Kai opened his eyes excitedly and jumped out of his bed—if you could call it that. He grabbed his clothes, sprawled on the floor, and put them on. Then he ran towards the door, throwing it open. Today was the day, the day to achieve greatness.
He stepped through the doorway, his stomach grumbling. He looked up at the sky; the sun was still hanging low, casting long shadows over the city. Eldoria was so pretty when the sun hung low. Kai knew he would have enough time before the opening ceremony started.
He put his hand in his pocket, feeling for a few coins. He barely had any, but it would be enough to get him a piece of bread. Pulling out the coins, he counted them and headed towards the market.
Due to the festivities, the market was filled with vibrant colours and more bustling than ever. It made sense; it had been twenty years since the last game, and Kai would finally get his chance this year.
Navigating the market, he could barely get through the mass of people. But he didn’t mind. The sounds of festivities reminded him of his chance today; he could ascend. The idea of it already made him drool.
“Are you going to buy anything?” a merchant said, the smell of fresh bread pulling Kai away from his thoughts.
“Ah! Yeah, of course,” he said as he crouched down to look at the bread. The smell of it was pure ecstasy to him—fresh bread. He looked at the price card: 10 Solars. Again, he was reminded of his origins. His only difference from a beggar was the shabby hut he called a house.
But today was special. He looked back at the coins in his hand: 11 Solars. “Give me one of your finest breads,” he said, showing the coin to the merchant.
The merchant grabbed the coins out of Kai’s hand, immediately putting one under his teeth to check its worth. When he knew the coin was real, he nodded, picked up one of the breads, and gave it to Kai. Excitedly, Kai grabbed the piece of bread and immediately took a bite.
“The opening ceremony will start soon!” an announcement called over the bustling marketplace. “Please come; we’ve all been waiting for this event!”
Kai threw away his excitement over the bread and immediately started moving through the masses. People were coming from every corner of the city: martial fighters from the temple, Aetherbinders from the academy, and Mindweavers from the magistrate. Everybody was coming for the Eternal Game, for it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Each generation had one opportunity; it was Kai’s turn this time. The city was filled with anticipation for the outcome of this game as people from all over the region came to Eldoria to witness it.
Kai kept pushing through the crowd as the arena slowly came into view. Its architecture would baffle most people, as it looked like a structure that didn’t belong. Its design was so alien, the almost glowing pure white stone made you look away from it, if not for the intricate details carved into it.
Statues stood at its top—men and women with wings, carrying shields and swords. They looked so lifelike you would think they would wake up if they sensed any threat.
A grand entrance stood at the centre of the arena, funnelling in all the people daring to enter the games. Anyone could join the games, which was the way it had always been. And everyone would, as the game would reward its challengers with fame and riches most had never seen in their lives.
Kai made his way into the arena, barely seeing the stage that stood in its middle. On it, he could scarcely make out the figures of a couple of people. It could be anyone’s guess who could be standing there.
“Welcome!” a voice called out. “Please find a spot to stand,” said a man on the podium, wearing what looked like a white gown. “We will start the pairing ceremony shortly, but before we do, let me remind you of the Eternal Game.
“It has been twenty years since the last game, as you all surely know, so today marks the start of the next game. The game allows us lowly mortals to ascend to become legends. Centuries ago, it was created by the divine, hallow their name.” He announced, with a moment of silence.
“Today, some of you will get the chance to stand at their sides.” The arena cheered, Kai joining them, as excitement surged through his system. “And the rest will have the luck of enjoying the game's festivities.
“As with every game, it will be overseen by one of the venerable Mindweavers,” he said, pointing towards the five figures wearing black gowns behind him. “The most exalted of them shall explain the rules to you.” He said, walking back to join the figures as one of them stood up.
The black gown seemed to wave unnaturally in the wind as the crowd became silent from his presence. “I welcome you all,” an old, rugged voice said. “I’m the Grand Weaver, and I’m glad to join you all in these festivities.
“I will now explain the rules. Elite Mindweavers will oversee these from the magistrate. You must be present at the pairing ceremony to join the Eternal Game. Here, you will be paired with another challenger. Together as duelists, you will compete in the game.
“The game consists of three trials, held weeks apart. In these trials, pairs will be eliminated as they fail to complete the trials or are bested by their opponents. The last three pairs will be declared the winners.
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“In these trials, it is encouraged to use your abilities, be it Martial, Mindweaving, or Aetherbinding.” He said, the crowd cheering in response. “We expect the competition to be fierce, but strict rules exist against sabotage and unethical behaviour. Reckon yourself warned. Now, I ask every participant between 15 and 35 to go to the pairing hall.” He said, ending his speech.
The crowd made way for the participants, and Kai quickly joined the stream of youngsters like him. Kai couldn’t wait to hear with whom he would be paired; it could be anyone. When he entered the pairing hall, he noticed some were already standing in the hall.
The children of notable families had already been waiting for the ones of lesser families. Kai couldn’t help but click his tongue; it would be hard for him to compete against them. These children had all the resources needed to become fitting challengers of the game.
This would be something that Kai would struggle with. He had tried to get into the academy but wasn’t accepted because he had no notable talent for Aetherbinding. He had joined a small martial temple, where he had learned to fight, but it was nothing compared to what the children of high heritage had.
