FALSE CHAMPION

2 WEEKS TO THE TRIALS OF THE CHAMPION OF ITHEA

Luciana walked through the hallways of the school's classroom area. When she made a turn and the kids' gaze caught her approaching towards them, they fell silent. They'd tuck into their lockers, and the doors to some of the classes would close. They didn't avoid her because they were afraid of her; they simply didn't want to engage with her. That didn't worry her in the least; she just kept walking, pausing sometimes to adjust her gloves.

A little girl ran up to her, clutching a book in her hand, as she was about to make her final turn and exit the class complex.

“Miss Vonner, wait!” she cried out to her. Luciana came to a halt to pay her attention.

“Yes, what is it?” she asked, her tone solemn. She looked at the girl's face, which was painted with interest.

“Could you perhaps assist us in our alchemy class, Miss Vonner?” With a tiny voice, the small girl inquired.

“It's ok; you don't have to address me as Miss. You can call me Luciana if you want. What is the reason for this? What's the matter with your class? Isn't your teacher in the room?” Luciana inquired, putting her hands on her knees and bending in closer to the height of the young girl.

“Our alchemy instructor is absent, and if he was absent from class, we would summon Miss Cecily to assist us because she was an Elder Alchemist,” the girl explained, her tone becoming sadder.

When Luciana heard the mention of Cecily, she heard the girl speaking with a sad tone.  She was recognized for forming strong ties with those she knew, and she could comprehend, to some extent, the void left by her unexpected departure. Luciana had grown bored of the growing melancholy stillness.

“It's all right, girl. How did she assist you?”

“Well, she'd mostly teach us the fundamentals of alchemy. And there was the question of how to combine the elixirs and which ones were compatible with each other. My peers felt that because you were an Elder alchemist like her, you might be able to instruct us as she did!”

Luciana returned her smile. Another lady emerged at the other end of the corridor and remained there for a while, throwing in a little flare in her stance and periodically motioning Luciana to walk in her direction before she began to speak. Luciana sighed deeply, her eyes closed, and tapped the small girl on the head, saying, "I'm sorry kid, maybe another time." Right now, I'm too preoccupied,”

The girl answered, "Oh, it's fine." Alicia could tell she was disappointed by the tone of her voice. With her head lowered, she slowly walked back into her class. As she reached the fashionably dressed lady at the opposite end of the hall, Luciana walked past the class. As she walked past the class, fierce eyes peered in through the door and windows. When she finally got to the lady, the lady started talking to her while glancing at her phone. She was the same woman that had accompanied the king during Rhaizen Gale’s ceremony.

The lady remarked, "You're late."

“Sorry, I was preoccupied,” 

“Are you too preoccupied with small children? We don't have time for that right now. Inside the school's tailor room, the king is waiting for you. He wants to meet you there,” 

“I thought I told Father not to come,” 

“You don't tell the king what to do, do you?” Now go before you waste his time any longer. He is not a man who can be kept waiting,”

Luciana walked right by her. Luciana was irritated because she was still tapping on the screen of her phone and chewing her gum indecently.

She walked into the room. Clothing materials were strewn across a wide table in the center of the room. It was filled with the scents of exotic fabrics and scented candles. Luciana cautiously went over some hangers on the floor, making sure she didn't trip. The enormous windows were thrown open, and fresh air cooled the space to a comfortable temperature. From behind one of the shelves full of folded material, his father appeared. He had his arm around the shoulders of the tailor.

“Ah, there she is!  My little princess!” king Vonner exclaimed as he walked over to Luciana and hugged her fiercely. Luciana didn't even return his hug.

“It's been a long time since I've seen you!”

“Father, what are you doing here?” Luciana jumped straight to the hard questions.

“How come I can't see my daughter now?” Well, I had some free time on my hands and happened to be traveling by, so I decided to pay you a visit. How are you doing, Luciana?” The king inquired. Before responding, Luciana gave him a long stare.

“I was concentrating on my studies. I'm getting ready for the trials,” 

“My daughter, you have nothing to be concerned about; after all, you have no competition. Isn't that the case, tailor?” The king inquired. With an embarrassed giggle, the tailor responded.

“I mean, take a look at that scholarly young man. He doesn't appear to be fit for combat. And what was the name of that modeling youngster, Jalon? He's only concerned about social media and his hair. He is unfit for the position. Trust me, you're going to win by a landslide. I know all of the judges, and they all think you'll be a good champion,” 

“Did you bribe them to say that?” 

