A full month after that event, the Earth Empire was experiencing an exceptional day.
Brown and green banners fluttered in the sky, and the sound of drums rose from every direction. Children ran through the alleys with loud laughter, merchants called out to sell their wares, while stalls had spread around the great arena near Zazil City, the main capital of the Earth Empire.
The arena was enormous, circular in shape, its high stone walls rising as if part of a mountain. Bleachers surrounded it from every side, filled to capacity with people—laughing, talking, pointing, excited for the battle.
In a long, dimly lit corridor leading directly to the arena, the seven Emperors walked with confident steps.
At their head was Emperor Arkan, his body straight, his gaze steady. In his hand, he carried the Emperor's Scepter—a long scepter of dark metal, topped with a crystalline stone that pulsed with a faint light, as if it were a living heart.
Behind him walked the six Emperors.
Luminas, Raymond, and Ronald walked side by side, while on the other side, Aqualis, Ranius, and Regas walked in coordinated steps. Each bore upon their features clear confidence in their heirs, and the weight of the name they represented.
Raymond, unlike the others, looked around with obvious boredom. He sighed, then flashed his malicious smile, tilted his head slightly toward Ronald, and said in a sarcastic tone:
«Such tedious silence… Was it for this we waited an entire month?»
Ronald shot him a sidelong glance and said coldly:
«This is the day of battles, not a day for your amusement, Raymond.»
Raymond laughed lightly and said:
«On the contrary, it is the best day for amusement. Watching the princes fall… immensely entertaining.»
Before Ronald could reply, Arkan suddenly stopped, without turning around, and said in a quiet yet firm voice:
«Enough.»
Silence fell immediately, and the two Emperors exchanged a brief glance. Arkan continued walking, and everyone followed without another word, until the corridor opened onto the other side, where the princes' private chambers were located.
---
In one of those chambers, Agnes sat near the stone balcony, staring at the arena in awe.
«It's… the largest arena I've ever seen!» she said to herself, her eyes widening.
Rizev sat on a wooden chair, calm as always, his back straight and his gaze steady. Agenor, meanwhile, was training in the corner of the room, throwing punches in the air, breathing rapidly, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.
Agnes's thoughts crowded in again.
Will I be able to win?
And who will be my opponent?
Suddenly… one name came to mind.
Lacis…
She clenched her fist unconsciously.
"I just hope… that it's not Lacis."
Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden knock at the door.
She rose quickly and opened it to find Diana with a wide smile. The moment she saw Agnes, she rushed to embrace her tightly.
«Agnes! I missed you!» she said enthusiastically.
Agnes returned the embrace and smiled sincerely:
«I missed you too, Diana.»
Diana pulled back slightly, took Agnes's hands, and said quickly:
«I'm sorry I didn't send a letter; I've been so busy.»
Agnes shook her head with a gentle smile:
«It's alright, Diana. I've been busy training too.»
Diana laughed, raising her head with clear pride:
«Today you will see my true power! I will crush the princes!» Then she laughed loudly.
Agnes smiled inwardly and said to herself:
"Diana… you haven't changed at all."
Diana suddenly stopped laughing and said excitedly:
«I have to go now. I need to prepare myself. The challenge starts soon! Goodbye!»
Then she ran quickly toward the Earth princes' chamber.
Agnes waved her hand and whispered to herself:
"I just… hope we're not opponents."
She turned to go back inside, but suddenly stopped.
Rizev stood before her, motionless, his gaze unusually sharp.
He spoke in a quiet, but cold voice:
«Who is that, Agnes?»
She swallowed and smiled nervously:
«She's Diana, Princess of Earth… my friend and—»
Rizev interrupted her immediately, his voice harsher now, carrying suppressed anger:
«She is not a friend.»
Agnes lifted her head in shock. He continued:
«Agnes, she is our opponent. And you must treat opponents as you would treat the thing you hate most.»
Agnes lowered her eyes and said to herself sadly:
"She is your opponent… I see them only as friends."
His sharp voice cut through her thoughts:
«Understood?»
She smiled tensely and said quickly:
«Y… Yes, brother. Don't worry.»
Rizev turned away and said:
«Good.»
He entered the room, and Agnes followed with slow steps, unease heavy in her chest, while outside… the voices of the crowd rose, announcing the imminent start of the battles.
---
On the other side, in the middle of the square, people were flooding into the arena, the crowding suffocatingly intense. Shoulders collided, voices overlapped, the very air seemed heavy with noise.
At the heart of that chaos, a tall man forced his way through. He had long black hair cascading over his shoulders, and sharp red eyes that practically blazed with anger. He wore elegant black clothes, unsuited for this crowded place.
His face was scowling, his veins bulging with intense fury as he violently pushed people aside.
«Damn it!» he muttered through clenched teeth.
Then he suddenly raised his voice:
«Why won't you vermin move aside?! Move!»
He pushed one man, then another, continuing his march while shouting:
«I am the great Cilion! Am I to jostle with commoners like this?!»
Suddenly, a calm voice came from behind him, belonging to a man of roughly his height.
«Calm down, Cilion… we're near the gate.»
Cilion turned halfway to find Richard behind him—a man with long, water-blue hair and calm Nile-colored eyes. He too wore noble attire, but his features were far more composed.
Cilion shouted agitatedly:
«Richard! Don't push me so hard!»
Richard replied in a steady tone:
«I'm not pushing you. The ones behind me are pushing.»
