THAT DAY I BECAME A STAR

"Oh shit."

"Y-you saw what he did?" 

It seems my words still carried weight. Though most people are still surprised, some stand up and leaves the coliseum. See, Farner, I wasn't such a bad guy after all.

"You just had to resist, huh." Excia brings a gemstone just like the one Farner had as well. Roxcia does the same and William plants his sword on the stage. 

"I wouldn't have had it any other way." Yeah, I know, Roxcia. I perfectly know that. 

Excia and her sister start shining so brightly you would think the sun came down on the stage. As the light subsides, William attacks me like a savage predator but only strike air since I moved from my previous position. The sword he is using now is a gigantic-looking two-hand sword. 

Yeah, that's how I know you, violent, stupid, and unable of judging anything. Though, can I really criticize you now? Do I really have that right? He may have abandoned his own child but I have killed the one who loved and trusted me. 

"I guess we are feathers of the same bird after all." 

A flash passes right by my cheek while I am thinking. Looking at the origin of it, Excia and her sister are standing in those armors I saw; their divine gear. Compared to your Meetia's attire, it looks really less powerful. Why didn't she give you guys that shield of light or the spikes that can chase people around? She is really unfair to her daughters. 

"You should fight us seriously if you don't want to die with regrets." 

'Cissa, you still haven't found her?' 

'Not yet but she is here already. I can feel it.' 

Yeah, I can feel it too. Something from a completely different level is watching me right now. 

"If that's what you guys want." I bring out Maria's raizen and the heroes show great stupefaction.

"How?!! Why do you have a divine gear?!! How can you use it?!! Is this what you took from her?!!" 

Without giving me a chance to answer or even a moment to do anything else, Roxcia brandishes her staff in the air and the next thing I hear is a small electric sound on my left. I barely activate Sphere then an explosion hits it with full power, making it vibrates like crazy. Like I thought, Roxcia is using a similar attack to N'donkeu. It will hard to avoid it. 

An arrow comes once again and breaks Sphere, while I move to the side, another one comes from my dead angle. Thankfully, I have good ears or I wouldn't know. Excia has managed to anticipate my movements with complete success. I manage to block the arrow with the raizen but then, William is in front of me and strikes with all his brute strength. 

"It would be too easy, right?" I use Disperse and land behind him. But before I can hit him, I hear another buzzing sound and moves, leaving the explosion activates right between us. A three vs one is going to be difficult. 

"Kill him!!!" 

"Murderer!! You will die!!" 

"Heroes!! Kill him!! Make him pay!!" 

Just a little time when we aren't fighting and all I can hear are the screams of the people. This could get really annoying. 

***

'Cissa, still nothing?!!'

'No, I haven't found her yet. The three people who are already here are interfering as well.'

'Come on! It is becoming a bit hot here!'

I am trying to dodge Excia's scripts while Roxcia continues to bombard me with her own. So far, I was only hit once, on the leg, by Excia's arrow. It actually went right through as if my leg was only paper. I could say I don't mind but ever since my senses are all back, feeling pain prevents me from going full out. I can feel the pain from my leg every time I pace my foot on the floor, I can feel my lungs starting to hurt…This is really as ridiculous as when I was fighting the goddess.

Excia has used a script that released a flock of birds made of fire. Avoiding one or two is easy, but there are more than fifty of them. And unless I destroy them, they keep coming at me. In the meantime, she also keeps shooting arrows while Roxcia does her thing. Right now, it is only William that seems useless as he is just standing there, waiting for a chance to strike me. 

"Argh!!" Shit! One of those birds stroke me right in the leg where I got hurt. 

"You are mine now." Roxcia unleashes her script and I block with my arms. 

My whole body is thrown backward and I feel a sudden pain in my shoulder right before I land. 

"Uargh!!" 

What the hell just happened?!! I look at my shoulder while standing and there is an arrow sticking out of it.

"No, get back!" Out of nowhere, I hear Roxcia's voice and when I raise my head, I see William jumping back.

"Why did you stop me?" 

"Why did you stop him?" 

Yeah, why did you stop him, Roxcia?

