“Who are you and what do you want?”
The symbol resembling a red fox ripples as the sultry voice of a woman speaks through the mic. “So blunt Professor, I thought foreplay was your speciality.”
“I get this way with little kids who want to play Rebellion. It's a boring game when you always come out as the victor.” he replies, ignoring the strands of jet black hair falling in his eyes and proceeding to signal for a waiter to bring him a new glass of champagne.
“I haven't been a child for a long time Professor…they took that away from me…amongst other things.”
Their playful back and forth laced with venom hurts Cloud's head, understanding that he's missing vital context but intrigued to know more, hovering near the banquet tables to pour himself a glass of water to hopefully placate his headache.
Meanwhile, Catrien interjects herself into the fray, speaking with clear diction to bolster her portrayal of calm confidence. “Answer his question. What is it you want?”
The voice behind the screen takes a noticeable pause before answering with a single word. “Freedom.”
“You seem free enough to pull off a stunt like this.” Griffin scoffs.
“We are not free until channelling is made universal for everyone and not just the newest bunch of children you've decided to brainwash, your majesty.”
“Oh god, you're one of those.” Griffin mutters, sipping from a champagne glass as he glares up at the largest screen.
“I'm afraid that is not possible.” Catrien replies. “The sanctions were put in place to keep the peace between ourselves and our allies. It's saved many lives.”
Cloud hears a faint ticking sound coming from beneath the nearest white tablecloth, squatting down to investigate the strange sound.
Unfortunately, instead of a cute little puppy, his heart sharply sinks upon discovering the source of the noise.
“I thought you'd say something like that.”
Cloud instinctively throws his hands up after leaping to his feet, reacting swiftly enough to push back against the explosion of the hidden bomb.
The guests nearest to him receive the brunt of the shockwaves, being thrown off their feet as the wall of glass windows shatters, creating a light drizzle of scattering glass shards followed by a sudden rush of air being sucked back into the room.
Cloud channels to contain the flames, discovering quickly that he's taking on more than he can chew once several of the flames escape his control, catching a glimpse of a man running around like a headless chicken after being set ablaze.
His hands begin to tremble, remembering back to the night that he fought against a single blast from Mortelix and the similar strain it put on his body.
Cloud tastes copper on his tongue as he loses his footing, hoping that enough people make it out before he drains all of his energy.
But surprisingly, the strain is suddenly taken off his shoulders as the heat roaring in his face begins to lose its intensity.
That's when he notices Arden Snow, his unofficial rival, shooting a concentrated blast of frozen air at the nucleus of the explosion.
As a team they are able to disperse the flames until all that is left are drifting embers and a sizzling scorch mark.
The remaining guests cheer and applaud the pair for the reckless execution, a unanimous sigh of relief being heard all around the room as Casey bounces up to him, seemingly arriving just as the party really got started, which makes Cloud feel slightly better knowing that he just saved his best friend from a fiery death.
“Dude, save the theatrics for when we're actually at the Academy. It's not even day one and you're already showing us all up.” Casey teases, gingerly patting out the embers that land on Cloud's shoulder.
“I didn't mean, it wasn't…I don't feel so good.” Cloud managed to get out before stumbling, grateful to have Casey and Justin close enough to catch him.
“You're alright, he's alright, right buddy.” Casey declares, rubbing Cloud's back as he instructs Topher to get some orange juice and enough sugary treats to frighten a diabetic.
But it's in the moment of giddy laughter that they are reminded that life never plays out like a movie.
The second and third explosions go off concurrently, throwing them around like ragdolls in a blender until everything goes dark!
YOU ARE READING
The Initials | Nanowrimo 2023
Fantasy[Book 1 in the Displaced Angels Series] "You took the life of my best friend, made her life a living hell...so I took your building and everything inside, and turned it into ash." °°° Being abducted the first time was already crazy enough, but twice...
