The Beginning After The End (Beckoning Fates Book 3) (6 page)

“No, but I’d be very embarrassed to be in
family like the Ravenpoop even if I did know of them.”
 
I try to hide my smile as I play along
in this immature exchange.

Some of the students nearby who was listening
in on our conversation started snickering.

“Y-you... How dare mock a prestigious family
like the RavenPOR house?”
 
Charles slams
his fist on our table, emphasizing his house name, which makes them laugh even
more.

“I am a 2
^nd
class student that
should be shown respect!
 
I reached
out to you, a newbie, because I didn’t want a Battle Mage Student lower himself
by being with a Scholar Student but you instead spit in my face like
this?”
 
His hand was already
twitching to reach for the wand strapped to his right leg.

Elijah looks him dead in the eye and refutes,
“First of all, it’s Scholar MAGE student.
 
Arthur is just as much of a mage as any Battle mage student.
 
Second, why would I go with someone who
blatantly looks down on my best friend and roommate?
 
Third, it’s obvious you’re not here out
of kindness towards me but here because of hostility towards Arthur so stop
your childish show and go piss off.”
 

I had to admit that when my friend put on a
serious expression, coupled with his naturally sharp features, he did look
quite scary.
 

Issuing duels inside a facility not meant for
battle was prohibited so using magic inside the dining hall would result in
quite a big punishment, but that didn’t seem to stop Mr. Ravenpor here.

Wind was gathering around him as he struggled
to keep his anger under control.
 
“Jack!”
 
He roars, wind
settling down around him as he calls forth one of his minions.

A boy that had a face that looked around 13 but
a body that looked too big for his age stepped up from the back.
 

“Show these brats how things work around
here.”
 
He growls, stepping back.

Jack looks a little hesitant but Charles barks
that he’ll be properly compensated, making Jack reveal a wicked grin as he fits
a clawed gauntlet over his fists.

“Sucks for you.”
 
He simply smirks, cracking his neck
before splitting the table in half.

The dining hall was in a commotion by now as
the students all gathered around, some standing up on the tables to get a
better view.

Elijah protected his face in surprise as the
table split into pieces but I remained unfazed, my legs crossed as I took a sip
from the water cup I was holding, while even Sylvie was still sleeping.

“Are you crazy!
 
This is a dining facility!”
 
Elijah shouts as he stood up to face
Jack, who cracked his clawed fists.

“Don’t matter.
 
Boss is going to take care of everything
anyway.
 
Keep your teeth clenched
now.”
 
He smirks as his right fist
glows in non-attribute mana.
 

He was a second-class student as well as well
by the two stripes on his black tie, but even without an attribute, his core
was still dark orange, which, for his age, was pretty damn good.

Elijah’s right hand glowed, his two rings
glowing a dim yellow as he prepared a spell but I already noticed that Jack’s
pitiful killing intent was directed towards me, not my friend.

I didn’t even look up and prepared to settle
this quickly but once again, before I got the chance to do anything, vines shot
out from the ground and wrapped tightly around Jack.

It only took a couple of moments
for the vines to completely encase Jack.
 
As he struggled to break free, the vines twisted around tighter, making
his face turn an ugly shade.

While most were confused, Charles
seemed to know exactly what was going on as his face paled and he immediately
stepped away from the commotion he created.
 
Elijah was a bit surprised as well, his
head turning left and right to see who used the spell, but the person
responsible had yet to show herself.
 

Standing up, I face the suffocating
Jack, who gave up on struggling against the vines.
 
The atmosphere in the dining hall turned
tense as no one spoke, everyone waiting for the perpetrator of the spell to
show up. Giving Elijah a meaningful glance, I silently lift my arm, placing my
palm on the vines as I release the spell.

Torrent.
 

Holding back on the amount of mana
used on the spell, I will a gale of sharp winds from my palm.

“FWOOOOSHINGG!”

The Ravenpor groupies behind Jack
all covered themselves against the sharp gale as they got caught in the spell
as well.
 
With the spell, I so
graciously freed Jack from the vines that were choking him, but in the process
shredded his clothes as well, leaving him the same way he came out from his
unfortunate mother’s womb.

“COUGH COUGH!”
 
Jack plops to his knees, his junior that
looked a bit too petite compared to his large body dangling for everyone to
see.
 
