Curse 8: New Power, An Old Friend Promise

And so, we all formed a line in front of the prince.

Peri's battle with the mohawk would be last, so we were getting ready to hear what to do for this year's Knights' selection.

"This year's selection is simple. All you gotta do is do a one-on-one battle."

The prince placed his hands on his waist.

"Each of you will pick an opponent, and you'll battle them. It could be anyone!"

"Anyone, you say?" One of the knights asked. He had short purple hair and eyes. He was wearing long white sleeves and tight black pants. Brown pointy shoes as well.

"Yes. That is what I said, mister!" the prince laughed.

"Then..." the purple-haired guy turned to me and pointed. "I want to go against her!"

"Me?" I pointed at myself.

"Are thou sure of the choice?" The prince raised his left brow.

"Surely! Having to see that weak performance made me realize that she's a joke! It's always good to take out the trash first!" The purple-haired guy gave a smug look.

Oh, boy. I could be in trouble...

If he used any magic, then I might need to get into close-range combat.

"Is magic allowed?" The purple-haired guy asked.

"Sure!" the prince nodded.

"Just don't overdo it! She'll be my wife!" the mohawk guy commented.

"We'll see! I'm not good at holding back, even if she's a woman!" The purple-haired guy laughed.

"Don't even try it. I will step in if you so happen to even mess with one strand of her snow hair, asshole!" Peri barked at the purple-haired guy.

There Peri goes again. Always putting me over himself...

One's power doesn't make them powerful...

I widened my eyes in shock.

What was that voice—

We all walked in the same path...

For some strange reason, I slowly looked back to the entrance of the stadium.

But.

There was nothing there....

I sighed deeply in relief and held my chest.

It was all in my head—

... We all die someday. Hehe!

And that's your weapon...

I held my head from the sudden headache.

O-ow!

"Hey, miss. Are you alright? You're getting paler than a sheet over there." The prince asked with his arms crossed.

"H-huh?! Yeah! I'm fine!" I nodded.

I slowly looked at the lower corner to get my mind off things.

Yeah, things will be alright—huh?

Either my eyes were deceiving me, or... no way.

I was seeing the dark flower appear from the corner of the stadium!

Look. It's over there.

No.

No way. It's there!

No.

No, no way. I'm getting too desperate.

Y-yeah, I'm being crazy!

"Hmm?" The prince looked back and then to me again. "Are you sure you're up for going through with this?"

"Huh?!" I looked at the prince. I then looked back at the corner—huh?

The flower.

No.

No...

It was gone.

What's going on?! I held my head with both hands.

"Ha! What's wrong, girly! Afraid of getting your butt whooped?!" The purple-haired guy mocked me.

But I didn't really care.

"Hey, Tristis. Are you okay?" Peri patted my shoulder.

I jolted and backed away from him.

"H-huh? Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry..." Peri whispered sadly.

"W-what?! N-no! Uh... I think I need to wash my face! Y-yeah, that's it... Yeah." I looked at the ground.

Not even I was convinced of that excuse.

"... Well, we were planning on taking a five-minute break, young maiden." The prince spoke.

I looked up and saw him raise his right hand.

"Rest. Thou seem stressed. There's a restroom to my right after going the same way thou came from to enter the stadium."

"T-thank you! I'll do just that!" I fake-smiled at the prince and slowly walked backwards.

I instinctively grabbed my bag.

I wanted to check out my book to make sure that my mind wasn't playing tricks on me. But Peri was here! I couldn't do that!

"Hey, Tristis, you're really not looking well. Maybe you should sit this year's selection out..." Peri suggested.

"N-no! Just need to wash my face and probably look for meds that might be best suited to me!"

I turned around and started to run away.

"I'll see you later, Peri!" I added a singing voice, trying not to worry my best friend.

"Ha! What a foolish woman! Why would someone protect someone so weak and sensitive?!" The purple-haired guy commented.

"Don't worry, beautiful! I'll take good care of you when we wed!" the mohawk laughed.

