“And that concludes my lecture for today. Are there any questions?” Jack put down the book in his hands as he surveyed the classroom.

The entire classroom was silent. Not because they didn’t have any questions but because most of them had fallen asleep. They had just listened to this man prattle on about the “great” history of Halram Kingdom and how it was founded. It was a miracle they hadn’t died of boredom.

Upon seeing the listless children in front of him he couldn’t help but sigh. These kids had no idea how interesting this subject really was. Fools learn from experience, wise men from those of others.

*KACHOW*

The entire classroom woke up at the snap of Jack’s whip. The fiery string lashed out into the air and created a flash flare in the middle of the air.

“It would appear that my lecture wasn’t interesting enough. Please write a three page essay on the three founding members of the country. Due by next week.”

With those parting words Jack strode out of the room to teach his next class. This time of the year was always the busiest of all as there were just too many students. Most of them will be expelled due to the competition in a few weeks but Jack’d have to endure this workload until then.

“Hay Ragnar. Wake up. The lesson’s over.” Ymil shook Ragnar awake.

“Hmm?” responded Ragnar with sleepy eyes. “Did he say something interesting?”

“Geez, I don’t get how you could sleep through that,” said Theo with a huge grin on his face. “It even woke me up and I’m a heavy sleeper.”

“I can confirm t-that,” added Lance. “It’s impossible to wake him up in the morning. W-worst thing is, he snores….”

“No I don’t!” Theo jabbed Lance playfully. “But you seriously didn’t hear teacher Jack snap his whip just now?”

“No… guess I’m still tired from last night…” Ragnar rubbed his eyes sleepily.

“Yes, because we totally didn’t go to bed at the same time…”

“I can’t help it! I’m having these incredibly tiring dreams and I don’t know why!”

“What is it you dream about then?” asked Theo.

“Frankly, I don’t know. All I remember is this vast world of white and that I’m naked, but everything else is just hazy.”

“That sounds lame. Why couldn’t you dream of some beautiful woman or something?” Theo was visibly disappointed by that answer.

“Yes, why don’t you tell us all about your dirty little dreams, Ragnar Forgeron.”

All four boys turned around when they heard this familiar voice. Amalia Kafsi, the red-haired girl from before, was standing next to their desks. She’d came the moment Jack had left the room as she wanted to get to know this blue-haired boy better. He was obviously the son of a Noble, she just had to figure out which one.

“My my,” said Ragnar with a smug smile on his face. “Looks like tomato-girl just couldn’t stay away. What brings you back here?”

“I came to finish what we started yesterday. Feel like going at it again?”

“It was obvious who was gonna win. No need to ask for a rematch,” Ragnar shot backsaid, his smug smile growing even wider.

Amalia couldn’t help but laugh. “You only survived because that shady old man got in the way. You wouldn’t be able to handle my heat.”

“If you’re so confident in your abilities you shouldn’t be afraid to make a little bet, right?” asked Ragnar.

“Off course not, what did you have in mind?”

“Let’s see… I think that the loser will have to be the other’s slave for the rest of the semester.”

Amalia had to think about that one. Considering the fact that he could take her magic head on meant that her earlier methods wouldn’t work. She had other alternatives though, she was the daughter of a Noble after all. Amalia was well versed in many forms of combat, fire magic just happened to be her favorite.

“Deal.” She stuck out her hand for Ragnar to shake. But instead of shaking it Ragnar took the hand to his mouth and brushed his lips gently on her knuckles.

“Then I look forward to fighting you again,” said Ragnar as he looked her in the eyes.

“Aren’t you the gentleman.” Amalia answered unphased. “When and where shall we settle this?” She’d sensed the sarcasm in the gesture but she couldn’t help but feel slightly flattered. Even though she’s always been treated like a princess, only few dared to be this bold.

“We should see how the rest of the day works out. We still don’t know what the schedule’s like.”

“Fine by me. Come find me when you’ve figured out a time,” Amalia walked away as she said that. The four boys couldn’t help but stare as her green dress swayed behind her. She moved with as much grace as any high lady and the boys couldn’t help thinking that this was one fine lady. She walked towards the girl with green hair she’d saved earlier.

“Dude, you’ve got to have the devil’s luck,” proclaimed Theo.