"He hasn't shown everything he can do yet. Maybe he was waiting for you to get close so that he could use it." 

"But still, I had a…" 

While they start talking among themselves, I suddenly see her among the spectators. Why? Just why did you have to stay behind, Lanuvel? And why are you crying again? Have I not made you cry enough already? 

"Hey!!" 

"What is it?" I stand up and look at Roxcia. Why does she have such a smile on her face?

"I have always hated you. You and your pathetic attempt to look cool. Your petty tricks to get in my sister and my friend's panties. You were everything that disgust me about this world." 

"And so, what of it?" 

"Yeah, there is that too. That arrogance of yours, as if everything belonged to you to begin with. I could never stand it. But do you know? I was actually happy when you killed Farner." 

"What are you saying?!!"

"Miss Roxcia!!" She doesn't seem to mind your desperate screams, people. 

"She always kept talking about it, about you and the happiness you were giving her. And now, she certainly knows better." 

"Roxcia!! This is too much!!" Excia jumps from behind me and lands before her sister. But Roxcia pushes her away and advances towards me by a few steps.

"What is your point?" Do you think you are the only one who is hurt?! Do you think you are the only one who regrets?!! No, I must remain calm. This is not the time to be emotional anymore. 

'Cissa?' 

'Almost.'

'Hurry.'

"What do I want? Fufu…Fuahahaha!! I want you to know how much pain you have brought!" 

Roxcia lifts her hand up, brings something out of her bracelet then launches it to me. What lands before is…

"No way…" Why? How? Where did she…? I thought you were alive somewhere, enjoying the wilderness and living a new life. Why? Why are you…

K'nor, you were the last one. The only one I still considered family. The only one I knew I could count on no matter what. So why? Why did you have to die and leave me alone?!

I grab my K'nor's head on the floor and of their own will, my knees go weak and I kneel on the floor. And those fucking tears that won't stop flowing. Haven't I cried enough already for this lifetime? What else do I have to do to stop crying? 

"Ahahaha!!! Yes!! This is it!! Scream!! Cry and writhe in agony!!" 

Roxcia's voice just keeps piercing through my ears and my heart. But why?

"Why? Why did you have to kill him?"

"Why? What kind of question is that? To hurt you of course." 

"He was completely innocent!!" 

"And was my sister guilty of anything?!!" 

Roxcia points her staff at me and I am swept by an explosion. Then I hear her saying other things but my ears are ringing too much from the explosion to hear what she is saying. 

But this…If this is the price I have to pay for trying to save this world…If this is how much pain I have to go through…

"Then I hope it was worth it, god Varian." 

"I have found her." 

As Cissa says that, I release my draconic power and burn K'nor head with the smallest fireball I can use. I have too many regrets to say that I want to stop now. I have done far too much to say that I am giving up. But, I promise you: Farner, K'nor, mom. 

"Right now. I will put an end to all this." 

"You will only do so by dying." 

Excia appears before my eyes and unleashes her script. Shpere blocks it but breaks right after. Then William appears and strikes downwards with his sword. I block it the first time but somehow, my wrist gives up. Why is my hand trembling so much now of all times? He strikes a second time and cuts my hand clean. 

Finally, before I can move from the spot where I am, Roxcia appears as well, but she is holding a sword. A two-hand sword. That sword, I would recognize it anywhere. You really loved your sister too much, Roxcia. 

"This is for my sister!!" 

"No!!! Stop!!!" 

At the same time as her sword is piercing through my stomach, a voice I could only hear in my dreams resounds through the whole coliseum. But I am sure I am dreaming. There is no way she is alive after all. 

"Cissa?" 

"Above you." 

"Ahhh!!!" 

I push Roxcia away then unleash my dragon roar towards the sky. Somehow, my roar is first blocked, as if there is something there, then it breaks. Once again, for the second time of my life, the sky breaks before me.

"Wh-what is this?" Roxcia falls on her knees before the scene that is unfolding in front of her.

"You wanted to fight, right?" I remove the sword she drove through my belly and stick it on the ground before her, with my blood dripping from it.. "Now, you better be ready."