Emil

The day of the Clash of Dawn finally arrived.

Emil opened his eyes to a bright, dazzling morning. His body felt astonishingly light. His mind was clear. Refreshed. For the first time in ages, he had a long, restful sleep without being tortured by aches and throbbing pains. After a careful stretch to warm up his limbs, he put on his Azurite pendant and readied himself to depart for the event.

The student dorms were buzzing with a feverish energy as he passed through the hallways. Most of the students residing on this floor were also freshmen from commoner backgrounds. For most of them, the Clash of Dawn was an opportunity of lifetime—a fleeting chance to make their names and faces known to the elites of Ardair. For Emil, however, this was just the first step towards achieving one of his mission objectives.

I kind of wished I had their excitement.

Soon, he stepped out of the dorms and made his way towards the venue.

The vast Academy campus was divided into four quadrants. He was currently in the northeastern section dedicated towards student needs. The dorms, training facilities, study spaces, stores, and other amenities to streamline the boarding school lifestyle were all found here.

The southeastern quadrant contained lecture halls, libraries, and administrative offices. Following that was the southwestern quadrant built primarily for faculty staff members and academic research. It was also the site of the infamous Consortium.

And lastly, there was the northwestern quadrant which was the premise for all events held by the Academy.

Despite the early hours of the morning, a trail of staff members was already present to guide participants into the venue. Emil followed down the path while politely acknowledging their words of acknowledgement.

“Ugh…” An exhausted groan echoed beside him.

“Good morning,” Emil said, turning towards Anna who joined him on the path. To his surprise, she kept her scarlet hair unkempt. Her shoulders were drooped with exhaustion. Her eyes, heavy with bags, were devoid of life as they stared tiredly at the ground. She walked with a slouched posture, dragging her unwilling body forward. Shockingly, she was the same as always as if this was a regular school day filled with their usual morning classes.

I’m kind of impressed by her consistency.

“You look dead.”

“I feel dead,” Anna grumbled, wiping the grime out of her eyes while suppressing the urge to yawn, “I couldn’t fall asleep. I kept thinking about the event and what insanity the Academy could possibly be planning for the preliminaries.”

“Understandable. But are you sure you should be leaving your hair like that? I thought you wanted to make an impression.”

“I never said I’ll be making a good impression,” she retorted before letting out a depressed sigh, “But no, you’re right. I was going to straighten it once we reach the venue. There’s time. I just need to make it neat. There’s no point doing something fancy with it when we’re likely going to be sweating and running all over the place.”

“Fair point.”

Anna suddenly pointed her fingers at his face. “If anything, why the hell do you look so cheery and full of energy?!”

Emil gave her his brightest smile. “Waking up early isn’t an issue for me if I get enough sleep. And I decided to retire early last night.”

“…Traitor. You’re supposed to be sleep deprived with me. I refuse to be the only person who suffers from our classmates’ noisy ramblings in the early mornings!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll wreck my sleep schedule for you once this event is over,” he said, shooting her a wink.

Anna snorted. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. This is a four-day event. You won’t last if you get too excited and burn yourself out.”

“Got it, Miss Honors Student.”

They continued their light-hearted banter until they entered the northwestern quadrant. The venue of the Clash of Dawn came into sight.

It was a colossal, elliptical colosseum named the Nautilus. Towering to the skies, it boasted a maximum operating capacity of fifty thousand spectators. While its interiors were reinforced with steel and bricks, its outer walls were built using travertine limestone. The whitish rock adorned the colosseum with a white, cream-colored glow that glistened brilliantly under the radiant sun. It looked more like a massive sculpture than a venue for events.

Despite passing by the place multiple times during his brief stay at the Academy, Emil always found himself in awe when staring at the building.

I wonder how it’ll feel to fight on its stage.

The Nautilus was one of the few monumental feats of engineering in Ardair. There was no other structure quite like it in the kingdom—not even in the province of Rosales which was known for its splendid culture of aesthetics and performative arts.

Directly adjacent to the Nautilus was the Academy banquet hall. After the final day of the Clash of Dawn, an opulent party was scheduled to be held there.

Let’s think about the food later.

Before he even reached the rear of the Nautilus, he could already hear the excited clamors from spectators funneling into the entrance at the front. Once he arrived at the backdoors with Anna, they were immediately led by the staff to a set of stairs that took them to the basement.

They found themselves in a bland subterranean chamber with several other contestants who arrived early. It was uncomfortably quiet. They weren’t given any instructions besides to wait. A suspenseful unease soon permeated the air. It was obvious that everyone was nervous.

