Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Written as Rival and Read as Friend
The day for the Chivalry's third round arrived.
I took a nap, before the first fight started and in the midst of my nap, I dreamt of a boy begging for his father's love and attention.
I don't know why, but for some reason I kinda recognized the boy in that dream.
It wasn't me, it is that guy…
There was a sentence the father, in that dream, told the boy, "I have never acknowledge you as something more than a guinea pig, more less as a son…"
A yawn left my mouth, as I walked the hallway to the arena.
Soon, I heard some voices, one was a stranger's voice and the other one was a very familiar voice.
I hid behind a wall to look who it were.
There was a dark blue haired middle-aged man. I then saw Forth being scolded by that guy, upon taking a clearer look.
He didn't look that frustrated to be scolded by the man. More or less, there weren't any expression seen from his face.
Just a blank face with his cold eye… that's the only thing.
"Ed, over here!" the dandelion boy called out to me and I looked at him, whilst remaining silent.
I went where Gino, Russell and Kirt were sitting at.
"Your loss would mean your incompetence, Forth. And I've got no need for an incompetent son" such words from the middle-aged man came to my mind.
He called Forth his son, so he must be that famous scholar of Forthenor Kingdom, Lorenz Torthen.
"What's wrong?' Gino asked and I gasped. "Nothing, just thinking it's a good thing that you finally left the infirmary"
Saying so, I sat down beside him.
"Well, the nurse scolded me about being too much relaxed there" he painfully chuckled and I stated, "I guess that's normal for her to do so"
It has been two days since Gino was bedridden at the infirmary.
He was brought there, because he fainted with my punch, and the pain he felt had already faded, during the first day he was there.
Though, for some reason, he remained there until today.
With this royal battle tournament going on, the infirmary had been getting busy and Gino was staying there taking one of the beds.
So, it's normal for the nurses of the infirmary to get angry with him.
"Is this seat taken?" a familiar voice asked, which made raise my head, and I saw Reina and Anna who was carrying Lux.
Out of surprise, "Ah! No?" my voice went out weirdly.
"Why in a question form?" she asked, as she sat down beside me, and I chuckled, "Just got surprised to see you out here" whilst looking at Gino.
He glared at me.
"It was boring inside the infirmary. Plus, it would be a waste to have the Royal Battle pass by, wouldn't it?" she stated and I giggled.
The dandelion boy then butt in, "I loved the infirmary a lot, thought"
Ignoring Gino, I looked at Reina and noticed some burn marks, over her nape, which made me mumbled, "Those scars…"
"Hmm, what about it?"
I looked at her face and asked, "Wasn't Akari supposed to erase them?" she nodded and answered, "4 years… She said it would take that much"
"So I refused for now, whilst telling her postpone it, maybe until I graduate from the Capital Academy"
Well, it is a mark caused by magic, so it wouldn't be erased that easily…
"I see…"
That's all I can say to answer her, and I kinda hate myself for not being able to find the rightful words for this kind of situations.
"Who are the participants for the first fight, today?" she asked, as if she tried to end the silence between us.
I smiled.
"Russell and Forth, it seems" I answered and the lavender girl let out a voice, "Eh?" which made me jolt.
The crimson girl then asked her friend, "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing, I just thought it was a rare pair to see" the lavender girl shook her head and hands, which made her friend agree, "Well, you're right about that"
Now that I think about it, I don't see that two get along much or even talk to each other.
Well, Forth is one with few words, to begin with, and when he starts talking, it would be full of complains.
But, well…
I smiled, whilst sparing a glimpse over the crimson girl and lavender girl, sitting beside me, with Lux.
"Why are you smiling?" Reina asked and I answered, "Nothing, just a bit happy"
She gulped and looked away, before saying, "It's creepy, so stop it" which made me whined down, as Anna giggled a bit.
"Puu?" the dog-cat like furry creature tilted his head to the side.
As soon as the fight started, the stage became filled with water, reaching their knees, which was Forth's doing.
"What's this..?" whilst the pain boy was mumbling such worries, the four-eyed guy was mumblings things to himself, as well.
