The black void dissolved like burnt paper, revealing the stoked audience.
Jocelyn and Shin stood on the Knight Stage, while Bom Soo Ahn and Mord remained on their respective Pawn platforms. For a long several seconds, there was only the sound of heavy breathing and the rustle of wind through the digital leaves.
"Did... did we win?" Mord broke the silence, now in his normal physical, visible form.
The referee, floating on a localized wind disc, below the audience stand and above the Knight stage, looked between the two Knights. He glanced at the readings on his holographic display—Shin's vitals had flatlined for a microsecond inside the domain, triggering an automatic loss.
"The first round goes to Emmerich Orion Wilhelm Camp!" the referee declared, thrusting his left arm into the air.
A thunderous roar erupted from the stands.
"YES!" Bridge, Vesper, and Rosalind screamed in unison from the balcony. As the crowd went wild with cheers and applause an eerily laugh echoing through the cheers, Rosalind clutched her chest, her face pale with relief. "I thought everything was lost when the screen turned black! I couldn't see a thing!"
"I never doubted them," Vesper declared, though her eyes remained narrowed, fixed on the stage below.
While the crowds cheered, Jocelyn and Shin remained motionless. They stared at each other. Shin's eyes were wide, his pupils pinpricks of pure, unadulterated trauma. He was checking his wrists, then his lap, making sure his hands and legs were still attached.
"Shin! What happened to you?!" Bom Soo Ahn cried out. The massive plant carrying her Bora lumbered over to the Knight stage and lowered her to the ground. She rushed to his side. "I was hearing your screams through the sprout! She grabs him, turning him towards her.Hey, Shin, answer me!"
Mord walked toward Jocelyn, his blue cape flaring like wind was blowing at it. "Jocelyn? What happened there?"
Jocelyn suddenly snapped out of her trance. She didn't just move—she exploded into motion, performing a series of rapid, manic cartwheels across the stage.
"WE WON!" she shrieked with a giggle, landing in a perfect split. "Hahaha! How's that? As expected, of course! And nothing happened in there, Mord! Absolutely nothing!"
She teleported instantly, reappearing right beside Shin and throwing a heavy, possessive arm around his shoulders.
Shin flinched so hard he nearly fell over.
"Nothing happened, right, Shin?" Jocelyn cooed, her pink eyes—now hidden behind her green emerald projection again—drilling into his soul.
Shin let out a jagged, nervous chuckle. He reached up, slowly taking Jocelyn's arm off him, and held her hand in a firm, shaking grip. "Yeah... yeah. It was actually a good match. I'm sure after this you would consider me a good sparring partner, right?"
He looked at her with the eyes of a man pleading for his life. "You won't mind if I got your contact info... right?"
"Oh, I'll think about it," Jocelyn replied, her grin widening.
"Why are you asking for this fiend's number, Shin?!" Bom Soo Ahn shouted, breaking their handshake with a sharp, stinging slap. "You still haven't told me what she did to you in there! You were screaming, and now you're asking for a date?!"
"Don't worry, Soo," Shin said, his voice hollow. "I conceded. Nothing happened. Jocelyn and I are... friends now."
"Yeah, he conceded," Jocelyn added helpfully. She reached out and, with a flick of her fingers, pulled a small piece of paper from behind Shin's ear. "And here's my number."
Mord approached the group, his analytical mind sensing the thick, jagged tension in the air. "The atmosphere here is... jarring. He thought, Regardless, we won. " Jocelyn!" he calls out "let's leave. Our match is done."
As the winning team exited, Vesper stood at the railing, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. The audience cheers and excitement clouding in the background.
What happened when everything turned black? she wondered. Shin used an Echo Eeres, and it was the Domain kind. Those aren't rare, but they are supposed to give the user absolute control. How did Jocelyn and Mord win inside a world Shin created?
An Echo Eeres, the Male Narrator gasped not rare,I beg to differ, he shrieked, and Echo Eeres can also be called an Echo Ultimate: A complete manifestation of a Role once someone leaves the Echo Cadence to Visage. It creates an Ikos that could be anything: a spell, magic circle, or skill. Shin's seemed to be a domain like skill. The Male Narrator speculates.
Yeah, domains are no joke the Female Narrator affirms, saying they aren't rare is extremely funny but this is Glen Hearthstone Atheneum, Jocelyn's "Vim" nature allowed her to vibrate at a frequency that the Echo domain couldn't contain, the Female Narrator theorises.
"HEYO! How's everyone doing?! We won!" Jocelyn declared as she reached the balcony. She teleported into the air above her teammates, arms spread wide, expecting them to catch her in a victory huddle.
Bridge, Vesper, and Rosalind all stepped aside simultaneously.
THUD.
Jocelyn hit the floor flat on her face.
"Shouldn't we have caught her?" Rosalind asked tentatively, reaching down to help. "I think she deserves some care after winning."
"She could have teleported to avoid the floor," Viera remarked, floating above Rosalind. The tiny sprite spread her arms, conjuring flames that formed the words: CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR LANDSLIDE VICTORY.
"You guys were dominant," Bridge praised, his hair squeaking in excitement. "I never get tired of seeing you fight, Jocelyn!"
"I know, right? I'm great!" Jocelyn puffed out her chest, her nervous energy finally settling into her usual bravado.
"I knew you couldn't lose," Vesper said, turning to Mord. "You were great too, Mord. I hope you didn't spend too much on Vim."
"I used a fair amount of Vim-Mana, but I have plenty to spare," Mord replied flatly. "Jocelyn did the heavy lifting. She won this for us." He beams praising Jocelyn.
"About that," Vesper said, her eyes narrowing. "Everything turned black after Shin finished his chant. What was it like?"
