CHAPTER 89 — BY MY SIDE

The Nevr simulation faded completely.

Percy and Arthur were still laughing.

Arthur held out his fist again.

Percy bumped it with his own.

“Again.”

Arthur grinned.

“Anytime.”

Galahad watched them for a few seconds.

Then turned to the class.

“All right.”

He clapped his hands.

“Who are we choosing now?”

Percy immediately raised his hand.

“Professor, if you'll allow—”

Then he stopped.

His eyes drifted to the other side of the classroom.

Clara was there.

Laughing.

But not as much as before.

Percy noticed.

Galahad noticed Percy looking, too.

A second passed.

Percy grimaced.

Galahad spoke quietly.

“You hurt her feelings just now without realizing it.”

Percy looked at him.

“I realized.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

Percy didn't answer.

Nathaniel was chewing his food.

Everyone was looking at Percy.

Arthur rolled his shoulders.

“Again?”

Nathaniel spoke with his mouth full.

“Dude, not Arthur.”

The entire class turned to Nathaniel.

Nathaniel stopped chewing.

“What?”

William adjusted his glasses.

“For once, you figured it out before we did.”

Nathaniel looked proud.

“I'm improving.”

Marcus kept it short.

“Thanks to the food.”

Nathaniel nodded.

“Definitely.”

Galahad looked at Percy.

“Who do you want this time?”

Percy was quiet for a few seconds.

Then shook his head.

“I can't ask for her.”

Arthur's eyebrows rose.

Nathaniel lowered his food.

Even William paused.

Galahad waited.

Percy looked beside him.

Clara was already there.

Standing at his side.

The corner of Percy's mouth lifted.

“She'll be by my side.”

Clara looked at him.

The faint hurt on her face disappeared.

“Of course.”

Nathaniel nodded slowly.

“Okay.”

He took another bite.

“That makes more sense.”

Percy looked at him.

“Since when are you a relationship expert?”

Nathaniel chewed.

“I'm not.”

“I'm a food expert.”

William closed his eyes.

Arthur laughed.

Charlotte looked at Arthur.

“Stone Man.”

Arthur turned at once.

“WHAT DID I DO?”

Charlotte shrugged.

“Nothing.”

“Why'd you say it?”

“Felt like it.”

Arthur shook his head.

“One day...”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

Arthur didn't finish.

Percy saw it.

So did Clara.

They both laughed at the same time.

Arthur turned to them.

“Sort yourselves out first.”

Percy and Clara fell silent together.

Galahad touched the projection sphere.

The field changed again.

This time, there was no narrow street.

A wider stretch of the city unfolded.

Ruined two-story buildings stood around them.

Three separate roads met.

Three human targets stood in the middle.

They had no defenses.

They couldn't run.

Percy's expression turned serious.

Clara drew her wand.

Galahad spoke.

“Three targets.”

“The task is simple.”

Nathaniel muttered immediately.

“He said simple.”

William looked at him.

“Shut up.”

Galahad continued.

“Protect all three.”

The top of the projection darkened.

The first Nevr appeared.

Then the second.

A third shadow landed on a roof.

Nathaniel slowed his chewing.

“Less simple.”

The fourth Nevr...

Emerged from behind a building.

Percy raised an eyebrow.

“Big brother.”

Galahad looked at him.

“Professor.”

“There are four of them.”

“I can count.”

“There are three targets.”

“Those too.”

On NovelPhoenix, this chapter is published by its author. The text here was taken without their permission.

Percy looked at Clara.

Clara smiled.

“Are you complaining?”

Percy raised an eyebrow.

“Me?”

Clara turned her wand.

“That's what I heard.”

Percy drew Blaze.

“You heard wrong.”

Galahad raised a hand.

“One more thing.”

Percy looked at him.

“The simulation will use advanced behavior.”

Arthur folded his arms.

“Meaning?”

Galahad answered.

“They'll learn how you fight.”

Percy's smile widened.

Clara noticed.

“Percy.”

“Hm?”

“I know that face.”

“What face?”

“Your battle face.”

Percy looked at her.

Then spoke very calmly.

“You're by my side.”

Clara's expression changed.

Percy turned back to the field.

“No problem.”

Clara couldn't answer for a few seconds.

Galahad lowered his hand.

“Begin.”

The first attack came from above.

The Nevr on the roof spread both hands.

Three Orin strikes split off.

One at Percy.

One at Clara.

One at the target in the middle.

Percy didn't look at the target.