“Welcome, Challengers,” another Mindweaver said as the door closed to the hall. “You’ll be paired with another participant. To do this, we have two crystals in front of us. These crystals are called cresting crystals and will give you a crest randomly when you put your palm on the crystal. The person with the same crest will be your fellow duelist.” Murmurs of excitement went through the hall.
“Now, please form into two lines so we can start the pairing,” the Mindweaver said, and they all slowly moved into the line. Kai had entered the hall as one of the last ones. He had to wait long for his turn as the line slowly moved forward. With each step, his anticipation grew tenfold.
Suddenly, a voice shouted, “What is this! Why am I paired with a peasant?” one of the contestants called out. “How will I win if paired with a useless peasant?” It was a young man wearing purple robes. Next to him stood a young girl who seemed to look around timidly, surprised by her partner’s outcry.
Kai looked around, trying to gauge the reaction of the other contestants. A few high heritage children were grinning as they looked at the scene. The other contestants were surprised by his outcry. Participants weren’t uncommon to be unhappy with their pairing, but most would not voice them aloud.
Finally, it was Kai’s turn. He walked forward towards the crystal in front of him. “Put your palm on it; you should feel a slight burn,” the Mindweaver behind the crystal said. Kai looked up, and she smiled at him, thinking he was scared.
He put his palm on the crystal, and it glowed in response. He felt a burning sensation in his hand and wanted to pull it away, but he knew he couldn’t. When the crystal's light stopped, he pulled his hand off it and walked to the side.
With excitement, he looked at the crest on his hand. This would be his symbol. When he became a legend, this symbol would be plastered on his temples. On his hand was a design showing the sun partially covered by the moon, with a halo around it. The black ink seemed to move around like the sun was shining on his palm.
He looked around, seeing the other contestants walking around, their palms raised to show their crests. He did the same, looking for his partner. His eyes scanned every crest that came into view, but none were the Eclipse crest.
Until he found a girl wearing a crimson tunic with a fitting chest plate made of darkened steel. The chest plate was engraved with flames and feathers. A sleek blade hung at her side. She had an air of elegance and practical combat readiness.
Kai walked up to her as she laid eyes on him. He showed her his crest. The air around her seemed to falter as she looked Kai up and down. Kai smiled, trying to ease the apparent awkwardness between them.
“I’m Kai. It seems we’ll be paired up with each other,” he said. “I know I might not be your ideal partner, but I promise you I’m more useful than I seem.” A slight chuckle escaped from him.
But the cold eyes of the girl didn’t seem to ease; they seemed to grow harder. “I should’ve known this would happen,” she said.
A young man walked toward the two of them, wearing a golden chest plate adorned with lions. His appearance was baffling, with blond hair and green eyes. “It seems the young lady Ashborne was also paired with a peasant,” he said as another young man snickered behind him.
“What has Goldmane to say to me?” the girl retorted.
“Goldmane?” Kai repeated, looking at the young man standing in front of them.
“Once a cursed family, always a cursed family. I commend your decision to join the pairing ceremony, even though you already knew the results would be less than favourable,” he said. “I’ll enjoy crushing you in the trials.” He then looked at Kai and chuckled, stepping away from the two.
“What was his deal?” Kai asked.
Elara stepped in front of Kai. “I’m Elara Ashborne. We’ll be each other’s partners, but I’m here to remind you that it does not make us equals. I’m here to win, and if you can’t manage the heat, you’ll burn in the fire,” Elara said.
Kai stood baffled in front of Elara, unable to respond. He couldn’t have been happier with the pairing. Getting paired with someone of high heritage was like winning the lottery for someone like him. But clearly, she didn’t see it the same way.
Before he could say anything back, one of the Mindweavers announced, “You’ll now be led to your quarters, where you will get the time to prepare for the first trial, which will be hosted in a week. Training rooms will be prepared for each group of duelists, which will be available to you in the coming weeks. Now, the arena servants will show you the way to your quarters.”
The crowd of contestants began to disperse, following behind their respective servants. Kai and Elara followed them down the long corridor. Their footsteps echoed through the stone walls, while Elara didn’t say a thing to him.
They finally reached their quarters. It was a modest room equipped with two beds separated by curtains. In the middle of the room stood a table. To the side was a door that led to their training room, filled with various training equipment and weapons.
Kai looked at it all, baffled by the things he had never had access to. He glanced at Elara, who was inspecting the room critically. “This is better than I expected,” he said, trying to lighten the mood.
Elara glanced at him, her expression unreadable. “It’s adequate,” she replied curtly. “We’ll need to make the most of our time here to have any chance in the trials.”
Kai nodded. “I think it would be best to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. I’ve trained in martial arts, but I don’t have any significant Aetherbinding abilities. What about you?”
Elara looked at him for a moment before responding. “I specialise in Aetherbinding and swordsmanship,” she answered. “My Aetherbinding skills are limited to fire.”
“Alright, it would be best to spar against each other. This way, we can see how we can complement each other’s skills,” Kai said.
Elara nodded in response, and they moved towards the training room. Elara drew her sword. “Let’s see what you’ve got, Kai.”