Bully's second chance

Large fireworks are going up in the sky, creating a beautiful scenery. Every person sitting in the dome is screaming only one name. Even the three judges have descended on the platform to greet the greatest knight of all time.

Lady Treypin takes a step forward, only to bow slightly. "In the long history of Knight succession, we have not witnessed any talent greater than what we saw today. I hope you will lead the human race to even greater heights. Please accept this, Lord Gea." Lady Treypin hands a golden sword to Gea.

"GEA!" "GEA!" "GEA!" "GEA!" "GEA!"

The repeated shouts of his own name from the crowd plays like a symphony in Gea's ears. His lips curled up to his own ears. "Ha." He lifts the golden sword high in the air.

"Lord Gea!" Suddenly Serena appears out of nowhere. "I was foolish to leave you. Please accept my pathetic self. I love you. Please!" Serena is on her knees begging.

Gea smirks and gestures her to go away. "Shoo. Shoo. I don't like taking already used stuff. Besides, I have someone else."

Just then Kalonice comes from behind and wraps herself around Gea. Her chest perfectly holding Gea's head in between them. "Meet my new fiancé. Unlike you, she knows my worth and fell in love with me at first sight."

Hearing Gea's response Serena eyes get wet as she starts to cry. "Please! Just once. Accept me."

"Bwaahaaha! If you are insisting this much I can accept you as my slave. What do you think?" Lust and desire leaking from Gea's eyes. His hands groping Kalonice.

Serena freezes before slowly nodding.

"HAHAHA! I DID IT! Finally. I did it. Father, can you see me now?"

"Yes, I can." His own father's voice startled Gea.

"Father! What are you doing here?"

"I see it now. My son. You are my greatest son. I seek your forgiveness that I treated you poorly before. Will you forgive this old man?"

Gea's mind goes blank for a moment, he cannot believe that the man whom tormented his life up till now is asking for his own forgiveness. Tears forms in Gea's eyes as he walks closer to his father. The old man opens his arms wide and goes in for a hug.

"Oh! My son, You don't know how happy I was when….."

SPLASH!

All of a sudden Gea falls in a pit of unknown liquid. "Ugh. What happened? Father?"

"Look at him! HE PISSED HIMSELF!" A voice comes from above, followed by numerous sounds of laughter and giggles.

"NO! THIS IS NOT-" Gea opens his eyes and sees his maid wiping his inner thighs with cloth.

"Oh. Master, Good morning. Give me a minute while I clean your urine." Gea's face shows complex emotions, he wants to get up, scream and hit this stupid maid. But his body aches all over.

"I suggest not to move a lot. Afterall, the injuries were severe." Gea remains silent, his eyes examines the injuries.

He notices his exposed manhood seems odd. Upon realization, a cold needle of fear pierced his heart. "Linela…"

"Yes master?"

"Where is the rest?"

"Master, what are you talking about?"

"MY FAMILY JEWELS!!! WHERE ARE THEY???" Gea screams on top of his lungs. 

"The golem's impact directly hit your body. Fortunately, the armour was strong enough to absorb the attack. But your lower body could not handle the impact and was crushed."

Gea is now taking long breaths, his throat dry and trails of sweat could be seen on his forehead. "So…..they were…" He couldn't finish the sentence.

Linela brings both of her hands together, forms two fists. Then, looks at Gea and swiftly opens them. "POOF!.... Along with the left leg." She whispers at the end.

"CHEERS!" Ian raises a cup high in the air. Karl is sitting beside him with a smile on his face.

"The horizon has really been looking our way. Just two weeks ago, the doctor diagnosed that you were going to die. Which forced us to create this reckless plan to obtain Nebula's tears."

Karl nods as he stares at his own bandaged arms.

"At start, I truly thought that victory was impossible…." Ian waits for Karl's response which does not come. He awkwardly looks at the person sitting in front of him. "W-What do you think Andressa?"

Andressa who was looking quite gloomy, decides not to answer as well. This creates an uncomfortable situation. Ian is observing both Karl and Andressa. 'Looks like things are more serious than they appear.'

"I-I should get going. Leonard looks tired as well." Suddenly Andressa says as she gets up from her seat.

"Hey, stay for some time. Afterall, you travelled three hours to watch Leo's match." Ian insists.

"Does it matter? I missed the fight anyway."

Karl looks up to see Andressa's face. She looks...different. She is not wearing her usual boyish school uniform. Instead, she is wearing a yellow one piece which gives her a feminine look. Her face looks different too, smooth and spotless. Anyone with enough common sense can guess that she really put a lot of effort in her appearance.

Noticing all of this, something Karl's heart fluttered and his body moved on it's own. "W-Wait."

Ian and Andressa turned to Karl. "Ian is right. Stay for bit."