“How so?” asked Ragnar quizzically.

“Didn’t you see how that girl looked at you? She’s definitely got the hots for you!”

“I don’t think so,” responded Ymil. “She seems to be more interested in his ability to withstand her magic. But considering she’s still willing to bet on your fight, I’m sure that wasn’t her only form of attack.”

Ragnar thought about what Ymil said for a moment. When he heard Theo’s words he could feel his cheeks turn red but Ymil’s explanation was much more realistic. Love at first sight? That only happened in fairy tales.

“I think Ymil’s correct why on earth would she be interested in me?”

“B-because she remembered y-your name,”stammered Lance. “She must have heard it when professorteacher Jack took a-attendance.”

“Oh come on now,” said Ragnar. “There is no way that….”

Good morning, children!

Ragnar was interrupted by the most soothing voice he’d ever heard. The voice hadn’t originated from anywhere, it just appeared into his mind. As he looked to the front of the room he saw a woman holding a seashell in her hands. She had long blue hair and sparkling cat-like eyes peering at the students in front of her. The clothes she wore were extremely plain that looked like something you’d sleep in.

Alright children, please sit down.

The entire class did as they were ‘told’ and silence reigned over the room again.

“Alright, now that I have your attention I’ll resume with my Real Voice. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Miss Gorgona. I will be teaching you the arts of magic and soul materialization in this course. What you just witnessed just now was called the True Voice. You’ll be learning about it soon, but not today.

Does anyone know what we’re going to do today?” she asked to the students.

A girl with short brown hair and freckles stood up and answered:

“Today is the day of the Royal Finals. It’s the fight that determines which class will stay in the Chambers. My brothers are taking part in it today.”

“Then your brothers must be a mighty good combatants, sweetie. Yes, today is the day for the Royal Finals. We hold a competition at the end of the year to determine which class has the most combat potential. There are no penalties for losing, but winning means you’ve earned the right to live in the Chambers. Has anyone ever seen the Royal Finals before?”

A few hands rose into the air in response. It was a local event that most people knew about. It was not only a beautiful fight to watch but also a recruitment ground for the higher-ups. Many of the participants, whether winners or losers, are offered future prospects with the spectating Nobles.

“So few of you? Well then you’re in luck. Today’s lesson will be to watch today’s fight. The combatants each have their own specialties but all of them are masters of their Souls. I want you to observe and learn from those that came before you. You will find that your current skills are quite lacking in comparison. Any questions?

No? Then let’s get going! To the Arena!”

*********************************

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 412th Royal Finals of the Capital Military Academy! I am proud to present to you this year’s finalists.”

The Royal Finals took place in the Academy’s Stadium, a large arena with enough space for 100,000 spectators. Tall marble rows of seats were built around the battle pit to accommodate the largest crowd possible. Every seat would have a perfect view of the battlefield and it should be possible to observe all combatants, albeit from fairly far away. The best view would be from the Private Balcony, a place reserved for only the strongest of Nobles who came to watch. The fighting pit itself was a wide grassy plain with a few boulders spread around to provide cover from incoming attacks. It was an open field in order to provide the best view for the spectators.

The stadium was entirely filled with people and people were cheering and laughing as the announcer introduced this year’s combatants. The combatants themselves couldn’t hear them though, a magical barrier was set to prevent stray spells from hitting the spectators. It also served as a one-way sound-barrier so that the combatants could only hear the referee’s voice. It had happened before that a team got an unfair advantage when the audience kept pointing out where the opponent was.

“To the right side we have team Chrysos! They are the representatives of class C and are a force to be reckoned with. This is to be expected as their team captain is Max Chrysos, son of lord Chrysos himself and master of his lightning spear. He will rain the bolts of defeat on their enemies while maintaining keeping their orb safe. How he does it? Nobody knows!

Orca Psari is the team cleric, her water magic is able to cleanse even the nastiest of wounds!

Myria Arkouda is our prettiest but don’t let her looks fool you. Her claws can cut through iron as if it were paper!

Annika Streidi is the team’s defendant. She can block any attacks from any range with her might Pearl Shield, the most beautiful Soul manifestation in this competition yet!

