“Hey, princess?” Alexandra called from in front of them. “Why’d you join the Valkyrie Exams?”

Seiji was a bit curious about that himself. If he had to guess, he’d assume it had something to do with her mother.

“I did it to make my mother proud,” Cora confirmed, her words echoing through the stone corridor.

Alexandra flicked at her pointy ear a few times but didn’t turn around to look at Cora.

“I bet your mom’ll be proud of you no matter what you do, though. Right?”

“I suppose she would.”

“Then what’s the real reason? Why are you in the Valkyrie Exam and not training to become a Royal Guard or something?”

“I want to prove to myself that I can pass. I love Haven. I want to be able to serve them and make this world better. I believe that as their princess, I have a duty to become a Valkyrie.”

Alexandra nodded. She folded her hands behind her back and kicked up to her waist with every step like a soldier.

“But, like, aren’t Valkyries terrible people?” Alexandra asked, in such a jovial, childlike tone that it made both Seiji and Cora stiffen.

“Excuse me?” Cora challenged.

“I mean, look at our mission!” Alexandra laughed. She stretched her arms out wide, forcing Alexandros to duck out of the way. “We’re killing people we’ve never seen before, stealing their stuff, then we’re gonna kill their king! Or dictator. Whatever they are.”

“This mission was given to us by Sir Lasko of the Royal Guard!” Cora shouted over clenched fists. “He wouldn’t have given us–”

“You know,” Alexandra interrupted, waving a lazy hand back at Cora. “I bet these ‘demons’ had families and loved ones. Do you even think they’re called demons? What do you think their actual species name is?” She let out an exaggerated sigh. “Besides, we have no context for anything happening here! What if these people are the good guys and we’re the villains? Sir Lasko didn’t even tell us why we’re here. And you know what?” Alexandra turned a single eye onto Seiji and Cora. “I don’t care!” She beamed, spinning with arms raised to the sky. “Do you know how fun it is to kill these things?! The weapons were so cool looking, even though they aren’t Aspected! And look at this armor!” She said, gesturing to herself. “I look like a real White-Winged Valkyrie in this!”

Though they’d only been walking for a few minutes, Seiji couldn’t help but get a horrible sense of deja vu. The last time he’d walked a long, dim path like this, he’d been killed. He wasn’t too keen on dying again, especially not here.

“I wanna be a Valkyrie because they get to do stuff like this all the time!” Alexandra continued. “Doing fun stuff every day with my big bro sounds like a dream!” She leaned into Alexandros, who patted her on the head a few times.

“Valkyries have a responsibility to–” Cora began, but was interrupted by an obnoxiously loud yawn by Alexandros. When she tried to talk again, the boy spoke over her.

“Y’all know what a ‘sideshow’ is?” Alexandros asked in a droll tone.

“I… do not."

“They’re freak shows you find in the middle of nowhere, right?” Seiji asked.

Alexandros tried to snap his fingers through his armored hands but couldn’t, so he turned half-turned and pointed at Seiji. “Yup!” He turned back around and continued.

“When I was alive, I was a ‘Fire Manipulator’.” He flexed his hand, forming then dispersing a tiny fireball in his palm. “I didn’t know how to control it back then, though. All I could do was light myself on fire. It hurt like hell.”

Seiji darkened. Similar places existed in The Ardor, and the kinds of things that happened to the people there… While he regretted many of the murders he’d done, he felt no sympathy for those depraved bastards. Alexandra leaned into Alexandros and threw her arms around his waist.

“Thanks, sis,” Alexandros said, patting her on the head. She didn’t say anything in response. “Me and a few other freaks like me were put in a sideshow back where I came from. A bunch of rich people would eat dinner and do rich people shit while I burned myself alive for their entertainment. You run, you die. You complain, you die. Do anything other than your job or whatever those rich bastards pay you to do, you die.”

“I’m sorry that–” Cora began.

“One day,” Alexandros interrupted, raising a finger in the air. “I decided I’d had enough. I was already thin as a twig, my friends were all dead, and they didn’t need someone my age there.” He shrugged. “So, I cut my losses. I ran off in the middle of winter. Made it a day. Would you believe me if I told you I froze to death?”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

He began to laugh pretty hard, though no one joined him. Alexandra hugged him harder, causing the boy to wheeze through laughs. Cora, meanwhile, walked with a pained expression clear on her face. While Seiji truly felt for the boy, he couldn’t ignore what his gut was practically screaming at him.

This is an ambush.

Seiji cursed himself for not knowing where Selene and Lirio were. Not only had they gone out while he'd been asleep, but Alexandros and Alexandra were aware of that fact. What could they have discussed while he and Cora were asleep? What could they have planned? He recalled the nervous glances Selene made to Cora and the hostile glare Lirio gave to Alexandros. There was no one but the six of them in the Hell Pit. Anything could happen.

“When I woke up, I thought I was in hell. When Alexandra popped up and told me about the Valkyrie Exam, I realized I was in heaven.”

“Big bro!” Alexandra squeezed him tighter, but Alexandros pushed her away when the armor began to creak.

“She told me that she just wants to have fun for the next thirty days. That’s all I’ve wanted my whole life.” Alexandros chuckled, glancing over his shoulder to Cora. “I’ll admit, I’ve spent time thinking about what the Valkyries are and what they do, but honestly? I don’t really care.” He sighed, placing his hands on his hips as he turned away from Cora. “I’m just tired of thinking and worrying all the time.”

As they continued to walk, Seiji saw a door on the horizon. At their current pace, they’d reach it within a minute or two. Slowly, Seiji drew his dagger. It’d be better to have it and not need it than the opposite. As he drew the dragon-hilted blade, he grabbed Cora’s hand and squeezed it a few times. She turned to him, confusion turning to shock as she noticed his dagger. Seiji tilted his head toward the Twins, and Cora gave him a hesitant look. Thankfully, she still at least put a hand over the hilt of her onyx sword.

