Greyat…
Shou looked down, his heart heavy. The rat's death deeply affected him. Their fight was not just about survival, but a clash of their dreams and ideals.
Kael came forward to pick Shou up.
"White, what's the matter?" Kael raised his eyebrows, feeling a little worried. The rabbit seemed to have lost his energy and was just quiet in his hands.
Kael looked at the remains on the ground and came to the conclusion that maybe the rabbit was shocked seeing this scene. Kael felt bad a little, realising maybe it was causing stress for him.
"I will give you a treat later. You did well." Kael said assuringly, rubbing his head and placing him on his shoulder.
Kael was about to leave, before he saw something amongst the pile of flesh - a small stone flickering.
"Huh… a mana core. From a rat, that's so rare." Kael crouched down, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully moved his finger to pick the reddish stone like thing the size of a pea from the corpse.
His head turned away in a little disgust, but it didn't hold him back from being curious.
Shou looked in horror as Greyat's corpse was desecrated. He closed his eyes with his paws, his fur trembling.
This world is so cruel…
Shou said in his heart with deep heaviness.
Kael washed the mana core with some water, and observed it under the sunlight. Light seemed to pierced through it, giving it a nice shine.
"Never saw one so tiny."
It was like cracking an egg with two egg yolks. It was somewhat lucky in a sense. It wasn't useful, but it was rarer than common D rank mana core.
"Here. It's your first opponent. You should keep it." Kael further traumatised Shou accidentally by placing the gem onto his paw.
Despite the horror at holding what's essentially a fresh organ, he subconsciously held it, afraid it would fall.
Greyat…
He looked at the red gem, then back at the corpse.
I will remember you.
Alicia came closer silently, patting shou's head without consent. While Arthur just observed, his eyes contained empathy unlike those two.
"I am going to the infirmary. This guy had some scratches." Kael mentioned it. He felt a little bad seeing some stains of dark red on the rabbit's fur.
"They were just light scratches. It should be a quick fix. I am going too." Alicia wanted to tag along.
Kael felt a little happy inside. He never thought there would be one day when Alicia would walk alongside him.
As the trio walked towards the infirmary, Kael seemed to realise what was off this whole time. Since when Arthur could just walk alongside him! Who asked him to follow?
He side-eyed Arthur on his right, noticing how his eyes wandered towards his pet as if he was curious and had a lot in mind. Kael side-eyed Alicia on his left, her hand constantly poking and annoying the rabbit.
Alicia was fine. But then Arthur stretched his hand out to touch the rabbit too. Kael quickly moved. As if he would let Arthur.
"Hey peasant. Who gives you permission to touch my familiar." He was snarky with his tone.
Arthur raised his eyebrow, then he huffed as if expecting the question.
"If he dislikes it he would have told me, no? He did not say anything. See?" Arthur meant it as literally saying something.
Arthur went to touch the rabbit's head. Shou glared at him, but he was too lazy to actually push his hand away. He had too much in mind now.
"He just glared at you." Kael held the rabbit on the other side of his shoulder, away from Arthur.
"And why are you walking next to me? Ergh… You are taking my air, it's suffocating." Kael exaggerated his expression of disgust and took a step away.
"Come on, don't be like that Kael. It's nice seeing you two not at each other's throat for once." Alicia tried to meditate.
"You know him, Alicia." Arthur said with amusement.
"What does that mean ha?!" Kael glared at him, the hand holding the rabbit tightening.
"Oh. Nothing, nothing." Arthur waved his hand to dismiss it acting casual.
"You really want to get beaten up huh, peasant?"
"I remember you said the same thing last year…" Arthur said with a sly smile, bringing up last year's final examination when they both went to spar against each other. He remembered how Kael was so confident and arrogant, then shot himself in the foot.
"Shut up. This year won't be the same. Just you wait…!" Kael felt his heart was hit where it really hurts. That event wasn't just shameful for him. It meant more than that.
The scene of that day flashed in his mind. The whispers of the nobles watching, the cold, expressionless look his father gave him from the audience seat, it was like a thorn that he couldn't remove.