Without either a word or a
change in expression, I turn and walk towards Charles, who was still trying to
discreetly make his way out of the dining hall.
 
He was by the wall, and was almost in
front of the main doors when I unsheathed the Disciplinary Committee knife I
received from the Director, and threw it, imbuing wind mana into it.

“AAHH! What the hell?”
 
As the knife cut through the air and
pierced through his blazer, pinning him against the wall, I came face to face
with him.

“Maybe it’s just me but I find it
pathetic when brats like you who come from a noble family beat your chest for
something that you never even earned.
 
Before bragging about how powerful your family is, be competent enough
to at least not embarrass them.”
 
I
pull out the knife he was struggling to remove in one swift swipe and leave
through the door, not looking back.
 

The brisk autumn air greeted me as
I closed the door, my breath becoming visible in a cloud in front of me.
 

‘It’s mama!’ Sylvie’s head shoots
up from on top of my head.

I ignore my bond, looking up at the
night sky illuminated by countless star as I speak out loud. “You know, you
could’ve killed him if I didn’t disrupt the spell.”

“I was going to cancel it once he
passed out.
 
Besides, I know you
were going to handle it.”
 
From
besides me a few meters away, the familiar voice responded.

“Pfft~ NOW you leave it up to me?
What stopped you from doing the same this morning after the ceremony?”
 
I snickered.

“…”

I walk towards the figure that was
leaning against the wall of the building, her face and other recognizable
features masked by the shadow of the starry night.

By her silence, I could already
picture what sort of troubled expression she had on her face.
 
I stood in front of the figure, I was
close enough to see her face but she was looking down so I could only see the
crown of her silvery gunmetal hair that seemed to shimmer.

“Ahem~” I awkwardly cough, covering
my mouth with a fist as the silence between us felt like an eternity.
 
Finally, she glanced up, revealing her
face as she was fiddling with her hands behind her back.

“…”

““I’M SORR…””
 

*THUD*

““Oww!””

We instantly destroyed the awkward
atmosphere as we head-butted each other by bowing in apology at the same time.

“PFFT~ Hahahaha! I guess we both wanted
to apologize huh?”
 
I couldn’t help
but smile as I rubbed my slightly throbbing head.

“I guess so…” Tess was massaging
her head too as she continued to look down.

*Sniff*

I squat down so I could see my
childhood friend’s face. “Tess. Are you crying?”
 
I tease, gently wiping her tears with
the inside of my sleeve.

*Sniff*
 
“It’s because it hurts...” Her eyes
continue to avoid mine as she lets me wipe her face.

“Did it hurt that much?”
 
My voice turns tender as I stand back
up, gently patting the place where my head hit her.

“YES! It hurt a lot!”
 
Smacking my hand away, she buried her
face in my chest, wrapping her arms around my waist as she began crying.

The seconds seemed to elongate as I
felt her body tremble from her erratic breaths and hiccups.
 
I couldn’t help but smile as I hugged
her back, patting her head comfortingly.

*Sniff*
 
“I thought you hated me.”
 
*Sniff* I could barely make out what she
was saying in between her sniffles and the fact that her voice was muffled from
speaking while her face was still buried in my chest.
 

“Even if there are times I get mad
at you, I would never hate you, Tess.” I spoke gently.

“I don’t want that.” *Sniff*

“Don’t want what?”

“I don’t want you to get mad at me
either!”
 
She mumbled while her face
still glued to my chest.

“Well this time, I was in the
wrong.
 
I shouldn’t have lashed out
at you like that.” I realized that I don’t really treat Tess like everyone
else.
 
While most people don’t come
off to me as worthwhile to get mad over, besides my family and Elijah, Tess
would probably be the only one capable of making me be genuine, even if that
was sometimes being immature.

“NO!
 
I was wrong too!
 
I-I shouldn’t have called you out like
that in front of all of those people!
 
B-but it was because I have to be the strict Student Council President
in front of everyone, you know?”
 
Her face looked desperate as she finally looked up, her concerned eyes
red and a little puffy from crying.

“ARTTT!!!!
 
You should’ve seen the faces of everyone
after you…OH!”
 
Elijah, who only saw
the shaded outline of my back, came running towards me until he spotted who was
with me.

Realizing that Tess was still
wrapped tightly around me, I couldn’t help but give him an embarrassed look.

