Family Match

The Rebel-King Esvor and his men were the only force fighting against the high elves since the conflict began. They feared neither gods nor death. They were the only ones who dared to fight back and reclaim what was rightfully theirs, striving to return Gum'n to its roots.

As the Rebel-King sheathed his sword, the high elf kneeling before him recoiled in fear. Nearly twenty other high elves lay on the ground, lifeless.

One of Esvor's men punched the high elf. When that wasn't enough, he kicked him in his face and got ready for another strike. But Esvor stopped the man, still trying to bash the high elf's head in.

"Fucking – elf!" said the man, struggling to escape Rebel-King's hold. "Killer! Murderer! You took my home from me! Ya, hear? My home!"

Esvor's soldiers formed a tight circle around them, their faces contorted with rage, weapons gripped tightly in their hands. If it wasn't for Esvor, they'd have carved the high elf up a long time ago. The Rebel-King was still young, only eighteen, but his men respected him and obeyed his orders without question.

The village they were in lay shrouded in smoke, its streets awash with blood-soaked cobblestones and corpses strewn at every step. It was more than chaos; it was a grisly massacre, a scene of unfathomable carnage.

"Calm down," Esvor said, "we will get our revenge, brother. But not like this."

"But King… I – his kind deserve the worst…"

"I know. But now, we need information." He patted his man on the shoulder. "Go back to your friends. I got this."

"Yes, True-King."

"P – please, sir." The high elf held the King's robe. "We're just commoners. We're not fighters! Not all the high elves…"

Esvor slapped him with the back of his hand.

"Tell me why a patrol of high elves went through here, dog. Maybe you can get a merciful death from me if you are cooperative." His voice came out cold.

"I don't know. I swear I don –"

"Oi, King!" yelled a man from afar. "We found the village chief's kids. Little devils were hiding in a shed!"

"Bring them here." Esvor responded.

"No! Not my kids! Please, no!" the high elf begged. "Please, leave them out of this!"

A man brought two kids. They were shaking in fear, desperately looking at their father with helpless eyes.

"Don't worry." the Rebel-King said to the kids. "We are not heartless like your kind. We do not rape or torture others – Like. Your. Kind."

"No! Leave them alone!"

He unsheathed his sword and beheaded one of the kids. Village chief, on his knees, screamed as he saw his son's head slowly rolling toward him. It was a clean kill; a mercy kill.

The other kid tried to run away, but Esvor stopped her and did the same thing. With a single, clean cut, her head was on the ground.

"It's your turn, high elf."

"No! No! No!" He covered his face. "No! Why! We were… no! No!"

"Talk!" He held his neck and squeezed it. Esvor was getting angry.

"We aren't fighters! We're just… no! Sofia, Aron! No! Please help!"

Unfortunately for him, his cries fell on deaf ears. Neither Esvor nor his men would care about a high elf.

"Which direction the patrol moved, high elf? Tell me, so you can be together with your kids again."

"Red – Redhaven…" the high elf gritted his teeth, gasping for air. "I'll never forgive you… I will never…"

Esvor drove his sword into the high elf's stomach while his men, gathered around, watched in total silence. Not a muscle twitched, nor a word spoken – only the haunting cries of crows filled the air, with the dying high elf's desperate repetition of his children's names.

"Redhaven…" He took a deep breath. "Don't tell me… Yuu?"

"What do we do, King?" asked a soldier. "We're going to Redhaven?"

"No, not all of us." He explained. "I'll take a few men and go there. Rest of you, head back to Snow Fallen."

"Are you sure, King?" asked another soldier. "Going there with only a few is not safe."

"I'm sure. Do what I say, men. Our mission, for now, ended here." He looked at the sky as his soldiers got ready to depart. "What a day huh, Gale?"

"Yes, indeed." The newly slain kids transformed into hundreds of butterflies, which then coalesced to form the figure of an old and tall woman. "We put on a good show, King."

Those who were blessed by Dierman, like Gale, could use illusion magic; tricking other people into thinking what is happening in front of their eyes is the absolute truth. The Chief of the village wasn't even married, he had no kids. The two that were killed by Esvor were just an illusion. He hated harming children – even if they were high elves.

The Rebel-King closed his eyes, crouched and let his brown hair cover his face. He was tired from all the fighting.

"Esvor." said the old woman, wearing a long, black coat. "You think they're after the Academy?"

"Yes – that patrol was ahead of us for two days. They should be in Redhaven right now… I fear the worst, Gale."

"You can't protect Gum'n all by yourself, Rebel-King. Don't get upset over every little thing the elves do." She also crouched. "And besides – my husband is there, remember?"

"Professor Yuu? I hope he's still breathing." He smirked. "That old man still owes me a toad."

"A – toad?"

"Eh, I'll tell you about it later." he stood up and yawned. "Let's go. We should arrive at Redhaven in a day or two if we camp only once."

"Men are tired. We should at least camp twice."

"That's why I'm not taking all of the men with me. You, and your daughters should be enough."

"Okay –" She put her hoodie on. "Let's see what Redhaven has in store for us then, shall we?"

Professor Yuu opened his eyes with a confused look. He was in an alley, riddled with rats and street dogs.

The last thing he remembered was the high elves attacking the library. The rest of his memories were distorted – he could only remember little parts of it. Soul, escaping the library, but then for some reason doing the opposite and walking back toward the danger; Ji-Hye's desperate attempts to defend herself; Ayame's air barrier... These images flickered in his mind, fragmented and unclear.

He leaned his back to the dirty wall of the alley and sighed. He was teleported, but he didn't know by whom.

"Ayame? Soul? Ji-Hye?" He yelled, his voice echoing in the empty alley. "Where are you?"

"Agh…"

Professor Yuu, hearing a voice coming from behind, turned around. There, Ayame was lying on the snowy ground, right next to a dog who was licking her face and wagging his tail happily. Upon seeing his student, he quickened his steps, moving faster with each passing second as he walked toward her.

He crouched and held Ayame's head between his arms. She was breathing, but as a side effect of teleportation magic, she was unconscious.

"Okay – thank gods you are alive." He sighed in relief. "Can you hear me, Ayame?"

She didn't respond back.

"Let's get you to KCO." He picked her up. The wound on his shoulder stung. "Ah – I'm feeling my age…"

Soul put his sister on the bed and let Melissa handle the rest.

Only two people, beside Ruby and Liana, knew about his powers; Nia Katav and Ran Ji-Hye. If they were to talk, his and Ruby's life would be in grave danger. He had to do something.

In the fifth era, there was another blood magic user, a seventeen year old girl, in Gum'n. Her mastery over such dark arts attracted the attention of sinister forces, ultimately leading to her demise in a ruthless ambush orchestrated by bandits, seeking to claim her power. If that same thing were to happen to him before curing his sister, he wouldn't forgive himself.

"Is she going to be okay, Melissa?" He asked.

"Yes, but give her some time. You go, I'll look after your sister."

"I'll stay."

"I'm going to cast a level three healing spell, Soul. Look, I'm not the best in terms of casting 'any' spells soo – I need to fully concentrate."

"Hmm, okay." He nodded. "You 'are' the best, Melissa."

"Ugh…" she shrugged. "How about actually getting me out for dinner instead of flattering me with words, huh?"

"Oh…" Soul looked at her with dull eyes. "Sure. Why did I never think of that? I know a place called Icy Hearts, they make the best stew and beers. Would you like to go there?"

"Uum… I mean, sure." She was getting red. "Only if you want to g…"

Soul handed her two pieces of gold coins.

"You could buy a stew and a beer with two golds. Take it. Eat it to your heart's content. You deserved it."

