Chapter 18: Crossing To The Advanced Phase Of Level G

"Don't look at me like this". Turan smiled disdainfully at Serah and rightfully so. Who was he? What kind of statues and background did he have? Does a simple girl have the right to utter a word of objection against him?

Without a doubt he, and right next to him, his band of little friends, was a self observed little brat. Being at the top ten of his grade last year and receiving the conformation of passing the entire requirements to enroll to the post Core program of fourth grade in Molten Core, intensified Turan's arrogant attitude toward anyone he deemed below him, especially kids in his age who could not use their Qi.

"Hmm ... I have an idea", Turan's eyes shone brightly and as if shared a mental message with his friends, the other six, including Dugo who just got up, smiled and moved to his side. "My dad says "Good things come to better people", and I always followed and believed in his words. So here is a proposal to see which of us is the Better with the right for these Good seats. Agree right now and I tell you the proposal or give up the seats, what do you say?"

Serah and Anet helped Dane up quietly and right after seeing how formidable Turan is, Zax also remained silence. They were the ones who waited bound for hours at the fifth floor, unable leave it just so that they will have good seats during the official exhibition fights. Agreeing to Turan's sly offer without knowing what it is, none of them believed that even if their side will turn out to be the winner the arrestment from the other side will stop.

"Fine, fine, we agree if it'll be a fair proposal. You are seven while we are just four..." Dane took his friends by surprise. As the one who was hurt the most they expected him to not search any more troubles. Little did they know how frustrated Dane was. He did not care about being a great Mist User or being one at all, so being counted as strong was not his virtue. But he could not stand it when someone disrespected him or his friends. At the begging he was not more than a foul mouth boy, but after getting punched he wanted to shame the group of condescending shit eaters in their own game.

"It will be fair, don't concern yourself about this. If you're agreeing does that mean you three also agree?" Turan asked and shifted his devious gaze to Zax, Serah and Anet.

"We should not ... Serah he's scaring me". Anet softly began to shade tears and avert he face from the Molten Core's group. From her three companions, she was closest to Serah. The two were good friends in class and outside of it. Her friendship with Zax and Dane was only a recent development due to Serah's encouragement to join and get to know them when she was with them. In a state of helplessness, the person she was familiar with the best was definitely Serah, and so only in her she could confide growing her fears.

"Dane isn't stupid; he just likes to act goofy". Serah celebrated her tenth birthday at the beginning of the month. She was a ten years old trying to support another ten years old in a situation she herself was not confident about. She swallowed her anxiety for the sake of her friend and trusted Dane and Zax to make the decisions for them. "When he wants to he can be very reliable, Zax, also".

"But what if it'll be something indecent?"

"Anet..." Serah was not sure what to say.

"It won't be anything like this. And if it will, we'll give up". Dane rashly answered and looked and Turan for confirmation, hoping that if he looked down on them so much he will not stoop low to hurt them.

"Oy, I'm giving you a chance here to earn something a poor bunch like you should not have from the start. How long are you gonna make me wait?" Turan did not care for the other side uneasiness. He was a ten years old and they were of the same age. When someone is of the same height as you, it is easier to see eye to eye and if the two sides are in conflict, especially in the case of children, sympathy is out of sight.

"I agree. Serah, Anet, me and Dane won't let them bully you". Zax said firmly.

"The bastard who took me by surprise thinks that he can take on Turan". Dugo snorted.

"Shut up!" Turan turned and screamed at his minion. The idiot just revealed his intentions.

"You want us to fight you?" Serah asked, perplexed.

Turan shrugged. "I'll be nice and let all four of you fight me, if you want. Make me submit and the seats are yours, otherwise scram and save yourselves from a beating".

"He can use Qi..." Anet was shaking. Everyone knew the difference between someone that can control his or her Qi to someone who does not. Remerging back to how powerless Zax compared to Masela not so long ago was a good indication to how much they can get hurt by fighting with Turan.

"Zax... ?" Both Serah and Dane looked at him at a loss. Their friend was tough, tougher than any coreless kid in cave twenty five. But if a fight with a capable Qi user such as Turan were to happen, even he, most likely, will not stand a chance.

"I'll fight you one on one". Zax stepped forward. He was furious at Turan and furious at his minions. He unwillingly recalled the time he was first called "Earth's Core Freak" and a premature thirst of blood gushed from his heart to his brain.

Currently, part of the recoil of pushing it to the realm of outer and inner mind left a lingering residue around Zax's soul, similar to the small fragments of the Inner Spirit formation.

To call Zax "lucky" will be too much of an understatement. Ninety percent of the time in which a person goes above his or her limit will cause dire repercussions. Masela, for example, was part of the majority. After she used her Qi in such a reckless manner she now suffered from a violent withdrawal. The remnants of her Qi were beyond her control, they flocked to her lower dantian and each channel they went through, painfully, temporarily shrunk. Best case scenario she will not be able to utilize her Qi for a week or so and will have to receive treatments for pain relief.

The residues Zax dealt with, on the other hand, were blessings in the form of broken shells that gathered around his soul and engulfed it time and time again, forming a transparent layer which nurtured his soul when he slept and even after.

Zax was in top shape for a fight and his soul was brimming with newfound energy!

"Haha ... Good, you have balls!" Dugo laughed.

"Don't be disgusting, Dugo, and there is no need to speak with these kids if they already agreed". One of the three girls from the Molten Core's group commented. "Let Turan Ram show them his amazing strength". The girl referred to Turan with the honorific title "Ram" after his name which meaning was "Exalted" and purpose to emphasize her of admiration toward him.

"A one versus one fight. Good". Turan approved. "We can't fight here, though. Come after me, now". Receiving compliments from his minions and the chance to show off his strength boosted Turan's ego by several levels.

"We can't leave the floor". Zax stated when Turan led them to the door before the building stairwell.

"You think that I don't know that or trying to deceive you?" Turan complained. "We can't fight here. They are getting ready to the fights. We'll fight in the stairwell's corridor. Don't go down the stairs and you won't have any problems, besides, are you hearing beeping?" Turan opened the large door with a bit of Qi to increase his power and closed it when the last person entered the corridor.

"I give you one minute to prepare and then be ready to feel sorry for ever excepting this agreement. Oh, and if you, guys, interfere I will beat mercilessly". Turan's temperament suddenly conveyed ruthlessness and a real intention to cause harm, as if the true nature of Molten Core's one of the top ten of third grade finally revealed itself.

"Zax, you can still renounce the fight. These kids are from one of the three big schools. All of them can use Qi..." Anet tried to sway his mind. She had the least confidence in him. She did not want to see a friend getting hurt, or do something that will make the other side more hostile.

"Shh ... Anet, let Zax decide".

"But I can't stay here ... Let's just give them our seats!" She burst into tears.

"Might be the right thing to do. Okay, for your crying sake here is a new offer", Turan pointed at Anet and then gestured at the stairs. "One of my friends will go to your seats and in thirty seconds you will go down a few stairs, when your badge will stop beeping my friend will assign your seat and return the confirm it to us, and then we'll allow you to leave without getting beaten up. Or, you can stay and be the next victim after your friend".

"You said one on one" Dane protested.

"Yes. First this one, then her, then you and then her". Turan said with the order of Zax first, Anet second, Dane third and Serah fourth. "Loser boy, loser girl, loser boy, loser girl. This is the order of one on one". Behind Turan the three girls covered their mouth as they giggled and the four boys blatantly laughed.