Chapter One

Bullseye, bullseye, bullseye. The target across the noble garden receives my arrows like a bride receiving her groom's love. Not that I'm married to my target, of course—though some might say I am.

I've been practicing for several hours now. Exhausted, I lower my silvered bow and wipe the sweat from my forehead. My eyes drift to an elegant mirror standing in front of a nearby rose bush. I know: convenient. That's exactly what it's supposed to be.

It may be vain, but appearances matter. My parents raised me to pay the utmost attention to effects of one's chosen image. As a noble, this awareness will benefit me in the diplomatic affairs I am soon to take over. More importantly, it enables me to predict the psychology of my opponents in archery competitions or frivolous duels.

I'm best described as a beautiful boy. My fluffy blonde hair reaches my neck, forming slight waves. I've got soft eyes and a serene, seemingly permanent smile. From a distance, it's easy to mistake me for a girl.

People underestimate my abilities because they think I'm all looks. It also has a polarizing effect. Some people hate me; others love me. This rule means I've developed two main strategies for dealing with most people. The exceptions, however, are the ones I must figure out as soon as possible.

Still tired, I plop myself onto a fancy garden chair. That's when I spot a black spot drifting across the distant sky. Instantly affronted by such a target, I get up and aim an arrow at it.

Since the spot is so far away, I channel some of my magic into my arrow. Magical purple petals surround its shaft, indicating that it will fly with increased velocity. Now it'll practically fly in a straight line.

I bite my lip and loose the arrow. With a sound like a shrilling flute, it rushes towards the sky. I can tell I hit my target when the black spot suddenly disperses, like a popped balloon. Fist-pumping, I laugh in celebration.

"I would do the opposite of laugh if I were you," a deep voice says from behind me.

Eyebrows raised, I turn around to see a boy a few years younger than me. He's dressed in black garments, including a cloak far too big for him. His sharp eyes and serious expression reveal he's someone who doesn't mess around.

I smile sheepishly. "Where did you come from?"

"You must be a fool." He points at the sky. "I was the black dot you nearly hit."

"Nearly?"

He crosses his arms. "I teleported away just in time. What kind of person just shoots at the sky like that? You could've killed me."

"I thought it was a bird or the like." I glance at the ground.

"Lies." He scowls. "Even if that's true, you're insane for not even considering that it might be a person."

"Well, sorry."

"Sorry isn't enough. You're a danger to society that needs to be removed."

I take a step back. "Removed?"

"Yes, removed." He holds up his hand, channeling black magic. "Since you obviously like shooting, I'll doom you to dueling for an indefinite period of time. Then you can shoot and show off all you want."

"Condemn me? Who exactly are you?"

"I'm Viriose, the Prince of Darkness. It was horrid to meet you."

With a flick of his wrist, he unleashes a wave of darkness. It speeds towards me with a hissing sound. Terrified, I whirl around and run towards the manor.

But the dark wave is too fast. Upon reaching me, it falls over my body like a net. It constricts, lightly burning my skin. All I see is darkness as my consciousness slips away.

***

I wake up sprawled on the ground. Rubbing my head, I sit up to see I'm in the corner of a large arena. Instead of dirt, the fighting area is made up of a powdery white substance.

Two fighters are battling each other in the center of the arena. They're both wielding swords. One of them, a boy with messy red hair, is constantly shouting and slashing. The other, a blue-haired girl around my age, parries all his attacks.

The stands are rather empty, so there's no one cheering. I look around for someone to notice me, but it seems everyone's occupied talking to each other.

After fending off several more attacks, the girl finally strikes—and twicely pierces the boy right through the heart. I gasp at the sight of such a wanton murder.

But strangely, the boy doesn't bleed. Instead, rose petals flow from his fatal wound. He falls on his knees before fully dissolving into a pile of petals.

"Hey!" I say to the girl. "Is he dead?"

She turns to me as if confused by my presence. Sheathing her sword, she marches over. Up close, I can see that she's got the cold eyes of a killer. She's not someone I would want to make mad.

"You're new here, pretty boy." She sighs. "What's your name?"

"I'm Cyrus, son of Lord Perry."

"My name is Lucy. Why aren't you in the stands?"

I raise my palms. "I was teleported here."

"Oh? By who?"

"Viriose. Know him?"

She raises an eyebrow. "He's the Prince of Darkness. Did you upset him?"

I cross my arms. "I shot him out of the sky."

