The Selected Participants

Chapter 17: The Selected Participants

As the evaluation ended in a short amount of time, the selected participants were all happy. All of their nervousness has ceased to zero as the trial has ended. Those who did not manage to make it to the selection have exited already, with some of those who were friends with the selected ones staying at the hall as they were all lectured by Principal Lyns.

Lucas sat at the chair that Nath gave him. It made him wonder, where was that girl? He has to return this chair to her, or else, she might sue him. That would be another reason for her to check on him all the time.

Given their location, he cannot see her or anyone familiar inside the room. Also, he has no interest in them for now. He was tired of practicing, as well as improving the spell he had learned from his right arm. All of these lecturings were boring for Lucas, for as he heard all of those being said by Coach Clive to him.

It was repetitive enough that he can narrate then himself. That;

1, you should not entertain the audience as they pleased, but rather give them a righteous fight, not for their satisfaction,

2, don't get into battles as wished by the opponent, fight for your reason, and don't get driven by their provoking,

3, respect the opponent's arrangements for them,

4, always be mindful of their image, 5, to accept defeat like it was a normal thing, and the list goes on and on as if it was going nonstop. It was disgusting to the point it made Lucas nauseous again.

But as Principal Lyns continued her lecture to them, it started to get more interesting when she got into some topics that Lucas wanted to hear. She had planned a celebration for them that will be held the next day, along with the evaluators that decided their fate.

That was a great start, a formal and ethical way of learning the participants' names and their behavior; Lucas can only smile as he watched Principal Lyns talking from afar.

Even Moon who was at his side was smiling after hearing what Principal Lyns had said. Or maybe he was really happy that Doll was resting on his shoulder? They were even holding each other's hands.

Such an eyesore. Lucas hated that kind of displaying affection to each other. Were these two already together? They have gotten so close since they met her at the bus ride when they started transferring into White Day High.

He just rested his head again on the wall behind him and tried his very best to listen and focus on what Principal Lyns was saying. But his mind won't let him. His nausea started getting worse than before so he started closing his eyes for a nap.

It was a moment when he heard Moon shouting his name repetitively.

"Lucas, wake up! It's time to go to our apartment. All of the selected participants have gone home already. We're the only ones left inside this hall."

Lucas squinted and saw Moon standing before him. He shook his head and yawn uncontrollably. "I fell asleep?"

"All the time," Moon replied in nonchalance. "Come on. The party will be held tomorrow. I should look good for Doll's eyes." he laughed.

Hmph.

That night, it was a miracle that Lucas still had the guts to sleep soundly and comfortably. At first, he thought that he would not sleep well since he slept too much while waiting for the Skill Selection to be finished.

As woke up, he started preparing himself for the celebration. He saw Moon going to the bathroom already so he just waited for him to finish bathing and he has to go next.

For him, the celebration wasn't only about having fun. He will attend just to know all his upcoming enemies at the selection. With this, the Overall Skill Selection will be a lot easier for him, since he was familiar with all of his upcoming enemies.

Moon went out of the bathroom with the usual attire already on him. He doted at him in disgust. Every time that he will go out of the bathroom, there was no instance that he will do it bare or at least cover half of his body with a towel. He will always prepare some T-shirts and boxers inside the bathroom and go out wearing all of them. It was strange.

He headed inside the bathroom instead and didn't mind his cousin's unique habit.

Their preparations were finished at a quick pace. At the school, the conference hall was filled with paper-white clothes covering all of the pieces of furniture. The tables, the chair, and even the curtains were all in white clothes that were being twirled and twisted to make a usual design.

Lucas didn't enter the room once he arrived. He only waited for all of the participants to enter to have a full view of them. Also, it was not bad to wait in the gymnasium. He was with Moon.

Suddenly, a fancy car headed towards the gymnasium, and lots of uniformed men came out of it. As usual, the Headmaster will go out of that fancy car. Being surrounded by those men, the Headmaster went in the opposite direction and headed elsewhere.

Lucas didn't mind it. What he was interested in was Doll. She came out again of that fancy car that the Headmaster owned. She was so close to the Headmaster, huh? She was also close to Principal Lyns. Or maybe it was just a result of her being a student in here for so long.

Doll entered the hall first.

