked forward. The bell rings again.

"Are you sure that you're a harpy?" Anthony asked with whole curiosity while looking at Kellion from head to toe, "You don't look like one. What did you use? Transformation magic? You're not covered with feathers or have that horrible looks." He added.

"I'm born naturally with these."

"Let's see if your mother will recognize you after this." He grins before summoning rocks from his hand and bursting it in Kellion's direction. The man smirks then flicked the small rock back at Anthony. It hit his head that made his consciousness vanish. Kellion watched Anthony unconsciously collapse to his knees.

"Too reckless."

"Chloe is out." Lady Selene announced. Mattheo emotionlessly bowed before going back to the spot where the others are. Chloe glared at the man's back. Her defeat was unexpected like her first two classmates. Mattheo made her paralyzed before she create a move. Their match got followed by Julius' match. He stepped forward as their name got called, "Julius and Haze."

"I do ---" Julius raised his finger, making Haze look on it in confusion. He grins then simply points him out. Haze's eyes get widened after a force brings him down to his feet.

'Is it his magic? Gravity?'

"No, my friend. It's not gravity." Julius said then point to the ground, making him huddled into the soil. Haze screams in pain by the force that keeps pressing him to the ground.

"Julius wins." The team where Haze comes from turned at the seven of them in bitterness.

"Next, Salem and Geo."

"I can't believe that I'm going to fight a girl." Geo scoffed at Salem. The bell rings and Geo walked towards Salem with a judging look. Trying to take down the girl by intimidation.

"You're only tall. Do you know what sunlight and food are? Don't worry, I'll go easy on you." He grins while making his fingers crackle. Salem turned at him with sleepy eyes then yawned. Geo's grin fades away by her behavior. Salem stared at Geo without any expression before landing a solid punch on his face.

"This match is not----" The kick landed on his stomach serves as a key to his unconsciousness.

"Salem wins." Salem glanced at the unconscious guy laying on the ground and covered with dust.

"They still have two members. I'm sure that those two are weak." Nathan said to make his teammate's fighting spirit to get braver. Both he and Tamara are the members left.

"Zachary wins." But destiny nor his thinking is not conceding with each other. Like what Kellion and Salem did, Zachary didn't use any of his ability or even his magic.

"Mira and Tamara." Zachary smiled and messed up her hair. Salem raised her thumb at her. Kellion and the others cheered for her as she walked forwards.

"Use your magic on your speed." Mira looked at the vampire who's into a fighting stance now. Tamara didn't hesitate to attack Mira so she immediately run and did what Ellistal told her. Tamara stayed on her spot while searching for her.

'Where she is?!'

"She can vanish to the thin air."

"Ah, so you can be invisible." Tamara paused, "How sweet." Mira successfully landed a kick on her shoulder then punches her waist. Tamara got backed off by the sudden impact but before she gets recovered, Mira kicked her leg from behind and her arm around Tamara's neck.

"Mira wins."