Chapter 45: The speech

The trio kept talking about the game even after breakfast, the heat of the excitement just couldn't be extinguished so easily. A new wave flooded them when Jo'ra came running after Kutch's text message that it was Safo who found the first hidden object.

With sparkling eyes, Jo'ra asked about the gloves that Safo received after defeating the Mud Boss on the pond. He was interested in every slightest detail of the event. And Safo obliged to satisfy his curiosity. He just held the fact that he was about to give it away in exchange for a martial arts lesson. Safo just couldn't upset them like that.

When the midday came suddenly upon them, Kutch led Safo to start training, or else they were about to lose the day. As usual sparring combat with Kutch, then a couple of hours in the gym, then an armored room for resource practicing.

Kutch was distracted by his thoughts about the game so Safo told him that he could go ahead and play. Safo wanted to spend a little more time in the room, he was eager to improve his fire abilities. Mostly because he received a package from Halazar with his fireproof suit.

So far he only had four ways of utilizing his main resource. His most powerful attack was a copy of a legendary KAMEKAMEHA, he was inspired by it when he first learned that he wasn’t able to shoot fire projectiles. Safo could only push fire with another fire in a long pillar form. With a powerful attack came a huge draining aftereffect. Consumption of a full bucket of water, from his water well in the soul room, could produce a mere ten seconds of a Fire Pillar. Safo decided to name it like that, he didn’t want to disgrace the name of such a legendary attack.

The fire pillar was so mighty that it almost melted the armored room, for which he got scolded by the gym management. He quickly moved his attention to his second skill - Mini Pillars, a shorter version pillar of fire from a palm. It was less resource-consuming and as a result, last longer. Non-stop mini pillar from both hands could be emitted for a little less than a minute.

The advantages of mini pillars were their flexibility, it was easy to direct them with palms but Safo could release a burst of mini pillars from any place of his body. An unexpected beam of fire from a random skin part made the skill very combat-oriented.

The quality of Safo's skin created the third skill of his, Flame Armor. Safo Nur’s skin spores emitted a low amount of concentrated fire of high temperatures. He chose to do it at a slow pace to save energy but enough to burn or melt almost any metal that came in close proximity with him. In a melee fight, flame armor could melt a fist of an opponent in an instant.

The Flame Armor naturally could transform into Safo’s first skill - an Explosion! A sudden burst of an immense amount of soul energy in a form of heat created a big boom that spread 360 degrees from Safo. It wasn’t as much in terms of power, which was range and temperature, as Fire Pillar though, to be precise it was exactly half as good. Safo could create two explosions with a full charge.

Safo presented his skills to Kutch who was dumbfounded by them. Deep inside Kutch knew that in a real fight he would lose to Safo’s superior attacks, he wasn’t sure if his knives were fast or sturdy enough to reach Safo. In many ways, Kutch was proud of his student. Safo was growing into a powerful psiora.

The following night Safo tried to sleep with no gaming. He was in jail anyway. So he entered the game and went to sleep on his bench, BlackSly was no more there.

Sleeping for Safo became something challenging to achieve for the past couple of days. While lying with his eyes shut he kept seeing flashes of light, the same as if he was looking at the sun or its reflection. It was a great distraction to him.

By the end of the night, Achraf made his way to the Cilla Village and finally met his daughter, who also finished her quest for the Tier 3 bow. There were no limits to their happiness. After a long time of separation, they actually could hug each other. Even if it was their avatars in the game world, the moment didn’t feel less realistic for them. They talked, cried, and talked and cried again.

The next day, the final day for preparations, Safo repeated everything he learned over and over, until he collapsed asleep, not even entering the game. Luna and Achraf understood that he needed a good rest for the upcoming event. Same as the nights before bright flashes of light kept appearing in front of his eyes making him wake up many times in the middle of the night.

Only when he took the pill from Kutch was he able to sleep.

