Chapter 13:
Second Chance At Life
I heard a snap, and the next moment, I found myself transported elsewhere.
It’s a circular room, loaded with bookshelves.
Several books are stacked.
Where am I exactly?
Two other students are with me, just as confused as I am.
Akimitsu…I swear he will pay.
“Hmm? Visitors?”
Among the stacks of books lurks a scarlet-haired lady.
The pale lady moans as she stretches from her slumber.
“Have any explanation of what you’re doing in my room?”
One of the men steps forward.
“Some guy named Akimitsu—”
“Oh, that’s right…I totally forgot about the Squad Initiation.”
She yawns afterward.
“Let’s get this straight. You all come from noble backgrounds, but here, you’ll soon become knights. On the battlefield, soldiers do not care about your nobility. It’s simply a life or death situation, all for a cause plotted by the kingdoms.”
She puts away one of her books.
“Under my supervision, I do not want to hear any complaints. I could care less about your nobility, nor what your parents would do to me. Because until you’ve proven your strength, I will only acknowledge you as soldiers.”
She draws near me with a stern look.
“Are we clear?”
I step forward, unafraid by her intimidation.
She is clearly disrespecting my boundaries.
It’s only fair that I do the same.
“If you can teach us anything, then I won’t acknowledge you as an instructor.”
She smirks.
“I’m amused…I was thinking about having our training day tomorrow, but now I’m thinking we should do it today!”
“Good!” I remark. “I was hoping we would get things started.”
“I like you, already! You are?”
“Juliana Corlis,”
“Rosaria Rivera, Royal Squad Captain of Valera.”
The pale lady points at the other two.
“And you two are?”
The ginger man waves at her.
“I’m Jericho! Some of my friends call me ‘Jeri’ for short.”
Jericho, there’s something about him that I can’t put my finger on.
It’s probably the ginger hair he has, it reminds me of someone I care dearly.
He gazes at me, our instructor’s voice slowly emanating behind our heads, and a familiar energy returns by my side.
I remember this feeling in my previous life.
It’s so warm and relaxing.
“Do you two hear me?”
Rosaria’s voice releases me from the trance.
“I’m sorry! What did you say?”
“She said ‘follow her to the stables’,”
I completely forgot we had a third teammate.
We follow out of her room and proceed to the stables.
The stench of manure invades our sense of smell.
“On the battlefield, you must endure anything that reeks of blood. Your fellow companions will fall if you’re not careful. If you want to live, you must keep fighting until the battle is over.”
A spear made out of water is conjured into her hands.
“Magick in battle can be a double-edged sword. It is convenient to use and annihilate weaker foes, but it can reveal one’s weakness. Only the best fighters use their magick discreetly.”
The pale lady waves at us, tempting us to throw the first blood.
Jericho paves way for us to follow, gathering the earth beneath our feet as weapons.
He fires the earth bullets at the pale lady.
She strikes swiftly before vanishing from her original spot.
“Above…” Sergey murmurs.
The minotaur clasps his hands which creates a bubble around us.
Rosaria plunges from the sky, but Sergey’s water shield manages to withstand it.
“We need to work as a team.”
“I know that!”
If she can move that fast, there’s no way I can hit her.
“Juli, are you by any chance a close-range fighter?” Jericho asks.
“I am, but her affinity counters mine.”
Rosaria appears in front of us, conjuring another spear.
“Fire, water, and earth affinities can make a great combination if performed well. That’s where teamwork comes into play. Regardless of your disadvantage, there are always unique ways to bypass those boundaries.”
That advice sure helps in this situation.
If I can hit her…
One clean hit should be enough.
We remain in the barrier while Rosaria continuously attacks us.
It’s a relief that Sergey has the same affinity as our instructor.
Her attacks are repelled.
“We need to come up with a plan,”
“Why?” I protest. “We’re perfectly fine here. We can wait until she gets tired, and then we can go all-out.”
Sergey starts to hyperventilate.
Sweat drench down his forehead, and he falls to his knees.
“Not for long…”
Small openings are slowly revealing.
Rosaria can almost reach her spear to us.
“You two have four minutes to think of something. Once I release the barrier, I’ll be useless from here on.”
Jericho and I gaze at each other.
We need to think of something.
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