And last but not least we have Lena Choma, the mage. Her magic will make even the earth tremble in fear!

Please give them a round of applause!”

As the announcer finished the introduction of Team Chrysos the entire stadium started to clap. People were yelling and swearing all over the place, it was a sight Ragnar and Ymil had never seen before. They were sitting somewhere in the back but the sheer volume of the yelling and clapping was enough to make these rural boys flinch.

At the center of all the cheering stood team Chrysos, a group where each member had a strange hair color. The tallest was a blonde long-haired boy with sparkling blue eyes. His handsome features would make the boy stand out in any crowd, not to mention his winner smile. He was obviously very popular with the ladies, as his entire team consisted of girls, but you could also see the envious looks in his teammates’ eyes as this boy winked at a nearby girl flirtatiously.

As the cheering dimmed down a bit the announcer continued with the introductions.

“And on the left side, ladies and gentlemen, we have our other contestants who have worked just as hard to get here. Please welcome team Woodpeckers!”

The noise picked up again as the second group walked onto the stage. This one was more evenly distributed qua gender, there were 3 men and 2 women who each had dark brown hair. The girls each wore armguards and had their hair combed back into ponytails. The boys all wore dark green outfits and wore face paint that made them indistinguishable.

“This team has triumphed over many challenges in order to stand here, today. Their team captain in Bart Xylo, the eldest of the Xylo triplets. His soul might not be very intimidating but his strategies sure are.

To his sides are Lart and Hart Xylos, the defenders of their team. They have proven to be flexible fighters when it comes to hand to hand combat!

And last but not least we have the Toxo twins! Their mastery of the bow has often paved the path to their victory, so be warned!

One last round of applause for the two teams, please!”

***************************

“So, Lord Chrysos, are you happy to see your eldest son in the Royal Finals?” asked a red-haired Noble in the Private Balcony.

“Hmph, it was only to be expected,” answered the white haired man as he observed the two competing teams. “If he hadn’t reached this stage I would have disowned him on the spot. Heck, I think I still will if he doesn’t win today.”

The red-haired lord’s face revealed a little smile, how could this man be so arrogant? “But off course, he is the spawn of a Chrysos, after all. What is your opinion on the other team though?”

The old man sneered. “Those ugly peasants are obviously not from Noble lineage. There is no way that they can win over my son. Or do you think otherwise, Lord Kafsi?”

“I think that you shouldn’t rule them out just yet. They’ve had to win every fight in order to get this far and they were bound to have run into strong opponents at some point. I think that…”

“Just luck,” Lord Chrysos interrupted impatiently. “Those peasants will know how lucky they were once they feel the wrath of Max.”

‘Poor bastard,’ thought Lord Kafsi. ‘He must have great generals if this is how far his foresight gets him.’

And with that they stayed silent until the end of the match.

*******************************

“Let me explain the rules again for our new students,” echoed the announcer’s voice as the crowd quieted down. “The two competing teams will be playing a game of Capture the Orb. The aim is simple, each team has to get the enemy’s orb to their home base while protecting their own. There are few limits:

One, the contestants are not allowed to leave the pit.

Two, only a single soul manifestation is allowed. Seems only fair to your opponents.

Three, no poison mists. We’ve had some joker do this before and it was no pretty sight.

Four, do not attack opponents that have surrendered. By dispelling your Soul manifestation and holding up both hands you will be asked to leave the pit as fast as possible. This might save your life.

Other than those four, you are free to do as you wish. Contestants, are you ready?”

The two teams summoned their Souls and with a wave of released spirit power every combatant was armed with their own unique weapon. Team Chrysos’ team summoned the weapons just as announced, a majestic spear, a shield, two staves and one pair of claws.

Team Xylo, however, summoned the peculiar objects of their own. Their leader, Bart, had materialized a pitch black staff with a brown striped gem on top that had no clear elemental affinity. The girls held two simple longbows which, when pulled back, would generate arrows out of spiritual energy. The two vanguards, Hart and Lart, both summoned black helmets with odd designs and wore a sword and shield in each hand. Each member also wore a wooden rod on their back, poles that could be used as mid-range weapons when facing someone with a spear. This wasn’t against the rules as they did not specifically forbid the use of external weapons, but crafted weaponry could never stand a chance against a Soul manifestation.