“I-I’ll see you b-back at our dorm…”
He stammered out before darting off, almost tripping over his own feet from how
fast he was running.

“Haha.
 
Tess, I think it’s about time to let go
of me.”
 
I smiled as her face turned
bright red from realizing how long she’s been clinging to me.

“O-oh right…” She immediately let
go of me, taking a step back as her eyes looked down, too embarrassed to look
at me.

I couldn’t help but let out a soft
laugh at how my childhood friend really hasn’t changed.
 
“Do you want to take a little walk with
me?”
 
I give her a smile as Sylvie
jumps off from on top of my head unto her arms.

“Kyu!” ‘Long time no see mama!’

TESSIA ERALITH’S POV:

Each of his steps were light and
confident as if he was always certain his direction and purpose.
 
Was it the way he walked?
 

Those eyes that looked calm and
poised, yet still a little playful… Was it his gaze?
 

The way it glowed even when it was
this dark outside?
 
Was it his
smile?
 

What made me this stupidly
attracted to him?
 
He’s just another
boy!
 
Another, rather talented,
rather well mannered and slightly better looking boy.
 
That was it!

What was it about him that makes me
become so foolish around him and why do I keep doing things to embarrass myself
only in front of him?

“Haa...”

“Is something wrong?”
 
He looks at me in concern as his gentle
voice makes shivers go down my spine.

“N-no! Nothing’s wrong haha!”
 
I feel my face get red again so I pet
Sylvie faster as a distraction.
 
GOSH DANGIT!

I could feel his eyes studying me
as we walked along the marble path, the only source of light from the moon that
peeked in between the trees that arched the walkway.
 
The last time we met earlier today, we
barely spent a couple seconds before things got bad so it’s been almost 4 years
since we’ve last seen each other.
 
I
would stare at him too but I know I was going to turn bright red so I just keep
my gaze down.

I wonder if he looks at any other
girl like this.
 
I want his
attention all to myself just like now.
 
I stop myself before I almost sigh out loud again.

We started talking about what we’ve
both been doing these past couple of years.
 
His time as an adventurer was really
exciting but I couldn’t help but be a little disappointed that he was with that
girl named Jasmine the whole time.

“Pfft!”
 
The corner of Art’s eyes crinkled as he
revealed his bright smile.

“W-what!”
 
I couldn’t help but hold Sylvie up
defensively.

“It’s just that I’m enjoying the
different expressions you’re showing me while I tell you my story.”
 
I catch a glimpse of his eyes making me
turn red again.
 
This is getting
ridiculous.

I would’ve been pretty cold if I
didn’t have Sylvie as a heating pack, but Art doesn’t look cold at all.
 
I wonder if being a beast tamer makes
his body stronger in these situations too.
  
I start getting embarrassed as I
remember hugging him for so long.

He was really warm though.

I got a little less tense as we
kept talking.
 
I told him a bit
about my training with Grandpa but I focused more on when Grandma Cynthia was
my teacher.

“You call her Grandma?” His head
tilts a little in curiosity.

Nodding, I reply, “She told me to
call her that since I was her only disciple and since she doesn’t have any
children.”
 

“I see…” He ponders

I continue on about the strict
training I had to go through and how it was hard for my plant attribute magic
to improve because of the lack of reliable teachers.
 
Although there weren’t any other races
that could manipulate plant attribute mana, even amongst elves, there were very
few people that were adequate in plant magic.
 
While some noble lineages do have the
capacity to learn it, they end up focusing on another element instead because
of how hard it was for them to learn plant magic.

“So you ended up becoming a dual
specialist in plant and wind huh?
 
Wow, I knew you’d be a talented mage.”
 
His genuine look makes me feel
proud.
 
I get embellished praises
from all sorts of different important figures but just a simple compliment from
him makes me this happy.

He continues, “It makes sense that
Director Goodsky should be teaching you then.”
 

I wanted time to stop as we reached
the front of where the dorms were.
 
Why was the dorms built so close to the dining hall?
 
It should’ve been on the other side of
the school…

“We should both get some
sleep.
 
It’s getting late and tomorrow
is a big day.”
 
He pats my
head.
 
I would enjoy it a lot more
if it didn’t make me feel like he was treating me like a kid.

“Y-yeah, you’re right.
 
Congratulations on becoming a
Disciplinary Committee member Art.” I try my best to smile but I start
overthinking about how I look.