"You shot him out of the sky," she repeats, unimpressed.

"Yeah. Then he said I was doomed to duel."

"That's not a statement to take lightly. Viriose is the biggest threat in the world right now. He's mustering up forces of darkness to take over kingdoms."

I look around. "So where's the exit?"

"Leaving might be a bad idea." She lowers her eyebrows.

"Let me try it, though."

"Cecilia!" Lucy gestures at a red-haired girl in the stands. "Teleport this archer outside the arena. Be prepared to teleport him back."

The girl stares at me for a moment, a typical response. "O-on it!"

With a swipe of her hand, she summons a bright flash of light around me. It takes me to a spot just outside the arena. I notice it's on the outskirts of a fancy-looking city.

Hoping nothing bad happens to me, I stroll down the path. As soon as I'm a dozen feet away from the arena, a burning pain comes over my entire body. Black smoke begins to appear around me, making a hissing sound.

I fall on my hands and knees. The pain is too much to bear. Shouting through my teeth, I fully collapse on the ground. It feels as if my limbs have melted from acid.

Another bright flash appears around me. When it dies, I'm in the stands near the red-haired girl. A horrified look on her face, she kneels beside me and places her hand on my chest. A soothing sensation replaces my burning pain.

"I told you that it was a bad idea," Lucy says, strolling over.

I wipe the tears of pain from my eyes. "You were right! You were right…"

"So what's your name? When did you get here?" Cecilia asks with a wide grin. I can tell she's one of those girls who's going to be absolutely infatuated with me. People who are infatuated usually fail to perform their best when fighting me.

"I'm Cyrus; I arrived just a few minutes ago," I reply with my serene smile. "The Prince of Darkness has apparently doomed me to duel."

She giggles. "That means you're going to be here awhile."

"Er, yes. That is correct."

"Cool yourself, redhead." Lucy makes a calming gesture—I think I like her. "Let's get him acclimated to the place."

Cecilia nods and helps me to my feet. After nodding thankfully, I take another look around. There's about eight other people spread across the stands. They're smiling and talking to each other.

"Are those the regulars?" I gesture at them.

Lucy says, "They're here just about every day. Ready to fight one of them?"

"Not quite yet." I rub my chin. "You never answered my question about whether your opponent died."

"He's dead," she says flatly.

"Really?"

"I'm kidding." She sighs. "The arena is under a blessing from a goddess. No one can die while they're here."

"Where is he at now?"

"Regenerating at the arena's infirmary. The blessing also makes it so that you don't feel pain when fighting. It'll take two lethal hits for you to disintegrate."

"Alright. Since I'm forced to be here, do I get a room?"

"You're lucky we have one. It's at the bottom there." She points at a descending staircase.

"Sweet." I ready my bow. "I suppose I'm ready to duel now."

"I'll be your opponent, then. Stand at the opposite side of the arena. Don't raise your bow until Cecilia counts down."

She climbs down a ladder and enters the fighting area. I also descend the ladder before properly positioning myself on the white dirt. Lucy stands on the other side.

Before the match begins, I go through all the factors in my head. Lucy seems like someone who really knows what she's doing, so I need to be ready for anything. Her guard isn't going to be down because of my looks.

If I were to guess, I'd say I'm likely to lose this match. Lucy seems all-too experienced.

Cecilia's voice magically echoes throughout the arena. "Three, two, one… fight!"

I draw back an arrow, magically enhancing its velocity with purple petals. Lucy doesn't run straight at me. Instead, she carefully walks forward with her sword raised.

I take a shot at her. She easily sidesteps it.

I ask sheepishly, "So how are you doing today?"

As expected, she doesn't respond to my dumb distraction. Grimacing, I fire another arrow at her—she easily dodges it.

Before I can shoot again, she disappears with a turquoise flash and appears in front of me. She stabs me through the chest, causing a cool sensation to spread throughout the wound. Rose petals flood out of it.

Panicking, I jump back and awkwardly fire an arrow at her head. It ends up hitting her in the stomach. A pit forms in my own stomach; I know I'm dead.

Dashing forward, she pierces me through the heart. A chill goes throughout my entire body. Paralysis overcomes all my muscles.

"You'll have to last longer than this if you're doomed to duel," Lucy says.

Though I open my mouth to complain about her ability to teleport, I can't muster any words. My fingertips turn into rose petals, causing me to drop my bow. It also turns into a bunch of petals. Vision going black, I completely dissolve.