Luciana remarked. With an awful laugh, the king chuckled it off.

“Where is mother? “Did you abandon her in the palace once more?” Luciana had inquired. Her tone was starting to shift. The king laughed again before clearing his throat and turning to the tailor, “Could you just give us the room for a moment?”

“Yes, my lord,"  He hurried out of the room and shut the door behind him, saying, "I'll be outside." A loud smack echoed from within the room shortly after. Luciana lurched backward onto a stack of materials on a shelf behind her, knocking it down. She regained her balance and massaged the searing ache on her cheek away. When she turned around, she noticed her father's bloodshot eyes staring back at her.

“Have you lost your mind, you stupid child? Have you forgotten who it is that you are talking to like that?” The king growled again, this time with a more malicious tone than before. As she spoke, Luciana stepped back from his sight.

“I heard what you did to Nelanian, is this true?”

“Of course it is, what did you think I'd do, let a filthy commoner like him shame this realm in the trials? He, like Rhaizen Gale, had to be dealt with!”

Luciana's surprise was palpable.

“Are you saying you also orchestrated Rhaizen Gale's death?”

“Now that's something I didn't do. But I'm grateful to whoever put that scum to death. He helped me save a lot of time and money,” 

Luciana was on the verge of crying. Her father's statements had a deep and hurtful impact on her.

“Now, I'm going to call the tailor back, and he'll help you choose the best cloth for your ceremony, and you best behave!” 

“Now, I'm going to call the tailor back, and he'll help you choose the best cloth for your ceremony, and you best behave!” 

“What ceremony?” 

“For the champion's crowning, you foolish girl. I'm not sure whether I ever genuinely gave birth to such an idiot like you,” 

“Father, I want to win the champion's seat fairly and squarely. I never begged for your help,” 

“And you think I care about your pride and honor. This kingdom isn't one to play by the rules. I've already paid the judges and the school, so don't let me down. I don't want the kingdom to be upset because they have a champion who doesn't deserve it. I'm handing it out to you on a silver platter; all you have to do now is persuade the kingdom that you're deserving of it. That shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?”

Luciana remained silent.

“Great, I'll take that silence as a yes,” so relax and let's get this over with as soon as possible. I need to get back to what I was doing before"

Even though the crimson blotch discoloring her cheek was clearly evident, Luciana tried to look as if nothing had happened when the tailor was brought back in.

/..................................................../

The lorth magician teased him, saying, "Oh my, does the great Rhaizen Gale not see me?" Rhaizen Gale's feet were completely turned around. Even though the mage was only a few feet away, he couldn't see him and could only hear his caustic voice.

“Please don't injure the kid. Let him go and we can end this encounter without any trouble,”

“Oh is that so? Very well then. “Bring the kid here, alchemist,” the lorth magician commanded.

Nelanian was taken from the woods and brought closer to the two men. He had a blade dangling perilously close to his neck.

With his hands in the air, the lorth magician questioned, "Can you see me now?" Rhaizen Gale's vision had improved slightly, and he could see their bodies from a distance.

“just let the child go, we can talk this out,”

“First, you must remove your waist belt and submit it to me. Do it quickly, because my pal over there doesn't have much patience left.”

Rhaizen Gale followed the instructions. He flung his belt, which contained all of his potions and elixirs, over to the Lorth mage.

The mage said, "Good." He then proceeded to stomp the vials and beakers under his feet, ensuring that they were all smashed. He knew the chemicals could only react when they were cast by an alchemist who had consumed a mutagen that caused them to tap into the manna fields, so he could stomp on them as much as he wanted because he knew they were nonreactive and couldn't harm him.

“Don't listen to them Gale, defeat them!” Nelanian screamed angrily.

The alchemist said, "Shut up, you little rodent," tightening his grip on the boy's neck, making him squeal.

“Stop! I told you not to injure him!” Rhaizen Gale spoke up, taking little steps and a blind eye as he approached them.

“If you get any closer, the boy will stop screaming. The alchemist exclaimed, "I'm going to cut out his tongue!" Rhaizen Gale eventually came to a halt.

Rhaizen Gale, who was at the mercy of the two, questioned, "What do you want?"

“I felt we were quite clear about that. Mr. Gale, we want you dead,” the lorth magician responded.