“Please at least tell us now, Principal,” Alaric demanded, his face etched with seriousness and determination.
The contest had finally reached its dramatic conclusion, and a palpable tension filled the air as everyone was desperate to uncover the identity of the hooded figure and the mystery surrounding Aether’s sudden appearance in the game.
The Principal, striding purposefully through the grand corridor leading to the stadium, responded without breaking her stride. Her voice, calm yet authoritative, carried over her shoulder, “As that servant mentioned, ‘He begged me’ so incessantly that I got annoyed and threw him into the mix.”
Though it felt a bit unreasonable, still as everyone knew how their Principal had a short temper…. it wasn’t surprising to hear that but still, one thing hadn’t been answered…
“And?” Alaric pressed, his curiosity burning with impatience.
“… You will see who he is soon enough,” the Principal replied, a sly smile curling her lips. Her thoughts, ‘Favored by Arcane… You have more tricks up your sleeve than you show, boy. You’ve certainly caught my attention.’
Alaric and the other professors exchanged frustrated glances, their growls of anger barely contained.
The outcome had been unexpected; only three chosen ones had emerged victorious, and one of them hadn’t even fought from the beginning, leaving a bitter taste in their mouths.
As they arrived at the expansive stadium, they saw the teams who had been treated and healed standing near the small, stepped podium.
The Principal cast a sweeping gaze over the assembled students and leaders. Everyone was present except for Aqualina, who was recovering from serious internal injuries.
“Who is that? Who was that coward?” Thalia shouted, her voice cutting through the murmur of the crowd. She glared at the other teams, convinced that the mysterious figure must have come from within their ranks. The idea that an outsider could have infiltrated seemed impossible to her.
“Tsk, it’s not us,” Jack retorted, his expression a mix of annoyance and curiosity. He turned to the Principal, voicing what everyone was thinking, “Who is that? Why the sudden change? We didn’t even get a warning about it.”
“Yes, Principal! How is that fair?” Leon added, his voice edged with desperation. The need to identify his attacker showed his futureless life….. he felt his soul and future depended!
“How dare that bastard slap me? Even my father never did that!” Kai shouted, his fury undiminished. Though his face had healed, the memory of the stinging blow lingered painfully.
Many of the others stood in confusion, having never seen the hooded figure that had caused such chaos.
Hearing the barrage of questions, the Principal’s gentle smile vanished, replaced by a stern look of disappointment.
Her voice, now cold and sharp, echoed through the stadium, “Who? Why do you care when you’re losers?” The words hit them like a slap, stinging their pride.
She continued, her tone unwavering, “You have the nerve to ask after losing so pathetically to a single person who didn’t even use a spell…. You’ve all disappointed me deeply.”
Heads lowered in shame, yet a simmering belief remained among them that the mysterious figure had appeared out of nowhere and eliminated them when they were at their weakest.
Observing their rebellious faces, the Principal’s expression turned into a smirk, “Oh! Don’t you dare think he took advantage of you!”
“What? He really took advant—” Before the complaint could be finished, the Principal interrupted,
“Kai and Leon, you were defeated because you underestimated a solo enemy, weren’t you?”
Kai and Leon’s heads dropped even lower. The Principal’s words cut deep because they were true. When Aether had appeared, despite their initial shock, they had arrogantly believed they could easily win.
The general knowledge was that in a 2 vs. 1 scenario, the duo always had the upper hand, right?
That’s what they had thought!
And lost pathetically!
The Principal then turned her gaze to Jack, her eyes piercing, “You have the nerve to attack a weaker opponent after retiring, and ran away like a coward, and still ask who defeated you… Pathetic!”
“Arrgh,” Jack growled through gritted teeth, his anger boiling. He wanted nothing more than to tear apart both the Principal and the person who had punched him.
The Principal’s attention then shifted to Thalia and Helena, “You two weren’t even aware of your surroundings…. When did your legs become frozen? Hmm? Truly disappointing,” she said, her eyes lingering on Thalia for a few more intense seconds.
Thalia bit her trembling lips, the weight of her failure pressing down on her. Helena, on the other hand, sighed and shrugged. She wasn’t particularly sad, having been aware of her surroundings, though realizing it was too late to make a difference.
Annoyed, the Principal raised her voice as she looked at everyone,
“You have the nerve to question, you useless bastards! I asked you to play ‘Capture the Flag,’ not ‘Team Battle.’ All you did was abandon your base and attack others.
What the fuck is wrong with you?
Don’t you have any brains?
Not one of you realized the true nature of the game. Instead, you brawled like mindless monkeys!”
Her anger was almost tangible, the disappointment in her voice clear.