Kael turned his head away and walked a little faster in indignation, leaving the two behind.
Alicia chuckled seeing Kael went. Now that she thought about it…
Kael's antics seemed more of a… quirk? Somehow she no longer found Kael's behaviour of dissing Arthur anything serious. As if it was just some exaggerated performative theatric.
"He's quite funny now that I see it… no wonder you never took him seriously." Alicia commented.
"We are on the same page finally. He did look a little cute, don't you think?" Arthur let out a small chuckle.
Alicia looked at Kael's back, even the way he walked seemed a little funny and not looking so arrogant anymore. "Yeah, I see it now."
Kael felt his ears itching, as if someone was badmouthing him again.
"Damn it… who's talking about me." Kael cursed in a low breath. He turned his head back, sure Arthur was the culprit. He gave Arthur a warning with his eyes before turning his head away, convincing himself he shouldn't pay too much attention to the peasant.
Kael reached the infirmary. The attending physician was in a white robe and scarf, the rosary with a four pointed sun symbol on her chest identified her as a member of the church. Her skin was smooth, without any blemish nor imperfection. Her golden irises were unique to the Sylvaris family, the family that founded the church and was said to carry bloodline blessed by Luminus.
She took a look at the rabbit with curiosity, placing her hand over his body while muttering words of prayer.
"God gave us power to guide. His light shall heal and light the path…" Green light emanated from her hands, filled with power of Life. The small wounds on the rabbit's body were healed instantly, leaving no scar as if Shou was never hurt at all.
Shou looked at his body and paws, surprised at the effectiveness of this mysterious magical power that felt comfy and slightly ticklish to him. He wondered if the words of praising God had anything to do with her magic, or if the healing magic was something only those close to their faith could use.
"Thank you Sister Junais." Kael gave his thanks.
"No problem." Sister Junais was just doing her work.
She's as pretty as ever. Alicia observed from a distance and couldn't help but comment in her mind. All of the Sylvaris had such looks. Clear skin, never looked their age, even their mysterious longer lifespan. As if they really were blessed.
The trio returned to their own classes, with Arthur having to go to his own class where commoners were. The day went by without another noteworthy event. Though one thing that was different was Alicia seemed to get along with Kael after years and became the current discussion amongst the students.
Their classmates noticed the way Alicia didn't dismiss Kael anymore and even let him sit next to her.
"Huh… why is she…" One of the Tea Girls already formed a small group to discuss the latest news.
"It's Kael's rabbit…" Another girl pointed out with a low voice.
"No way. To think he could make Alicia treat him a little differently just because of a rabbit…!"
"Oh…! Now there's tea. You think Arthur would get jealous?" One of the girls rubbed her hands, a grin carved on her lips already imagining the drama that would unfold later.
"I doubt it. Everyone here knows they both like each other. It's just that their status is different so…"
"Yeah. In a way Arthur is kinda stuck himself… You think he would give up on Alicia?"
"Hard to say. He seemed more of a mature type and I noticed he never crossed the line with her. They never even hold hands… I guess they both understand they can't exactly be together."
"Ho… with how it's going… Kael does have a chance after all. No wonder he kept going at it for years."
"Hehe… I already sniff the future. When Arthur had to part ways with her, Kael would swoop in and comfort her. And then the two would get closer~"
"Wait for a second here. I saw Kael and Arthur actually walk side by side before class… you know, the way they looked at each other… Mmff! I think there must be something going on secretly. Think about it. Remember how he always picked on him in our first year? If we actually see it from a different perspective, wasn't he just trying to get his attention?" The girl with a ponytail already clenching her fists together, imagining unholy things between two men.
"Sure…" The members were already used to her out of topic discussion and perfunctorily said a sentence or two before going back on the main topic.
Kael and Alicia remained oblivious to the surrounding talks about their change of dynamic. Anyways, Kael didn't think too much. He only felt happy that Alicia actually acknowledged him.
Thanks to you buddy.