"Hey, wait up! Tristis?!" Peri called out to me.

Without even waiting to listen to what Peri had to say, I left the field.

***

I managed to find the bathroom.

I saw Laetus and Sedatus trying to follow me, so I gave them the slip and hid before coming here.

I held my head, regretting doing that to my friends.

But I wasn't thinking straight.

If I had gone on like that, I might've acted up worse than before.

"... Calm down. You need to calm down, Tristis." I whispered in sorrow.

I closed my eyes tightly.

Right.

I needed to get myself together. There was no way that the flower would magically spawn here!

Right. Right!

My head was just messing with me!

I looked at myself in the mirror. Seeing my reflection, I could tell that what the prince and Peri were trying to tell me was true. I did NOT look well at all.

And I wasn't even thinking about looks-wise, I meant health.

"Maybe taking some meds would calm me down—"

"Ah. There you are, sweetie!"

"Huh?" I turned around to that voice—

Slash!

But I ended up getting slashed on my throat.

My blood sprayed everywhere.

On the mirror.

On the walls.

On the floor.

I clenched my hands around my throat tightly.

I went to my knees and hit the floor.

With a thump, I lay there as my blood poured out of my neck.

It hurt. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!

Tears fell from my eyes.

"I'm sorry for cutting your throat like that. But I am doing you a favor." I heard the voice.

The voice sounded very familiar. It was the voice of that damn dark cloak!

I slowly saw the black boots beside me. Being painted with my red blood.

"This time, I let you see the flower that was hidden there. 'What are you talking about', you might think? Well, when we meet again, I'll explain it to you! Also,"

I slowly felt the dark-cloaked figure pat my white hair, ever so gently.

"There, there! I'm sorry for causing you to die when you finally met that Peritia fellow once again. I'm sure you were super happy."

I slowly felt my vision turning blurry.

Monster! How could you? How could you?! What did I ever do to you? I finally see my friends, and you do this to me?

"Sorry. But hey, the next time you wake up, you'll be able to beat the rude guy who mocks you."

Who cares about that! Peri will...!

My vision went black. I was going to 'sleep' again.

No.

No, no, no!

"'Visio Mortis'... that'll be your next power due to how close you're getting to your 'peace'."

.... Peace?

"Good night, Tristis. Also..."

I drew my last breath.

"... such a scary yet innocent smile you got there while you're going to 'sleep'!"

Was the last thing I heard.

***

"I want this beauty to be my bride! A woman who catches my eye like this deserves to be mine!"

I heard in the darkness.

"What?!" I heard Peri's voice.

Huh?

I opened my eyes wide.

And it was brief, but the whole world was very dark, with bright lights inside everyone. But the world had changed back to normal.

"What are you implying, mister?" The braided knight raised his left brow.

What is this?

The mohawk guy chuckled and rested his hand on his chest.

"You said it yourself, Your Highness! You'll reward me if I forgive them! And, like you wanted, I do!"

He looked at me, smug.

"I apologize for such rude behavior, beautiful! Won't you accept being my bride? The prince promised me a reward, and I want you, sexy!"

Again? Why was everyone saying the same thing again...

The mohawk took a step closer.

"Come on! What say you, cutie! I'm sorry for what I said! I'll take care of you! In both out... and inside of our room!"

Why? Why?

"Back off!" Peri went in front of me.

Why was everything repeating like that? Why was it just like before—

Suddenly, a flash flood of memories of my death filled my mind.

A flash of my throat getting slashed clean.

I leaned forward and added my weight to Peri's body.

Gasping. Panicking as if I was a fish out of water.

"Huh? What's wrong, Tristis—whoa! Are you having a hard time breathing?!" Peri panicked and held on to my body.

I held on to my throat.

And like last time, I didn't feel any wounds.

But that didn't make any sense.

No.

There could be only one explanation for this...

I somehow went back in time.

"... So that's what happened," I muttered very softly.

