"Congratulations princess, you have awakened the purple fire of a purple phoenix." Arthur said with a warm smile.
Anyone that awakened such power should have been happy or jumping around but not Andromeda.
She wore the same calm expression and nodded before walking out of the pool with a tower already materializing over her.
Is she perhaps a robot? I thought.
Everyone in the crowd clapped their hands.
Andromeda walked back to my right side.
"Congratulations Andromeda, you have gained an amazing ability." I said to her sincerely.
She nodded.
Sometimes I wondered if she was a mute because she rarely spoke. I had properly only heard her speaking ten times only.
I looked back to the front but then I heard a soft voice, almost like a murmur.
"I know you will do well…"
My head snapped to the right and I looked at Andromeda.
Did she just speak or am I tripping?
"Did you just say something?" I asked.
But got no reply.
I looked into her lazy red eyes that just stared at me without any emotion as if saying 'What are you on about?'
Yeah, I must be tripping.
"Now," Arthur's voice brought me back to focus. "Last but not least, young master lucas." Arthur said with a smile.
All red eyes in the hall focused now on me, eyes full of expectation, some wanting for me to fail while some expected something else. Even the empress that had a look of boredom bore now a serious face while looking at me.
I felt the pressure. It was heavy. Unbearable.
They were beings of absolute power, and I was nothing but an ant in their eyes, weak and pathetic.
I took a step forward, walking with grace, my shoulder cape swaying gently with my movements.
I would be lying if I said I was not scared.
I was scared. Scared of not awakening something good—scared of dying.
Scared that Londre's words about me being worthless would be true and I would be discarded once again.
But where there was fear...there was also a little hope.
Hope that I would awaken something good...something that would prove I am not useless.
So I clung onto that hope.
I finally stood in front of Arthur with my hands clasped behind my back.
I lifted my head, looking at his abnormal height.
Then I noticed something, his clothes were not stained with blood. Not even a drop or whatsoever, he was clean.
It was if he had a barrier of infinity around him.
Trying to be like Gojo Satoru, huh? I mused.
I wondered if he enjoyed stabbing children cause he still had that damned smile on his face.
Another knife materialized on his hand.
The blade that would seek my heart today.
Arthur did not even ask me if I was ready, he could see it, the confidence of someone who had already made up their decision.
His hand rested on my left shoulder white the blade tip pointed at my heart.
Can't believe I really am going to get stabbed in the heart. Ah, this is going to hurt...
Thrust! Splurt.
I looked down at my chest.
The blade pierced my flesh without any resistance as if it were cutting through butter until it reached my heart.
I think it was because of adrenaline that I didn't feel anything at first but then the pain came.
It hurts. It fucking hurts!
It hurt more than I had imagined. Compared to the stabs I got from the training sessions, this was way worse.
Blood came out of my chest and fell into the water. I suddenly felt something warm with the test of iron coming up my throat.
It was blood
But I refused to spit it out.
Only a red line of blood that came out of my lips was the only thing I allowed to come out.
I looked up at Arthur and then nodded.
A light of amusement passed through Arthur's eyes as he saw that I wasn't screaming from the pain because my face expression, other than becoming paler than my skin color already was, it was still calm.
He let go of me and the blade still stuck at my chest.
I was still standing, I didn't lose consciousness yet.
"Huh, he didn't even scream when he was stabbed." Someone said in the seats.
"And he is still standing. Does he not feel pain?" A female voice questioned.
Even Londres had her eyes wide open in disbelief, while Andromeda had a look as if she had already expected it.
The pool around me became completely red just from my blood. The blade on my chest had long destroyed itself as its task was already done.
Then it hit me, my vision became blurry, and my grey eyes started losing their spark.
With a last smile, I fell into the water, and I sank to the bottom.
It was cold, but somehow it felt warmly comforting, just like the hug of someone I cherished.
My vision then darkened.
I died.