Kael let out a proud smile seeing his rabbit sat on Alicia's lap, receiving unwanted pats from her from start of the class to finish.
The bell soon rang, signalling the end of the class.
"I am going to the training ground." Kael slung his leather bag over his shoulder before picking the rabbit into his arm.
"You are hardworking…" Alicia muttered, more of an acknowledgement. When she thought about it, Kael often went to the training field after class. It's as if she just realised this detail about Kael.
Hearing the praise, Kael felt a fire lit up in his chest. He never heard Alicia said such word to him before, and hearing it made butterflies flutter in his stomach.
"I am just doing what is expected of me. It's nothing." He said calmly, as if trying to appear cool.
Alicia raised her eyebrow, a small smile on her lips as she mmed to Kael's statement.
"See you tomorrow." Alicia kept her things into her bag, gave the rabbit one last pat before turning to leave.
Kael watched as Alicia went. He felt spirited more than ever and headed straight to the training ground. He picked up a wooden sword and started swinging. In his mind, he could already see the image of Arthur being beaten under his sword and cried for mercy.
Alicia then looked at him with awe, and she quickly fell for him.
"Hehe. Hehe… Arthur… I will beat your ass." Arthur was laughing to himself, imagining the sweet future as he kept practicing.
At a corner, Shou just lay flat on the grass, playing with the red mana stone in his paws. He rolled it around his paw, contemplating the battle he had with Greyat.
He closed his eyes, his paw held onto it tight. This world was dangerous. And Greyat was right that in a sense, Shou was lucky. He wondered how his life would have been if he was not a rabbit, instead a vermin.
"Humans… I was a human too… once." Thinking about how weak he was, how different his status was as an animal, he felt a longing. A longing to become human. A longing to gain his autonomy, his freedom, and power to stand up for himself.
I… want to be free. To make my own choices.
The words muttered in his heart were almost a plea. A subtle fluctuation of mana appeared inside of his body, unnoticed by himself.
Then, something unexpected happened. The pea sized mana core started to glow slightly. A warm current flowed from it into Shou's paws.
Shou opened his eyes in surprise, feeling a surge of small current in his paws. The energy travelled into his body, circulating and as if it was absorbed completely.
"What's going on…? This feeling… I am absorbing it…?" Shou observed the changes in himself, meanwhile the red mana core lost its red luster, and slowly crumbled into fragments and disappeared into nothingness.
Shou could feel it. His mana seemed to grow a little bit.
"Greyat, is this your way of telling me to become strong?" Shou muttered to himself. A flame lit up in his small heart. To become stronger. To have his own choices.
I can absorb this mana core… does it mean… any mana cores…?
"I remember Kael kept the one from that Rock Boar he killed this morning... In his bag." He was hesitant at first. But after minutes of considering this, he sneaked towards Kael's bag placed nearby. He looked at Kael nervously, even with some guilt. Kael was unaware and still swinging his sword. He never stole anything in his life. But now…
This is just a treat for me. I already did so many tricks for you. This is just a cheap D rank mana core. It shouldn't be a problem.
Shou convinced himself and opened Kael's bag. He dived in and dug around with his paws before finally finding it.
A brownish crystal of a ping pong ball size, translucent, like a salt crystal salt. He looked left and right, seeing no one was watching and started to recall how it felt when he absorbed it before.
Like an instinct, his mana surge, going into the brown mana core. Then, it felt like his mana seemed to start suctioning the energy from the core. Slow at first, little by little. The core's luster started to fade, its structure began to crumble from the outside inwardly, and into nothingness after a minute.
Shou felt the mana in his body grow slightly, and his entire body felt stronger, tougher. He raised his paw, mobilising the energy he gained.
A fist sized ball of water appeared, woven by his mana.
This size… the amount of mana I can use… I really can become stronger…!
The water ball dispersed, fell onto the earth. Shou clenched his paws, his eyes turned sharper, filled with a new spirit. He wouldn't do nothing and just live a life as a mere pet.
I will live like I want. He promised himself in his heart.
***