Before the situation could settle, a third voice intervened, hoarse but sarcastic:
«No… it was me pushing you! Hahahaha!»
Both men stopped abruptly.
Richard turned his head, his eyes widening slightly:
«Venille?!»
Behind them stood an old, bald man with a long white beard and green eyes gleaming with malice. He wore elegant, slightly feminine attire and leaned on an ornate wooden cane.
Cilion immediately shouted, his veins bulging:
«You senile old man! You're still alive?!»
Venille laughed loudly, waving his cane:
«Hahaha! Cilion, I'm a cat with nine lives! I die and come back!»
Richard sighed, with mild annoyance:
«Enough talk, both of you. Let's find a way out of this crowd.»
As he looked around, he suddenly spotted an empty corridor to the side.
He pointed quickly:
«There! Let's go through that passage.»
The three grabbed hold of one another and began to push through with difficulty, until they finally withdrew from the crowd and entered the empty corridor.
Silence fell for a moment, broken only by the sound of their footsteps.
But as soon as they reached the end of the corridor, a wide view opened before them.
They stopped abruptly.
They were… in the middle of the arena.
Richard looked around calmly, then said:
«It seems… we took the wrong path.»
Cilion shouted, raising his hands nervously:
«Haaa! What a terrible day!»
Above, in the large seats reserved for the Emperors, Emperor Luminas leaned forward slightly, staring at the three men, then said in astonishment:
«Are those not… the former Emperors?»
Aqualis replied with obvious bewilderment:
«Yes… but what are they doing in the middle of the arena?»
Suddenly, Aqualis stood up and called out loudly:
«Hey! Father! What are you doing down there?!»
The three raised their heads simultaneously.
Richard looked at the elevated seats and raised an eyebrow sardonically:
«They sit in private boxes… and we fight the crowds?»
Cilion muttered angrily:
«Lunatics!»
Suddenly, Venille shouted angrily, pointing his cane at Raymond's seat:
«Raymond! You ungrateful wretch! You sit comfortably and leave your elderly father among the commoners?! How dare you even sit?!»
Raymond smiled, leaning his arm on the seat, and said with clear sarcasm:
«Simple… I place my backside on the seat, and thus I sit.»
Venille's face flushed red; he struck the ground with his cane:
«You scoundrel! Speak to me with respect!»
People around the arena began staring in astonishment, whispering, some pointing with trembling fingers, others laughing.
Suddenly, Emperor Arkan rose from his seat, looked at them with respect, and said in a resounding voice:
«I apologize for my negligence, Your Majesties. I beg your forgiveness.»
The three did not respond.
Arkan continued calmly:
«Zir, come and escort Their Majesties to their seats.»
Cilion turned sharply and said with bewilderment:
«And who… is Zir?»
Suddenly, without any warning, a strange figure leaped high into the air with an acrobatic flip, spinning multiple times, then landed lightly near the three Emperors.
He spread his arms in a theatrical bow and said in an exaggerated, showman-like manner:
«Ladies and gentlemen, my esteemed Emperors! Your humble servant Zir is with you, and I shall have the honor of being the official host and presenter of this great battle!»
Before he could finish his movements, a wooden cane came down hard on his head.
THWACK!
Zir grabbed his head, hopping in pain, and cried out in a loud, pitiful voice:
«Owwww! Why did you hit me, Your Majesty?!»
Venille stood before him, clutching his cane irritably, his features angry.
«Shut up, you clown!» he said sharply, then continued:
«And take me to my seat! My back is starting to ache!»
Zir quickly shook his head, his features pained:
«Alright, alright, Your Majesty! As you command!»
Zir gestured hurriedly and led them toward the designated seats, while the three Emperors sat with scowling faces, radiating angry glances.
And when he had moved a little away, Zir muttered to himself, breathing rapidly:
"I need to leave before they actually kill me…"
Zir leaped again with an elegant acrobatic flip, landed in the center of the arena, then raised his voice enthusiastically, waving his arms:
«Now that everyone has arrived, we shall begin the challenge!»
He paused a moment, then said in a formal tone:
«But, before that… the great Emperor, Emperor of the Earth Empire, Arkan, will address the masses!»
All eyes turned at once toward Arkan.
The Emperor slowly rose from his seat, placed his hands quietly behind his back. Silence fell over the arena, as if all sound had been swallowed at once.
The laughter stopped, the whispers faded, and nothing remained but the sound of a gentle breeze.
Arkan spoke in a steady, deep voice, carrying the majesty of years:
«O people…»
Heads bowed unconsciously.
«Today is not a day for blind combat, nor an empty display of power.»
He paused a moment, his gaze sweeping across the arena.
«Today is a day of selection.»
A faint murmur rose among the people.
«Here, in this arena, the heirs of the empires will show who deserves to carry the name, and who deserves to stand in the back ranks.»
He clenched his fist slightly behind his back and said firmly:
«Strength alone is not enough. The mind, discipline, and the ability to make decisions… these are what we seek.»
Then he concluded his speech in a stern tone:
«Let the battles begin… and let each heir prove their worth before earth and sky. And let everyone remember: this battle is not for humiliation, but to strengthen relations and for reconciliation.»
A heavy silence lingered for seconds, then the arena erupted in cheers.
Voices rose, applause swelled, while Zir smiled widely, hopping in place with excitement.
«The show has now begun!»