SHATTERED REALM: FORGOTTEN ECHOES-Chapter 182: Arriving On TIme

It had already been past an hour since Kesha stepped forward into the arena.

For so long, she waited; everyone waited.

But Therin had yet to make an appearance.

"I told you this match wasn't going to be anything worth watching," someone said to his friend.

But the friend disagreed. "You have no idea how intense he was when he fought that guy. I'm telling you, he was untouchable."

"Yeah, untouchable because he ran away, right? Just because you're going to lose a bet, you're talking shit," he scoffed.

"You don't understand, he—"

"Don't understand? Do you even know Princess Kesha? She's from the Glacial Empire! And what about this Therin guy? You don't even know anything about him!"

While these two argued, another duo discussed the same issue, but from a different perspective.

"That's what I hate about royals and people with power. This match was rigged right from the start." This young man looked distinguished, and it wasn't just about his appearance, but also the way he spoke and acted.

"What do you mean?" someone asked him politely.

The young man smiled. "Think about it." He pointed to where Forsaken Peak sat, which was quite close to him. "This is their first time going this far, and they got picked by the Glacial Empire. Do you think this is a coincidence?"

His words still confused his listeners. "What...do you mean?"

"They will never get to be on top, so is it random that the Glacial Empire chose them? No. It's obvious she chose the easiest target among all the academies here. All she had to do was throw some bones at these dogs, and they'd allow her to win."

Someone gasped as it made sense, but another frowned.

"Are you stating you have what it takes to defeat her?"

The young man smiled. "Maybe I am, maybe not. But in the end, I'll say there are many promising students and academies who would have been better competitors, so why, in the end, did she still choose them? Makes you wonder...especially since Forsaken Peak cannot find their so-called champion."

He didn't look at any of his listeners or the scowls and frowns from Forsaken Peak, just fully focused on Kesha.

"How come they still can't find him?" A frustrated Forsaken Peak tutor hit his chair with a fist. "I told all of you it was foolish to trust that crazy woman!"

Another agreed with him. "She doesn't care about anything when she acts, yet she's still lying about not knowing where Therin is! And he's also with that other girl!"

"And she also been with the other girl since yesterday. What if they're leaving Yumaris?"

The first tutor who spoke frowned more. "I swear, I'll make sure they're all removed from the Academy when we return."

For the fifth time, the announcer stepped forward onto the arena.

"Therin of Forsaken Peak Academy, step forward or be disqualified and banned from Yumaris permanently."

"Why are they so loud?" Lynnor asked, irritated while digging into her ear. She looked back at the Arena's closed entrance as if it had offended her dearly.

Sylvia, standing beside her, was a little confused, though it didn't show on her face.

"How are you so calm about this?" Sylvia asked Lynnor.

Lynnor looked at her and smiled. "You don't sound worried yourself. Look at your face."

Sylvia touched her face as if something was on it, then shook her head. This is how my face looks when I'm worried.

"Oooh, scary," Lynnor pretended to be afraid.

"How sure are you that they're coming back?" Sylvia asked.

Lynnor let out a breath and sat on the stairs. "I don't know whether they're coming back or not. All I know is that he won't want to miss this, so I'll wait. And besides, this is a good reason to sit out here." She pointed a thumb at the arena. "That place is suffocating."

Sylvia looked away. "I was starting to think you were a caring person."

Lynnor chuckled. "This is how I am when I care for someone, hehe."

They were quiet for a while, then Lynnor suddenly grabbed Sylvia's arm and pulled her back, forcing her to sit.

Sylvia rubbed her bottom, annoyed at Lynnor. "What?" She asked.

"So...what do you like about Aramith?" Lynnor asked, grinning.

"If you're thinking of me being romantically attracted to him, then you're mistaken. I only admire him," she answered him seriously.

"You're weird," Lynnor grimaced.

Sylvia raised an eyebrow. Weird? As if you have any right to use that word on someone else.

Lynnor rested her chin on her upturned palm. "I was hoping to see two girls fight for a boy. Been a while since I saw something of that sort."

Sylvia's eyebrow raised a little higher. "I'm certain Mozrael doesn't see him that way either."

"What do you know, frozen heart. Have you ever been in love before?"

Sylvia looked thoughtful for a moment. "I..."

"That's a no," Lynnor cut her off. "I pity you."

"I have greater goals to achieve than wasting my time on such things."