She was truly furious, seeing them fight without using tactics or intellect.
As her words sank in, everyone lowered their heads, understanding the depth of her anger and the reason behind it.
Delphine, ever the calming presence, patted the Principal’s shoulder. Taking a deep breath, the Principal looked at the children, her expression softening slightly. She smiled, though her eyes still held a hint of her earlier sternness, “Well, you are still in your growing phase, so take this as a lesson.”
The students nodded with newfound determination, realizing that the Principal’s harsh words were meant to guide them, not to belittle them… Though not everyone!
Seeing their resolve, the Principal nodded approvingly, thinking, ‘At least they have grown a little.’ She clapped her hands, and a hologram flickered to life above the podium.
“Now, these are your new ranks!” She announced, pointing to the hologram display:
14. Ashara Nightfire
13. Nyx Shadowfall
12. Finnian Sunfire
11. Kaelen Darkfang
10. Aqualina Naiadia
09. Kai Frostblade
08. Leon Dragonheart
07. Jack Sparrow
06. Helena Sunfire
05. Thalia Crimsonclaw
04. Raven Noir
03. Aria Zephyr
02. Aurelia Scarlet
01. ______________
Seeing the updated rank list, the Chosen Ones felt as though they had swallowed something incredibly bitter. They wanted to protest, to say something in their defence, but the fear of angering the Principal further kept their mouths tightly shut.
The Principal addressed the three flag holders, “Though I was disappointed that no one managed to capture others’ flags… sigh, Anyhow, Congratulations… Aurelia Scarlet, Aria Zephyr, and Raven Noir.”
The trio bowed deeply with respect.
Now, everyone looked up at the Principal, their eyes wide with eagerness, awaiting the announcement of the first-place winner.
Suddenly, a breathtakingly beautiful woman with flowing purple hair materialized beside the Principal, causing a collective gasp of shock and awe to ripple through the crowd.
“Empress Marisandra Naiadia?” gasped the students in unison.
Those from the Aquaris Naiadae Empire immediately knelt, shouting, “Hail Empress Marisandra Naiadia!” in reverent unison, while the rest of the students and faculty bowed respectfully.
The Empress bestowed a gracious smile upon them and said, “There is no need for such formalities here. You are students, and I am merely a visitor… now, rise, my people.”
The Aquaris students nodded eagerly, clearly thrilled to be in the presence of their revered Empress. Thalia, in particular, seemed utterly entranced, her eyes wide and sparkling with admiration, as if she were gazing upon her greatest idol.
“Is everything concluded?” the Empress inquired, her voice soft yet commanding, as her gaze swept gently across the crowd, searching for a particular individual.
“Yes, everything is finished, except he hasn’t arrived yet,” the Principal replied, a hint of annoyance creeping into her voice, ‘What’s taking him so long?’ she thought, her patience wearing thin.
The Empress nodded thoughtfully, her eyes shifting to the hologram displaying the contest results.
As she scanned the final tally, her eyes widened in astonishment, ‘Damn, that boy really did capture 10 flags… I wonder how much he’s grown now,’ she mused, her lips curling into an intrigued and excited smile.
As the minutes ticked by, the anticipation in the air grew palpable. Half an hour passed, and the students began to fidget restlessly, their impatience mounting with each passing second.
“Where is he?” the Principal muttered under her breath, clicking her tongue in irritation.
The Empress’s brow furrowed in confusion, puzzled by the delay. Her gaze landed on her maid, who stood quietly behind her, a peculiar smile playing on her lips as she watched the clock in the hologram with unusual interest.
Sensing that something was amiss, the Empress leaned closer and whispered softly, “Do you know something?”
The maid flinched, hesitating for a moment before replying, “I-I didn’t mean to hide—”
“It’s fine,” the Empress reassured her, her expression softening with understanding.
The maid’s smile broadened, her eyes twinkling with excitement and curiosity as she recounted,
“He said…
‘Everyone waits for heroes… yet villains… Heheh… villains make everyone wait'” she mimicked Aether’s haughty dialogue, her voice dripping with the same arrogant confidence as she pointed to the hologram showing that the 10-hour time period was about to end in just a few minutes.
The Empress was taken aback, watching her maid mimic Aether with surprising accuracy. ‘Shit! He’s corrupting her!’ she thought, both amused and slightly concerned by the influence Aether seemed to have.
At that precise moment, a faint noise echoed through the stadium, “Trrrrrr.”
“Heheh… a villain indeed,” the Empress remarked, her expression one of amused curiosity as she noticed a figure appearing in the distance.
The anticipation in the stadium grew to a fever pitch as all eyes turned towards the slowly emerging silhouette.