Right before the start, Max Chrysos did something most of the crowd would not notice. He held out his hand and a small purple sphere started to float in his palm. He grabbed the sphere and pushed it into his stomach and his entire body glowed for just a moment. The spear in his hand started to crackle and some sparks were visibly flying off of this already intimidating weapon.

“On your marks…. FIGHT!”

Both teams were quick to act. Team Chrysos started by raising a barrier, three girls stood around the orb and began chanting an inaudible mantra. They would set up a physical barrier around the orb to prevent sneak attacks on the orb. Max Chrysos dashed forward with his spear extended forward, each step he took left residual sparks in his footprints. He was followed closely by the shield wielding Annika, she would act as his protector for any incoming attacks. While Chrysos might be powerful, he was not invulnerable. Once the barrier was set up the other three girls would rush ahead to join the fray.

The members on the other side did something of a similar nature, Bart sat down in front of the orb and closed his eyes. The gem at the end of his staff started to glow and condensed spiritual power started to flow out of his body as a blue transparent bubble formed around the platform. The two girls took their positions and aimed their bows at the incoming enemy.

A storm of arrows rained upon the incoming Max and if it were not for Annika, he would have been seriously injured. Annika ran in front, her shield creating an impenetrable force field that blocked the incoming projectiles. Even though the duo had to slow down, the arrows didn’t reach them at all. As the boy watched the arrows bounce off of the invisible wall he couldn’t help but smile.

Halfway on in the field both charging parties finally met. The rain of arrows stopped as to not hit their allies and the two green clad men brandished their Soul swords in preparation for the incoming attack. Shield up high, they were ready to parry any attacks and riposte if necessary.

But the Noble’s son had no intention of striking them. His father was watching and he was going to finish this as fast as possible.

Get out of the way, said Max in his True Voice. I’m going to use Astrapi.

The voice was directed at Annika as the other girls were already out of range. She dropped the force field and dove to the right to give Max the space he needed. Max then leapt up into the sky and spun his spear around.

“TAKE THIS!”

With a thunderous roar Max jammed his spear into the ground. Massive pillars of lightning spread out from the point of impact and the ground trembled under the sheer force Max had just released.

The green clad boys’ eyes grew wide as they saw the incoming lightning approach but could not react in time. Their bodies were hit full on by the striking lightning and they began to spasm uncontrollably. Their eyes rolled back into their sockets and dropped to the ground, apparently unconscious. Their Soul swords disappeared almost synchronously and their shields dropped to the ground making a lot of noise.

*Clachenck*

Max stood up as he checked the result. 2 enemies down, 3 to go. He said to his teammates and he laughed a bit. If this fight continues, the win is in our bag.

Seeing both their teammates down, the two archers resumed their barrage of arrows. The chanting boy, the one that set up the barrier, was now dashing towards the scene. The barrier he’d set up would last for a while and he had to go help his teammates now. He took his staff in hand and ran as fast as he could.

The arrows were met by Annika’s force field again, she’d regained her position to Max’s front as she saw the incoming arrows. The duo started walking towards the enemy again as they left the two boys behind.

“Halt!” screamed the boy from Team Xylo. “Why did you have to fry my teammates?”

The duo stopped running and stood in front of this single man.

Let’s humor this guy, shall we, said Max to his shield. Make sure the arrows won’t reach us. He waved his hands for a bit and answered:

“This is war, why would I show mercy to my enemies?”

“Because we’re fellow citizens of Halram. We are the very people nobility has vowed to protect. Would you dishonor your family like that?”

“Honor? Wahahaha,” laughed Max. Annika chuckled a bit too. “There is no such thing as ‘honor’. There is only strength. Strength maketh the man, my father always says. And I really doubt you can beat me with that silly little rod in your hand.”

The boy looked at the staff in his hands. It was true that it paled in comparison to the sparking staff of his opponent, but it had quite a few uses. It was made of iron, for instance.

“Then what about the poor, the weak and the luckless? Why is it that society only rewards strength and nothing else? Why is it that…”

“Enough of your rambling, let’s finish this,” said Max as he raised his spear.

“Feel the wrath of the Chosen One!”

