Chapter 77 - What a Mystery

We discuss for nearly an hour.

When the conversation reaches its end, Sophia strokes her chin, she wears a serious expression. "Hm, I understand, I'll have to keep an eye out for all of that it seems." 

"This is just speculation though, I'm not certain of anything yet." I say.

She pats my shoulder. "Still, better safe than sorry. I'll make the necessary preparations."

We part ways, and head back to our respective peaks. As I exit DaiKair's main gates, I realize that the sun has already set, and when I look down towards my watch, I see that we are well past curfew. It appears that whoever is tasked with closing facilities forgot to kick us out, and also that we have been training for much longer than I thought. Panicked, I rush back towards my dorm. I had already told Maestro Lauren I was off to train with my team for the afternoon, and since she rarely does roll calls, it's unlikely she'll even notice I have yet to return. Should she notice, however, I am well aware of what awaits me. That's why I need to make it back as soon as possible. 

At my top speed, it does not take me long to reach my destination. When I arrive at the summit of our peak, however, I see something that grabs my attention. In the distance, near the girl's dorms, I notice the same strange dancing figure from last month. Due to the lack of light, I still cannot discern who exactly it is, but I know that it is the same person because she dances with the same grace and elegance as she did the last time. Her body twists and twirls as her valse continues. Every step she takes is filled with a burning passion that makes even my heart skip a beat. I wish I could get closer so that I could know who this incredible dancer is because no matter how hard I rack my brain, none of the Lauderdale students come to mind when I look at the dancing figure.

Nosire than I should be, I peer deeper into her, hoping to find clues. I look further than simply her physical appearance. I look into her soul. There, I see something that shocks me.

'Is she… training?'

Weaved into her dance are meticulous waves of pureflow sent to various parts of her body. As explained by Professor Rivaldo, they cause her muscles to vibrate and strengthen every movement she makes. It appears that for this person, dancing is clearly much more than a mere hobby. 

'That's strange though, sure, battle styles can be compared to dances, but I don't know a single trainee who actually dances as they fight… Or is it that she's been training to incorporate it into her battle style?"

Unable to contain my curiosity, I circle the peak to approach her. I make sure to do so as quietly as possible, in order to not be spotted. As I've seen during our last encounter, she isn't afraid to simply jump off the mountain peak and run, in which case it'll be impossible for me to find her. Keeping that in mind, every single one of my steps is calculated. I make sure not to step on a single branch and avoid the uneven patches of terrain. 

The closer I get, the clearer her figure becomes, and the faster my heart beats. After a few minutes, I am now close enough to see the attire she dons.

'So that's why I couldn't tell who she was…'

Her body is covered by thick comfortable pants and a hooded sweatshirt. Even from a rather short distance, it is impossible to discern the identity of the person before me. I try to catch a glimpse of her face when she performs a wide move, but I find myself unable to. For some reason, as if the world did not want me to know, she is never in the right position for me to identify her. Frustrated and now unable to leave without obtaining answers, I step even closer, and notice something strange. At first, I'm unsure if my eyes are playing tricks on me, but the more I look, the more certain I become. 

Indeed, the world around her is slowing down. The dust she kicks with her feet takes much longer to return to the earth than it should. The leaves torn from their branches by the wind are nearly fixed in place when around her. Even the air appears to be flowing at a slower rate when near her. She, however, contrasting the strange phenomena, dances with astonishing speed. She completely contradicts the changes in the world around her and refuses to adjust the rhythm of her dance to match it. The longer her performance goes on, the more the world seems to come to a halt, as if fascinated by it. Faced with this scene, I am unable to contain myself, and utter a few words out loud.

"How beautiful…"

Realizing my blunder, I quickly place my hands over my mouth, but it is already too late. The woman snaps her head in my direction and shouts, panicked. "M-Maestro Lauren is that you?"

'That voice…'

I step forward, scratching the back of my head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Upon hearing my voice, the woman does not utter another word. Within no more than a fraction of a second, I see her soul instrument fluctuate, and she disappears in a flash, much faster than my eyes can follow, especially in this darkness. In the time it takes me to blink, she is long gone, leaving nothing behind, except a world which now flows at its natural speed. I try to look for her, desperate for an answer, but to no avail. She is nowhere to be seen for as far as I can see, and if it really is who I think it might be, it'd be impossible for me to catch her. I investigate the surroundings In my search for answers, and I notice a single strand of purple hair on the ground where she danced.

'That… couldn't have been her…right?'

Defeated, I return to my bed, slightly perplexed with this series of events. I'd like to think about it longer, but as soon as I rest my head on my soft pillow, slumber finds me easily, and I fall into the world of dreams. Since there are no classes tomorrow, I hope to sleep just a little bit longer before resuming my training. 

Against my wishes, however, I am woken up much earlier than I would like, by Maestro Lauren's loud voice who threat-, orders us to get to the training field in twenty minutes or less. She instructs us to eat before coming and to wear our battle uniforms.

'How am I supposed to get ready in twenty minutes!?!'

I barely managed to make it with less than two minutes left on the countdown. When I get there, nearly all of the other trainees have already lined up in front of her with their hands behind their back. In response, she faces them with a large smile on her face, as if she had been waiting for this day for a long time. The eeriness of it is quite striking, but my mind is currently focused on something else entirely. Failing to contain my curiosity, I look to my right, where Zora stands. With a careful gaze, I scrutinize her from head to toe, making sure not to miss anything. I try to match her physical features to that of the mysterious dancer. From what I see, their heights are about the same, so is their figure, and i'd even say that the size of the-

"Do i have somethin' on my face turtle?" 

I cannot find my words. "U-um, no, not at all, I-I was just, um yeah I-"

"Slow down will ya, I don't even know what yer tryin' ta say." She says with a raised eyebrow.

I lower my head in embarrassment. "It's nothing…"

Zora squints her eyes, and looks away too. Then, she places her hand over her mouth and I hear a faint whisper escape it. "Woah, is that book really workin'…?"

'...I don't think I even want to know what that's all about'

At this point, I am about eighty percent sure that the mysterious woman is Zora. However, there are two major issues keeping me from being certain. First, that ability to slow down the world of hers. That thing the woman did, where everything slowly came to a halt, just isn't something Zora can do, or she would have done so by now. Zora's [melody] functions by stealing the kinetic energy of her opponents upon direct contact, and then using it in short bursts where her speed overwhelms her opponent. As someone who's battles I have personally witnessed for the past seven months or so, there is no doubt in my mind that this is her ability. Plus, Zora is a very… honest woman, which means that her being another Sylvia who hides her abilities is rather unlikely. The second issue is, frankly, the aura the woman emitted. When I think of her, the last person to come to mind is Zora. They are simply too different. Zora is a bubbly woman who enlivens any room she is in, but grace, elegance and refinement are not words I would use to describe her.

'Is it or is it not her?? I really can't tell!!'

Once everyone has lined up, Maestro Lauren pulls my attention away from my amateur detective work and begins her announcement. "What a beautiful day isn't it?" 

"..."

"I said, what a beautiful day. ISN'T IT?"

"YES, MAESTRO LAUREN!"

She chuckles. "Good! That's a lot better! Today's training is very special so I need everyone to be on their best behavior!"

She looks at all of us intently and excitedly announces it. "Today, the second quarter students will face off against the fourth quarter students!"