Grand Ceremony

In preparation for the ceremony, Flen and Scarlet continued to meet outside of the courtyard to practice. She was gradually becoming more comfortable when talking to Flen and on occasion, she would slur her words. She was still anxious about this whole ordeal.

While Scarlet looked at Flen, her mind was lost in thought.

He does remind me of Theo. I’m not sure if I can keep this up, I haven’t had to interact with anyone from this world as much.

Pim was lying on his stomach on the straw-like grass, watching them in amazement. Also, in the corner of the building, Kina, who had a strong interest in Flen hid nearby to sneak glances at him. She leaned over slightly to watch them without being noticed. Her eyes were sparkling in admiration.

Flen was too focused on fencing that he did not notice Kina’s presence. He then tossed his rapier sword in the air. There was a streak of blinding light reflecting off the blade, it did not stay in the air for long. With his legs planted on the ground, he closed his eyes and poured his will into the sword. Ghostly blue flames flickered to life around him and the sword. The blade obeyed his silent command rising into the air, but the mental exertion was immense. The strength waned and the sword plummeted. As it fell, he predicted its path and caught it with a quick motion behind his back. Scarlet watched in awe.

“How did you learn to do that?” She shyly asked.

He smiled, “Well, Miss Scarlet, I learned by watching. I grew up in an orphanage and watching from the outside of the school nearby was how I got into fencing.”

She stared at his bare arm; there was an X tattoo. It reminded her of the time when Theo was in the basement of the school in her world. He was taken by a person with the X tattoo.

He caught her staring at his arm. Her eyes were fixed on it.

“Oh this?” He pulled his sleeve back to reveal it even more. “I was branded this when I was little. Only the worthiest receives this.”

He remembered when he was a young boy. A tall stern man approached him with a dagger.

“You will be protecting our future leader. I will mark you as such.”

The young boy trembled with terror. The man had seized his arm and drove a knife deep into his flesh, releasing a gush of blood.

Slash Slash

Arrrrrghhhhhhh

A piercing shriek echoed in his mind. He scowled, remembering the painful event.

“Why did they brand you?” Scarlet asked.
“I belonged to someone.” Flen looked at his tattoo sadly.

Scarlet looked at him, concerned and anxious.

Maybe I should stop asking personal questions.

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t be prying, forget I asked.”

Flen looked at her and smiled, “It’s fine.”

“I can show you some tricks if you’d like.”

Scarlet hesitated. “I’m not sure if I can do this. I haven’t been able to do even the first act yet.”

“No worries, look, I can show you. Now throw your sword in the air and use your mind to twirl it in the air.”

Kina was still watching this entire scene unfold before her. Her body was tense, and she wrapped her fists tightly. She became jealous, seeing how close Flen was to Scarlet. She stomped her feet and headed for home.

The sword dropped down in front of Scarlet no matter how hard she tried. As the sword clattered to the hard ground, its surface was marred with countless dents and scratches.

Disheartened by her lack of abilities, Scarlet wanted to give up. She was so anxious and her body was shaking and she felt like she could not go on.

Flen could see the frustration in her face and chuckled. He went over to the fallen sword and picked it up.

“The power will come to you later; it just takes time.”

It was sunset, the sky was orange with a hint of red. There was a warm ambiance.

“I’m going to take off.” Flen mentioned.

“Okay.” Scarlet quietly said.

He touched his X tattoo and disappeared in it.

He seems familiar but it can’t be that he’s the person that took Theo away. He seems to be so much nicer.

Scarlet was skipping home with Pim.

When she made it to her room, she started to place her concentration on any objects like her pen to move it. She closed her eyes and focused all her attention on it.

Go up!

The pen rolled slightly.

Go up!

The pen stayed still.

Pim saw her disappointed face. His third eye glowed bright green and his mouth opened in a big toothy grin.

The pen wobbled.

Scarlet’s face turned into excitement.

The pen shot up so fast and broke through the walls at top speed. There were screams in the other room.

Oh no, I just wanted the pen to fly only a little bit.

Pim grinned with all of his teeth sticking out.

The time of the ceremony came, many of the students were responsible for decorating the room. Tables had smooth satin tablecloths with toothy flowers in the vases. Kina used her magic to send flower petal confetti downwards over the visitors as they came in.

More and more of the townsfolk started to come in. Grandmother Mimi shoved her way through the crowd to move toward the front.

Boom Ba Dum Bum Boom Ba Dum Bum

One of the Cosmocrats from before when she was in disguise started beating their drum. The drumbeats grew louder and louder.

Boom Ba Dum Bum Boom Ba Bum Bum

The Cosmocrats came and filled the room. Everyone in the crowd started to bow. They folded their knees back and knelt. The new inductee was the center of attention.

Scarlet was in her costume room. She had a long white veil that reached her feet.

She heard all of the commotion but could not make out of the face for the inductee. The person was too far away from her line of sight.

There was a large wooden box that appeared in the middle. Each Cosmocrat dropped their voting balls in. They were congratulating Theo as the next successor.

Flen was wrapped in his long dark gray cloak and swung his rapier sword back and forth confidently.

He turned to Scarlet.

“Are you ready?”

She nodded nervously.

He took her by the arm and brought her to the stand. She felt a little comfortable, knowing she was not doing it alone.

The crowd went silent.

The inductee appeared to be Theo who was sitting in the center chair.

He raised an eyebrow when he saw Flen’s arm over Scarlet’s.

Scarlet did not notice Theo yet. She was still immersed in her performance.

The lights illuminated the center of the stage.

They both threw their swords into the air. Then it was twirling in unison and sword fighting with each other.

The crowd gasped.

The sword zipped past Scarlet’s face, but she was quick.

Then, she threw her own sword right at Flen and he dodged it by backflipping just in time.

Grandmother Mimi was proud of Scarlet. She clapped and wiped her tears of joy with a handkerchief. She boasted to the other grandmothers, “That’s my girl, you know.”

But before Scarlet could do her next act.

Crash Crash

Glass shattered on the floor and there was a lot of screaming.