Arc 3: Choosing Reality by Embracing Life
Azalea: "HAHAHAHHAHA!"
Grays eyes jolt open as he tumbles backward, looking up at the large crack in the sky.
Gray: "What's so funny!?"
Azalea: "You really don't know?"
Gray looked around, the foggy dark air, oozing ground, and thick corrupted sent. Azalea was in a crisscrossed position, her dress stretched within the ground, and her pale hand over the crescent charm on her neck.
Gray: "Know -
His eyes widened even more, flashing with a painful memory of a fist against his face. Looking up he could see the purple glowing crack ignite with green mana, his own mana and stamina being pulled into it. He could feel it sapping from his body, and just how little he had. Yet the OD began to slowly repair, heightened by the intense healing magic and his massive spiritual connection.
Gray: "Yeah, I know."
Azalea: "That Helsing made you look like a fool in front of that girl once again. You didn't apologize to the Elf. Hell you didn't even make it to the finals!"
Gray: "You know I've been here for over a month, the fact I'm here in the first place should have you so amazed you realized your best choice in life was choosing me."
He smirked, his face trembling, anger glimmering out.
Azalea: "If that's what you want to tell yourself. Look I'm not trying to destroy you. Me waking you up here will make your awakening outside a whole lot easier."
Gray: "And that's because you want something from me."
Azalea: "Sure."
In truth it was mostly right, but there was a small strange reemerging part of her that caused her to feel a bit bad for the boy. Seeing and feeling, witnessing and hearing, understanding better than anybody else in this still unknown world. Gray comes to, waking up in a soft bed, bandaged up. The room he was in was wide, the door far to the right of him. He was at the end of the room, staring out of the window. Witnessing the pouring rain.
Gray {Fitting.}
Gray lunged up, screaming out, and fell right back down. Without a nurse in sight he cried out, gritting his teeth and gripping his aching wrists. He struggles to move his body, unable to move at all without feeling like he's going to die from the pain. His jacket was covered with patched up holes and tears, along with the many bandages. So he laid down and closed his eyes, trying to focus on his OD.
Gray {Come on, this should work! This is the basics dammit!}
Groaning with pain and biting his lip so hard it bled, he found it.
Gray: "GAH!"
He screamed out in pain, quickly trying to cover himself when Rosemary rushed into the dimly lit room. The guards tried to stop her but she pushed through anyway, making it to his bed side.
Rosemary: "You're awake!"
Gray: "How long was I out?"
Rosemary: "They took a short break after your match to repair the arena, Julius's match is going on right now with Rosine."
Gray: "So I lost huh…"
Again all he could feel was a burning, growing, seemingly endless anger. A hate toward something, something he couldn't find. And so he would throw that wrath anywhere he could. And even when it came to his friends, he couldn't help but keep a disgusted look on his face.
Rosemary: "Yeah, that move you did against Edward, that swirling ball of mana, what was that?"
Gray: "Oh my Titans impact? I just focused a bunch of mana into the palm of my hand, then swirled it around. Saw something similar in a show I saw once."
Rosemary: "Titans impact? And that is something that should take a lot of training to do, to say it like it was nothing is amazing!"
Gray: "Oh the name is just my mom's family name, it's Japanese for Titan, so I just used that as the route of the name. And if you have a lot of something it's easy to do more stuff with it, and it destroyed my arm so I can't just use it willy-nilly."
Rosemary: "That makes sense, also what's Japanese? And what's English?"
Gray: "Oh it's -
His OD suddenly rushed out with mana, causing him to rush and surge with so much pain he teared up, turning to the side to vomit. Falling over the bed and crying out with even more, constant, ever lasting pain. His OD pounding and pounding. Rosemary rushed out and held him up, but he resisted and pushed toward the small table at his bedside. Using it to stand he stood on his creaking legs, his leg bones about to collapse from the pressure, sweating and trembling as he stepped toward the crutches in the corner. The Guards at the door would rush out for help, attempting to find a nurse of any kind in the mean time.
Rosemary: "Let me -
Gray: "Please! Let me, sorry, just..."
He fell toward the crutches and caused Rosemary to lunge out, yet he stood his ground. Taking the crutches and using them to move forward.
Rosemary: "Have you used that before?"
Gray: "No but I've used them in enough jokes. My dad broke his leg once, it was this whole thing."
Rosemary smiled at the story, almost asking more, but Grays somber voice made it seem almost resentful. Like the memory was tainted.