"Where is Principal Lyns?" Lucas asked Moon. Wearing just a casual maroon shirt and an elegant pant, Lucas was so gentle in appearance. He stood outside the conference hall. He reminisced about this place. It was the place he walked on before going upstairs and started proving his Godly Potential.

Moon turned his head. Wearing a beige shirt and light brown pants made of silk, his added chained necklace complimented his look. "I haven't seen her yet," he replied to Lucas.

To think of it, he didn't have the chance the ask Principal Lyns with regards to the matters that he was so curious about: the things Principal Lyns said to Shad Cagney. She'd praised him. He wanted to know what was with the Principal's mind when she said that to him.

Inside the conference hall, Doll commingled with everyone else who have entered after her. Wearing a light green cocktail and a shiny pair of sandals, Doll sat at a chair near Ghaile.

"Ah, so you were also selected?" Doll was full of shock, as she held a huge wine glass half full of wine. Who knew that this little girl would be selected. Normally, it was the senior students who were selected since they have accumulated so much experience from joining Trials year after year.

"Yes, just like my idol. Miss Winter Deus was also selected." Ghaile left a smile on her face. She was known as the school's Enchanter or called by some as simply the Healer. As the two continued talking, Winter entered the scene after she heard her name was mentioned.

"So you were selected, Doll? Congratulations!" Winter expressed her happiness. She was a strong girl with a soft heart.

Wearing black-fitting pants paired with a coordinate black coat, Winter looked like a decent office woman. But rather than a pencil-cut skirt, she wore black fitting pants instead. It doesn't seem to be so girlish or what, but it doesn't look tomboyish also.

"You know Lucas, right?" Winter added as she drank her wine.

"Yes." Doll chuckled awkwardly. So it was true? Lucas was sure saying the truth that he had met Winter. It was her bad for not believing. "He's outside with my— Um, he's just outside with someone." she shook her head.

Despite being used to welcoming guests, Doll felt ashamed this time that she almost slipped off with her talking. But she shouldn't worry because there was nothing to hide about. She has no secrets nonetheless.

Ghaile and Winter looked at her in contempt. They narrowed their eyes onto her that made her uncomfortable. Were they thinking that she was talking about Moon?

"Please excuse me." she rather said then exited the main hall and went into some secluded area of the conference room.

"Where are you going?" Winter followed Doll and grabbed her wrist to make her come back. Ghaile felt embarrassed with the commotion that Winter was starting, but she had no power to stop her. "Let's continue talking. What was the use of this celebration if we won't know each other?"

"Fine." Doll heaved a sigh and followed Winter back with Ghaile as she drank her wine. There was some richness and firmness with the textures that mixed inside her mouth as she swallowed the liquor.

Maybe it was influenced by the amount of tannin present with the wine, as she would describe the sensation as astringent with some firmness and a mix of softness.

"Look," Doll shouted, staring at the door. "Lucas was over there!" she added and pointed outside, just to lessen the tension she was feeling. It felt like she was being roasted by Winter and Ghaile.

As Winter gazed at the open door, Moon happened to enter the hall. Her eyes and his gaze met. She can't help but laugh and stare at Ghaile. Their mutual stares have something that only the two of them will understand.

"Speaks of the devil…" Ghaile contemporarily whispered to Winter while being comically watched by Doll.

"Yeah, the real Devil you spoke." Winter chuckled silently. "Remembered he studied at Devil Class…" she added, comically whispering at Ghaile.

Doll was left dumbfounded. Adding to her embarrassment, Moon went and stood beside her, clinging his arms above her shoulder as he held his wine glass.

Moon suggested a cheer with Doll, but the girl was shy to even cheer with him in front of Winter and Ghaile. She just drank her wine as result. The second time, it was a mix of bitterness and sweetness, with some citrus-like aftertaste.

As everyone partied it out because they were selected for the whole-school evaluation, they just rested and unwind at the conference room. The room slowly gathered enough people to occupy almost all of the chairs and made the ambiance alive and moving.

After some time, Principal Lyns came to the gymnasium late as always. Before she can enter the hall, Lucas grabbed her hand.

"Miss Lyns!" Lucas shouted as he held her wrist.

Principal Lyns tried to break free. "Why?" she whispered in rage. "I have to assess the participants." she walked out.

"Did you speak the truth to Shad?" Lucas continued, making Principal Lyns stop and look back at him. "Am I really— Do I really have the Godly Potential?"