"What was that?" Peri raised his eyebrow at me.

I looked at Peri.

He seemed to be very confused, but mostly frightened for me.

If that was the case, then to him and the others, I might've fallen out of health issues or something like that.

But the question was, HOW did I end up time traveling?!

... Wait, what if!

I roughly brought my bag around and opened my book from the inside.

I knew I told myself that I wouldn't take out my book in front of Peri, but I was desperate!

Turning to the page, I knew the clue would be there!

There!

The dark petal! It said 'one more remaining' with the number '1'.

The dark petal! Of course! It must be from the dark flower I keep seeing!

Was it connected to my curse?! How does it work?! What happens after the last one is used? I've got to take notes later—!

"What's wrong? Looking for something in your book?" Peri leaned closer to me.

"W-wha!" I closed the book and felt embarrassed.

"You've been acting weird today, Tristis. Maybe you should get some meds after the selection. Oh, wait! Maybe we should get some now!"

"I-it's fine, Peri! Everything is under control, ehehe!" I waved my hands in front of him.

"Hey, now! Don't go putting your hand on my future wife!" The mohawk guy chuckled.

"You shut it!" Peri angrily yelled at him.

"It's fine, Peri—o-ow!" I gripped Peri's shirt.

I felt some pain around my throat area. Of course, even after coming back from the dead, the pain wouldn't disappear...

"Tristis!" Peri frowned.

He gently rested his hand on my shoulders.

"Don't worry, I'm here! I'm not sure of the cause of your pain, but I won't let him have you. Promise." Peri beamed a smile at me.

I was still feeling the overwhelming trauma of my current death, but my heart seemed to be a bit calmer now.

Not trying to cause any more of a scene, I slowly stood up straight and giggled.

There are a lot of things I don't get, but...

The prince looked slightly up and then smiled. He looked at the mohawk guy and then nodded.

"Seems like the King has just arrived, sir! I shall ask him for his opinion!"

I looked back and, as expected, the king and the other prince were there.

"Father!" The prince called out to the king.

I looked back and saw him going on one knee.

"My dear father! King of Credentes! What shall we do?! The man wants to have the lady in the blue dress as his wife! What is your order?! What is your vision?!"

The king slowly stroked his chin, looking at me. His eyes narrowed slightly—as if he recognized something about me.

Then he smiled.

"That lady shall be his wife. As royals, we shall keep our word."

The prince bowed to the king.

"Thank you, father!"

He then faced me and offered his hand. "I'm sorry to ask this, ma'am, but you must be wed! Remove yourself from that man, and we shall get ready!"

Even this was the same...

To double-check, I looked at my red-haired friend and, yup, he was mad.

Uh oh. I better think of something.

My throat was still aching from the pain I felt. But my mind thought, 'To hell with that!' and I slowly smiled.

"Don't worry, Peri. I'll be fine—u-ugh!" I held my throat once more.

The cut must've gone deeper than I thought. The after-effect from the wound was still there.

Why? It normally doesn't hurt that much. Did they cut it that deep?

"Tristis!" Peri held on to me.

"Huh? How come she looks like she's in pain?" The mohawk guy scratched his head.

"What's wrong, Tristis? Is your body feeling sluggish again?"

What to do? I gotta come up with something.

The pain wasn't going away. However, if Peri kept being worried about me, he might consider leaving with our friends. And I wanted to be a knight to gain answers!

Think, Tristis! What was the natural thing to say about your throat?

... Wait.

I got it!

"I'm fine, Peri! My body is just crashing all at once! That, and I'm a bit thirsty, is all!"

"You sure? Your eyes seem like they've seen things..."

I froze at that comment. But I regained myself before anyone noticed.

"I'm fine, thanks!" I slowly pushed Peri away from me and shook my head.

That made my throat hurt like hell, but I had to roll with it.

"Are thou okay? We got a break after announcing how this year's—"

"Wait a moment!" Peri went in front of me. "I still want to make one thing clear. You two are full of crap! Thinking like Tristis is an object!"