As Forth's mouth shut close, the water soon turned into ice.
The ice rise up to Russell's body and soon covered his whole body, except for his right hand that he managed to get out, right on time.
"Oh! Russell Figmorth is frozen!" the red haired mc shouted. "Would he be fine?" with such words, the audience started mumbling their words of worries.
They can't declare Russell's loss, yet. After all, there's no guarantee that he is unconscious, inside and his right hand is moving.
So, all we can do is wait for things to fold, whether the plain boy is the one doing things, or the four-eyed guy.
Still, is he alright?
*
Damn! I can't move my body.
This ice is cold, but somehow it's not as cold as one would think. After all, he didn't froze my body, but covered me with ice.
I can move my eyes fine and I can breathe.
Taking a deep breath in and out, I thought to myself, "A human's breath is hot. That is a given fact, after all, they are alive"
And that hot breath is my weapon to escape from this ice vessel!
The breath I had let out circulated throughout inside the ice, and reached my left hand, which made me smirked.
"Let me remind you Forth" whilst saying so, the ice slowly melted away and my face was shown out.
I shoved the water, the ice became, off my shoulder.
"My Element allows me to multiply things that I can touch. So when you frost me next time, make sure that I don't have any space inside.
After all, it only help with circulating heat inside"
Upon seeing me well and all, Shiro shouted, "What a surprise! He is fine! He is alive! Everyone, Russell Figmorth is alive!" and the audience cheered.
I wish they don't base me dead.
"Well…" I looked at my right palm and chuckled. "If my gamble didn't succeed, I was dead by now"
Now, how should I defeat this guy?
*
I grinned, as I saw Russell stretching down the stage.
"He is a tough one…" I mumbled to myself, as I leaned my chin on my right palm, whilst smiling.
"I really am scared of your smile, sometimes. Ed" with a gulp, Reina said so and I, "Can you please keep quiet?" said so.
Well…
I did know that Forth's Element allows him to change the physical appearance of something, like how he can change water into ice.
And I also know that the water that filled the stage, is a craft magic called, "Flood".
While there is a Water-based craft magic, there are also Ice-based craft magic, so why did he even bother to use a water-based, when his intent was to use ice, from the start?
The ice around the stage then turned into water, again.
"You know, Forth-kun. If I wasn't your enemy, you had become a murderer already. After all, you can kill a person, just by freezing them"
Spoke the plain boy.
Somehow, hearing the words "murderer" and "kill" from you, makes me feel a bit scared here, Russell…
"None of that matter. As long as I win this thing" with cold eyes, Forth answered so.
It has been a while, since I last saw him look at someone like that. Well, I guess his conversation with his bastard father got a thing to do with that.
"Were you that stubborn?" Russell chuckled and Forth shouted, "Don't talk like you know me!!" as he changed the water below them into ice again to freeze Russell.
But, the plain boy managed to jump right on time.
Forth sure keeps on using the water, created by a craft magic, as a medium to create ice, really, why is he doing so?
"It is like what you just said, I don't know you much at least that's how things are supposed to be" taking a step forward, the plain boy said so.
Forth looked at him with cold eyes, which he soon averted and asked the boy, "What are you saying?"
"Look at me in the eye!"
The plain boy shouted, as he charged on the four-eyed guy's strike zone, causing their clash with each other.
Forth blocked all of Russell replicated ice attacks with his own ice.
"If only you told me your reason, I would let you off winning. After all, I've got no obsession with winning. But..!"
Whilst the plain boy kept on attacking him, the four-eyed guy remained silent and kept on resisting to not let Russell come near him.
"But, I can't just afford to let someone like you who's been blinded by victory to win"
With such words from Russell, the four-eyed guy's body unconsciously deflected all of the plain boy's attacks.
"Blinded..? Me?" with those words, his once cold eyes had turn into a wavering wary look. And ether particles slowly appeared around him.
I see, so I was right.
That kid in my dream was Forth. He wanted that person to acknowledge him, so he's trying his best.