Ian smiles at Karl's words while Andressa reluctantly sits down. With shaking hands, Karl grabs a cup of water and takes a sip. "The fight was indeed a tough one. But if I was vigilant enough, the injuries I got could have been avoided. I think I relied too much on my comrades."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. It was your first time fighting in a proper team. Overestimating your own teammates is quite common." Ian expresses his own thoughts.

"Yes, Ian is right. Don't take it to heart." Andressa also consoles Karl.

"As for Ian's previous statement, many things have changed. We lost people, met new people and made enemies. But I could not reach this far without both of you. For that I am grateful." Karl slightly bows his head.

"H-Hey! Stop doing that. I am your brother in arm. It's natural to look out for each other. Not to mention my family is also getting benefit from this." Karl smiles at Ian's response and turns his head to Andressa.

She pouts and looks away. "I am doing this for you. But if you are really grateful to me then talk to me, call me and tell me about your experiences. B-Because. I am y-your…."

Karl notices Ian giving a thumbs and performing weird gestures to motivate Andressa.

"Your…..Friend."

CRACK!

Ian breaks the wine glass in his hands. Andressa looks away with her face bright red. "Just how many times did we practice this??" He snaps.

"I-I can't say it to his face." Andressa whispers while crying like a baby. Karl sighs as Ian scolds Andressa.

'She looks beautiful. Doesn't she?' A voice was heard in Karl's head.

'You. Shut up.'

'Why? You can't deny it?' Karl's heart flutters again as he looks at Andressa. This time he grabs his chest as pain is followed after the fluttering.

He bolted from his seat and turns around. 'Me? Being attracted to a child? Never!'

"Leo, where are you going?"

"B-Back in my room."

"But I ordered your favourite food. It should be here in a minute or so. Also, Andressa has something very crucial to tell you."

"What?" Andressa asks and Ian lightly slaps her head.

Karl glances at Andressa's flustered look and his heart aches. "O-okay. How about this? We talk over dinner. She is staying right?"

Andressa nods vigorously at his question.

"Good. See you at night." With this, Karl hurries out of the suite.

"What happened to him?" Andressa asks.

"Maybe his wounds reopened? Give him some time to rest. Leave him for a moment, we need to prepare for the dinner."

"Prepare?" Andressa asks with innocent eyes.

"Yes, you are going to confess." Ian makes a smug face.

"Am I?"

"Of course."

Karl was in the elevator when he started to have trouble breathing. He looks up at the floor number [67th], still away from his floor. Slowly the vision starts to black out.

Karl is again in his own room on earth. But this time he is outside his window, floating in the air. Cars are honking just below his feet and a number of people are walking normally on the street as if there is not a man floating just above them.

Karl tries to stay calm by not moving much. He takes a peek inside. There he sees himself sitting in his computer chair while a blonde haired girl is on her knees.

'Is that Mora?'

The 'Karl' grabs the girl's head and shoves it deeper.

'No wonder Jake got so mad.' The same voice echoes in his head.

"Damn it! Show yourself!" This time Leonard times floats besides Karl and takes a peek inside.

"What are you doing this time? Are you trying to make me feel guilty?" Karl questions.

"Hahaha! Don't get me wrong. I am not showing you this, its your own mind showing you this scene." Leonard points at the girl.

"You followed that poor girl into a bar and drugged her with aphrodisiac. Just to get back at Jake. Wow. You must really hate him."

Karl grabs Leonard's neck. "Stop playing with my mind and get out."

"Out? It is you who should get out. This is my body."

"Not anymore." Karl smashes Leonard's head into the wall. "If anything you should be thanking me that I took over. I made your miserable life better."

"Better by killing Zena?"

Karl hesitates for a second. "No. I didn't-"

"You killed her! You could have saved her. If you paid more attention. Only if. Only if you did what I asked you to do."

Karl's grip on Leonard's neck loosens.

"It hasn't been late. Let me take over. I will make everything right." Leonard says as he touches Karl's chest. "I can cure you."

Karl stares at Leonard's face for second before grabbing his hand. "Lies." He twists the hand with the intention of breaking few fingers. "I know why are you doing this. You want to live, don't you?"

Leonard's eyes opens wide as Karl pushes him down.

THUD!

They both fall on the concrete road. "Too bad. I am taking your body." Karl says it in a cute voice with his tongue out.

Surprisingly, Leonard does not resist. "Fine. Keep it. But Andressa. Accept her. Keep her safe. I have known her almost my entire life. She loves me. And I love her. Please."

Karl lets go of Leonard and stands up. He smiles creepily before stomping on Leonard's face. "Aww. Is this true love?"

Unlike before Leonard feels the pain and struggles under Karl's feet.

"You were right. My mind is really showing me things." The ground shakes as building starts to disappear and the sky is slowly turning void black.

"This fight is pointless! The more mana you use the more control I gain on your body. Eventually I will get it back."

"We see about that."

HONK!! A speeding truck appears in front of them and in a blink of eye they crashed.

"HAAH!" Karl is quickly gets up and takes few deep breaths.

