Lara glanced at him without knowing what to say. "Everyone, literally everyone."
"You mean people like you?" James was slightly displeased with what he was hearing. He wasn't an error or an abomination to be killed to be corrected.
If the universe didn't want him, then he wouldn't have been born from the start! That was his utmost belief and he was convinced by his logic.
"Me, people like me, our disciples, the elders, even those secluded away old monsters. Everyone, the entire community of ours has this belief either it was darkness camp or light camp."
James' eyes seemed scary at this moment, and Lara and Stefanie swore they saw the shade of giant dragon eyes looking at them. "I don't believe in this logic of yours, it's wrong."
"The entire universe is wrong?"
"No, you, your community is wrong. And you, your community isn't the universe."
"But we are the one blessed by the universe with special powers!"
"Being granted an ability is something totally different from being the universe representative," he said before adding in a strict tone, "No one has the right to speak about the universe except the universe itself!"
"But we already have a council of elders who are seen as the universe speakers and judges!"
"I don't then admit their authority and won't accept their judge!"
She glanced at him and he glanced back at her. The two seemed standing at two distant ends of the same magnet!
"Sigh, alright you don't believe and don't accept, but others will! Everyone else except for you will!" she decided to concede here and speak about a far important thing, "you can't fight the entire universe, can you?"
"So I should lay low and wait until someone comes and kill me to be all satisfied? Nonsense! Even if the whole livings came to kill me, I won't let anyone succeed!"
"C'mon, think calmer and be more rational!" she shouted at him with much anger and distress, "you can't let the universe work on your own thoughts and beliefs!"
"Yes I can, like you all are doing right now!"
"We are different, we are a large group of many people!"
"I don't care, as you have the right to decide for the universe, I also retain the right to do so."
He wasn't stubborn, he was arrogant at this moment. Strangely his inner dragon started to fuel up his anger and made him declare bold declarations.
"Really? Then tell me, Mr. Universe speaker, what will you do when the tournament kicks in?"
"Tournament? What tournament?"
Her words made his rage calm down as he didn't know what she was talking about. "The tournament, the reason behind all these problems, don't tell me you don't know it!"
Her words made this more vague than ever! "Tell me and stop acting smart," he hurried her to speak and she just sneered before saying:
"Since the day you unlocked your ability for the first time, inside the first shrine ever in the sacred lands, a bell rang and its voice was heard by all of us. This is the sacred bell, the bell of calamity as everyone used to describe."
"Aha, so you want to kill me for a bell?"
"Wrong! This bell is already in our possession, in the hands of the great council I follow! This bell never rang in our history, and this is the first time ever to do so."
"And what does this have to do with the tournament and me?"
"You are the reason it rang, announcing the birth of the calamity child. This prophecy is so ancient and we usually learn about it when we start using our powers. You, James, is this child of calamity, the omen child that will bring death and chaos to our universe!"
"Screw this prophecy, I don't accept it!" he bellowed out loud before adding, "and where is the tournament from all this?"
"It's designed by the bell, as a grand tournament will be held to make you compete against all the fresh disciples like the kid you just killed."
"And?" he was very impatient!
"And this tournament will end with the birth of the child of calamity, taking hold of the authority to rule and ruin this world!"
He strangely glanced at her before saying:
"Let me get this straight and clear, you said this bell will arrange a tournament and I have to compete with many disciples like myself to finally select the winner, who is the child of calamity? Why the hell are you so fixed on branding me with calamity then?"
"A foretelling means were used, and all pointed out to you as the sole winner of the tournament."
"Really?"
"Really!"
"And you believed this bullshit!"
"We all believed these sacred words!"
"It's bullshit!"
"Don't insult the elders!"
"I will insult any damned one I like! Those bastards! They tricked you idiots!"
"Oh, how so?"
The conversation turned from the original calm and collected one into such an intense and aggressive loud one.
"Because killing me won't prevent the selection of the new child of omen of yours!"
"No, the elders said the bell would stop all this once you are dead."
"Did the prophecy of the bell say so?"
"No, but…"
"Do the rules of the tournament state so?"
"No, but…"
"Then you were all fooled! Damn fools!"
"Don't insult the elders and us!"
"I will curse whoever I want! You fools and stupid arrogant narrow minded weaklings! The truth is in front of your eyes and you still choose to ignore it and accept being fooled! Pathetic!"
She glanced in a strange way towards him. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I was seen to win the tournament, and then your treacherous elders were so greedy and arrogant to accept one outside their own disciples and inner circle to win.
So they instigated you all against me to kill me and get rid of their biggest threat! If the rules of the tournament stated that killing James would stop it then I would agree with all this SH*T!
They wanted me dead so they can win the tournament and keep ruling the universe as they like! I'm pretty sure that the winner won't ruin anything, but rule them all!"
She seemed quite conflicted, yet he didn't wait for her reply. He was pretty sure of his logic, as this was the only logic he now had. "Tell me, when will this tournament occur?" he asked, while thinking seriously of winning this thing.
"In less than six months," she replied, "but…"
"But what? Can you not admit my logic is right and yours is flawed? Can't you see the trick you all fell for? Stupid arrogant people!"
"Don't…"
"Don't what?" huh? Just tell me if I'm wrong, look me in the eye and tell me in my face!"
"Alright, you are right and you have a point here."
"It's not a point, it's the truth!"
"Don't believe in yourself like this, you are alone and the entire universe is against you!"
He was enraged again, even his body trembled! "Tell you what, I swear to win this tournament and be the supreme ruler of the entire universe. Then I will go to your pathetic liars and kill them all and ruin your sacred sh*tty place and show them what's the true meaning of a calamity!"
"Insane! You are really insane!"
He laughed without saying anymore. He glanced silently at her while feeling much relieved to vent down his anger through his oath. "I will do this," he promised himself he would be the sole winner at this tournament.
"Tell me, what are the rules of this tournament?"
"The rules?"
"Yeah, the rules, don't you know them?"
She glanced at him for a moment before saying, "the elders had them."
"Really? How nice of you all to trust such wolves on your sheep! Really bravo, I can only clap on your cheeks for your shamed doings!"
She hurried to retreat thinking he would really do that, yet he only shook his head. "Pathetic, I live in a universe filled with morons!" he cursed out loud while lamenting his own fate.
"But no matter what you all do, I will reign supreme and win this tournament."
"Sigh, alright, how will you do this genius?"
"You will help me of course."
"M- M- Me?!!" his instant and direct reply startled her to stutter, "Wait a second, I didn't say I would help you at anything."
"You are a sinner, and a sinner has to redeem herself."
"Who said I'm a sinner?!"
"I said."
"I'm not a sinner!"
"Yes you are."
"A sinner of what?"
"Being such a fool to be tricked like a little two years old kid! Even the kids these days are much smarter than you are!"
"I- I- I don't accept this!"
"It's not up to you, you are my slave now," he smirked before adding, "Your duties aren't only to please me, it's to make me stronger."
"But…"
"It's final, be ready to chat with Stefanie and draw a plan for my training," he paused before adding, "if I failed, I would make sure no one would ever find you again, dying with me would be your end result. So…" he sneered and said no more before reopening his eyes again.
"It seems venting down and shouting helps to cleanse my soul, sigh."