THE SHOW MUST GO ON

The burial transpired hastily, devoid of sentiment. Rhaizen Gale was interred by apathetic individuals whose minds were fixated on hastening the ceremony's conclusion, eager to return to their routine lives and escape the shadow of the pitiful man he had been. The trials were the beacon of their anticipation - an avenue to select a new champion, one bearing royal lineage and noble blood.

Among the IAA students and faculty, Luciana stood as the favored one for selection. She boasted the statistics and support to substantiate this belief. Since her enrollment, she had consistently led her class, preserving an unblemished academic record.

Her combat skills displayed great promise, securing victory in every tournament she engaged in. Though occasionally bested by Jalon Barr in combat and by Cecily in alchemical assessments, her overall standing surpassed both. Cecily's absence granted Luciana a modicum of respite; devoid of her Elder Alchemist competitor, Luciana faced less opposition.

In contrast, Cecily's kin attended the ceremony, imploring her throughout the night to remain. Yet, her decision was steadfast - she had no intentions of returning to an institution that had transgressed against its own, particularly an aspiring Ithea candidate. The following day, Cecily packed her belongings and departed. With her parents' refusal to welcome her home, she found refuge with her aunt.

"Moving past yesterday's events, let's not dwell on them. The ceremony is behind us, and we can't afford to lose time. Let's resume our studies where we left off, now Where were we?" the teacher addressed the candidates.The class comprised a mere trio at the front desk. The students seemed unresponsive until Norval took the initiative, tired of the silence.

"Sir, we were discussing the second topic of the unit - the one concerning elemental elixirs," he provided.

"Ah, yes. Let's proceed then. Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Greensmith. It's always a pleasure to have you in class," the lecturer acknowledged before proceeding with the lesson. Norval offered a nod, returning the gesture with a smile.

Meanwhile, at the rear of the room, Jalon had his smartphone, amusing himself with self-portraits as the lecture unfolded. He'd linger on a photo briefly before deleting it, replacing it with another. The lecturer took note but chose not to intervene - until Jalon crossed the line. He began capturing videos, occasionally shifting the camera to the board where the teacher inscribed formulas. Tolerance reached its limit, and the instructor finally spoke up.

"Mr. Barr, I suggest you schedule your filming endeavors outside of my class hours. If learning isn't your priority, you're free to exit. My leniency has extended too far, but I won't abide arrogance any longer."Before pocketing his phone, Jalon directed a lingering look at the teacher. The other students showed little concern, their attempts at mediation having grown tiresome given his frequent disruptions.

Jalon intermittently dozed off, his head resting on the desk before him, stirring only to fuss with his hair as the session persisted for hours."Class, we'll take a thirty-minute recess before resuming today's lesson. During the break, you're welcome to visit the restroom or partake of refreshments," the lecturer declared before departing for the teachers' lounge.During the class, Jalon seized his phone and accessed his social media profile, checking the notifications he had received. Neglecting to silence his phone, the intermittent alerts pierced the silence of the room.

"Let's see what's going on," he began a soliloquy, scrolling through the posts. "This one's interesting: 'King Vonner arrives late and inebriated at Rhaizen Gale's ceremony.'" He chuckled, casting a sidelong glance at Luciana.

Luciana tried to ignore him as much as she could. "Wow, look at these hashtags: #JusticeForNelanian, #JusticeForCecily, #BringNelanianBack." Jalon continued, "Interesting."

Luciana finally said, "Cold, you just shut up." Jalon shrugged it off as if he hadn't heard her at all.

"Well, at least I'm trending today. New Age Model featured me on the cover. Though they didn't capture my best side on the cover photo, yuck, I'm never doing another photoshoot with that publication!" Jalon remarked this as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket.

"Hey Norval, how about we walk down to the cafeteria and get some lunch?" he said.

"Can't now," Norval gripped his tie and re-adjusted it as he scribbled some notes in his book. " I'm writing down notes for today's class. "Perhaps we can go another time,"

"I knew it. You're no fun. How about you, sassy princess, you could use a soda to unwind?"

Luciana didn't even bother to respond. She continued reading her book, ignoring him.

Jalon called out to her but received the same response. The other two students tried their hardest to ignore him. He tore small pieces of paper from his book and rolled them into small balls before throwing it at them.

They couldn't continue to ignore him, so Luciana turned to him and tried to scare him with a savage gaze.

"Could you please just be normal and leave us alone for a change? Can't you see we're doing something productive with our life while you're drooling on your phone?"

"What do you suppose Nelanian is doing right now? I mean, the only logical place for him to return was to Rhaizen Gale's family, but he isn't there, according to reports. So, because he had no home and no family, might he have returned to the streets where Rhaizen Gale found him?"

Luciana did her best to ignore him once more.

"What if I do an internet search for him?" Jalon questioned himself aloud. He took out his phone and wrote, "Where- is- Nelanian- Henfery?" speaking loudly enough for the rest of the room to hear.

He stared at his device screen for a long time, waiting for something to happen.

"Hmm, that's strange. There is no mention of a location. I was under the impression that, given his condition, he would be in a hospital somewhere. A brain tumor could leave someone in the hospital for a long time. How many people die of brain tumors? Let me see, 'what-is-the-survival-rate-for-a-brain-tumor.' That's a really low figure..."

"Enough!"

Luciana screamed and slammed her fist against the table. She took her books and walked out of the classroom. Norval shifted his gaze to Jalon, giving him a deathly scowl. "What did I do?" Jalon asked, shrugging his shoulders. Did I say something wrong?"

"You're a complete jerk, Jalon," Norval said as he gathered his belongings and walked outside. He turned to Jalon before exiting and stated, "I'm going to the library until the professor arrives; until then, you have the room to yourselves. Do as you please,"

Jalon was the only one left in the room. He took out his phone and continued photographing himself.