Rosemary: "Ophelia said Soku was pretty upset but she's insistent she isn't mad at you."
This time is was Rosemary's voice who fell somber, Grays instants to push forward almost causing him to miss her forming tears.
Gray: "What's wrong? Did I do something, are you okay?"
Taking a deep breath and gripping her fists, she exhaled calmly.
Rosemary: "Yo…you could have died! They wouldn't have stopped the match until you either passed out, died, or gave up! Your body was torn to shreds! Your bones are broken and your OD almost crumbled! Since your mana is like your soul's energy, you almost killed yourself."
Gray: "Oh…I'm sorry I didn't think that far ahead. I…I…I was terrified, Edward was moving like a monster. I just wanted to win, nothing else."
Rosemary: "I understand what it's like for Edward, to have everyone to hold you to a standard just because of your family. He told me he hates fighting. He said he's never really had friends before and he felt embarrassed from just talking about it. He didn't go into much detail but, with Al's death and all the pressure he's being put under, I think he just wanted to be what they wanted him to be, A monster in the body of a man. And he seems to have spent a long time trying to stay far away from that."
Gray: "So I dragged him back in. Sorry for sounding so pitiful, it seems like it's the only thing I can do recently."
He moved toward the door, getting bombarded by nurses.
Gray: "Hey don't zap my stamina!"
He pushed them away, causing an angered nurse to loudly speak out.
"You shouldn't be walkin on your legs or usin your arms or using your mana! I can smell it on you."
For some reason he could feel the Nurses distain for him, both because of his character and Grays corrupted mana. Gray shook his head in anger and pushed forward, causing Rosemary to rush through and attempt to stop him.
Rosemary: "Please let them help! You shouldn't push your self in the state your in!"
Gray: "I should push myself because of the state I'm in!"
Rosemary: "Then stop living in a constant state of battle!"
Gray tried to rush down the hall but was stopped when Rosemary held his shoulder, listening to her soft close voice.
Rosemary: "I understand what it's like to like on edge. Is it because of the Sect or something in your past? Is it me -
Gray: "Of course not!"
He wasn't embarrassed, but almost a bit angry. However anger was a constant on his face.
Rosemary: "Please, you've gotten so far in so little time! Don't fall. You're not invincible y'know."
Gray: "Well maybe if I push myself hard enough I really can be. This world is magical isn't it?"
The way Gray had said "World" had confused Rosemary a bit, still they pushed forward. As they did he could hear the roar of the battle, the announcers voice raining out and peircing his hazy ears.
Announcer: "JULIUS CROMWELL HAS DEFEATED ROSINE VORIA IN A SUPRISING TURN OF EVENTS, A PINPOINT VICOTRY!"
The crowd roared even more, an small crowd rushing past Gray and Rosemary to run into the stands down the hall. Hearing those words of victory in the face of yet another failure, he looked toward his bandaged fist and gripped hit tightly. His glare permanently sharpening with rage, and envious, jealous despair.
Gray {I am so damn tired of losing.}
Rosemary felt the shift, quickly holding him tightly with a hug.
Rosemary: "Please, for me."
The words pierced through his weakening, burning heart, causing him to blush even if slightly.
Gray: "In what way?"
Rosemary: "In uh, um the uh -
Gray, hating himself for all that's happened and all he's put her through, stepped away, unable to hear what he was sure as rejection. Even after so much, even after Musashis words; Gray Kyojin would not believe somebody could love him.
Ophelia: "You guys seem sad."
Rosemary: "Ophelia!"
While Rosemary took Ophelia's hand in embarrassment after seemingly being rejected by Gray, Gray and Ophelia locked eyes. Ophelia seeing just how much torment Gray was putting himself through.
Ophelia: "What's wrong? Did something -
Gray: "It's nothing. We've wasted enough time, let's go already.
Gray falls out of the room, failing to catch himself from falling. Before he can hit the ground Rosemary catches him, saving him from an undiscernible amount of pain.
Rosemary: "Please be careful!"
Gray: "Nah I wanna watch the match."
Ophelia: "SO LET'S GO ALREADY, Julius finished his match! Edwards is about to start."
Gray: "Come on let's go then! I wanna see the end of this thing."
Ophelia and Rosemary help lift Gray back onto his crutches, passing through the crowd and stepping to their earlier seats by the candidates seats. Luckily right at the top. As they sit down, Gray notices Soku sitting right beside them. Looking toward Gray with a look as if nothing had happened.