Emil frowned, suddenly overwhelmed by a strange tension. His eyes darted around discretely, trying to confirm his suspicions. Indeed, his senses didn’t deceive him—there were a lot of wary eyes focused on him in the periphery.

“…Is it just me, or are there a lot of people staring at us weirdly?” he whispered to Anna.

“It’s just you.”

“Oh, good.”

“No, as in, they’re just looking at you.”

Emil blinked, perplexed. “Huh? Why?”

“I guess you haven’t been paying attention.” Anna smirked. “One, you already have some infamy as a delinquent who got into a fight on the opening day of the Academy. But more importantly, there’s been a rumor spreading since yesterday about you catching the eye of the Ice Maiden. When asked by a confidant, Liesel didn’t deny her interest.”

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Those rumors must have been from Kai. Emil groaned. He wasn’t naïve to think that the half-Gharian would have sat still after he denied his bet for the Clash of Dawn. But spreading rumors? That left a sour taste in his mouth.

“Compared to the big fishes like the Second Prince Rory von Astrea and Liesel von Belle, you’re an unknown commodity. And yet, for some reason, there’s a lot of eyes and interest on you,” Anna continued while straightening her messy hair, “So naturally, you’ve become a target. If they could take down the mysterious Emil Milligan who’s been monopolizing all of the attention amongst the first years—” Anna shot him a menacing gaze. “—they’ll be able to steal a glimmer of the spotlight for themselves.”

Emil rolled his eyes. Great. Now I got a bounty on my head. His goal to get through the preliminaries relatively safely was now in jeopardy.

As he was lamenting his luck, the doors to the subterranean chamber suddenly slammed shut. The dim lights went off. A wave of panicked gasps rippled across the participants as they were suddenly left in pitch-black darkness.

“Don’t fret,” a gentle voice reverberated through the room. Emil recognized the low-brass timbre as Professor Harold. “We’re transporting you to the Nautilus main stage. Don’t be alarmed if you feel movement beneath your feet. Stay still and listen. There will be an announcer explaining the rules of the preliminaries. Pay careful attention. It will not be repeated again. The preliminaries will start immediately after.”

We’re literally finding out the rules at the same time as the audience? Emil grinned. An uneasy feeling settled in his stomach. The Academy certainly knows how to keep us on our toes.

The subterranean chamber fell silent again. There were the occasional fidgets and coughs, but for the most part, everyone waited with abated breaths.

Suddenly, the floor began to vibrate. A dull, steady hum of grinding gears and metal made its way to his ears. Emil felt the ground beneath his foot push upwards. They were ascending. He narrowed his eyes, trying to look for signs of mana. Nothing. No blue specks or wisps lingered in the vicinity. Whatever powered the ascension of this platform must have been purely mechanical.

I’d imagine it’s using the same principles as the elevators between Lower and Upper Dannan.

They continued to climb. Emil suddenly could hear faint sounds echoing from beyond the darkness of the subterranean chamber. The volume of the noises continuously rose—eventually turning into crescendo of discordance.

Are those the spectators?

Soon, he was able to make out the excited cheers and chatters. They blared from every direction. And then—

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the 75th rendition of the Clash of Dawn!” a female voice resounded from somewhere above, “I’m your host for this event, Melody Lain! For those unfamiliar with me, I’m a second year at Exalted Academy and the champion of the previous Clash of Dawn. Thanks to the Academy’s benevolent decision, I’ve been granted the honor of commentating this prestigious event!”

The previous winner is doing commentary work?

Emil was intrigued. Most of the second-years were currently off-campus in the midst of what the Academy called Praxis—a series of temporary placements at various institutions where students could network and explore the paths they could take as an Exalted in Ardair. As a result, their exposure to the second-years were limited to select few who were doing their Praxis at the Academy.

“Now then, allow me to explain the rules of this preliminary stage! First-years, listen well! This will be only time you’ll be hearing these instructions!” Melody yelled, “In a few minutes, you’ll find yourself alone in a vast field. But don’t worry! Your fellow contestants are likely just a few meters away.

Your objective is to survive and collect as many points as possible. Each of you begins with one point assigned to your name. Gathering more points is simple—you take it by eliminating other contestants! Force them to yield or render them unconscious! Contestants that have been eliminated will instantly forfeit all of their accumulated points to the person that eliminated them.

The preliminary will last no more than sixty minutes or until there are only eight contestants remaining! These eight will advance to the tournament knockout stage. But if the preliminary ends with more than eight contestants still standing, the top eight scorers will advance instead!

Every ten minutes, I’ll also be announcing the current top eight scorers. That is all! I hope you got all of that, because the preliminaries will begin in exactly sixty seconds!”

The end of Melody’s explanation was accompanied by fervor cheers raging across the Nautilus. The noise was so loud that Emil could feel the platform beneath his feet vibrating from the cacophony.

So, it’s a battle royale. Emil shook his head. He expected nothing less from the Academy.

The first initial minutes will probably be the most chaotic. Lots of eliminations will happen quickly as people try to rack up points. There’s also a caveat. There’s no way of knowing how many points an opponent has after the few initial minutes. Unless you’re in one of the top eight when Melody makes her periodic updates.

In other words, being in the top eight too early will place an enormous target on your back.

Emil frowned, pondering his strategy. He was confident that he could take on most individuals amongst the first years. According to Petra, the only person he should try to avoid in a direct one-on-one confrontation was Liesel. There was also the Second Prince Rory and Niall von Ulster based on Anna’s warnings.

I should also add Anna to that list.

He had been on the receiving of her Gift far more times than he liked—enough to be aware of the dangers of her debilitating shocks. And frankly, he also did not want to be the one to eliminate her if the situation necessitated it.

For now, I’ll try my best to avoid the initial chaos.

A loud tremor caught his attention. Emil glanced up. The darkness inside the subterranean chamber was gradually vanquished by the blinding light streaking in from above. A dull metallic groan resounded through the space as the canopy of the chamber opened up. The sound was eventually overpowered by the growing excitement of the crowd. Thunderous claps and screams blared in his ears. Even his skin and bones seemed to be shaking. Emil’s mind blanked—overwhelmed by the intense energy.

As his eyes grew accustomed to the blinding light, he realized that his surroundings had changed significantly. When he first entered the subterranean chamber, it was merely a small empty room with a flat floor and high-arching ceiling.

Now, he found himself amidst a vast stadium that had been terraformed into a battlefield.

Anna isn’t beside me anymore. Did she get moved somehow?

“Contestants! You may have noticed that your surroundings look different! We have built a custom battlefield just for you to showcase your Gifts to fullest! The field of the Nautilus is now split into four quadrants, each with a different geography.

To the northwest is a forested area! To southwest, a desert domain resembling the sands of The Saar! To the southeast, wetlands! And to the northeast grassy plains! Your starting locations have been shuffled at random. Feel free to move to a more favorable spot for your Gift. Don't stray too far though as moving out of bounds will lead to an immediate disqualification!”

Emil glanced down. Beneath his foot was a detachable metallic plate. As the subterranean chamber ascended, they must have slowly shifted them to their current spots while they were distracted by Melody’s explanation.

Looking around, it was clear that he was in the desert section of the field. Sand and rocks, arching and winding in innumerable hills and troughs, filled his field of view.

His starting spot was at the bottom of sand dune.

Not the most ideal place to begin.

The crest and troughs of the sandy terrain made it difficult to discern the positions of nearby contestants. The constant breaks in line of sight created ample hiding spots for ambushes. And if there are people above the sand dune, he was effectively a sitting duck with no cover.

I’ll make my way to the top of the sand dune first.

“Alright, enough talk! The Clash of Dawn will begin in—5, 4, 3, 2, 1…START!”

Thunderous cheers filled the entire stadium as Melody gave the signal to begin.

Emil immediately sprinted towards the apex of the sand dune. His foot sank into the soft sand—dampening the strength of his footsteps. The sensation was bizarre, an extreme contrast against what he known his entire life of stepping on solid ground.

I have to get used to this footing fast.

He grimaced, lamenting his rotten luck in being placed in a terrain that he had no experience fighting in.

First, I need to get my bearings—

His instincts screamed. Emil instantly threw himself to the ground. A chunk of foreign matter whizzed through the air where his head used to be a second ago. There was a solid splash as the projectile landed.

Emil spun towards the attack. A dark green liquid splattered against the sand a few inches away from him. The liquid began to bubble and burn, letting off an eerie smoke as it ate away at the grains of sand beneath it.

Is that…acid?!

He turned away, finding a male contestant poking his head over the edge of a nearby trench fifty meters away from him. Before Emil could move, a shadow suddenly loomed above.

Another contestant emerged from the top of the sand dune. A nasty, arrogant sneer was plastered across his face as he smacked his lips, seemingly delighted at this encounter.

Lastly, Emil’s ears perked at another set of shuffling to his right. In his periphery, he saw a female student stepped out into the open.

Barely a minute had passed and Emil already found himself surrounded.

Oh, for fuck’s sake.