"Huh?! But the prince commanded it! Not to mention, the King himself as well."

The mohawk guy laughed at Peri and then raised his left brow.

"Whether we think of her as an object or not isn't up to you. You're no royal. You're just a stupid brat who came from that small village. A village full of poor and weak people." The mohawk smirked at Peri.

"What was that—?!"

"Hold on, Tristis. I got this..." Peri said calmly.

Huh? He seemed a bit different than last time.

"I'll tolerate you mocking me all you like. But—you're mocking not only me and my friends, but everyone that believes in me and my goals! And that includes the one you want to be your bride!"

"R-really? She looks way better than you, so..." Mohawk scratched the back of his head.

"Maybe. I won't argue with that—"

"I can!" I interrupted Peri and narrowed my eyes at the mohawk. "Let me tell you something! Peri is the most handsome, most adorable, the cu-!"

Peri covered my mouth before I could finish and blushed.

"N-no, Tristis! No need to lie to make me look impressive!"

Peri uncovered my mouth while hugging me from behind. It was like I was a rogue puppy without a leash. "Please don't pay her any mind. I forced her to say that as payback for running late!"

"Really? It sounded genuine to me!" The prince laughed while covering his mouth with his right hand.

Peri pointed at the mohawk guy.

"My point is, I won't allow you to mock everyone I hold dear any longer! I challenge you two to a duel!"

That again?

Well, it seemed like it went back to that, after all.

"Hahaha! Good show, my boy! I like your guts! However, dueling me will have you executed, and I don't want that to happen to you."

"What, are you scared or something?!" Peri smirked at the prince.

"Oh, perish the thought. It wouldn't be as fun. Besides—" He glanced at me and smiled. "I'm rather enjoying this."

"But my reward!" The mohawk ground his teeth.

"Yes, yes. I'll be fair." The prince chuckled.

He then looked at the king.

"What say you, father?! Should I get the selection started with those two?!"

The king slowly stroked his chin.

At first, he seemed a bit conflicted about the decision. But then, he looked at me curiously.

And as if seeing me cleared his head, he nodded firmly and stood up once more.

"I'll allow it!" the king spoke and then sat down.

The other prince scoffed when he saw me and gave me the stink eye.

"Then, it's decided!" The prince clapped his hands together. "Gentlemen, take these swords!"

With a snap, two bright-colored swords appeared in thin air.

Each of them was caught by both Peri and the mohawk guy. Well, Peri gently pushed me away so that I wouldn't get hurt.

"What's this? I could feel some intense magic coming from the sword." Peri scratched his head with his index finger.

"... Advanced magic. I read about those types of magic to you before, remember?" I smiled at Peri.

"I don't really remember..." Peri laughed nervously.

I made a puffy face.

What the hell, dude?

***

All of the rest of the knights backed away and left the field open for Peri and the mohawk alone.

I was currently sitting next to Laetus and Sedatus since we were free to sit wherever as long as it wasn't on the battlefield.

The prince, on the other hand, remained on the field, but was outside the range between Peri and the mohawk.

"Alright, knights! Ready thy swords!" The prince shouted with joy.

The mohawk guy tapped his sword on his right shoulder.

"Hehe!" the mohawk guy laughed.

Peri, on the other hand, stared at the mohawk guy without any fear. He seemed pretty determined, actually.

"This will be a sword-wielding duel only. No magic! Ready..." The prince lowered his hand. "... Go!" he shouted and threw his hand in the air.

Whoosh!

Without even missing a beat, the mohawk had some intense speed. He was leaving nothing but a powerful wind and some dust clouds.

It wasn't even long before the prince started the match, but he was almost by Peri with little time to spare.

The mohawk backed up his hand and took his aim.

"Hahaha! It's over!" The mohawk shouted.

I sighed lightly and folded my arms.

Yeah... Peri got this.

Leap!

And, to no surprise to me, Peri jumped over the sideways attack from the mohawk guy.

