Tournament of the Strongest, IV

"I can't feel my mana core… or mana whatsoever…" Luke voiced as a tear streamed on the right side of his face.

"Huh?" I just stared at him, not processing what he just said.

"What?" Selica asked from across me, on the other side of the wooden table where Luke was still laid upon.

Sean didn't speak anything, just looked on with a serious expression, waiting for Luke to continue.

"I-I can't feel anything… That sensation of mana showering me with love and appreciation, it's gone."

No.

No, no, no, no.

This can't be, this can't be!

"Luke, what are you saying? Try to cast a fireball," I urged him to make use of mana but to no avail.

"Fireball…" He chanted with a shivering voice only for nothing to happen.

We three waited with holding breaths for something to occur, only to feel disappointment at the lack of movement.

"I… It didn't work…" Luke trailed off, his voice was quieter than ever before, and so was his expression darker than anything I had seen of him.

"Luke, calm down, there might be a fix to it." Sean tried to voice words of assurance.

"Yeah…" Luke just nodded with a following humph of trying to get up.

He was sitting right now.

The tear that had streamed upon his skin seemed to have dried up.

"Thank you, Selica, Helis, you are a lifesaver, but it's enough, I feel alright now."

Selica's eyes were watery as she stopped casting her healing magic, nodding slightly with a sniffle.

"But how…?" I just questioned.

My question wasn't directed to Luke or to anyone that was to be found in this room.

"I have no clue. The moment my match started I immediately noticed a halt of mana, it was as if someone flipped a power switch or something."

Power switch? I wonder if he heard me using this word that seeped into his vocabulary.

"I don't understand why it happened at such a time." I voiced with a hand to my chin, thinking what could've caused such a thing.

"I don't understand either, but I do know one thing though, that I am tired. I'd like to go home."

"I got it." I just nodded, undressing my jacket to lend it to Luke.

"Thanks, I don't know how I'll repay you," he mustered an empty smile.

I just thinned my lips, "There will probably be a time when I'll also need your help, so don't worry, you still have nothing to repay me for."

***

Just like that, we departed from the colosseum after our matches were done.

We decided to walk Luke to his home.

"Well, this is it." He said, waving a hand after distancing himself from us towards the gate of his house.

"Luke," I called out to my companion as I closed the gap between us, I then wrapped my arms around him, "Stay strong." I caressed his back roughly.

"..." He didn't say anything, he just widened his eyes as he looked at me after I peeled myself off.

"Yeah, thanks…" His voice shook.

"Goodbye for today, take a good rest." We turned back, leaving after Selica and Sean also said their goodbyes.

Luke entered his garden, and not even a few meters away, still visible to us through the luxurious railings, he broke down.

"Kgh…" He choked on his breath, "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" He cursed out, "Why… Why me?!" He questioned the world, "Bwaa…" And then began wailing like a broken dam.

Selica wanted to return and console him, I took hold of her shoulder, "Don't. It's something he must come to acceptance by himself."

"But–"

"No objections," I spoke with an authoritative tone, leaving no room for refusal.

She conceded and left with us.

That's right.

After having something you worked on for more than half of your life, of course you'd break down when you lose it in a blink.

All that work, all that time.

It must hurt. It must make him question his life.

It will make him overthink everything.

But we cannot do anything.

I'd rather see someone go through true pain and agony rather than sugarcoated lies and delusions.

***

With that, we separated from each other and went in our own direction, home.

I arrived and slumped in my bed right away, not having energy to talk to my family.

I took hold of my katana(stolen from Lorn) and looked at it while still sheathed in its scabbard.

"I wonder how he must be feeling right now," I spoke my thoughts out loud, "Like something is missing; like someone has died."

It pains me just to think how lost I'd be if I suddenly lost my magical powers, hell, everything becomes blank.

I don't see myself existing in this world without my powers.

They have become an irreplaceable part of me.

I let out an exasperated breath, "Sigh, I'm exhausted." I even used a transcendental spell when my level is still a King-Potential. The backlash is still too much even though I used a simple spell like that.

I let go of my sword next to the bed and shut my eyelids, darkness swallowed me right away.

***

"...lis–"

"Helis, wake up dear." My mother shook me softly, awaking me from my deep slumber.

"What?" I asked with unfocused eyes.

"Sean is waiting for you at the front door. He says his match is scheduled in twenty minutes."

I recalled my memories, gaining clarity of my life here after that amount of sleep, "Oh, yeah…" I quickly woke up, got ready within ten minutes, and departed with Sean.

"Did you get to talk to Luke?" I asked.

"No…"

"Are you nervous about your fight?" I questioned again.

"Kind of, but I've got a hidden trick up my sleeve so I wish you observe me with careful attention."

"Hmm, that makes me kind of excited."

"Feel free to be so."

"Then I'll take you to your word."

We then met with Selica and when we parted with Sean, at the stands next to our seat was a red-haired, green-eyed boy our age resting.

"About time you got here," Luke flashed a wide grin.

"Luke!" I called out his name full of gladness that he showed up to watch Sean's match.

"Well then, Ladies and Gentlemen, we return today with the third match of the Tournament of the Strongest, and for our first match we have Sean Dayward against Chris Freyman."

"Now, how will this match go with Sean as the best academically and the worst magically, and Chris as the best magically and the worst academically? Two total opposites, we're bound to have an interesting match in front of us."

"Now then, let the match begin in three, two, one… Begin!"