Divine Realizations [ Clarion X Milori ]

Chapter 59

With a strong lead, Milori twists and turns down the raceway, dodging obstacles and squinting to locate the first flag.
With a steady hand on the reins, he reaches out with the other as he crests a corner.
One down, four more to go.
The crowd roars as they see the Winter King, his facade all but gone by now.
His helmet had long ago fallen off and it was now the least of his worries.
'It would be really embarrassing to lose now', Milori thought and pushed his bunny faster.
Soon three more flags were in his hand and Milori chanced a look behind him, trying to discern where the other riders were.
He grinned as he saw that most still only had their second flag in hand.
He definitely still had what it took.
In fact Clarion should be thanking him profusely since she would have had to choose one of those snails to serve in her army, he scoffed.
Rounding the last bend that held his final victory flag, Milori relaxed, wanting to see Clarion's face.
With only a few feet left to go and the crowd cheering wildly, he began to turn in his saddle when all of a sudden, he heard the sickening sound of gravel beneath.
His bunny was hydroplaning.
In horror, Milori could only watch and brace himself as the bunny tripped and his body met the ground with a thud.
All too soon the cheers turned to gasps and Milori's confidence melted into fear.
If his bunny rolled over him, it would all be over.
It weighed nearly 10x more than him and Milori would surely be crushed.
Thankfully this didn't happen.
Milori's training kicked in and he was able to leap away as they both began to tumble, saving himself.
Now in a storm of dust, Milori laid there, gathering his breath.
What felt like minutes had only been seconds, yet Milori couldn't believe the damage done.
Lifting his head, he grunted in pain, clasping his left shoulder.
That didn't feel good.
Looking around as the dust settled, he could clearly see the patrons on their feet, pointing in his direction.
Ignoring them, he looked for his bunny, hoping the creature was ok.
The last thing he wanted was for Avalon to blame him for causing it injury.
Thankfully, he could see the rabbit a few feet away, happily munching on grass as though he hadn't just completely lost his chance at winning over Clarion.
Another twinge of pain radiated through his left arm, Milori presumed that was what had taken the brunt of his fall.
Not a moment later the first aid team came running up, intent on making sure the king was ok.
They began to fuss over him, taking his vitals and bringing a stretcher to carry him out on.
Embarrassment flooded his cheeks, both at the idea of being carried out and also at the reminder that he failed.
Waving off their attempts to stabilize him on the stretcher, Milori grimaced and stood slowly.
He still clutched his left shoulder and he felt like he had broken every single rib, but he also didn't want Avalon to be scared.
Finally forcing his gaze upwards to the Royal box, Milori tried to meet Avalon's eyes but found a hand covering them.
Following the slender arm to its owner, Milori met Clarion's concerned gaze as her other hand covered her mouth.
All three of them were out of their seats in the box now, looking down at him.
He couldn't care less about Adler but he felt bad for worrying his daughter and Clarion.
Looking down at himself, he realized he must be bleeding a little for Clarion to have felt that censorship was needed.
However he had no real time to check as the nurses fairly forced him to get moving in the direction of the clinic.
Looking back over his shoulder, Clarion uncovered Avalon's' eyes and Milori did his best to give her a reassuring thumbs up.
Seconds later his view was blocked and he was ushered into a dim room smelling of antiseptic.