“Hey, princess. How long until we get to the System Ceremony? I’d like to understand this situation a lot–”
“For the third time, we’ll be there shortly! Also, don’t call me princess! It sounds like an insult from you.”
As they walked, Seiji took in his surroundings. The Floating City of Haven was very… gold. According to Cora, it was due to the magic keeping the city afloat mixing with the clouds – changing how the sun illuminates the city. Seiji thought she was just being humble. Between the white and gold clothing they both wore, the shimmering yellow light illuminating the city, and the many white buildings that quite literally had gold layered into them, Seiji couldn’t help but feel a bit beyond his station. The Ardor was a rough collection of sheds, shacks, and overgrown buildings cobbled together in the middle of a canyon. Those buildings were lined with dirt, stains of dubious origin, and rotting corpses. Here, autumn-tinted greenery added color to the white and gold architecture. In a word, Haven was… clean.
The townspeople, meanwhile, were the least surprising of everything he’d seen today – though Seiji imagined his lack of surprise was because he’d already met Cora. So when he saw men and women with elf ears, cow horns, or cat tails, he wasn’t entirely taken aback. They reminded him of the many fantasy books he'd read back on The Ardor – though it wasn't like there was much else to do there.
After a while, he noticed the similarity they all seemed to share – whenever he and Cora drew near, they’d move out of the way and begin to mutter. Seiji assumed it was due to Cora’s Royal status, but he’d been trained to interrogate in situations like this – just to be sure. He said as much to Cora, but a sharp glare was enough to stop that line of thought dead in its tracks. Seiji instead decided to change the topic to one he’d actually been quite curious about.
“So, princess. How does this city manage to stay afloat?”
Cora glared at him, but said nothing.
“Forgive me, Cora. How does Haven stay afloat?”
“Ah! I’m so glad you asked.”
Seiji rolled his eyes.
“Haven was raised 10,000 meters from the ground during the Halo Era by the Valkyries to protect against invaders. This city is home to the royal guard, the royal family, the Valkyries – whenever they aren’t on a mission – and their families. Everyone you see here is either strong enough to turn your old home to dust, or they know someone who is.”
Seiji weighed her words, curiosity growing with every second. He’d been regarded as one of the strongest people alive in The Ardor. Yet, here in Haven, he was… nobody. While the assassin in him enjoyed being an unknown, the cocky young man wasn’t so pleased.
“Is there a way for me to get that strong?” Seiji asked, dimly excited.
Cora stopped in her tracks. Seiji turned to her and was met with an excited smile. The two stopped before a door of a particularly large building, at least, large in comparison to the buildings they’d been walking past.
“That’s what the System Ceremony is for!” She beamed.
He did his best to mirror her enthusiasm with a half-smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. She didn’t seem to mind the unpracticed gesture, though. Rather, she dragged Seiji toward the door and threw it open, ushering the boy inside.
If the city of Haven was mesmerizing, the ballroom they entered was absolutely regal. The walls of the gold and ivory room each had three arches set within, marble statues of winged women illuminated from below. At the leftmost wall stood a stage where four women played in a string quartet, consuming the focus of the room’s occupants. A massive black chandelier lit the ballroom in a soft, yellow glow as floral scents passed through the room. All about the ballroom were round tables draped in fine linens set for two. It took everything for Seiji to not gawk at the sheer opulence of the room.
He must’ve given something away, though, as Cora’s almost smug expression forced Seiji to admit his true feelings.
“This place looks… beautiful.”
“Right?” Cora nodded furiously. “I’ve only been here a few times.” She grabbed Seiji’s wrist, ushering him toward a table with their names written on a folded card.
When they were seated, Seiji scanned the room once more. Not counting the string quartet, there were about thirteen young women at thirteen separate tables, each accompanied by a single young man. They each wore the same white and gold outfit he and Cora did. Seiji imagined they were all the same age, likely some sort of requirement for the Valkyrie Exam. Seemingly following his gaze, Cora spoke to him.
“There are sixteen Valkyrie Cadets and sixteen Servants in total. There was a long tryout process, but it wasn’t that bad.” Cora shrugged. “All we had to do was fight each other and train with a retired Valkyrie for a few days.”
“I see,” Seiji nodded. “Was there anyone there that you struggled against?”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Though Seiji wasn’t yet sure what exactly the Valkyrie Exam would entail, he could easily guess that combat trials would be part of it. If there was a Valkyrie Cadet they needed to be wary of, perhaps Seiji could challenge her to a fight? It’d be useful in developing counter-strategies against her.
“The only girl that gave me trouble was this girl named Selene Andris. She’s a Tauran– ah. The people with horns and thin tails” Cora said, pointing upwards with fingers beside her temples. “Anyway,” she continued. “She's a Tauran with long black hair and these scars all over her body, but not her face. She fights like a Royal Guard – hits like one too. Anyway, she can be quite frustrating, but she has such a short temper it’s hilarious! I remember during tryouts…”
Seiji decided to leave Cora to her rambling. He knew he wasn’t the greatest conversationalist in Haven. Hell, he was barely a decent conversationalist in The Ardor. So, he did what always seemed to work for him – adding on to whatever Cora said. They fell into a routine, Cora talking about some aspect of the tryout and Seiji asking for clarification. She was clearly absorbed by the conversation. So absorbed, that she didn’t notice as a slender young woman with black hair and curled black horns approached their table alongside a brown-skinned, curly-haired young man.
