PAST VISION : ICY PAST

Chapter 20 : Obstacles

Ereus decided to move first, aiming for an ambush attack. However, Rendevel was well prepared. As Ereus continued attacking Rendevel brutally, he accidently fell into a lightning trap drawn by Rendevel. The runes shone brightly as they constricted Ereus.

"St– Stop, please. . ." he slowly begged as he lowered his knees.

"Did you stop when I told you to?" Rendevel shrugged as he twisted his fingers, causing the runes to torture Ereus even worse. Despite the fact that he deserved it, I couldn't bare seeing him suffer that bad. I stepped forward and patted Rendevel shoulders, "I think it's about time to stop."

Rendevel stood quiet and finally stopped his attacks. Ereus quickly ran as fast as he could and disappeared from the hall. In a stiff expression, Rendevel approached me and threw a bunch of books at me. I nimbly caught them due to my fast reflexes and held them tight as he walked away from me.

"Those are books on ancient magic, and the other ones are books on our protocols. Make sure to read them right away, I don't want you to make the same mistakes." he said as he walked away from me

"I understand." I sighed as I walked back towards my chambers. However I realized that he looked back a few times before he finally left the hall. A small paper fell from the pile of books I was carrying. I quickly grabbed the note and placed it right on the side of the book.

***

"Are you alright Lydia?"

"I'm fine, Raid."

"The moment Captain burst in anger I thought you were going to die."

"Is he that powerful?"

"He's the most powerful man I've ever seen. He's a Tricopediscillian, a rare alien species capable of wielding the power of electricity."

"Really? I've heard of them, but I thought they were urban legends, such breed was rare to be seen."

"Indeed. That's why he's so powerful. But, you're not shabby either. You're a Martian Spechulanion, right?"

"Yes, I am."

I shook my head and brushed off the sweat on my forehead. "I better get to work before Rendevel scolds me again."

"He's known to be grumpiest squad captain in the entire zone. I was surprised when I saw him standing up for you."

"Really?"

"By the way, where did you get those books?" Raid asked as he pointed towards the stack of books I placed earlier on the desk.

"He gave me those and told me to finish it by tomorrow."

"Oh My Gosh!" he shouted in surprise as he stood from his chair. "Those books are his notes, I thought he hates having others to touch or look at his stuff. Long ago, he almost killed a council member for stealing his thesis."

"Why would a council man do that?"

"He needed a scripture on ancient magic. One of the professors gave him Rendevel's thesis. When Rendevel realized that the council man took his thesis. He burnt the entire building and sent the poor man into a dark hole. Thankfully, a Spell Bearer quickly saved the old man."

"He's that bad?" I asked in disbelief.

"I guess you better get those books done before he burns you in return." He shrugged as he went back to his chambers.

"I guess. . ." I mumbled as I opened the heavy book and turned into the first chapter.

***

"Lydia!" a man yelled as he grabbed my arms.

"Yes?" I replied as I turned to him. The entire room suddenly became silent as the crowds' gazes turned to me.

"Are you done?" Rendevel flatly asked.

I wasn't sure of what he was referring to, resulting me into blatantly questioning him "What?"

"The books."

"Oh!" I exclaimed as I ran back into my room and grabbed the pile of books lying on my desk.

"Here you go." I panted as I handed the books over to his open arms.

"I expect you to be in the Nautical Room in ten minutes." he said as he walked out of the room, slamming the door hard as I felt the crowd casting their gazes upon me.

"Hey princess!" Nick shouted as he shot his intense glare at me.

"I thought we've solved this freakin' deal on the match yesterday." I scoffed as I avoided him.

"Y–You're a Dark Martian, aren't you?" he whispered as he bent closer to me. "Royals don't wield that kind of magic. Who are you?"

"None of your business rich boy." I shot back.

***

The nautical training was a deliberate mess, none of the sergeant managed to pull off the circuit. Raid too failed on the fourth obstacle. Standing on the edge of the line brought me to feel more comfortable as I observed the others' who went before me. Some were gasping for air as they gave up on the same obstacle. The horrifying situation made me anxious as I waited for my turn.

"Lydia, you're up next!" the Captain yelled as he blew the whistle. I plunged straight into the water and froze for a moment, allowing my gills to form before I went straight for the obstacles. The current was quite strong, I gathered every last bit of courage and went through the first obstacle. The thorny wheels ahead of me were spinning quite fast. I scanned over the object before finally swimming into it. The wheels formed a strong current, delaying me a few times before finally passing through it. I sighed as I looked back. The second and the third ones took most of my strength as I continuously failed to pass through. I was weak by the time I went face to face against the fourth obstacle, 'The Siren'. An obstacle created to produce deathly sound waves, able to pierce through an alien's ear drums. I stared blankly against the depths of the pool.

"It's time." I mumbled as I swirled through the waters. A wave of energy surged through me as whirlwinds started forming on my arms, giving me the force to move around faster in the water. I swam above 'The Siren' and shot the waves I had. The machine crumbled into pieces, the crowd above me grew wild. I glanced above as I observed the gazes cast upon me. I knew that failing wasn't the option since I got this far, but my magic won't last long.