Beneath the council's gaze

(Seconds before.)

I surveyed the room, appreciating the harmonious blend of power and elegance. The white marble floor exuded a delicate blue hue, perfectly complementing the matte black walls. A single stripe of soothing blue aether adorned the walls, adding a touch of tranquility to the space. The attention to detail for the elite is noticeable. Despite its size, the room only housed a single row of chairs, each generously spaced apart. Elara, positioned at the front, claimed the end seat, while Riya strategically left me in the middle. I could see the calculated moves they were making.

I had barely settled when a tumultuous sea of swirling aether burst into the room, its crashing waves engulfing me. The room filled with the deafening roar of its power, threatening to carry me away. Amidst the chaos, Elara leaned in, her gentle whisper piercing through the turbulent torrent with crystal-clear clarity.

"That's Sirena Vortexus, a member of the Leviathan bloodline and royalty. She holds the title of the oldest council member, so it's best not to make eye contact with her unless she addresses you."

Her words were a lifeline bringing familiarity to the unknown sea. Riya's subtle tap on my forearm was another clue. We are to use the King's financial backing as a guise for our entrance into the VIP room. This was enough to arm me for our first political interaction while we were here. It just had to be with one of incredible influence.

It's places like this I loathe, a place of silent judging and expectations. An exhausting atmosphere of appeasing highborn, a taxing but proportionate affair. My rank of Chief warrant officer 4 is the reward from mastering its depths during the war back home. Those bartering and alliances were nothing in comparison; to the steep price worth more than gold…The life of my mentor, a casualty of war. Paying the price of my game.

At this moment, my fears materialized. An elegant voice filled with power.

"To think I would see the great Volkner here today. I was excited enough just to witness Thalen's prowess, but now I get to meet the noble hero of Rugiet Fulger."

I stood up, greeting her, but I kept my head low, only meeting her gaze in politeness.

"I have heard nothing but good words about you, Miss Vortexus."

"How so?"

My heart irked, scrambling for an answer.

"The lone fact that Royalty would leave their home to become a mentor for another country is a noble deed in itself."

"Let's speak more later, I don't want to miss Thalen's premiere. You're here for the same purpose, are you not?"

"Of course, but how could I not great you."

I presented a path for her, keeping my head low. My heart was racing, hoping that my words did not misrepresent. But her smile was disturbing, hiding her intent.

"Thank you Volkner."

Once she made her seat, my heart sunk into a false comfort as I sat down. Ten seconds left on the clock, and the screen switched to Thalen and his opponent. Thalen towered above his opponent, yet he was the shortest of the Zephyr race. Aerelith stood about 9 feet tall. The guard was around 8, but Thalen only stood about 7' 7". but his opponent look to be decently below 6 feet. Thalen was a stark difference between Aerelith Galeborn, instead being white with accents of blue, a simple vest with woven details hardly covering his torso, while simple blue pants tied with a decorated cloth resembling a dragon tightened his pants, And with him was a blue spear labeled with runes about it.

" Thalen Versus Siris Valtorin!… Fight!!!"

The arena was a linear, flat, black platform. There were other platforms floating about as well. They were slim, but they resonated with a sound I could only assume was an aether mechanism. They both charged for each other, but siris made the first move. Siris launched aether spheres that ignited into bright flashes of flames. But I saw Thalen's eyes reacting, rather his eyes turned black and faded just as fast. Siris was to his side, launched by the butt of the spear. Siris' body crashed into one of the platforms, but his body exuded the blue aether from his clothes, dimming slightly. He immediately snapped his fingers. Thalen's surrounding ground exploded, charring him. His wheezing breath didn't falter, grounding his spear to the ground, creating a breeze that healed Thalen.

Thalen Reacted to the immediate approach of Siris, shifting sideways. Thalen's surprising reach clashed into the tough armor of Siris. The runes in his clothes exhausted themselves, sliding past his spear. He manifested an aether blade and stabbed Thalen in his kidney multiple times. His wounds sloshed out with blood. Thalen gritted his teeth, kneeing his opponent into the air, just catching him by his foot. Thalen slammed Siris' small stature into the ground, drilling him into a pulp. Siris then disappeared into a light of aether. Thalen fell to the ground with a gaping hole in his lower abdomen, but his magic repaired this up.

You could tell Siris didn't think his armor would give out in that one attack. It was in this simple mistake; he launched himself into a losing fight. If his barrier had lasted, Thalen would have lost in that fight. His barrier would have negated the kinetic energy of that knee. This would have given him enough time to kill Thalen at that moment. Even his blade was charging with aether in each attack, hinting at another trick. But in a world of fighting, one mistake will lead to your death. It is amazing that they have the tech in this arena to even hold this death defying match. Then no other than Sirena Vortexus spoke.

"Volkner, I will have you participate in the next match… Against me."

My mind raced, looking for answers other than what I heard. Surely I thought I misheard her. But my denial led back to her telling smile. It felt like minutes went by as my throat failed to make a suitable reply.

"I don't believe what I am hearing, how could I have such an honorable offer? I froze up on the spot, unsure if I even heard you right."

"You heard well, Volkner. Don't worry, this princess knows how to fight."

Riya whispered to me.

"Reject this, and you'll regret it…"

From Riya's response, my body gave into the fear and equivocally answered.

"I can only say yes."

This was no longer a time to waver. My laughable amount of training will show. But I need to grasp this opportunity, and create a base for my fighting capabilities. Something I can compare to the future at the very least.