"Brother! Brother!" Someone calls him. Karl looks up and sees Rakhil holding his hand out.

"Are you okay? You were lying unconscious in the elevator. I just about to call someone."

Karl takes his hand to stand up. "I-I am fine. Thanks for looking after me."

"No worries!" Rakhil smiles brightly.

Karl stands up and takes a good look at him. Both of his hands are fractured, another fracture on neck and back. His face also looks bad with his nose flatten like clay.

"How are you doing?" Karl asks.

"Very good in fact. Sir Healer said that I can't use my hands and legs anymore as my muscles were ruptured in multiple places including bone fissions."

"Then how?" Karl points at his legs. 

"They are transplant. Just finished few minutes ago."

"Shouldn't you rest?"

"Sir Healer said it was okay. Besides that I was actually coming to find you."

"Why?"

"Sir Gea has summoned us to tell us something." Karl rolled his eyes at Rakhil's response.

"Tell him I am busy." Karl proceeds to walk away only to fall.

THUD! Rakhil is holding Karl's legs like a toddler holding his mum's legs because he wants the expensive candy from the shelf.

"What are you doing?" Karl asks in frustration.

"Your leader has summoned you. As a knight you should answer to the call."

"He is not my leader! And release me this instant!" Karl snaps.

"No! Come with me!" Rakhil tries to pull Karl. Surprisingly, he managed to drag Karl back into the elevator.

Veins are on verge of popping on Karl's forehead. He struggles once more but he could not move an inch. Rakhil completely overwhelmed him by strength alone. Exhausted. He gives up. "Okay. Okay. I come but I won't stay for long."

"Yes!" With this assurance Rakhil releases Karl's legs. He takes Karl to the same restaurant where they all first met. In the distance he spots Gea and Kol but this time Gea is in a wheelchair. Karl goes to the table and takes seat.

"How are your injuries?" Kol asks while looking at Karl.

"Better than these two." Besides his knuckles cracking due to repeatedly hitting a hard surface, Karl hasn't suffered any major injury.

"That's good." Kol smiles as she was worried about Karl. She tilts her head while looking at him. Karl notices that she is wearing a rather tight jumpsuit, especially around her chest.

"Where is lady Tenebris?" Gea asks.

"I went to her room and even searched the entire building but I couldn't find her anywhere." Rakhil answers.

"So, why are you calling me here?" Karl asks in a serious tone.

"It's to tell you that we are retiring from the tournament." 

"What?" Karl looks at Kol and Rakhil for confirmation and they both nod their heads.

Gea continues. "Yes, I cannot fight further because my lower body is completely destroyed. It will take long time to find the right donor."

Suddenly Gea smashes the table. "I could have won the entire tournament. I was so close." In Karl's eyes all he can see is a 5 year old throwing tantrum. Even Kol makes an annoyed expression at Gea's rant. After few seconds, Gea grabs his wheelchair and turns away to leave. "I hope you all die a miserable death, you peasants."

Even though Gea cursed, nobody got angry or bothered to argue.

A minute of silence later, Rakhil breaks the ice. "And I am retiring because I cannot afford to move forward." Karl looks at Rakhil and he can see a bit of sadness in his eyes.

"I come from a financially challenged family. I am the youngest of my siblings and the weakest one. I always dreamt of being a strong knight but my parents never really paid attention to me. But my grandmother listened to my needs. She is the only one who encouraged me to become a knight, even though my parents were against it. She would tell me stories of strong knights fighting on Red border. She sold her every last penny she had and bought me this armour. She really hoped that I would win. But I couldn't." Rakhil started to cry, creating another uncomfortable situation.

In the world where everyone has a story to tell. A tragic past to share. A legacy to create. The only ones who survive through pain and suffering can stand on their own feet to tell their own stories.

As Rakhil wept nobody moved. Nobody consoled him. Because they knew that he had to face this alone. There is no escape.

After a dozens of minutes, he finally stops and gets up from his seat. "Our time together was short but it was good. I hope to see you all next year as well. May the Horizon bless you." He bows before leaving.

Leaving Kol and Karl alone. Karl was staring at his own hands before looking up. He caught Kol glancing in his direction. "Are you?"

"Yes! I am retiring too. For now, I am far too weak. Even if I become stubborn and participate in last phase. I would not even last for a second." Kol leans back and smiles. "I think I will be retiring as a fighter as well. Back on the stage, I was useless. I couldn't do one thing right. What do you think?" She asks.

"Do as you like." Karl answer with a straight expression.

Kol smirks. "Among us the only one who really deserves to fight in the last phase is you. The way you controlled the flow and turned it into our favour was commendable." Kol looks in Karl's eyes with a sense of admiration.

"If you are done. I am going now." Karl gets up from his seat.

"Wait a second." She calls him.

Karl looks at her.

"C-Can I have your ID?"

Karl's lips curls up in response.

"No."