6 - Gusty Wind

My mind was torn into two upon my practice for the acrobatics quiz. I can’t even master to put a little bit or water power in my air, the tiniest it should be because of the thoughts about Wisps and Shades.

I asked Aellah about it and she said, her parents told her stories that aside from lightflies that bring flying dots of luminescence in the fields, there are times that white and black radiance also fill the midair. Calling these as Wispflies and Shadeflies because of their color. But as years passed, they decreased in number and now are rarely seen in any nation in Retheale.

I wonder what kind of glow Shades can give off. Since they are pitched black in color, how would they appear in my eyes as lights? Black lights? How?

I felt someone bumped on me as I was drowning into my thoughts.

Looking whoever it is, I see a laughing Ariesa.

“Oh sorry, never knew a trash is standing here.” she said in a mocking tone before walking into Euphorium Forest.

I rolled my eyes and instead focused myself on the upcoming quiz, and the fact that this forest isn’t only famous because of the vast euphore mushroom field it has, but also for having the biggest, sweetest melgos around Retheale.

Aellah said Headmaster might let us to pick up some melgos after the quiz.

I can’t really wait!

With his glasses, he looked in each one of his students, like thinking he would be the first to do the quiz.

He laughed so loud before pointing to the nervous Aellah. Bet he read her mind just by looking at how the wind circulate around her, unstable, like her mind right now.

I wanted to laugh too, but instead I gave my friend two thumbs up and mouthing that she will do it finely.

Aellah started fine, by flying a little high and eventually landing on tree branches, aiming for the finish line.

Yet to her doom, vines started to crawl up and attacking her, wrapping Aellah’s body, making her unable to move.

I looked at Headmaster Cloudius to see if this is something not under his control, but he’s just standing, watching Aellah carefully.

And who would even control the vines? It is impossible for a Salamander to do because would only burn it, so Pele is out of the question.

Aellah suddenly grew air fins on her arms, slashing the vines on her and continuing the obstacle.

“A pretty good counter.” I heard the Sylphs’ headmaster said.

So this was his plan all along. Adding some traps or what not to the course.

This is not an ordinary acrobatics quiz!

“Go Aellah!” I unconsciously shouted as she turned gracefully against the approaching vines, which are now bigger than their size earlier.

Aellah stood in the midair, took a deep breath before spinning fast as mirror shaped shards made by air started flying from her stand. Her technique is slicing every vine that would go near her, into the thinnest it could every get.

After a long dizzying defense offense, Aellah landed on the go\round, few steps after the finishing mark.

Headmaster clapped his hands loudly.

“Very impressive Ms. Loft.” he praised my friend!

Some of our classmates gave Aellah a round of applause, making her cheeks turn to red.

She started running to me when I heard Ariesa speaking.

“That was an easy thing to do.” she said.

I don’t know if that’s natural or Pele’s arrogance is contagious that even her friend has it now running in her blood.

“I hope you can show better than that.” I answered her before approaching Aellah who looks so happy with her accomplishment.

I really hate people making everything a competition, trying to seem greater and higher than the people around her.

If they want to be something like the Pandarens, or our elemental gods, they should be greater than them, not just in power, but also in mind and heart. But I guess, they can’t do that, they are secretly rotting inside after all.

Few more Sylphs were called, and everyone is really doing their best to do good in the quiz.

“Ariesa Windlow.” Headmaster Cloudius finally called her.

Before entering the course, she looked at me and gave a big smile, as if she’s really going to do better than Aellah.

She showed her light green wings, with few glitters on it. Then she must be a Feya like Pele. I am not surprised, Pele’s looks are like those of who has superiority complex, and I doubt she would be friends with Yares.

Swaying with her hands, leaves formed below her feet, after passing every branch she would jump on, more and more leaves are being controlled by her air, making her seem like waking on leaves.

“Ariesa’s really beautiful.” I heard one of our classmates.

Her milky skin stands out with her green dress and violet robe, along with the dark leaves under her.

Vines started coming her way too and she easily used the leaves to protect her as a shield, following a quick attack on the vines, tearing each with a sword made of moving air.

The leaves went their way to her after finishing every vine she can see, yet she screamed when she missed one that’s been hiding from her view by using the leaves.

Now I am even more curious who’s controlling the vines.

The last vine crawled up to Ariesa’s thigh, cheers started to fill the forest, and Ariesa kept on struggling her way out, losing control on the leaves.

“It’s raining…” Aellah innocently said and I laughed.