Clara did.

“Resonance of Light.”

She raised her wand.

White light spread across the sky.

Hundreds of thin fragments descended.

The paths of the Orin attacks became visible.

Percy stepped left.

Clara stepped right.

Neither moved toward the attack in the middle.

Nathaniel stood up.

“The target?”

As the attack approached the target...

A Tracking Sphere of Light came from the side.

It struck the blast.

Deflected it.

The Orin exploded in the empty street.

Percy was already advancing.

The first Nevr raised its hands again.

Percy didn't stop.

Master of Probability activated.

The space around him changed.

No attack had formed yet.

But there were places it could begin.

Three lines in front of the Nevr's right hand.

Two beside its left shoulder.

A broad area in front of its chest.

Percy moved right.

The Nevr attacked with its right hand.

Percy wasn't there.

Clara passed through the light.

She came up beside Percy's shoulder.

They didn't look at each other.

There was no need.

Percy reached back.

Clara took his hand.

Percy transferred the force of his turn to her.

Clara spun without touching the ground.

A Spear of Light formed.

The first Nevr raised its arm.

Clara didn't release the spear.

Percy released her hand.

Clara changed direction.

The spear flew at the second Nevr.

Nathaniel's mouth fell open.

“Wrong Nevr.”

William shook his head.

“No.”

The second Nevr dodged.

Right where Percy wanted it.

Dark red flames waited below.

Percy closed his fingers.

The flames rose.

The Nevr changed direction in midair.

Clara redirected her light sphere.

Blocked its escape route.

The Nevr had to land.

Percy passed beside it.

Didn't strike.

The Nevr turned toward Percy.

Clara was behind it.

The tip of her wand touched its back.

The simulation flashed.

One Nevr was out.

Nathaniel blinked.

“Which one did they beat?”

Marcus answered.

“The second.”

Nathaniel thought about it.

“I was following the first.”

William looked at him.

“Clearly.”

The three remaining Nevr split up.

One went up to the roof.

Another circled the targets.

The last stayed at a distance.

Percy stopped briefly.

Clara stopped beside him.

“Which one?”

Percy didn't answer.

His eyes were moving.

Master of Probability...

Was showing too many starting points.

The Nevr were no longer thinking individually.

They were using each other's space.

Clara saw Percy's expression.

She didn't ask.

She raised her wand.

Resonance of Light expanded.

The entire field turned white.

Shadows shortened.

The edges of the buildings sharpened.

The Nevr's movement paths became visible.

Percy's eyes turned to Clara.

“Thank you.”

Clara didn't look at him.

“Thank me later.”

Percy smiled.

“Yes, ma'am.”

The second attack began.

The Nevr on the right struck at the target.

The one on the roof took Percy.

The distant one targeted Clara.

Three attacks at once.

Percy ran toward Clara.

Clara ran toward Percy.

Nathaniel frowned.

“They're going the wrong way.”

Arthur smiled.

“Wait.”

Percy and Clara met in the middle.

Clara ducked.

Percy held out his palm.

Clara pressed her hand against it.

Percy pushed her upward.

Clara rose into the air.

At the same time, Percy slid beneath her.

The attack from the roof missed Percy.

Clara spun in the air and brought her wand down.

“Spear of Light.”

A white line descended.

The Nevr targeting Percy pulled back.

Percy planted his feet.

Flames gathered in his palm.

But he didn't throw them.

Clara was falling.

Percy raised his hand.

Clara caught his wrist.

Percy turned.

Redirected Clara's fall sideways.

Clara landed on her feet.

By the end of that same turn...

Percy had moved behind Clara.

Clara's back didn't touch Percy's chest.

A finger's width remained between them.

They looked in different directions at the same time.

Clara saw the attack on the right.

Percy saw the one on the left.

“Left is mine.”

“Right is mine.”

They moved together.

Nathaniel slowly stood up.

He forgot the food in his hand.

“There they go again.”

Charlotte looked at him.

“Doing what?”

Nathaniel pointed at the field.

“Dancing.”

Arthur was watching too.

William didn't take off his glasses.

But his eyes kept moving.

“It's not like before.”

Nathaniel looked at him.

“How?”

William didn't answer.

Marcus did.

“Same target.”

Charlotte's expression softened.

“They're on the same side this time.”

Arthur folded his arms.

“They've always been on the same side.”

Charlotte looked at him.

Arthur noticed.

“What?”

Charlotte smiled.

“Progress.”

Arthur's face fell.