Soku: "You healed up fast."
Gray: "More like woke up fast, I'm trying not to cry from the pain right now."
Announcer: "AND NOW FOR THE MOMENT, YOU HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! A BATTLE BETWEEN A HELSING AND A CROMWELL, TO FINISH THIS EVENT BEFORE THE ELECTION OF THE THREE ROYAL CANDIDATES IS A BATTLE BETWEEN A HELSING AND WALGONIA AGAINST VALATROCITUS AND EDWARD VAN HELSING AGAINST JULIUS CROMWELL! NOW FIGHTERS! READY, SET, BEGIN!"
Edward had already moved down the steps, waving at his friends. Getting nothing from Gray. Edward quickly turned his head anyway and rushed down the steps, getting into the arena with Julius. Instead of immediately rushing toward one another, Julius and Edward both just look into the eyes of each other.
Soku: "That guy Julius, I'm usually good a reading people, but that guy I can't read him, I have no idea what he's thinking."
Musashi stepped forward, overlooking the injured trembling Gray with annoyance. Still he listened and watched the ongoing match, listening to the words of the fighters.
Edward: "You seem to be very curious about me. Why is that?"
Julius: "I utterly hate people who lie to themselves. People who do things to make people happy even if they don't want to. That friend of yours, Kyojin. He lies to himself, acting like a big shot compared to his actual attitude. But you are true to yourself. You know what you want though you do things you might not like, though you still stay true to yourself. Now please show me the animal you were when you fought Kyojin."
Edward: "It seems I'm only useful if I give in to the warrior's spirit."
Julius: "The world just wants what it needs from us. Not what we want."
Julius starts walking toward Edward, delivering multiple quick strikes to the front of Bjørn. However, Edward fails to react to Julius's strike to his side.
Edward {OW! Damn! It was too fast to fully stab me but a bunch of small cuts sting!}
Julius's speed and dexterity are vastly above Edwards and due to this Edward fails to react or move out of the way of every one of Julius's strikes. Up above the crowd is roaring with excitement, eating the food and opening the complementary gifts from Valatroctius. Already celebrating their victory. Trying to see through the standing screaming crowd was Edwards own companions.
Gray: "He's getting his ass beat!"
Rosemary: "Yeah I don't see him winning this one. Julius beat Rosine and she has that cursed charm!"
Still Ophelia would jump up and down, screaming in spite of it all.
Ophelia: "COME ON EDDY YOU GOT THIS!"
Edward dashed forward and quickly tossed out his blade, pivoting his foot and spinning to swing again. Julius had already stepped to the side and jumped, even having landed and lunged forward. Now Edward had a blade piecing his side, grunting with pain and choking up some blood. Causing the crowd to gasp and "OOOOOOH" in excitement and surprise. However Rosemary, Soku, Ophelia, Musashi, Kioshi, and even Gray were filled with sorrow. Grays sorrow was a bit less than the others though.
Rosemary: "He's going way to far!"
Ophelia: "BOOOOH PINK HAIRD DUDE!"
Soku: "Julius Isn't even out speeding him, it's like he's predicting his moves like he knows when Edward is about to strike."
Musashi: "It's because he can."
Gray: "AHH! Don't sneak up on people, god damn."
Musashi was sitting front of them, placing his feet in the railing in front of them.
Rosemary: "What do you mean he can?"
Musashi: "I figured out why I recognized that monocle. It's because of the metal it was made with, that fine craftsmanship is only found in Alfheilm. So it's enchanted, and usually, anything like that gives you a small foresight ability."
Gray: "THAT'S BUSTED."
Soku: "That's gotta be cheating."
Musashi: "Well, all's fair in war and battle and knight exams after all."
Edward was still fighting, getting stabbed and slashed lightly, grazed and cut over and over. The arena was coated in his blood, Julius rapier slashing through his armor every time, usually bending or curving past it. Edward threw his blade, forcing Julius to move around it. He had leapt the moment he threw it and caught Julius by surprise. Instead of punching he tries to grab Julius's rapier, though with no luck. Julius lets go of his blade, readily striking Edward's chest, performing a flip kick to Edward's chin, before grabbing his rapier and slashing against his chest before moving backward.
Gray: "DAMN!"
Arthur was screaming and shouting and blasting black flames from above, boastful and cheering for his squire.
Arthur: "He's getting his ass beat! GO JULIUS! SHOW THEM WHY VALATROCTIUS WILL BE THE STRONGEST IN THIS NEW ERA!"
