The royal training grounds were packed.
Word had spread faster than intended.
What began as a private wager had drawn nobles, captains, court officials, and a growing crowd along the perimeter walls.
The contest was simple.
Twenty targets.
Placed across the field at varying distances.
Some stood openly at close range.
Others were placed a hundred yards away.
Several were partially concealed behind stone barricades.
A handful were completely hidden, requiring repositioning to reveal.
Each archer would compete alone.
Fastest time.
All bullseyes required.
Order was decided.
Legos first.
Then Heiron.
Then Llandra.
The crowd quieted.
---
Round One: Legos
Legos stepped forward confidently.
His bow shimmered faintly — a well-crafted magical weapon capable of summoning energy arrows.
He exhaled once.
The signal was given.
Go.
The first arrow released like lightning.
Bullseye.
He didn't waste time admiring it.
Second.
Third.
Fourth.
Each shot snapped cleanly, efficient and practiced.
Close targets fell in seconds.
He shifted immediately to mid-range.
His footwork was sharp, almost aggressive.
Two arrows launched in rapid succession at the farthest targets—
They struck.
But slightly off-center.
A faint murmur rippled through the spectators.
Legos' jaw tightened.
Two more arrows.
Clean bullseyes.
He pivoted, sprinted to a new angle, revealing two hidden targets.
Release.
Release.
He completed the final shot with a flourish.
"Forty-four seconds!" the timekeeper called.
Applause followed.
Strong.
Confident.
Impressive.
Legos stepped back with a smirk.
---
Round One: Heiron
The eldest brother moved forward calmly.
No theatrics.
No visible emotion.
The signal sounded.
He did not begin with the close targets.
Instead, he turned immediately and fired toward the furthest ones.
Three shots.
Three bullseyes.
He moved like water — smooth, economical.
Each arrow was loosed with surgical precision.
He never had to fire twice.
Hidden targets were revealed as he shifted angles preemptively, as if he had already calculated their placements.
His final arrow struck dead center.
"Twenty-nine seconds!"
The crowd reacted louder this time.
Even the guards nodded slightly.
Heiron lowered his bow, composed.
That was the standard.
That was the heir.
Most of the crowd believed it was over.
---
Round One: Llandra
Llandra stepped forward.
Silence fell heavier this time.
She stood still for a breath.
Focused.
Centered.
Then—
The signal.
She did not fire one arrow.
She fired five.
Simultaneously.
Five shafts streaked across the field in a spread pattern.
The five furthest targets shattered at once.
Gasps erupted.
She was already moving before the arrows struck.
Three more arrows released mid-stride.
Bullseyes.
She adjusted position fluidly, never stopping.
Two arrows.
Three.
Four.
Targets dropped in clusters.
Hidden barricades meant nothing — she angled her shots around corners with instinctive precision.
She did not waste a single release.
Eight total draws.
Twenty total targets.
All bullseyes.
She lowered her bow.
"Fourteen seconds!"
The field exploded.
Even nobles who had tried to remain reserved broke composure.
Legos stared openly.
Heiron's calm cracked for the first time.
Llandra stood tall.
Not triumphant.
Just steady.
---
The Complaint
"That's not fair!"
Legos stepped forward immediately.
"Her bow enables multi-shot. If she used ours, it would be different. And she went last. She had the advantage."
Murmurs of agreement echoed among some loyalists.
The King and Queen watched carefully.
They had both been archers in their youth.
They recognized multi-shot.
It was not a bow enchantment.
It was a skill.
Jax stepped forward without asking permission.
He reached toward Legos.
"May I?"
Legos hesitated.
Then handed over his bow.
Jax tested the weight once.
Calibrated instantly.
He formed five energy arrows.
Drew.
Released.
The arrows pierced straight through the stone barricades placed in front of several destroyed targets.
The wood behind them shattered at the center point of Llandra's previous bullseyes.
Perfect overlap.
Silence consumed the range.
He hadn't aimed at exposed targets.
He'd shot through walls.
And still struck center.
With Legos' bow.
Jax handed it back calmly.
"It's not the bow," he said evenly.
"It's the user."
Even the wind seemed to pause.
Vaelrith's eyes narrowed slightly.
The Queen inhaled quietly.
The King did not move.
But something in his gaze shifted.
Was this man truly…?
Heiron looked between Llandra and Jax.
Legos' jaw clenched.
The earlier boast now carried weight.
Perhaps the greatest bow user on the continent.
It no longer sounded absurd.
It sounded… possible.
Nyxian stepped forward with a grin.
"Well," she said brightly, clapping once.
"Time for round two."
The crowd leaned forward.
The game was no longer about pride.
It was about proof.
And the Kingdom of Etherevalis was watching closely.