Principal Lyns saw Lucas' disappointment. "No one in their right minds would try to beat Two Bastions at their determination alone. That would just be courting death," she replied dejectedly.

Lucas became obviously disappointed. She can't help but reply to what he was asking, or else, he won't stop pestering her.

"Lucas, you did really well that time. Your technique is on par with the Two Bastions and the delivery of your attacks was more powerful than them." Principal Lyns said with her head bowed. "As long as you stick with what you are good at and persevere, one day you will definitely represent our school to the tournament!"

He understood what she meant. That would be the peak that belonged to him, completely different from what Two Bastions created.

He felt some expectation rising in his heart despite his unhappiness, and said to himself softly, "Yes… the pinnacle that belongs to me, what would that look like?"

Principal Lyns felt that she already satisfied his curiosity. She stared at him and traced how this young man became so powerful despite being new to his powers.

Lucas drank up the wine in his glass as if tensed and then lifted his head.

She was about to walk away, but he heard Lucas say something to her. Looking back at him again, he listened to him.

"Principal Lyns, thank you," he said.

"Why are you thanking me? I'll be more than thankful if you stop torturing yourself." Seeing that he was fine, Principal Lyns became sarcastic again, saying, "I can't believe you were this dumb to follow that idiotic Mister Vacio in pushing yourself to your limits! Are you trying to trick him? How much do you hate him? Are you trying to make him reject and then cry over you?"

He replied sheepishly in a thick voice, "But I've defeated the Two Bastions, right…?"

"Even if you did, you are not in enough condition to battle such a number of opponents all at once!"

"But you told Shad Cagney this past week that I performed it perfectly… Have you forgotten already?"

"I was lying to him, you believed me? Are you as dumb as he?"

He was unable to say anything to her rant and simply kept quiet until she said her piece and turned to leave. He heard her shoes clicking as she entered the door.

After that, Principal Lyns entered the hall and greeted all of the participants that she would pass through.

Lucas dejectedly went to have his wine drank before going back to the hall to meet the other participants, feeling utterly exhausted. His inspections towards the participants have ended as he had seen all the people that entered the hall until Principal Lyns came.

As Principal Lyns stepped on the elevated part of the room, all of the people present there looked at her in shock. The lights that were all over the room moved towards her place and she was fully lit.

"Participants…" she said proudly. "Let's welcome our dear evaluators that help our school to judge your performances with this year's evaluation!"

The lights on her suddenly shifted onto the curtains that were placed beneath the wall. Unbeknownst to most of them, it was a divide that put the conference room into halves, hiding the evaluators there for a long time, and welcoming the selected participants inside the other half of the room.

Moon and Doll stopped and wait for the evaluators to enter. Few unknown evaluators entered the hall and were applauded by the students. The evaluators waved at them, and some would share their proudest smiles for being part of the Selection for the White Day.

Principal Lyns ordered them to sit at the set of seats behind her; seats that were made for the evaluators. As the first set of evaluators sat, many more of the people behind the curtain entered and waved at the participants.

Lucas simply entered the hall by the alternative entrance as he heard that the celebration was starting. He saw numerous unknown people being applauded by the selected participants. Trying to spot Moon and Doll, Lucas heard Principal Lyns shouting Mister Vacio's name.

Students clapped in gratitude, as Lucas witnessed the tan man that he hated so much. Wearing the same tuxedo and pants that he always wear, it made Lucas sick by just looking at him. He looked away to his comfort.

He didn't clap, nor didn't even try to spare him a mere sight. Hearing his name made him uncomfortable already; why was he even invited to be one of the evaluators knowing the rift present within them and Aspho?

Mister Vacio glanced all over the crowd and noticed Lucas alone at the secluded sides of the room. He smirked as he doted on him, with Lucas not even knowing. He mouthed something that was left unheard and unknown to anyone.

In the middle of the room, Doll turned to Ghaile and whispered to her something. Ghaile covered her mouth as she started laughing, making Moon curious, as he just waited for the next evaluator to enter.

As a young man entered; Moon was left with no other emotion but shock when he learned that the evaluator wearing that old-fashioned wristwatch he saw back then was the man he hated when he was a child. The adopted boy that his mother adored, and the one he considered as his lifetime foe:

"Lunar Invel?"