Sora Brontarion
The vault announcement had everyone giddy for the next exam. It was the talk of every class. The main driver for it was Bogdan. As expected for the son of the Greed King.
Saying it was all but written in the stars that he would obtain the right to enter it. At least until Stravos spoke.
"Don't get your hopes up," Stravos announced as he strode into the war room, his miniature titan sitting on his shoulder. Normally, he would have it concealed, but he had been walking around more boldly with it.
Everyone fell silent.
"What makes you confident in your claim, fellow prince?"
"Spoils always go to the victor of war."
"War? I'm afraid you may be delusional. There is no war."
"Any form of competition is war, Bogdan. Therefore, I will always be victorious." Stravos said, taking a seat next to my cousin Bayu.
Discontent flowed from Bogdan as he snickered, ignoring the statement, continuing with his claim.
In this room, I felt belittled. All of the other heirs in this room held high positions in the group rankings.
While my team held one of the lowest.
Students who sat at my table earlier in the semester began leaving one by one. They didn't want to be associated with a loser.
Only Cendra stayed.
Unwanted Nicknames followed me. The priestess of failure, the priestess of misfortune, is among their favorite. It hurt worse when my own flesh and blood in Bayu chimed in. I felt his delight as my Arbiter rank in the house of Obalex fell.
Keeping my confidence up became difficult. I knew they weren't better than me; they just had a better team. But even that logic felt flawed. Maybe their leadership was better. Maybe they were the engine behind it.
I needed to do something. I needed a win.
Cendra nudged me.
Professor Litch stared at me. "Sora."
"Y-Yes, Professor?"
"Did you not hear what I said?"
"I'm afraid not, sir."
Disappointment oozes from him.
"I asked for your assignment, the strategy teachings of the Stone King."
"Oh, yes, sir, I have it," tapping my tablet, so that the assignment would transfer to him.
"Thank you, but do try to stay focused, Princess Sora."
"Will do, Professor," he nodded and continued.
Today, we were putting the Stone King's strategies into practice in a virtual Game of War. The Stone King was known for his battle formations and siege strategies.
I studied the text night and day, so eager to put what I learned to use. Shortly after, we all headed to the simulation room in the next building.
The room was dimly lit, with dozens of holographic terminals stationed throughout.
"Your assigned opponent and terminal have been sent to your watches." An array of dings echoed throughout the room. Looking down at my watch, a small exhale left me.
My opponent was Bayu.
I walked to my assigned terminal. Bayu was already there, brimming with excitement as a gust of wind escaped his nose.
"You know I've been waiting for a moment like this," he said as he activated the simulation.
"For what exactly?"
"To crush you."
"Will winning end this misplaced anger you have towards me?"
"Misplaced is an interesting choice of words. Now stop stalling and set up your defense."
I did as he asked. Inside the terminal, I had a castle, closed off from the rest of the terrain by a moat and drawbridge. Reminiscent of the olden architecture from the Era of kingdoms. My virtual castle had a hundred men since they had the advantage of having a fortress at their disposal, compared to Bayu's three hundred men.
We locked eyes; years of built-up familial tension hung in the air like a taut wire. The outside chatter waned.
Only the sound of my thoughts and breath remained. Focused, I arranged my soldiers and waited for Bayu's attack. His first move was the Iron Head formation. All of his soldiers grouped in the shape of a spearhead. Their shield hung above their heads, as spears pointed forward, marching toward the drawbridge.
Bayu had always been an aggressive kid, and his battle style reinforced it. In response, I called for my archers to cast a volley of arrows down at his army. I was hoping to spot weak links in his formation. But the iron-head formation was one of the Stone King's greatest military tactics.
It was known to withstand the greatest of trauma.
"I wonder, cousin," Bayu said, looking up from the virtual battlefield.
I met his gaze, "go on,"
"How does the pressure feel?"
"What do you mean?"
"The pressure that comes with failing, knowing that you were bred to be great."
Startled, I didn't know how to answer that. Bayu didn't share my gift of perception, yet he read me plain as day. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He was trying to get into my head.
Returning my focus to the battlefield, I realized that my volleys yield little results, his army mere moments away from the moat around my castle.
"Did I stump you, cousin?" He asked, pressing a button on his terminal.
"I just don't see the question's relevance."
"It's clear as day." I ignored his comment.
I commanded my troops to switch from arrows to catapults. Soon, large stones were hurled across the virtual map, their heavy weight bending the shields of his ironclad formation. Bayu grimaced at my counter.
Looking up from the battlefield, my cousin looked at me with a devilish grin.
"You know, we have bets on when you will crack."
"Too bad, I will stand tall and prevail, just like this castle."
"Oh, but you won't," Bayu responded as his soldiers shifted to the stone tide formation. They all got into a horizontal line. I questioned the choice. That formation wasn't suited for siege.
But then I saw the soldiers drop the shields and arm themselves with arrows. He commanded a volley. None of them hit my men, but it appeared not to be his target. The soldiers in the center raised their crossbows.
The arrows had jagged tips, four hooks, and ropes attached.
They slammed into my drawbridge before I could react—dozens of them.
In moments, the bridge was dragged down, and his soldiers rushed in.
I cursed, hammering commands in my terminal, ordering my men to take up arms and form a kill zone. But it wasn't enough.
Bayu's men outnumbered mine, and my castle was taken.
On my side, the terminal flashed with bright red letters:
Defeat.
I clenched my teeth as I watched my cousin step toward me.
"I never understood why Grandpa put so much effort into you…instead of us."