“Don't say Stone Man.”

Charlotte stayed quiet.

One second.

“Stone Man.”

Arthur closed his eyes.

Percy approached a Nevr.

The Nevr backed away.

Percy didn't attack.

The Nevr waited.

So did Percy.

Clara was fighting on the other side.

Two light spheres were pressuring the Nevr.

Percy suddenly turned back.

Left his own Nevr.

Ran toward Clara.

The Nevr attacked after him.

Clara saw Percy coming.

She didn't move away.

Percy passed beside her.

Clara caught Percy's hand.

Spun him once.

Changed his direction.

The Nevr's attack from behind...

Reached the spot Percy had just left.

Clara's Nevr was there.

Both Nevr moved into each other's attacks.

William's eyes widened.

“Did they plan that?”

Nathaniel answered immediately.

“Yes.”

William looked at him.

“How do you know?”

Nathaniel shrugged.

“It looked really cool.”

William turned away.

“Your scientific approach is terrible.”

The Nevr split apart.

So did Percy and Clara.

Then they came together again.

Clara's hand found Percy's shoulder.

Percy bent down.

Clara vaulted over him.

She sent her light downward while in the air.

Percy passed through the opening the light left.

Chaos flames gathered at his fingers.

The Nevr went on the defensive.

Percy didn't release the fire.

Only showed it.

The Nevr shifted its defense toward the fire.

Clara's foot struck its exposed side.

The Nevr fell.

Percy placed his fingers against its neck.

The simulation faded.

A second Nevr out.

Clara looked at Percy.

“I knocked it down.”

Percy straightened.

“I finished it.”

“You couldn't have finished it without me.”

“You couldn't have knocked it down without me.”

Clara narrowed her eyes.

“Wait till this fight's over.”

Percy smiled.

“Then we'll argue.”

Galahad held his head in the distance.

“They haven't changed at all.”

Two Nevr remained.

But the simulation had changed too.

One of the buildings collapsed.

A target was left exposed.

The other two were dragged in different directions.

Percy's expression changed.

So did Clara's.

No more dancing.

They split up.

Percy went left.

Clara went right.

The first Nevr headed for Clara's target.

The second for Percy's.

Six possibilities opened before Percy.

Then eight.

Then three.

The Nevr changed its mind.

Percy didn't follow it.

He blocked the path to the target.

The Nevr went up.

Percy didn't look back.

Clara was far away.

But Resonance of Light was still active across the field.

A fragment of light fell on Percy's shoulder.

It didn't hurt him.

Percy smiled.

Clara could still see him.

Percy produced a small fire sphere.

Sent it into the sky.

Clara saw it.

And what it meant.

She turned her wand.

The Tracking Sphere of Light changed direction.

Moved beside Percy's fire sphere.

They didn't touch.

They moved side by side.

The Nevr looked at both.

Hesitated for a moment.

Percy's eyes changed.

That instant.

The possibilities narrowed.

“Now.”

Clara heard him from afar.

The light sphere descended.

The Nevr fled upward.

Percy's fire sphere was there.

The Nevr changed direction.

Clara's Spear of Light arrived.

Blocked one of its arms.

The Nevr couldn't form an attack.

Percy reached it in person.

He dropped to one knee.

Placed his hand against the Nevr's chest.

Dark red flames appeared.

But didn't burn.

The simulation registered it.

The Nevr faded.

The third.

On Clara's side...

The last Nevr remained.

But the target was exposed too.

The Nevr gathered Orin in both hands.

Clara entered Light Form.

Her body turned to light.

A brief instant.

A two-percent transition.

She reached the space in front of the target in an instant.

The Nevr attacked.

Clara raised her defense.

The layers of Daughter of Light unfolded.

The attack struck the light.

Clara slid backward.

Her shoes scraped the ground.

But she held.

The Nevr was preparing a second attack.

Percy was very far away.

Clara didn't look for him.

She raised her wand.

“Spear of Light.”

The Nevr moved aside.

Clara waited.

No second spear came.

The Nevr charged.

Clara smiled.

“Finally.”

Percy suddenly appeared from behind.

The Nevr's attention was on Clara.

Percy's hand was aflame.

The Nevr began to turn.

Percy didn't attack.

The Nevr faltered.

Clara ran toward Percy.

Percy ran toward her.

Just as they were about to meet...

Percy held out his hand.

Clara took it.

One moment.

Just one moment.

Then Percy spun her.

Clara's body swung around Percy.

