The Wielder of Death Magic

Chapter 509: Kyle Darker

30th of January. Graduation was at the doorstep. Students being judged couldn’t bear the thought of tomorrow. Night of the 29th was a hard-fought battle to sleep. Nervousness, anxiety, excess energy worked to efficiently crush the will to sleep.

Article from multiple lesser-known magazines referenced said graduating year counted amongst the most talented the Academy had ever seen. Most of it was caused by Kyle and Tristin. It was sure to bring pride to the establishment, or so what perceived the outside world.

Inside, known to only a few people, Kyle hated the Director. The one who refused his talents from whence he arrived as a fresh year. The Virtuoso of Ingredients didn’t get his name until the second year. Darker, a noble family holding the title of Count from the ‘mainland, were involved deeply in agriculture. From wholesaling to retailing – high-quality ingredients could be obtained per a singular phone call. The growing Culinary scene boosted Darker’s profits. They went from medium company to international within years. Kopi, (the company name) expanded to work for Kuro’s Trading corporation. Setting that aside, the second-in-line to be the head of the family had to work twice as hard to compare against a very talented older brother. The only domain where his brother hadn’t claimed was Cooking. Thus, wanting to gain the praise of his parents, Kyle learned cooking. He learned, adopted, and hired cooks all over the continent to reach where he was. Shadow and underestimated to be known and respected gave an addicting taste of what it meant to be at the top. Thus, the boy worked to get into Leko’s Academy. A short following grew to increase confidence... he thought he was the best until the entrance exams.

On a rainy day, the crashing of droplets on metal sheets outside chilled the spine. Most students failed the exams. The time came for the Director to taste his dish. A shadowy tall figure moved to grab the spoon.

“Average, you pass the test,” not another word said, he went along. Before then, comments were always, “-wow, that’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted. You’re amazing.” Face to face against reality, the ego took a tiny blow. The feeling didn’t affect much. Tristin also passed the test. In fact, they were the only two who made it in that particular exam. On said day, Kyle swore to make Leko smile at his dish. Average, he couldn’t bear the thought of returning into the shadow. The hellscape upon which bred depression, annoyance, rejection, and pity. ‘I’ve clawed my way to the top,’ glaring the counter, ‘-no one is going to surpass me, I’ll become the best chef this academy has ever seen.’ As presumptuous as a comment seemed, he stayed true to his words and became the best chef the academy had seen. Leko refused to acknowledge him, the director held an unknown grudge. Combined, the pressure from being a noble, the pressure of staying at the top, and the added pressure of marriage – led to what Kyle became.

The battle arena emptied for the occasion. Multiple cooking stations – ten in total, were laid to allow ease of access. The test went as so, the Director would prepare a dish and they were asked to recreate the meal without a recipe. Second, they’d have to prepare a dessert and a main-dish using whatever means necessary; free-styled and conventional.

“These are the students?” wondered Igona carefully watching.

.....

“Yeah,” nodded Joe, “-that boy over there, white-haired one. He’s an upcoming star, isn’t he?”

“I can see why,” jested Emma.

“He’s good looking,” added Emmy, “-pretty boys cooking food is always a highlight. They are a different breed from pop-idols.”

“I’m worried about Igna,” mumbled Joe, “-he’s alone with Lady Yuki. Things are going to get worse from there on.”

“I mean,” said Igona holding his chin, “-he’s improved very much. The taste has changed, there’s more refinement, but it lacks punch. I get it.”

“Must be hard though,” said Emmy, “-getting beaten for more than 50 times. We’ve battled nonstop, he’s barely gotten any sleep and is still cooking. She’s going to kill him at this rate.”

“He’ll be fine,” said Joe, “-Igna isn’t normal per say.”

The stage sets ablaze. Loron sat in the stands judging and waiting. Director Leko and Syndra kept close to the stairs. Three hours were allocated, the first taste would be of the conventional dish.

“It’s ready,” steam rose off the plate, dressing was identical to what the director made. Looks to the aroma, it mirrored. Five layers of vegetables and sprinkles of meats here and there. Each layer was a complex taste that had to match and compliment the other layers. One was hard enough, five to content with gave birth to fear and doubt. Seasoned veterans were barely able to pull off this complex harmony of texture and taste – a signature dish from the controversial Leko. Putting into perspective, seasoned Jazz musicians know not to play the right notes. They make mistakes to grab listeners’ attention. Here, the cacophony gave rise to a new experience. The first bite and the off-putting taste flinches the mouth to suddenly grow into a smooth melody. The difficulty of this dish was in making mistakes, on paper, it’s the worst thing imaginable, but in presentation, it works. Most often, even while people make mistakes, they make the wrong mistakes.

The director knew to not expect much, no other has ever replicated the meal to perfection. Not until now – the moment Kyle lifted the lid, the scent slapped. ‘This can’t be possible,’ he went to and fro between dish and chef, ‘-the student council president,’ staring behind, ‘-he’s talented and hard-working. My cold treatment had a good impact.’

“Kyle,” he smiled, “-you’ve gotten better,” a slice followed one by another. Bite after bite, relish shone on the face, “-the recipe, it’s been replicated and made better.”

“Director,” hands slammed across the counter, “-why did you ignore me for so many years. Am I not worthy of you?”