Elizabeth: "This is embarrassing."
Kioshi: "Come on Edward!"
Edward's mind slips back and forth, unable to go forward. The pain, his hatred toward how he treated Gray and Rosemary, for how he failed Al. If he would use his rage against his own friend but not to save his dear guardian, what kind of man, person could he be? Still, staring down from above was Gray, Furious to see the man who beat him, embarrassed him so badly, losing. So he stood, taking everyone's attention, and screamed out.
Gray: "COME ON YOU DAMN HELSING! SO THEM WHY YOUR SO STRONG! USE ALL OF YOUR STRENGH TO WIN! IF YOU DON'T, WHAT WAS THE POINT OF ALL THIS!? IT WOULD BE A SPIT IN THE FACE OF EVERYBODY HERE! IF WOULD BE A SPIT IN THE FACE TO YOUR OWN LEGACY! IT'S YOUR OWN RAGE, YOUR OWN STRENGH, USE IT AND WIN FOR WALGONIA!"
His roar ignited Edward spirit, blocking Julius barrage of strikes in a instant while the crowd focused its eyes toward Edward even more. The warrior's spirit is taking over, about to run on pure instinct.
Gray {HERE IS COMES!}
And then Julius uttered a few simple words.
Julius: "You are nothing but a monster."
Julius looks Edward in the eyes with such malice, that it brings only fear and pain, only igniting the inner hatred in Edward's heart. His hatred to himself, and how heavy the expectations he carried where. It all brings Edward's mind back into his body, making the warrior spirit leave his mind entirely. Julius moves forward once more, jumping over and evading Edward with such ease it makes Edward look like a child fighting an adult. Slashing his legs, arms, back, and face Edward to stunned to be able to react, Julius lands on the ground, pushing his left leg into the ground, crushing and moving the stone floor back, putting his left arm forward, and pulling his right arm back.
Elizabeth {Is he going to….Unthinkable.}
Most of the crowd had no idea what was happening, but to the few familiar with the technique instantly realized it.
Kioshi: "For a knight in training to be able to perform such a high-level attack. And he's not even a student of Valentine. This boy is truly something. The Great Spirits have blessed him."
The others above were sunken with despair, Musashi even slumping down in his seat from the sight. Yet Gray was stuck in confusion.
Gray: "What's he doing?"
Soku: "That's a move from Legends!"
Rosemary: "This may be the end of Edward's match."
Gray: "Come on tell me!"
Musashi: "That right there boy, is the dragon's fist, an attack that uses your internal strength and pushes it to the max. The man who made that attack used it to hit a dragon and was able to damage it."
Julius swings his right arm, hits Edward's chest, and completely crushes his armor. The wind pressure from the attack rushes past Edward, crushing the wall behind him before sending Edward flying into the same collapsed arena wall. A roar from the crowd and even more blasts of flames from Arthur being sent out right after.
Ophelia: "NO!"
Gray: "HOLY SHIT!"
Rosemary: "Just like in the legends!"
Soku: "That was overkill!"
Musashi: "Uh…I'll go get Edward."
Edward falls to the ground. Utterly defeated.
Edward {I…didn't even land one blow…}
Julius: "Thank you for the match. I now know my limits."
Julius's arm falls out of the socket, crushed due to the force of the attack.
Announcer: "AND THAT'S IT! JULIUS CROMWELL, THE THIRD SON OF CORNELIUS CROMWELL KING OF VALATROCITUS, AND WINNER OF THE KNIGHTS EXAM!"
They all leave the stadium, entering the main hall. Which is now filled with chairs, and three large podiums with all the country's flags behind them. Everyone else picks a seat, though before Gray sits down he walks up to Soku.
Gray: "We good right?"
Soku: "Whatever just sit down."
They sit down, with everybody awaiting the candidates to enter. The candidates enter the room, then they get up to the podiums. Standing awaiting the room to get quiet, a room filled with knights from other kingdoms and lords of their smaller domains.
Arthur: "ALRIGHT! HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED THAT LITTLE EXAM FOR OUR FUTURE KNIGHTS!"
Kioshi: "Also, you all that participated will be evaluated after the election."
Elizabeth: "Which will start now. We will be asked questions about what we would like to do with Walgonia if we are elected, and then you all will vote."
Arthur: "BEFORE YOU ALL LEAVE THE ROOM ONE OF US UP HERE WILL BE THE NEW KING! NOW THE SELECTION WILL START!"