The mohawk guy was surprised by that. But he smiled nervously and brought back the sword to do another sideways attack.

Peri closed his eyes and ducked as soon as he landed on the ground.

Before the mohawk guy could even continue, Peri grabbed the sword by the blade and used the handle area to hook the other sword.

"What the hell?!" Mohawk narrowed his eyes at Peri.

Peri remained calm, cool-headed, unlike the way he was before.

"Let go!" Mohawk shouted.

"Not yet." Peri narrowed his eyes at him.

"What does that mean?"

"I want you to call off the offer. I want you to apologize for trying to force my friend to be your bride."

Mohawk laughed in amusement. "Nonsense! I'm betting you want her all by yourself!"

"..."

Peri didn't respond.

"Ah, see? You like a woman with a wonderful body, too!" the mohawk smirked.

"Ew, gross!" Laetus made a face in disgust.

"There's no need to listen to that scum's lust..." Sedatus sounded disgusted as well.

But I paid attention back to the battlefield despite my friends' comments.

"Be honest with us, brat! The way her body felt when you rested your head on those developed boobs! The way her curves make your insides tingle!"

Peri's left eye twitched when he heard the mohawk comment on my body. But nonetheless, the mohawk guy continued.

"I bet you imagine what it'll be like for her to be in bed!" He leaned forward, and his face was close to Peri's. "That body deserves to be tainted if she's from that scummy village like yours."

And with those final words, Peri swiftly let go of his sword, and it dropped.

That made the mohawk guy happy, and he backed away, joyful.

"I'm just stating facts, my boy! With a girl like that, who wouldn't have lustful dreams about her!"

"... Disgusting," Peri muttered.

"What was that?" Mohawk raised his brow.

Peri looked at him in hatred.

"DISGUSTING! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE IN HERE, YOU JACKASS!"

"W-what the?!" The mohawk guy flinched.

"I won't forgive you. I won't forgive you or anyone thinking that way about my best friend!" Peri bit his lip. But before it bled, he let go and looked at the prince. "... Give me a wooden stick."

"... What?" Mohawk tilted his head in confusion.

"Give me a stick, Your Highness. This man doesn't deserve an honorable duel!" Peri stated.

"... You do know that if you lose this duel, your friend will be in bed with that man, right?" The prince warned Peri.

"Don't even friggin' joke about that. Just give me the damned stick." Peri demanded, sounding more angry than ever before. He pushed out his hand, waiting for his new weapon.

The prince wondered for a moment.

He didn't seem to understand Peri's reasoning for switching weapons. But I did.

"... 'That man is no knight', that's Peri's thought," I commented out loud.

"Hmm?" Laetus and Sedatus spoke in unison.

"Peri is someone who jokes, teases, and is even lazy about certain things. However, being a knight wasn't one of them."

I closed my eyes.

"No. I think he's more in protective mode than knight."

I opened my eyes and smiled.

"Hehe! How sweet you are, Peri!"

"Heh!" I heard Laetus and Sedatus right next to me.

But I ignored them since it might ruin the mood.

At any rate, the prince seemed to have made a decision.

"... Very well." The prince snapped his fingers.

The sword on the ground went towards the prince. Once it reached him, the prince took the handle and broke the blade by slamming it on the ground.

He handed it to Peri.

"Here. I can't give you a stick, but a broken sword is all you need to beat the person you dislike the most."

Peri nodded and took the broken sword. "That's even better."

He then raised one index finger. "Also, I can use a weak magic? And if I fail, the duel is his."

"Really? Are thou sure?"

"Yes," Peri nodded.

"Interesting. Very well! If thou canst manage to win the duel with such an attack, the match is yours. However, don't beat thy opponent and you'll be banned until next year. Fair?"

"Fair," Peri nodded.

He then turned around and faced his opponent.

But I already knew the result of the battle. It didn't take a genius to know the ending.

I sure hope that Peri doesn't overdo it.