“Hey, you! What’s your name?”
Princess Elenia asked. She didn’t even care earlier about who her opponent but after what had happened, Princess Elenia had acknowledged Sylvia.
Sylvia, still catching her breath and recovering from her drained state, looked up at Elenia with a mixture of surprise and determination.
“I’m Sylvia Mavis!” she replied, her voice steady despite her exhaustion.
“I see!” Elenia said, her tone still stern but less hostile. “I will certainly keep the name in my mind.”
Princess Elenia said before leaving the stage with her injured hands.
“Winner! Princess Elenia of the Elven Race!”
The referee announced the result.
However, there was no cheering or such from the audience. What had happened was too shocking for them to be excited about what had happened.
Although Sylvia had lost, no one can deny that she is one of the most talented people that they had ever seen. For a Rank-B to injure a genius like Princess Elenia was a very big achievement.
“That girl is too strong for her rank. She might have won if she was Rank-A!”
“She was able to injure Princess Elenia. Looks like humans do have lots of tricks up their sleeve.”
“Yes, it seems that they do. However, I didn’t expect that such a young girl would have such resolution. She would definitely become stronger.” …
Everybody began discussing the fight that had just happened. A sense of respect seemed to ripple through the crowd. Despite the outcome of the match, Sylvia had earned the admiration of many by standing up against such overwhelming odds.
However, not everyone was like that.
“Humph! She was just lucky!”
“She should have already given up! Wasting everybody’s time like this.”
“What talent! She would have already died if Princess Elenia didn’t show her any mercy.” …
Amid the murmurs and divided opinions among the spectators, Zero continued to carry Sylvia as they made their way off the arena floor.
Sylvia’s body felt heavy, her muscles aching from the intensity of the battle.
“Sylvia!”
As Zero carried her out, Lisa, Zion, Misha and Hiro made their way towards him. They looked at Sylvia with concern.
“I’m fine guys!”
Sylvia managed to say when she saw her friends being worried about her. Although in reality, she is far from fine. Anyways, Zero had managed to at least stop the bleeding using his Ice magic.
“Here! You can take her to the healer.”
Zero said as he handed over Sylvia to Lisa. Considering that they were there, he didn’t think it was necessary for him to carry Sylvia.
“S-Sure!”
Lisa shuttered a bit but took Sylvia without a problem. With their strength, carrying somebody of Sylvia’s weight was nothing.
Lisa glanced over Zero for a bit and was disappointed when Zero was already leaving.
“Zero! Thank you for saving me!”
Sylvia said.
Zero nodded and turned around to offer Sylvia a reassuring smile.
“Don’t worry about it!”
Zero left after saying those words.
Lisa held Sylvia gently, and the others gathered around, their worry palpable but also their pride evident. Sylvia had shown incredible strength and resilience in the face of a formidable opponent, and her friends recognized and admired her for it.
Together, they made their way towards the healer’s area, where Sylvia could receive the care she needed to recover from her injuries.
As they reached the area designated for the contestants to rest and recover, a healer was already waiting, her hands glowing with a soft, healing light. She approached Sylvia.
“Let’s get you seated,” the healer said gently, guiding Sylvia to a nearby bench. Lisa carefully helped Sylvia lower herself onto the seat, his touch gentle and reassuring.
The healer’s hands hovered over Sylvia’s body, the healing energy radiating from her palms. Sylvia closed her eyes, allowing the soothing magic to work its way through her exhausted and injured form. Gradually, she felt the pain ease, and her strength began to return.
After a few more moments, the healer’s healing magic did its work. Sylvia felt remarkably better, though she knew she would need more rest to fully recover.
“You were amazing out there!” Misha exclaimed, hugging Sylvia tightly.
“Yeah, you really gave it your all. I didn’t know you had become so strong.” Hiro added.
Lisa nodded in agreement.
“You really did an amazing job out there. You showed incredible strength and determination.”
Sylvia managed a weak smile, her gratitude evident in her eyes. “Thank you, guys. Your support means a lot to me.”
Amid the words of praise and encouragement, Sylvia’s internal struggle remained hidden. She appreciated her friends’ kind words, but deep down, she battled with a complex mix of emotions.
As the others continued to express their admiration, she found herself mustering the strength to share what lay beneath her brave façade.
“Hey,” Sylvia began, her voice quieter than before. “I… I appreciate everything you’re saying, truly. And I am okay!”
The group fell silent, sensing the change in her tone. Lisa’s hand gently squeezed her shoulder, offering silent support.
Sylvia took a deep breath, her gaze shifting slightly as she spoke. “I want you all to go back and watch the rest of the tournament. I want to stay alone for a bit.”
They all exchanged glances with each other and knew that they should give Sylvia some space.
“Sure! Call us if you need something.”
Hiro said as they began leaving together. However, Lisa didn’t move.
“You go and watch the match. I will stay with Sylvia!”
Lisa said, adamant about staying with Sylvia.
“Lisa-“
“I will stay.”
It didn’t seem that she would change her mind even if Sylvia said something. Lisa just stopped Sylvia from pursuing Lisa.
“That would be great!”
Hiro said. He would feel better if there was someone with Sylvia.
As her friends began to head back to the arena to catch the rest of the tournament, Lisa remained beside Sylvia. The others might have seen her as a warrior who faced challenges head-on, but Lisa knew her better than that.
Once they were alone, Sylvia’s smile faded, and her eyes welled up with tears she had been holding back. The pressure she had put on herself, the frustration of falling short even after giving her all—it all caught up to her in that quiet moment.
Lisa wrapped her arm around Sylvia, offering a comforting hug. “It’s okay to let it out, you know!”
And as Sylvia buried her face in Lisa’s shoulder, her silent tears finally flowed. In that vulnerable moment, she let go of the facade she had shown to the world and allowed herself to feel the disappointment and sadness that losing had brought.
“I don’t want them to see me like this,” Sylvia whispered, her voice cracking as she wiped away the tears with the back of her hand. “I don’t want them to know how much this loss hurts.”
Lisa’s hand gently rested on Sylvia’s shoulder, offering comfort and understanding. “Sylvia, it’s okay to feel this way. You’re allowed to be disappointed. You’ve put so much of yourself into this, and it’s natural to feel frustrated when things don’t go as planned.”
Some might encourage her or praise her that she did well against Princess Elenia. Others might say that she lost because of her rank.
However, she didn’t care about that!
In the end, no matter what the reason was, she lost!