His trying to pass the limit of the things he can do, all alone, he suffers… He suffers for that kind of guy..!
"Get away from me!"
Forth shouted, and some ice nearly stabbed the plain boy, who was trying to persuade him, if he didn't move back.
His magic was as cold as his eyes.
This isn't the Forth I… we knew. The Forth we knew is smart, coward and shy, he isn't cold-hearted like this.
Why is he being chained with that guy's words?
Just what is the point of having that kind of guy love and acknowledge you? Forth..!
"I don't need you to listen to me! I don't have a problem, at all!!" Forth grunted, with a cold glare. "Don't speak on a tone like you know everything!"
The Ether Particles that surrounded him had turned into ice, that were now being the wall between them two.
"Friends are there to listen to your problems" the plain boy took a step forward and made the four-eyed guy gasp, "Huh?"
With a smile, he took another.
"When you're lonely, sad and frightened, they're beside you. Even if you became a pain in the ass, they will be beside you"
Every word he uttered, Russell took a step forward and Forth backed away from him, whilst mumbling, "W-what are you..?"
"Forth"
The plain boy called, which made the four-eyed guy raise his head up and show his scared eyes, to Russell, who then said, "Aren't we friends?" with a kind tone.
"What the heck are you saying?"
The plain boy kept on taking a step forward, whilst saying, "We hang out together, have fun together, and we even fight with each other"
"If we don't call such relationship friends, then what should we call it?"
With such words, the four-eyed guy gasped, before he averted the eyes of the plain boy and took a step backward.
"All I need from you is for you to tell me the problem" whilst mumbling so, the plain boy tried to melt the ice wall between them, with his body heat.
A pure gamble, I say.
It took a minutes, before the wall started to melt down and showed the trembling four-eyed guy.
"All I wanted was his affection. I only yearned for his kindness, but instead he gave me all his wrath.
When I learned that everyone except me and him died, I didn't cry even once.
For I thought that I can walk the path for another day, because I have him. But he didn't need me unlike how I needed him.
All I wanted was a simple warmth from a parent. That was all…" whilst saying so, Forth fell down to his knees and looked down, crying like a child.
Russell crouched then and held his hand out to Forth.
"I'm not the guy you're talking about, but would it be fine if the warmth that can comfort you for today is mine?"
Forth snorted, before taking his hand and said, "What an absurd thing to say…"
"It's my loss…." following Forth surrender, the mc shouted, "The Winner is Russell Figmorth!!!!" along with the audience.
Before leaving the arena, "Tsk! You really were incompetent, Forth" a middle aged man mumbled,
After that, I went to Russell's waiting room with Forth.
"Uhm, sorry you had to see my lame side" Forth apologized, as he try to look away while he scratched the back of his neck while blushing.
"I don't mind! But I didn't expect you to be a Papa's boy, Forth" the plain boy giggled and he denied, "What the..?! I'm not!"
These two don't usually interact with each other, like how Anna said. But, I do think that they can go on and improve their relationship, from now on.
Maybe they'll even become friends that are rivals, which I would prefer to rephrase as…
"Written as Rival and Read as Friend, huh?" with a smile, I mumbled and Forth asked, "Why are you smiling like that, Ed?"
I shook my head and answered, "Nothing"
"Ed" the plain boy called and smiled at me, "You're smile can be creepy, sometimes. So stop it, okay?"
Oi!
A sigh left my mouth, as I scratched my nape before smiling again.
I hope this kind of trivial yet precious days would go on as time pass by, without any interference that will surely break it.
If there really is a God out there, I am asking you to let things stay this way even just for a while.
I ask of you, from the bottom of my heart, God…
*
Somewhere, a middle-aged man wearing a thin cloth showing his stomach smirked as he leaned his chin on his right palm.
A chuckle left his mouth, followed by the words, "Unfortunately, everything wouldn't go your way, Hakuya… I mean, Edward"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Yuuki_Toshima
Yuuki_Toshima 1st and 3rd part is Ed's POV
2nd part is Russell's POV
last part is a Third Person POV
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone