THAT DAY I BECAME A STAR

"And that's how you do it." You did great there, girl.

Lanuvel walks away from her and goes to Esteressa. But right as Esteressa takes her hand and brandishes it in the air, Germinia stands back up.

"Ugh…" Her face is pretty messed up. There are ice shards on her cheek and a part of her forehead. Blood is coming out of her nose. Her left eye is closed as well.

"You want to continue?" Esteressa asks her while releasing Lanuvel's hand that she was holding.

"Yeah, I just let my guard down. This fight will be my wi-" And she falls right back to the ground.. Like a rock thrown on a wall, her body makes a loud and heavy noise as she hits the floor.

"Okay, it's your win, I guess." Esteressa raises Lanuvel's hand high in the air but then, once again, Germinia seems to wake up. Only that this time, she doesn't manage to stand up. Her arms are trembling a bit as she pushes up.

"I said I can still fight."

"She gave you a blow to the head imbued with water and wind Angas. That would knock out even the most persistent opponent. And she even holded back."

"I told you," Germinia pushes more with her arms and finally manages to stand up, "I only left my guard down."

She is not wrong. Not entirely at least. She is stronger than Lanuvel if I have to judge fairly. But she was indeed overconfident from the beginning and thought of Lanuvel as weak.

"And that's why she lost." Once you corner a rat, it can even kill a dog, I guess.

"First things first." Cordel gets on the stage and places his hand on Germinia's shoulder. "We should heal you."

"Don't touch me." She removes his hand and walks to Lanuvel. She is staggering but still, manages to reach her. "Let us continue. I am ready."

"No, you are not."

Lanuvel isn't in a better form. The whips of fire have left clear burn marks on her armor and she must have been hit badly as well. Her hair are burnt but I don't think she got hit to the head.

"I am. Finish what you start. Always. That's one of my family's rules."

"You keep talking about your family but haven't they discarded you? I don't think your father sent you here out of goodwill."

"It doesn't matter. What matters now is that I defeat you and make you mine. Then I-"

"I don't want to be with you, Germinia. Not now, not ever. Even if you defeat me, I will still refuse to stay with you."

"But we had a deal."

"I only agreed because you forced it. I never planned on respecting it in the first place."

"Then you are a liar."

"I know. I am a bad person. You wouldn't want to be with a bad person, right?"

Lanuvel fakes a smile after that. Although it looks like a devilish smile, I can tell it is a fake one.

"No, not really. But," Germinia looks at me, "I know you are only lying because of him. Therefore, he is the problem."

"What?" How in MEETIA's name did you reach such a conclusion?

"What are say-"

"Highlander's whip." Out of nowhere, she uses her script, without a single care for her surroundings. However, the whips disappear right as they appear. The reason: Lanuvel has punched her lower jaw, knocking her out cold. Yep, she definitively lost with this.

***

We all bring Germinia to the infirmary then leave for the dorm. On the way, Keltia joins us and we all find ourselves talking happily in the hall. At least, they all look happy. Lanuvel is especially happy. Surely because she won against an opponent that was really difficult to beat.

"I thought the Highlander were really skilled warriors but if they are all like that, then even I can win! Ahahaha!"

"You are just an idiot."

"And you are just an ugly make-up freak!"

"What?!"

"You want a piece of me, bitch?!"

Esteressa and Keltia engage in a fight again, only for Peter and Cordel to stop them. I thought she didn't like Peter but I guess Esteressa doesn't really like Keltia as well.

"Those two really get along well."

"What?" How can you say that, Lanuvel? What part of all this makes you say that?

"What is it? Why do you look at me like that?"

"Did you eat something weird?"

"Not really. Why?"

"And how can you say that they get along?"

"Don't you know? When you get along with people, you fight with them, you debate, you squabble. That's how it is."

"Why?" I mean, I did have squabbles with Selene a few times, but that's because she was way too stubborn.

"Because that's how you are when you like being with some people. There isn't really something that can explain it."

"I see."

"Which reminds me that you are still staying on your corner. And you almost never laugh."

"It's not my fault."

"I know. I just hope that someday, you will open up more. I really want to see you laughing your ears out."

"Why? I don't think it will-"

"Because I want to see the face of the guy I love when he is happy." She walks in front of me then turns around and sticks her tongue out. "Meeh."

She turns around again and goes with the others. Happiness…I do feel happy right now. I have people who love me. People who I can rely on. I don't think I need much more. But I become happier, won't just everything disappear again? If I open up and enjoy my life even more, won't it become a nightmare again?

***

The next day, when I wake up, I go to the hall to use the machine and find Judy and Velvet in the hall. As always, Judy has a depressed face, while Velvet winks at me. She really thinks we are in the same boat, huh…

"Good morning, Judy, Velvet."

"Hello there, handsome." Velvet answers joyfully while Judy looks like a ghost already.

She barely gives me a look then goes back to her posture, with her hands holding her head like it is the heaviest thing in the world. Did she really need the heroes' help that much?

I activate the machine and start running without minding her. Now, everything has changed. I don't know if it is thanks to the dragon heart or if I just became stronger or maybe it is just because I can use elemental Angas now; in any case, I can almost feel something.

There is some kind of energy flow created by this machine and coils around your body. As it reaches me, I can feel it around my arms and legs. It is especially focused on my legs. I wonder if that's what the others were feeling as well.

As I run, the energy flow changes and becomes lighter around my left leg, I reflexively jump and this time, unlike the others, I don't fall. I also heard the weird sound from before but I was more focused on the energy flow.

"Well, it must be something like this." I jump, spin, and accelerates at the rythm of the machine. The more I stay on it, the more it accelerates. I even reach a speed where I would need to use wind Angas to stay on the machine. But let's see what are my limits fir-

"Whatcha doing?"

Suddenly, Velvet's voice distracts me and I am thrown away from the machine. How did I not notice her heartbeat next to me?

"Argh! Shit!" I manage to recover myself before hitting the floor and land on my feet.

"Sorry!" Velvet apologizes while running to me.

"I am okay. I am okay. What did you want?" I stand up without using the hand she extends to me.

"I just wanted to know what kind of machine that was?"

"Well, I don't know myself. I just use it."

"Eh…" Velvet looks at the machine then walks to it. Judy hasn't moved at all and is still in her ghost form. Judy touches the machine here and there, tries to pull off one of the crystals sticking out of it, caress it with a weird look, like it is something precious. I read her thoughts and they are absolutely not good.

"I wouldn't if I were you."

"You wouldn't what?"

"Steal. It is not worth it."

"I never said I would steal it. Well, not all of it."

"Are you that desperate for money?"

"More than you can imagine." Isn't Judy paying her? Why does she say that?

Velvet gets on the machine and it shines.

"Oh!! Waouh!! So pretty!"

She touches it here and there again and it starts moving.

"Wait! What is happening?!"

"Just run."

"Wha-"

She turns around to look at me and trips on her own foot, falling down while hitting her head on the floor. I walk to her and help her standing up.

"Urgh…"

"You okay?"

"Y-yeah, I think so."

She grabs my hand and pulls. Then as she stands up, ends up sticking to me in a weird position.

"What are you doing?" She brings her mouth to my ears and starts whispering.

"You didn't talk about our deal to her, right?"

At the same time, the door of the hall opens.

"Guys!!! We are bac-"

The heroes enter, with Farner in the front, and see us like that.