Chronicles of the Red Sovereign

We were a bit bummed that we ended up in seventh place with four points as the starting points, but we were determined to win the Grand Academy Games.

In the evening, later that day, was a welcoming banquet in the gymnasium of the Imperial Academy. It wasn’t really eventful. It was just spent on each contestant glaring at each other, proving that they’re, no, we had the rights to participate in the games.

I did not really participate in it. I was busy feeding Vyfal who attended the banquet with me. Everyone seemed to be interested in the three participants from the lower years, which were me, Freya and Daniel. But the others seemed to be more interested with Freya since she’s the daughter of a marquis and Daniel with his killer looks who was already swarmed with girls. It’s alright with me at least I had my space and peace.

Besides, there wasn’t anything interesting about me. I had been receiving threatening glares from Gerald from the Ferhusto team, but I didn’t really spare him a glance. Other than that, I was mostly left alone.

But not for long.

“You’re one of the first year representatives. Luna Hysi, right?”

I turned to the direction of the voice and saw a really beautiful young woman.

No, seriously. Even I considered her beautiful.

She was taller than me by a head, with long flowing black hair, milky white skin and a pair of dark brown eyes. Her features were definitely something exotic in Central Continent.

Or at least that was what I noticed.

She was wearing the uniform of Sky Magic Academy of the Yamato Islands Union from the Eastern Continent. And if my memory served me right, her name was Beatrice von Midoribara, the team leader of the Sky Magic Academy Team.

“What can I do for you, senior?” I asked my voice calm and my hand petting Vyfal who decided to sit up beside me, her three tails swishing beside her.

-Right. She’s following the growth of a normal fox familiar so she’s that big now.

“I’m just interested on the youngest participants. There hasn’t been any second year or third year participants in years. I wonder,” she leaned closer with a smile on her face which was scaring me. “What the Praiji Imperial Academy was thinking when deciding to have you participating?”

-This again?

I noticed a lot of them had been rather curious, or if not apprehensive, towards mine, Freya’s and Daniel’s participation in the games. Was it really that shocking? Was it really that unbelievable?

“Why does it matter?” I asked still composed. I wasn’t about to lose my composure over something like this.

“Just curious. Are they planning to let you guys be cannon fodders? Or is there something about you three that made your academic leaders chose you as representatives?”

“What do you think?” I questioned in return, a lopsided smile which was turning into a smirk by the second.

“By the looks of it, it’s the latter.” she huffed and crossed her arms. “Let’s see where your confidence leads you. Ah, I am very interested in your familiar.”

-Vyfal?

“Why?”

“Foxes with more than one tail are considered a sacred beast in my country. For you to be contracted to one and yet you treat it like a pet is an insult to our culture.”

-That’s her problem?

“Senior Beatrice, Vyfal is my familiar, she is my friend. How I treat her is none of your business.”

“I know.”

Before the tension between us could get even worse, the lights suddenly went out and screams were suddenly heard. I could hear fast paces enter the room from every direction and there were suddenly a lot more presences in the gymnasium.

I couldn’t really see but I could hear voices ordering others to calm down and to regroup. I even heard a few grunts, which signaled there was fighting involved.

All of a sudden, I could feel the unfamiliar presence rush at me side. I couldn’t see what he looked like or whether he was carrying a weapon or not, but I can definitely sense his bloodlust, the intent to kill.

I immediately sidestepped, and delivered a kick at the back of my attacker once he passed me. I took hold of him, wrenching his arms behind him, locking him in place.

“Vyfal! Illumination!”

Bluish-white flames the size of a fist immediately lit up from all over the room, giving illumination so we could see what was going on. With that, I saw a few figures in black ready to attack us at the given moment. I saw a few students fighting some of them even.

-What’s going on? Did they break the security placed around the school?

The thick bloodlust still hung in the air. It was coming from someone obviously powerful. But then I noticed something was strange. After all, once I traced the bloodlust to its origin, I sensed a familiar aura.

-Aunt Zaira?

The lights suddenly returned and I couldn’t help but close my eyes until my sight could adjust. I was still holding my attacker down and I saw a few similarly dressed individuals holding students like hostages and a few in the same situation as my attacker. Vyfal also had an attacker pinned under her as she bared her fangs.

“There you go! Thank you for the performance, you may now exit the gymnasium.” said a very familiar voice. As if on cue, the man under me wrestled his way out of my grasps and walked away. It was the same with the others.

-I thought she’s not part of the committee? What is she doing here? Isn’t she supposed to only be involved on tomorrow’s Treasure Hunting and Orb Collection?

“Greetings everyone. I am Archduchess Zaira Chrishni von Celestine, the Prime Minister of this nation. I’m supposed to give a welcome speech to motivate you for the games, but I thought this would be more entertaining. Now then, I’d give this one a five out of ten. If that was a real attack during a leisure event then half of you would’ve already either been taken hostage or worse, dead.”

“Excuse me? Was that some sort of a surprise test? Is it connected to the point system of the G.A. Games?” asked one of the students whom I recognized was from Cedi Royal Academy of Cedi Kingdom of the Western Continent.

“None whatsoever. I was just trying to see how you’d react amidst danger.”

A few murmurs erupted among the attendees of the banquet, but I was more focused on what the hell my adoptive aunt was trying to accomplish with her little scare.

“You represent your respective institutions and nations, which means you’re the cream of the crop, the icing on the cake, the best of your peers. You are the ones with the future of becoming leaders in your respective fields. In a situation like that, you’re supposed to remain calm and think, not scream and panic. I applaud those who immediately got a grasp of the situation and tried to calm the surrounding crowd.”

Silence triumphed over everyone. Well, it wasn’t really surprising. We were both being praised and ridiculed at the same time.

“Since the lights went out, your sight was limited. Those with the ability to see in the dark could’ve gotten a lot more information of what’s happening in the surroundings. Then try to get the lights back on. Congratulations on the one who thought to use fireballs for illumination.”

-I’m not sure to be happy or not.

“Lastly, you sensed bloodlust, no I apologize I suppose only a few of you can actually sense that and act, but because of that only a few can be spared from being killed. In the games you will be in constant danger in which you are asked to always be on your guard and do your best. It’s the same once you graduate and get to the field. Let this serve as a lesson and a reminder of what you are about to embark in the next five days.”

Never thought she was actually the type to be sentimental. But then again, Aunt Zaira had always been odd in many ways.

She raised her glass filled with wine and said; “May the odds be ever in your favor!”

Nobody really returned it apart from a few adults.