Without leaping, Max slammed his spear into the ground again. Pillars of electricity shot out, directly at the boy in front of him. As he saw the bolts hit home his mouth formed into a smug smile. The boy started to shake violently but never let go of his staff.

Alright, I’ve wasted enough time. Protect me from the arrows, Annika!

They continued their trek to the opponent’s side as the green boy was still spasming violently. As they passed the boy Max couldn’t help but think it went all a bit too easy, even if they weren’t of Noble lineage.

“Psych!” yelled the green boy and his spasms disappeared in the blink of an eye. He spun his entire body and swung his staff at the passing boy with full momentum. Max had no time to defend himself and he was square in the stomach.

*bonk*

The impact made the Max’s body fold over and fly back a few steps. Max fell to his knees and looked up at the boy. He was panting heavily but unarmed otherwise. How on earth did he negate that attack?!

“You know… what your… problem…is?” said the boy while gasping for air. “You’re… too… arrogant.”

Max stood up and observed the situation. The boy in front of him was holding a block rod and other than being slightly out of breath, he seemed fine. They couldn’t have grounded his attack, right?

Max, watch out! Exclaimed a voice in his head. The girls had finally set up the barrier so Lena, the mage, had dashed to Max’s aid.

Crap! They did! Max turned his head and saw a blade swipe in his direction from the corner of his eyes.

*swish*

The knife passed over Max’s head as he dropped himself to the ground. The assailant followed up on the attack by thrusting the blade down at the falling Max, but Max was already preparing his counter. He swung his spear frantically around him as he swatted at the attacker’s feet. The attacker lost his footing and the attack fell to ruin.

Max was quick to recover and took a few steps backwards. He looked at his attacker and saw that it was one of the two boys he’d just electrocuted earlier. It dawned on him that those guys only faked the electrocution to get behind him. He looked past the boy and saw the other one engaging Lena, he shielded himself from her barrage of magic spells while slinging a few spells back. Annika was busy shielding him from the never-ending barrage of arrows, the enemy’s archer were shooting relentlessly at the shield-wielding girl. They weren’t reaching her but it pinned her in place, or the arrows would find their way to Max. They had successfully separated him from the rest of his group.

“Congratulations, you’ve isolated me from the rest,” said Max with an arrogant smile. “Do you really think that… what the hell are you doing?”

Bart had started to chant a magic spell but it was unlike anything Max had ever heard. He wanted to stop his casting but he couldn’t just ignore the brother. He turned his gaze towards the dagger wielding boy and took an offensive stance, all the while never letting the caster out of his sight.

“Do you think your tiny little knife can hurt me?” he asked.

“Off course, oh great Lord Chrysos. It is the very thing that will take your life,” answered the boy as he crossed his hands in front of him and placed his weight on his hind leg. This boy was Lart, the most serious of the triplets and the one assigned the distraction role.

Max was the first to attack. He jumped up and poured a lot of energy into his spear. Blinding sparks of lightning shot in every direction and the audience could only witness a white blob in the middle of the air. Even though the lightning was unlikely to impact his opponent, as he’d already proven that he can negate it, but the blinding effect should provide a good advantage.

The moment Max jumped, Lart started to move. He took the pole from his back stuck one end in the ground and turned violently, creating a large circle around him. Bart ran up with the stored energy and placed his hand onto the edge of this circle.

“Eat dirt, you cocky bastard!” yelled Bart and the newly drawn circle started to glow. The earth within quickly grew darker and within just a few microseconds water had started to ooze out of the surface. The ground started to loosen and the whole area turned into a big puddle of mud. It was a technique they’d learned in history class, a basic magic circle that allowed farmers to find a temporary water source.

Lart used this as a queue to jump back, skidding over the slippery surface to the edge of the mud pool.

‘Sneaky bastards!’ Max thought to himself and he quickly dispelled the lighting on his spear. If he used electricity to attack on this terrain he’d only fry himself.

He landed in the mud and the impact made dirt fly in every direction. But more importantly, he lost his balance. The moment Max’s feet touched the ground he found them slipping out from under him and his body fell flat in the mud.

‘Crap, this ain’t going to be pretty,’ he thought as he braced himself for what was about to come.

Edited by: Wesley Au (Paradox) and 1Jayds