“Listen,” said he calmly, “-my cold treatment was to make you work harder. Don’t you hate me now, how’s the heart, didn’t it force you to go beyond the boundaries, didn’t it make you stronger. Think about it, back to the graduation. What would have happened if I said the dish was good. You’d have grown an ego and think less of the academy. Look at the result, the ends justify the means. You pass the Conventional test. Go get ready for the free-style – show me what you can do.”

“...” no words, he merely glanced Syndra knowingly and fell back to the station. ‘-What’s he on about? Treating me so badly to make me better. Don’t tell me,’ watching him was the face of a good-natured man, ‘-my ego is sometime overwhelming. People avoid me because of it, director, I’ve respected you for so long, I’m glad,’ a tear fell, ‘-I’m glad I can let go of this baseless anger. He finally acknowledged my cooking, the burden off my shoulders, I can cook freely.’

“Any comments on thy fiancé’s cooking?”

“Please Chef Leko, don’t joke about that. It’s good... can’t argue much,” her fingers shuffled about, “-I can’t...”

“I suppose the affairs of a young lady is her own. Honestly, a pretty boy like him who can cook is a catch. Not to mention the career ahead of him.”

“Director, it’s rather weird for you to speak of him so casually. If he’s so good, why not make him thy assistant?”

“No, impossible,” the expression gloom as a grey cloud, “-he and I will never get along. Kyle is a chef who’s focused on the ingredient and how to get the most out of it. His line of thinking will always be geared towards what has been tried and tested.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No, not in the least. Didn’t you see how he replicated my dish? Unless one knows the fundamental of how ingredients interact with another, there’s no way to make it. I have trouble remaking it too. Tis something I made with my mentor, the lasting memory I have of him. We made it together. Anyway, I’m may seem strict and glued to fundamentals... yet, what I make is purely from the gut. I don’t think, I feel. Igna’s the same and so is Lady Yuki, our kind of cooking has and always will be up for debate. It’s partly the reason why I never acknowledged Kyle – working with him would have been worse. Self-growth and self-improvement, I knew he’d make it, and that’s the result.”

“Basically, you assumed he’d work it out and ran away,” her tone grazed the line of disrespect.

“Think what thee wishes.” More dishes made the others arrived. 8 of them scored below expectation. Tristin added her own flair and scored above average. The stage was set for the final test, the free-style examination.

“The girl has skills,” commented Joe.

“Never seen her before.”

“She hasn’t stood out much,” voiced an instructor, “-Tristan always stays in Kyle’s shadow. It’s a weird relationship, I mean, more power to them. I do feel bad for her, she could be so much better if only she’d try a bit harder.”

Conversations revolved around the two student council members. Loron sure was impressed at their level. Aside from the Graduation, another event occurred more alongside the market and Arcanum. Saturday – the weekly publishing of the anticipated magazine.

Ever since the interview, the social accounts of Weekly Digest posted photos of Igna hinting at the coming issue. The hype grew, the photo circulating about were given more definition. The personal account on Hwan was linked to the post. From there, snippets of the video interview carried about. The rise in popularity didn’t mean much for Igna as most of it went unnoticed. Lady Yuki explicitly ordered to NOT have the phone during the battles.

*The hidden genius; Medusa’s prodigy,* read the title.

“Just a few days ago, we had the chance to interview one of the best-kept secrets of the cooking world. Not to make it sound scandalous, the phrasing is only to grab thy attention. Igna Haggard, a boy who’s trained under Lady Yuki, the Medusa of Cooking, worked at Loron and trained under her renowned staff, is going to participate in this year’s Cle. The contest is going to be hard disputed; cooks of prestige will be presenting their dish for the elites to taste. We’ve also confirmed him to be endorsed by red-collar chefs: Lady Yuki, Chef Igona, Chef Joe, Chef Emmy Lymsey, Chef Emma Lymsey, and Chef Leko. The line-up is putting the esteemed Loron restaurant on the line. How will the culinary world react to such an unprecedented event? Going against Igna is Kyle Darker being endorsed by Chef Yanni Heola – a long-time rival. Most of you are familiar with the cook-off of Sun versus Moon. The final episode of Yuki going against Yanni has and will always be forever remembered by the cooking world. Student versus student, who will come out at the top. Lady Yuki’s sudden retirement declared Lady Yanni as the automatic victor. The cooking world changed then – until now. The arc is film-worthy. We from Digest cannot wait for said day. More information available on the magazine,” read the description.

The trailer to a godlike battle had the scene mauling over clips and statements of other chefs. Key-players gave their opinion on the matter.

The moment the magazine was released, it sold out within the next hour – physical copies were unavailable. Many had to turn to the online version.

“This is the first time we’ve managed to out-sell the Monthly Digest’s sales figures,” smiled Lia, “-looks like putting Igna on the front-page did the job,” the photo laid on her table. He sat firmly and held his chin. The half-smile and long hair against the classy background shouted upper-class. ‘The interview’s painted him as someone who refused to be known for the sake of working hard. People will eat it like candy, he’s the perfect image to monetize and model. Modeling companies and brands will surely seek him out. Leko needs to hire a manager, the boy’s career is going to explode after Cle. Impress everyone, boy, you have the potential to become a star, don’t disappoint now.”

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