Melissa couldn't do anything but to stare at the gold coins. She actually was 100% sure that Soul didn't know the term 'date' or 'going out together'. She was disappointed, but not necessarily sad. She somehow expected something like this to happen.

"Soul…" Ruby woke up. She was still dizzy. "You are so dense, you moron."

"Don't talk like that to your big brother." He answered.

"Stop telling people – that I'm your little sister. We're only a year apart." She coughed. "Ah… I feel like crap."

"I – uuh…" Melissa tried to compose herself. "Yeah. Go, Soul. I'll take care of your sister."

"Hmm. Should I leave the coins?"

"Soul…" both of them said in unison. "Just go."

Exiting the room, he saw Professor Yuu carrying Ayame in a hurry.

He turned his back as soon as he spotted them and waited for a few seconds. Once Professor Yuu had passed without noticing him, he casually put his hands into his coat pockets and began to walk away. He was going to get some air and maybe eat something since he had skipped breakfast.

"Where are you Lilith," he asked to himself, "Hmm…"

After reaching KCO's garden, he sat on top of a newly-cut tree's stump. The snowflakes drifted lazily from the sky, settling on the ground with a soft hush. The sound of footsteps echoed faintly from the busy cobblestone streets. In the distance, he could hear the gentle rustle of leaves as a light breeze danced through the branches of nearby trees.

He closed his eyes.

"Oh, hey," said Hyun-Ki, walking slowly toward Soul from behind. "You remember me, right? How is that girl, is she any better?"

"Hmm." He replied, turning around to look at him. "Yes, she's getting better."

"That's umm… yeah, that's good. I actually brought flowers for her as an apology." He showed the pink flowers he was holding. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"Sister."

"Oh – sister, huh? Where I'm from, we call our elder sisters Noona. Funny word, right?"

"She's younger. I'm the older brother." He explained.

"She – looked older than you. Sorry, my bad." he awkwardly coughed. "Um… Is she with her friends right now? If so, I wouldn't want to bother them."

"No… she is not."

'Ruby should make more friends. She must be bored with me and Liana all day…'

He disregarded the thought for now.

His dull and boring eyes closed again as he felt the wind picking up. If his instincts were right, a storm was likely to hit Redhaven in about an hour. Gum'n was known for its unpredictable weather; people had to get used to it. Sometimes in the mornings, it would rain incessantly. Yet, by evening, the sweltering heat would leave everyone feeling drained and exhausted.

Hyun-Ki stood there as if he had something to tell him. Soul didn't understand why he was acting like that – and didn't care. He hated talking to people who he didn't have to talk to.

"Look, I'm not gonna lie. I know you use blood magic. My sister told me."

"What?" He asked, with a dull voice. "Your sister told you what?"

"Don't play dumb. I know you can use it. I know you tried to defend against those high elves. I respect that."

'Did she also tell you that I tried to kill her?'

"I heard you guys managed to kill all of them. Good riddance, I'd say."

'All of them? I guess Liana cleaned up the rest.'

"Going to blackmail me? I don't recommend it, Ki." His gaze was fixed on the snowy ground.

"No – well partially blackmail." He got in front of Soul. "Please be our partner in the next Family Match."

Hyun-Ki bowed his head and waited for a response.

"No."

It was a short and simple answer. Effective.

"Come on, man." He bowed his head more. "My sister and I can't win two against four! We need more people in our team!"

"Ki…" he stood up. "Don't bother me again. If you tell a single soul that I'm a blood magic user, I'll kill you, slowly. And make your sister watch it."

When he lifted his head, his gaze met with Soul's. His eyes were empty, his expression blank – there was nothing going on in his face. No emotion. For some reason, that reminded him of the Void.

"If we lose this – they are going to make my sister marry a fucking worthless old cunt." Hyun-Ki held Soul's shirt in anger. "You're going to be in our team. Or I'll tell everyone the truth. You can't stop me."