Her foot cleared the Nevr's attack.

Percy completed his own turn.

Clara took Percy's momentum.

Percy used Clara's pull.

They switched places.

The Nevr couldn't choose which one to face.

Clara on its left.

Percy on its right.

Percy sent a small fire attack.

The Nevr fled toward Clara.

Clara didn't strike.

She laid her light on the ground.

The Nevr turned back.

Percy was there.

Percy bent down.

Clara stepped on his shoulder.

Rose into the air.

Percy went underneath.

The Nevr looked up.

Wrong choice.

Percy slipped past its waist.

Placed his hand on the Nevr's wrist.

Redirected it.

Clara descended from above.

Her light-covered hand...

Touched the Nevr's other arm.

Both arms locked at once.

Percy and Clara faced each other.

The Nevr between them.

Percy looked at Clara.

Clara looked at Percy.

They both smiled.

The Nevr tried to gather one final attack.

Percy gave a small nod.

So did Clara.

They pulled back at the same time.

The Nevr's attack struck empty air.

Percy's chaos flames came from the right.

Clara's light from the left.

They didn't collide.

They curved around each other.

Every escape route closed around the Nevr.

Percy lowered his hand.

Clara turned her wand.

Fire and light struck together.

The simulation shattered.

The last Nevr disappeared.

All three targets were still standing.

The field fell silent.

No one spoke for a few seconds.

Percy was breathing hard.

So was Clara.

But they were looking at each other.

Nathaniel spoke first.

“Okay.”

William looked at him.

“Okay what?”

Nathaniel lifted what remained of his food.

“I'm not fighting.”

Arthur laughed.

“Scared?”

Nathaniel shook his head.

“No.”

He took a bite.

“My food's getting cold.”

William closed his eyes.

Galahad entered the field.

Percy and Clara turned, side by side.

Galahad looked at Clara first.

“Resonance of Light.”

Clara lowered her wand.

“What about it?”

“You didn't use it for Percy.”

Clara raised an eyebrow.

Galahad continued.

“You used it for the field.”

Clara thought for a few seconds.

Then nodded.

Galahad looked at Percy.

“And you didn't use Master of Probability...”

“To direct Clara.”

Percy's eyebrow rose.

“If I tried to boss her around, she'd beat me up.”

Clara answered immediately.

“Correct.”

Galahad laughed.

Then grew serious.

“You did well with the first Nevr.”

Arthur folded his arms.

Galahad continued.

“With the second Nevr, you used each other.”

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow.

“That sounded bad.”

William nudged him with an elbow.

Galahad ignored him.

“With the third, you understood each other.”

Percy looked at Clara.

Clara looked back.

Galahad spoke one last time.

“With the last one, you didn't think.”

Percy stayed quiet for a few seconds.

“Is that good?”

Galahad smiled.

“You decide.”

Then turned away.

Nathaniel immediately called out.

“Professor.”

Galahad stopped.

“What?”

Nathaniel pointed at Percy and Clara.

“Hands.”

Percy looked down.

So did Clara.

After the simulation ended...

They hadn't let go of each other's hands.

Both their faces reddened.

Percy started to pull away by reflex.

Clara's fingers moved.

Percy stopped.

Clara looked at him.

Percy looked back.

This time...

Neither pulled away.

Nathaniel watched for a while.

Then shrugged.

“Okay.”

He returned to his plate.

Arthur looked at him.

“That's it?”

Nathaniel swallowed his mouthful.

“What am I supposed to say?”

Charlotte answered.

“Stone Man.”

Arthur turned to her.

“DAMMIT, I ASKED NATHANIEL.”

Charlotte smiled.

“I know.”

Percy burst out laughing.

So did Clara.

William shook his head.

A small smile rested on Marcus's face.

Galahad started walking toward the door.

Percy called after him.

“Big brother.”

Galahad turned.

Percy lifted Clara's hand.

“Does this count?”

Galahad raised an eyebrow.

“As what?”

Percy thought.

Clara waited.

Percy finally shrugged.

“I don't know.”

Clara's smile widened.

“Me neither.”

Galahad nodded.

“Good.”

Percy frowned.

“Why is that good?”

Galahad opened the door.

“You'll learn.”

Percy looked at him.

So did Clara.

Nathaniel cut in.

“Between meals?”

The entire class turned to him.

Nathaniel guarded his plate.

“What?”

Percy laughed.

Clara squeezed his hand a little tighter.

And this time...

Percy didn't think.