"It felt like we were swallowed by a void," Mord explained. "Old monuments of Eastern tales rose from the ground. It was quite a sight... until I was suddenly bolted out of it."
"You got booted out?" Rosalind shrieked. "So Jocelyn was left alone against both of them? How did you win?"
"Oh, Shin conceded!" Jocelyn explained rapidly, her shoulders hiking up with a flash of anxiety. "My Vim gives me a bit of spatial control, so his domain trick didn't work on me. Once I teleported Bom Soo Ahn away, he gave up. He said there was no use dragging it out!"
"Hmm. Is that really all?" Bridge asked, leaning in close. His hair glowed a soft lilac. "You seemed quite agitated during the fight. Was it because he's a Charred? Bridge questions prickling, the question prickling Jocelyn's chest.
You were holding back quite a bit, Jocelyn. Are you sure that's what happened?" Bridge continues.
Jocelyn's eyes glitched. Without a word, she teleported away, vanishing.
"Well, there she goes," Vesper sighed. "She'll be back. Mord, are you ready for our next fight?"
"Ready," Mord replied. Vesper turned to Rosalind. "And you? I never asked, but do you know any support spells or Ikos that can help me?"
"Ehhh... now that you ask, I..." Rosalind started, but she was interrupted by a shrill, angry scream from below.
Raina was giving Shin and Bom Soo Ahn the business.
"HOW did you lose?!" Raina ranted, swearing colorfully in Chinese. "I told Maeve to stay here so she could cast her Luck Ikos, but she said no and left because I removed her! Ugh!"
"You have a really foul mouth, Raina," Shin said quietly, his voice finally returning. "It ruins the colorful aura around you. Shin remarks solemnly, grabbing Raina's full attention. "I'm sorry we lost. It was my pride... and my lack of vision." He bowed his head low, his forehead nearly touching his feet.
Raina let out a frustrated huff, scratching her head as she descended from her cloud. "Ugh, fine. Don't leave. When I win, you'll have to take your match again."
"What?! I am NOT facing that Jocelyn again!" Bom Soo Ahn declared. "Only the gods know what happened to Shin in there! I heard him screaming! Raina, he's lying to us!" She yells her face filled with frustration at her concerns being dismissed.
Raina began to scratch her head irritably.
"I see you're having a bit of trouble over here," Vesper's voice drifted down from the balcony.
"Finding it hard to take a loss? I see you're already having that 'artist's block' Rosalind promised you."
Raina grunted. "You'll eat those words. The moment you step into that ring, my paintings will tear you apart!"
"I doubt it," Vesper said, staring Raina down.
"We're going to win the second round, Soo. Rest assured," Vesper teased.
"I think I'll wait and see," Soo muttered, her plant-beast letting out a low growl of agreement.
"I think you should be making your way to the Knight Stage, Lady Vesper," Shin suggested lightly, waving a hand.
"Don't wave at her, Shin! She's the enemy!" Raina snapped, hopping back onto her cloud and zooming away. Unable to bear staying there any longer. Cursing in Chinese as she zooms over the audience.
Raina found a dark, secluded spot far from the crowds. She needed to focus. She needed to summon her masterpieces.
Caith, she thought bitterly. I have the two people who made your life miserable right here. But fate doesn't seem to be in my favor.
She landed her cloud and hopped off, conjuring a heavy book from the ink dripping off her oversized paintbrush. She flipped to a specific page.
"Come, Kubo. Come, Akane."
She splashed ink onto the floor. From the black puddles, two figures rose.
One was a stunning Geisha in white robes, clutching a Shamisen (a traditional Japanese guitar). The other was a towering warrior in purple war armor, carrying a long spear adorned with bells, with various guns and swords strapped to his waist.
"Kubo, Akane," Raina commanded. "I need you to teach those two a lesson. Especially that Princess, Rosalind. Raina declares Venom in her voice.I'm sure she's never known a day of pain in her life."
Kubo, the warrior, knelt before her. "We hear you, my Lord. But the rules of this Atheneum will not allow us to lay a hand on a Pawn like Rosalind."
"Not to worry," Raina said, her eyes flashing. "I'll handle the referee. I can bribe him—draw him something he's always desired, or use my family's connections to look the other way for a moment."
"Honorable Xiamira..." Akane, the Geisha, sighed, strumming a mournful tune on her shamisen. "That is quite dirty. I hope you are not treading a dark path. This is unlike you."
"I am a pure and righteous hero," Raina
snapped, turning her back on them. "This is all for Caith."
"Your obsession with revenge for the girl Caith is holy, perhaps," Kubo advised, placing a heavy, armored hand on Raina's shoulder. "But you need to bury the hatchet. You are entering a new phase of your life. We do not wish to see you continue like this."
"We'll see," Raina muttered. She pulled a small, ivory die from her pocket. "My mom always said I should make tough decisions with a roll of the dice."
"A simpleton's solution," Akane teased with a chord.
"I am a simpleton, Akane! And this isn't just a die. It's the Dice of Fate."
Raina tossed the six-sided die into the air. As it tumbled, it began to blur and morph. Six sides became eight. Eight became twelve. Twenty.
Tap. Tap.
The now 22-sided die landed on the floor, spinning with a metallic hum. It slowed... and stopped at...
"What an interesting chapter!" the Female Narrator mused. "A dark turn for our young artist. And did you see the way Jocelyn was acting?"
"She was definitely nervous!" the Male Narrator added. "My theory? Her two conflicting Vim signatures are starting to fracture her mental psyche! She's becoming unstable because she's getting stronger!"
"For once, you might be partially right," the Female Narrator conceded. "But what about that dice roll? What number did it land on? And what does it mean for Vesper and Rosalind?"