They looked at each other's eyes for a full ten seconds in that position. Soul had to lift his head since he was 5'10 and Hyun-Ki was 6'4.

"Hmm, okay," Soul said, "why me? You don't have friends to fight your battles?"

"Because of that champion. The champion of Sirenar is our next opponent."

Sirenar, God of Mercy, was supposed to be a – as one can guess it, the merciful god this world has ever seen. But considering Lilith's hatred toward all of the divine beings, Soul was almost sure that even Sirenar had some skeletons in his closet, too.

The wind picked up, snow quickened. Killing a god's champion would diminish the said god, leaving them defenseless. Upon the death of their champion, the god would lose a portion of their divine power that was invested in the champion. This loss would weaken them and make them more vulnerable to direct attack.

Hyun-Ki let him go. The wind stopped.

"Okay. How much gold are we talking about?" Soul asked. "At least 300?"

"Wait, you game? Fuck yes – make that 600! Are you sure?" He was smiling, jumping in the air. "Woo! Thank you!"

"You said it was a four versus four match. You, me and Ji-Hye – who's the fourth?"

"I – don't know. I mean, we don't have the fourth one yet. No one wants to fight against a champion, even if they are Sirenar's, the most merciful god's!"

"Looks like we need to wait for the Academy to open again. We might find someone to join us." He put his hood on. "I take it you guys are noble. Is Sirenar's champion a noble too?"

"Yes, Marcy Iann. He was a very famous art collector. Now – a champion."

"Is he the one trying to marry your sister?"

"Oh, yeah. I lied about the whole thing." he shut his eyes and smiled in shame. "My family is trying to – well, marry me into a rich family, not my sister. They told me if we lose this next Family Match…"

"Okay I got it." He interrupted. "I don't care who you marry. What I care about is – what is a Family Match and why is that important to you?"

"It's…" The wind started to pick up again. "Ugh, it's getting cold. Should we go somewhere warm?"

"Hmm."

He knocked on the door and entered when he heard Melissa's invitation. Hyun-Ki, with a warm smile, nodded to Ruby and quietly walked toward the bed. The nurse was using a higher level healing spell, so he knew that bothering her would've been a rude thing for him to do. Instead, without saying a word, he put the flowers on the table next to the window.

He nodded to Ruby once more and exited the room. In the corridor, Soul was standing with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall.

"Now, we can talk," started Soul, "what's this Family Match about?"

"Well, it's like – noble families send their young heirs to compete in a series of arena battles. Each family can send four of their children."

"You don't have any other siblings beside Ji-Hye?"

"I… no, not anymore." He leaned his back to the wall opposite of Soul. "Got more questions?"

"Yeah. What's the prize?"

"No prize. Three loses in a row and you're out. We'll lose our title as well as some properties that were given us by the kingdom."

"That's harsh."

"Right?"

"So – your next opponent is Marcy Iann and you've lost the two previous matches."

"Unfortunately, yes. This match will determine everything. We either win and retain our noble title or lose it altogether."

He looked at the window by the end of the corridor. Dark clouds loomed overhead, heavy with the promise of rain, instead of snow. The wind howled, bending trees and rattling windows, as lightning streaked across the darkening sky.

"Okay. I think I almost got everything that I need," said Soul, "When's the match?"

"Four days later." He answered quickly. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm not going to blatantly use my powers in the match. I'll act as a support, give you guys support from behind."

"Okay, that works. We only need one more – how about your cousin Lily?"

"She has some important business." In truth, he didn't know where she was. "We should find someone else."

"Yeah… I'll try my luck with Nia. We talked a bit after that Nethrax attacked the boys' dormitory. She'll join – I mean I hope she'll join. I'll offer her gold, of course."

Soul kept quiet.

"Oh, man." He smirked. "We're doing it, huh?"

"There's no 'we'. You are doing it. I'm just here to act as a support." He said as he walked to his sister's door. "See you at the Academy."