“Hello, Princess.” Selene smiled. Though her words were clear and respectful, Seiji could sense the hostility in her tone.
Cora’s entire demeanor changed in an instant, all traces of prior amusement gone. She stood and turned to Selene, the two engaging in a brief staredown before Cora accepted her hand.
“Hello, outsider. I hope you’ve been resting well this past month. I know tryouts were just brutal on your body.”
For a split second, Seiji saw Selene’s calm facade crack. Just as quickly, she corrected herself and responded.
“...I have come here to introduce you to my Servant.”
Selene gestured to the young man beside her.
“My name is Lirio Silva.” the Servant, Lirio, said. He placed a hand to his chest. “Princess, I am truly grateful for the hospitality shown by your generous family.”
Cora gave the boy a light curtsy before speaking. “On behalf of the Royal Family of Haven, it is our pleasure to care for you during the Valkyrie Exams. It is my greatest wish that you enjoy your temporary stay in my home.”
As Cora spoke those last words, Selene’s face twisted into a frown. Seiji watched her and did his best not to laugh. He’d have to give Cora her credit, she knew how to get under peoples’ skin. He immediately recalled their first meeting, and how ready he was to kill her – before their power gap was made clear. Seiji imagined Selene being the one pinned to the wall, all while Cora kept her dignified expression plain. What even was Selene’s plan? Come over to introduce her Servant? Back on The Ardor, grudges were settled with action, not words.
“This is my Servant, Seiji Otsuki.” Cora spoke, motioning towards Seiji.
”Is he not capable of introducing himself?”
Seiji was a bit surprised to find Selene’s Servant, Lirio, had been the one to insult him. Selene, for one, looked utterly unphased. So this was their plan? That was fine. Seiji stood to his full height, though Lirio stood a head taller than him. That didn’t matter, though, Lirio was far from intimidating.
“Thanks for introducing me, princess. I was scared these two were gonna hurt me!”
Cora seemed taken aback by Seiji’s words, as did Selene. Lirio, however, looked down on him, his expression darkening. Ignoring the boy’s glare, Seiji moved between Selene and Lirio, placing an arm around their shoulders. Both of them turned to him in shock, but he spoke before they could.
“Look, Cora. People like them,” Seiji began, pointing at Selene and Lirio with his thumbs. “Are nothing but bladeless daggers. They talk, they jab, then they fail.” As Cora looked on in astonishment, Seiji flicked their heads.
“See? Nothing!”
With a smile, Seiji sat back in his seat and laughed deeply. Selene, finally having gathered herself, looked down at Seiji with utter contempt.
“Who in the hell do you think you–”
“Oh, hush!” Cora interjected, all traces of royal decorum gone. She wore the same smug expression she had when Seiji gawked at the ballroom. “Seiji’s right, I don’t feel like dealing with… this today.” She said, waving her hand in a circle. “If you aren’t going to say anything useful or do something meaningful, you can shut up and leave!”
Selene stood dumbfounded, struggling to find her words. This was far more interesting than Cora’s tryout stories. With a laugh, Seiji continued.
“Hold on, Cora. Maybe she has some family to introduce to you! Scathing. Maybe she’ll go in for the kill and show us some pet photos?”
Cora matched Seiji’s laugh, slowly drawing eyes from the other Cadets and Servants. Selene’s cheeks reddened as Lirio grimaced.
“I’m so hurt! Seiji, I don’t think I can continue the Exams.” Cora cried, clutching at her chest.
“You abhorrent little…” Selene clutched her hands into fists.
“Assholes!”
Cora and Seiji turned to each other and gasped. As their eyes met, they howled with laughter. Seiji found himself struggling to breathe as Cora wiped constantly returning tears from her eyes. As the two went on, drawing more attention to themselves, Lirio grabbed Selene’s arm and ushered the girl away.
The two continued on with their laughter for a long while. To his own surprise, Seiji was the first to speak.
“I didn’t think she’d get so mad!”
That was a bit of a lie. Seiji noticed how poorly she’d hidden her own frustration, so he wanted to see what would happen if he pushed her. He didn’t think Cora would join in. Seiji was used to doing things like this for his own amusement.
“You should’ve been there at the tryouts! I remember this one time Selene and I…”
Unlike the first time Cora spoke about their tryouts, Seiji found he’d been listening to her with rapt attention. It was no surprise, then, that a tinge of bitterness hit him as a man ushered the room to silence and attention.
“Cadets. Servants. Please rise.”
Every Cadet stood with clearly practiced poise at the words. Cora, without looking at him, ushered for him to do the same. When Seiji met the man’s eyes, he knew that was the King. While his youthful face, feline ears, and unique lack of any crown betrayed that image, years of experience allowed Seiji to know who he was dealing with. The King had an… aura. He was filled with a dread he hadn’t felt since his first kill. Though the man smiled softly at him, Seiji felt no comfort from the gesture.
“That’s your father, ri–”
Cora turned to Seiji, hissed at him, then turned back to her father. He hadn’t taken his eyes off of them… off of him. The silver-armored man ran a hand through brown hair and leaned back. Was he holding back a laugh? Before Seiji could answer his own question, the man spoke.
“My name is Vassilis Lambros, King of the Floating City of Haven. Cadets and Servants, it is my honor to personally welcome you all to this year's Valkyrie Exam.”