Lynnor shook her head. "You'll grow bored with it if you just pursue power like that."

Sylvia grunted in response.

In the background, the announcer's voice rang out again, calling for Therin, and Lynnor rolled her eyes.

She stared off in the distance, thoughtful. "You know...that girl...she doesn't know she has such feelings for him, and I'm afraid when she finally realizes them, either, he'll have chosen someone else, or something would happen that would prevent them from ever choosing at all."

Sylvia just stared at her. "She's in love with Aramith, which is why she's attached to him so much, but she's afraid of being rejected or complicating things, so that fear masked her heart and confused her."

She shook her head as if clearing the thought. "It's going to be really difficult to get her feelings out in the open. And he's not so sure whether she loves him this way..." She clasped her hands together.

"Or this way," she inserted a finger into her other fist.

Sylvia's eyes widened like plates. "Lynnor! What the hell!" She jumped up and stepped aside.

Lynnor laughed so hard, hugging her stomach, but her laughter came way too fast. IT was clear she didn't want any silence to last. "You're blushing! Hahahha! Look at your face!"

She was dying of laughter. "So you're just a gurl after all, Hahahaha!"

Sylvia looked away, forcing herself to calm down. She understood Lynnor and knew she wasn't just being carefree. This was her way of reducing tension.

Aramith and Mozrael were approaching the arena when they heard loud laughter.

I know that sound, Aramith thought as they rounded a corner to see Lynnor dying of laughter, while Sylvia stood aside, ignoring her like she was an infectious disease.

"This is your final warning! Therin of Forsaken Peak Academy, step forward!"

Aramith frowned, hearing the sound.

Lynnor calmed down when she saw Aramith.

"About time," she stood up. "Where have you two been?" She asked, then quickly turned to Sylvia. "Wanna know where they were? Hahaha!"

Sylvia understood her and looked away. "You're crazy."

She quickly approached Aramith. "They've been calling for you for so long. You should go in before you're disqualified."

Lynnor stepped forward and raised a hand. "But where did you go? What were you doing?" She glanced at Sylvia, trying her best to hold her laughter in.

"I'll tell you later," Aramith responded and prepared to step through the gates, but Lynnor grabbed his hand. "Take this weapon. Use it to limit your use of your strength."

"Aramith stared at it a moment, then accepted it."

The announcer raised his voice again. "Ten!"

"Nine!"

Lynnor suddenly kicked the doors open. "Shut your mouth! He's here already!"

The arena became silent at once as all eyes turned to the gates.

Lynnor walked off with Sylvia to take their seats.

Aramith turned to Mozrael. "Everything will be alright, Mozrael. I'll be safe."

Mozrael wanted to say something more, but the words wouldn't come out. She stared at him, lips parted, but throat locked and unable to work.

Finally, she nodded, then turned away, quietly walking to sit with Lynnor.

Aramith waited till she was fully seated, then he entered.

Gasps and mutterings filled the arena.

Whatever humor lingered in the air collapsed under his first step.

"He really came?"

"Is he crazy?"

"There's no way he has a chance!"

"I told you! He's not a chicken!"

The voices filled the arena, but Aramith didn't care about them.

On the other side of the arena was Kesha, calmly standing like a porcelain statuette.

An ice umbrella with snowflakes falling slowly kept the heat of the scorching sun away from her delicate skin, and her surroundings were covered in mist.

Ice shards surrounded her feet, and her red lips were a deep contrast that added beauty to her face.

She smiled a small smile when she saw him, but there wasn't any joy in it. It was just a courteous smile.

When Aramith got closer, he saw her wolf ears that turned to pick up sound.

Her eyes were sharp and observant. First, she studied the staff in his hand. There was nothing special about it. It was just a wooden staff made from high-grade wood, and that was all.

And the way he looked at her....his eyes held no fear, and he didn't seem to care about observing his surroundings to see if there were any traps.

So you're confident, she thought. I'll humble you.

Standing opposite her, he looked...basic.

And everyone could tell who was more powerful just by looking at the aura emanating from Kesha alone.

Someone suddenly pointed at Aramith's hand. "Is that a...staff?"

Another looked at it. "A wooden staff?"

A third was surprised. "He came to fight with a stick?"

A fourth shook his head. "Forsaken Peak is that broke? Damn"

Aramith let out a breath, tightening his grip on the staff.