Ariesa’s scream has gotten louder as the vine started to tighten up its grip on her, causing her sword to fall off her hands.

Doomed?

I carefully watch her, anticipating what she will do.

The vine was about to throw her up when a huge boomerang shaped made of thin air flew from Ariesa’s back to the vine, cutting it into half. Almost everyone cheered on her as she was heading to the finish line, with her left foot swollen and bleeding.

After crossing the end, she fell unconscious and was brought to the infirmary.

“Ah, she did greater than Aellah.” I said to myself, mocking her for her close to loss win.

Headmaster Cloudius continued on calling our names, and my nervousness is starting to raise, I don’t want him to call me last.

“Prince Zephyr Rivotran.” all of our classmates yelled his name, with Aellah being the loudest.

Prince Zephyr looked our way and I gave him two thumbs up too.

Swift, that’s the word I can say to describe him. He finished the course with a very short span of time, started with his bright emerald colored wings, flying through every tree, hunting down the stalk where vines are coming from, and striking it with a shower of air arrows. He attacked the vines few moments after he stepped into the obstacle. not even a single vine scratched him, or made him sweat at all.

He was glittering, his wings, aura, bow and arrows.

“Job well done Prince Zephry.” Headmaster said as he passed by him and continued walking to our place.

He stood in front of me and raised his hand.

A high five?

I gave him one and he smiled at me.

He’s acting like a kid. I wanted to laugh but my happiness was suddenly cut off when I heard the Headmaster called me.

“Naia Lysse.” he called again and I rushed to the starting point.

I feel like all the things I have read and tried since the other day disappeared in a snap. This is not good, not really good.

After successfully stopping my shaking hands and feet, I entered the course, took a deep breath before showing my wings of faded green color. Luckily Ariesa is not around, I won’t be distracted at her, or so I thought.

With my first dodge in front of two vines I heard her voice. She recovered too early than expected, and I am not happy about it. Bet she’s secretly wishing for me to fail, do worse than her.

I dodge three more vines and planned to take rest on a tree branch when it something exploded the moment I set my feet on it.

Screaming in surprise and pain as little parts of the tree branch pierced into the skin, I was cornered by four vines and got wrapped with the fifth one.

The pieces of the branch are slowly getting deeper unto my flesh as the vine started to tighten up its grip to me.

With blood that is now flowing, I took advantage of it, mixing it with water, putting pressure to push the pieces of the branch out of me. Though I can’t do it while the vine is still hugging my body, so I quickly formed a chain, made by air, having some parts of it spiking out. I made it run over the vines, crushing it in an instant.

Waving my hands, I used the flowers nearby to cover up my body, having them dance in circle around my body, so I can secretly heal a little with my water power.

Six more vines have started to attack me. And as soon as I have finished giving myself a little treatment, enough for me not to feel exhausted because of blood loss, I used the flowers, making them spin all together, away from me and towards the vines instead. Forming a tornado type of air arrangement with my wind and the flowers, that I can say to be shaper than a knife, basing on its gustiness, I pointed it to the direction of the vines.

My attack and the vines met halfway only to make the latter turn into small bits, falling with the flower petals that have been damaged by the attack.

“It’s raining again, but this is more beautiful.” Aellah said as the green vines, flowers with yellow, pink, purple and blue colors reached the ground alongside of it.

With the remaining flowers on my wings, I flew to the finish line, panting.

I was lucky enough to read and practiced using fresh flowers’ water for a quick medication, which is easy to find inside this forest.

I would have gotten used the Euphores but I learned from Aellah that unripe ones are really poisonous. And I am not familiar with it yet, so picking the ripe ones will be hard for me in the middle of the battle.

“That was fantastic Miss Lysse.” Headmaster Clouidius commented on me and I bowed before him.

He clapped, calling everyone to gather around him, Aellah stood beside me and smiled at me.

“That concludes our Acombatics today, the mixture of combat and acrobatics. Rest assure that your performances today will be reviewed by all of the heads and will help you to qualify for the Grand Erutain Games.” he said and our classmates are surely delightful about it.

“You may take your rest tomorrow, we shall meet the day after tomorrow for the annual game’s rules, qualifications and other announcements. Dismissed.” he added and we all both bowed at him before he flew back the academy.

Aellah hugged me as we gotten fewer in the forest.

I hugged her back and stared at the sky that’s turning now into blue, the three moons are starting to appear to.

“How about the melgos?” I asked her.

“I can help out.” Prince Zephyr, whom to my shock is still here too said.