DALNO: The Beginning

CHAPTER 12: Let The Event Begin!!!

In a mysterious office. A cyan-haired figure enters in the middle of the silent night and pats the sleeping white-haired man within. It then woke up and stretched its arms, yawning.

“Do you know what time it is?” Asked the man.

“Sir, it's 4 in the morning. It’s time for us to go”

“Ahh, yes… correct”

The man then smiled as he stand up.

Let’s see, if we can find… one of the vessels. Tch hehehee

June 19, 3142, Homura Academy. The day has come, Homura Academy’s annual Olympiad-like event. An event where students are supposed to have fun as their parents watch them in the same manner. And yet, some don’t follow the same formula. Some see the event as a day to have fun, while some see it as serious business for either themselves or the clan which they proudly represented in their classes.

The crowd with a variety of clans began to fill the bleachers of the establishment in which the event is held, waiting for their kids to appear from the entrance proudly.

Blaze enters the gates of the academy, followed by Vincent, then Shado. They walk near to the entrance of the event establishment after they bought each other candy flosses. As the students from the school gathers, the noise from the crowd got overlapped by the heartbeats of nervousness, worry, and pressure.

Vincent looks at his side and at an alley, White Falcon in a trench coat and Teashades seem to talk with someone in a dark cloak, with a face that seems worried. The moment he noticed Vincent’s gaze, he joined the students and wore a poker face.

BUMPHH

Unknowingly, Vincent got bumped into a six-foot white-haired man with a familiar symbol on his white coat. As the man slowly turns, Vincent and Blaze immediately felt its intimidating gaze. As the man Vincent just bumped into, is the man who’s got the most power in Homura. No, of the entire Ithorenth.

“Yo, how’s it going, got any names, kid?”

The man drew his face toward Vincent’s, despite having a pair of smiles. Vincent is shaking as if he was threatened in some way he doesn’t know. Vincent then took a glimpse of White Falcon’s position, yet with the cloaked figure. They’re gone.

“V-V-Vincent… A-Ashite, sir”

“Heh, nice name, despite the people still getting used to the new prohibition you’ve created months ago. Good to see you doing well, Ashite”

After patting the stunned Vincent’s shoulder, the man put the same hands in his pocket and continued to walk. And now that he heard those words directly from a random person, Vincent smirked as he continued to walk.

“Where’s Falcon?” spoke Blaze.

“I— don’t— know”

Vincent looks at the same distance again and proceeds to look left and right, yet White Falcon is no longer present. As if he disappeared like a bubble, disappeared like a missing piece of a dream.

The moment their class section is called, the noise created from the crowd’s cheer as they enter is silent in Vincent’s ears. As this is the first time, despite not directly. The first time the people has ever cheered for him. Even his own clan is absent for the said event for their missions, this contents Vincent.

Blaze, on the other hand, aims his eyes within the crowd to see a specific pair of couples. Just as he thought, he smiled as he saw his father and mother’s presence. Yet abruptly changed as Yoteigai whispered something to Aston’s ear, causing him to leave. The mother tried to stop his leaving but left her crying instead.

The students are on their corresponding shed spots waiting for the emcee’s announcement. Some are warming up while some are wanting a clear mind. Vincent, Blaze, and everyone, despite the unknown, lingers when they win this day composed of a series of activities played by competitive people alike. This is the day when these boys prove themselves to be able to progress in the nation’s sketchy hierarchy. To begin. An adventure.

“Howzz our zayzz, PEEPZ OF HOMURAAAA”

With the emcee’s loud charismatic scream. The crowd stood up from their seat and began to cheer their relatives, sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, and grandchild with all their might.

“What a zay to be alive, to zhink it would only zake zwo yearz for zhiz to be able to happen again. Well? Why zpend time ztalking, when we have an event to do~”

…

“Hmmm, anyone ztill alive? If zo, ZCREEEEAAM WITH YOUR ZOUUUUUUULLLLAAAA”

“AHAHAA. Guess I got ya back again, huh? NOW… I will zizcuzz the flow of eventz zhat will occur today with zhe introzuction of the zpecial audienzez we pleazurably have today. Firzt iz Deux Enbu Heart, the fourth and zhe current leader of the infamous emerald kingdom and the home of the power from ritualz, Osparia.”

“May your powers be loyal to you,” said Deux as he waves his hands toward the crowd below.

“Zecond, one of Homura Secret Mission Agency’z founderz, Roberto le Vou… oh wait, I thought he’z buffed and handsome, why is there a hentai-mc-haired-looking fella here?”

Roberto sighed, a common mistake from the people. He softly grunts as he stands up, removed his glasses, and loosens his necktie. He then looks to the Osparian leader and sighs once more.

“Buff Style, Transform: Hypertrophy”

Smoke is exerted from Roberto’s body, creating a foggy vision for the people near him. When the fog clears out, a buffed Roberto, the appearance recognizable by the masses, shows up with his left hand in his pocket, and slightly loosens his necktie with a slightly-tilted neck to the opposite direction of the tie.

“Roberto le Vou, ladies” he softly said to the mic.

His intimidating pose made the crowd go wild until he gestured for them to stop and sit down, releasing his technique.

“Annnd lastly, but definitely not a looney. The strongest man on Ithorenth. The fifth. And current. HOMURA LEADER, NIRE DWEL BRICKADOV.”

A familiar man stood up above, it was the man Vincent met earlier. Realizing this pumps him up, and smiled.

After a while, the leader sat down and the emcee began the event. A man with a paper came in and replaced the current emcee.

“Alright, for the first event. The Obstacle Race, the event consists of 3 players for each intensity of the obstacles in a random manner but the 1st player as the race always starts in the plain, old fields. The winner will be determined by the first team who cuts the ribbon. The use of Arcanae mid-race is acceptable, and so does sabotage. Now, you have 1 minute to get your representative to their spots. Good Luck Everyone”

Right after the current emcee finished, Valodia stood up and cheered with the rest of the section as Blaze, Shrilled X, and Vincent walked toward the field.

As expected

I am the only Lissclion here

Because most of our clan are home-tutored

Which just boosts their pride further.

I don’t want to adopt that tradition

10 minutes later, tension is rising, the crowd, the players, the schoolmates in the shed. The breeze dances with the starter’s clothes. The guests are carefully observing, waiting for an interesting thing to happen, especially the Homura Leader who is totally focused on the field, looking sharply at the only Lissclion in the field.

The starter rose its starting pistol, Blaze closed his eyes, waiting for the appropriate sound to occur.

For now

The starter gets the whistle from its pocket.

All I have to do

The starter inhales deeply.

Is

The starter blew the first whistle.

To

The starter blew the second whistle.

Make

The starter blew the third whistle.

Progress

The starter pushed the trigger, unleashing a firing echo. The crowd began to cheer, as the first set of players began to generate Arcanae hexagons along their first step. At that moment, the event finally began.