Morning came in a blink of an eye. In no time all of the team members were gathered inside the cabin that was designated for them, at the stadium. Even Dost and an old rat Master Splinter came. O’rmon, Achraf, and Kutch sat next to each other and seemingly were equally nervous as Safo was.

Safo’s heart was beating a beat for a dance, but Safo wasn’t in a mood. His stomach felt sick, he felt like passing out at any minute. He kept rubbing and wiping his sweaty hands in an attempt to calm himself down. Alas, with no success.

Every single psiora across the three planets was carefully watching the tournament. Screens were everywhere. On the streets, every bar and restaurant, mobile devices, VD devices were transmitting the event. It was a fateful day for psiora race, an introduction with a future king of theirs.

The stadium itself had a capacity to host forty thousand spectators, which was fully occupied, despite being early morning. Media was everywhere, some of the reporters tried to squeeze themselves even to Safo’s cabin for an interview with the candidate.

Candidates were announced the day before the tournament to fence off the private life of the future king. News thundered the psiora world. A nation without a ruler for more than a decade was hungry for changes.

Safo received a plan of the event right before the event itself. He knew what he had to prepare as an attendant but didn’t know what else was in the program of the day.

First of all, it started with an opening where all six Advisors spoke with the crowd. Then the Curators spoke their kind wishes to candidates.

After Halazars signal the event officially was declared open and the narrator of the day took his place.

Apparently, he was some sort of an idol because the crowd was unstoppable in their applause. After managing to quiet them down, the host began introducing the candidates one by one.

He spoke some words about every nominee but stopped his attention on B’hemah the ”Behemoth” Cultrin, praising him the most. After stars were counted the showman asked the candidates to give a speech to the crowd.

“As you always say, Safo, it is “Okay”. You can do it. Just do not think too much.” Kutch patted Safo's shoulders before sending him to the stage.

Guards were keeping reporters in distance with all their might while being swarmed by microphones, deafened by questions, and blinded by flashes of the cameras.

On his way down to the stage, Safo met Yon Ace and others. Safo tried to nod to them as a greeting but received a response only from the friendly gazelle, Yon.

Safo was so nervous and focused on repeating his speech in his mind that he didn’t hear the words of other candidates. He snapped out of his trans when somebody called his name and politely asked to go to the stage.

‘Don’t fail, don’t fail. Be focused, don’t fall. Do not make yourself a fool. Smile! Raise your head, act like a king. I’m sweating so much! I hope they can’t see it.' All the way to tribunes Safo gave himself instructions on how to behave. He apprehended the scale of the event, he didn’t want to disappoint psiora people and that added extra pressure on him.

Finally, he neared himself to a podium for the speeches he was the last candidate, because the fifth candidate M.M., didn’t show up.

He stepped on an “X” mark that was prepared for them in advance so they would be on the right spot. Safo raised his head to observe the place.

Multiple giant screens were showing his nervous smile to the future voters. Even Safo himself could see fear in the eyes of the person on the screen. But had to do what he had to do.

“Ahm, hm. Hello...Hi, my name is Safo Nur.” He forgot everything that he learned so hard. Not a single word from his speech could be recalled in his mind, it was as if his mind was wiped out. Blank, he had no idea what to say.

“...”

‘I’m going to talk about who I am.’ He decided.

“My name is Safo Nur. I’m from planet Earth. I have a girl that I love and we are waiting to be parents of a wonderful child. I also love my parents, who raised me in love. I was unaware of psiora race or any other race until two” Safo tried to remember good words to describe wild cat siblings, but decided to be honest. “ … not a friendly looking psiora lion and a tiger came to me and told about you.

I didn’t believe it, at first. And even now I believe as much as I can. It still feels unreal for me sometimes, all the things I saw for the past couple of months...

I’m not the King you deserve!... But, I’m learning how to be a good king. It won’t happen in one day. I do not have experience or money or connections to utilize. All I can do is to promise you, that I will try to be the best King with all my soul.

And as proof of my words, I want you to remember my almost empty board today and come to look at it three months later.

Thank you.”