“Sorry to change the topic, but all that reminded me of something.” Alexandros mused. “You two made us look real bad in the Bond thing the other day.”

“Mhmm!” Alexandra grumbled. “We were gonna try to make a splash so we could go to the Favorite’s Rites.”

“How would that single Bond Event put you in the running for the Favorite’s Rites?” Cora asked.

“It’s what Selene told me on the second day! She said the Favorite’s Rites are gonna be given to the pair with the most potential and the most buzz!”

“We were talking with Selene and her boyfriend about it when we first got to the training hall,” Alexandros added, patting Alexandra on her head. “It’s why we’re here now. The Hell Pit is one of the hardest Bond Events in the Exam. There’s a reason only six of us signed up.”

“Mhmm! That’s why we didn’t let you guys kill any demons yesterday. We wanted to make a splash by clearing the floors ourselves!”

Cora turned to Seiji and gave him a look of sullen resignation. She was finally starting to see what he saw. When Seiji gave her a short nod, she swallowed, turning back to the twins as she tightened her grip on her sword.

“I bet that’s why Selene left with her boyfriend. She wanted to clear the tower with him and make the biggest splash. When the demons respawned and kicked her ass, she came back and tried to play it off!” Alexandra laughed.

Seiji could make the exit out clearly. It was a set of brown wooden doors with two bipedal goats wielding tridents on either door.

We’re almost there…

Alexandros sighed deeply. He pointed a thumb at Cora, though he didn’t turn around. “When you said you wanted to split up, it made me think. And I hate thinking.” He shrugged. “I thought, ‘What would be the best way to make a splash?’. That’s when it hit me! There are no rules against killing!”

Seiji stopped in his tracks, holding Cora back with his arm. He’d known there were no rules against killing, but some things didn’t need to be said. Even if the rules allowed for murder, they couldn’t just allow a Cadet or a Servant to kill the princess. Besides, even if the rules somehow did allow it, Seiji wouldn’t allow anyone to kill the princess anyway. A distant part of him prepared for what was inevitably about to happen. He’d do what needed to be done to protect Cora.

“What are you trying to say?” Seiji asked, his tone a bit too low.

The Twins stopped before the door, examining the carvings as Alexandros spoke up.

“You already know what,” Alexandros said, tracing lines on the door. “What better splash can we make than to kill the king’s kid?”

Seiji formed Dragon Fury in his legs, preparing to lunge for the boy but stopped when they opened the door at the end of the corridor. The mossy-stone room was no larger than his dorm. It was empty, save for the ‘packages’.

Bodies wrapped in cloth lined the floors. They were packaged like sardines. Some of the bodies squirmed under their belt restraints, though most were still. The scent of rot slowly filled the air as flies and other insects flew out of the room. Cora began to lose her balance, but the twins looked wholly unperturbed. They'd clearly been here before.

When the Twins turned around, Seiji made sure to look into their eyes. He already knew what he’d find, but he wanted to be sure. Just as he’d expected, their smiles were wider than he’d ever seen them. In their eyes, Seiji saw the familiar aura he’d grown and cultivated his entire life. The same essence he’d felt from Endora, the Queen, the King, and even Sir Lasko. Bloodlust.

The Twins half-turned to the hidden grotto, raising single hands to the many bodies. Fire formed at their palms, forcing Cora to cry out for them to stop. The Twins release a ball of fire before either Cora or Seiji could stop them. It detonated into a horrific inferno, causing the still-living occupants of the room to cry out in agony. At the same time, a loud, earth-shaking roar sounded from all around them – the sheer bass enough to kick up rocks and other debris in the corridor. Cora fully drew her sword, her expression a clear blend of apprehension and outrage.

“Alexandra Drakos! Alexandros Galanis! State your loyalty to Haven!” Cora demanded.

Alexandra shrugged. “I’m loyal to myself!”

Alexandros laughed. “I’m loyal to my desires.”

“If Haven can provide for me, I’ll provide for it.” Alexandra gave Cora a smile that oozed bloodlust. “Otherwise,” She pointed a thumb at the room of burning corpses.

Cora cloaked her body in Dragon Fury. “You two are unfit to become Valkyrie and Servant! As princess of the Floating City of Haven, I declare–”

“You sure you wanna do that?” Alexandros grimaced, tilting his head to the side. He unsheathed his serrated sword, pointing it at Seiji. “You’re only as strong as your weakest link. He’s a Tier 3, so you’re a Tier 3 team. You’re on a Tier 6 Excursion with a Tier 4 Team,” he gestured to himself and Alexandra with his free hand. “And a Tier 5 team,” he pointed up at the sky, presumably at Lirio and Selene.

“Mhmm! Besides, you two don’t fight well together! I watched you two trip over each other on the second floor!”

“Like she said, this isn’t a winning fight for you.” Alexandros nodded. He took a step closer, lowering his sword. “Look, we’re pretty aggressive, but we can be gentle when we need to be! If you don’t fight back, we’ll make it qui–”

“Make your move.”

Seiji lowered into a battle stance and cloaked his entire body in Dragon Fury. Cora still seemed reluctant to fight, but that was fine. She didn’t need to. He’d kill these two by himself. So what if they were a Tier 4 team? They weren’t him. They hadn’t been forced to kill to survive. He’d been forced to fight to the death against people far stronger than him, and he made it out each time. There was something about fighting for your life that always brought the best out of someone. Sure, these two had bloodlust, but they hadn’t bathed in it. A hideous, toothy grin began to creep its way onto Seiji’s face.

“Show me what Fate Has Decided.”