Tournament Day 1 Part 1

The first day of the tournament had arrived.

The entire kingdom was bustling. It was almost like a festival. Due to the level of attention the tournament got, most places of business as well as schools would close. Workers would take it as a mini vacation and many students and teachers would watch to take notes of the techniques used in the tournament as well as keep an eye out for future stars. Those that weren't on their way to watch the tournament were at their shops and other places of business. Some store and restaurant owners were able to acquire projection crystals as well as the necessary approval and permits to show the Briswold Academy's tournament in their establishment. Although it was a bit pricey, they were usually able to recoup the cost by adding an additional fee to patrons who wanted to watch the tournament in their establishment, as well as the earnings from the days' sales. Many felt it was worth it as the atmosphere was usually lively in these establishments and the projection crystals provided a crystal clear image.

The first day of the tournament was to be held at one of the Briswold Academy's properties. It was at a large facility, reinforced similarly as The Circle, with multiple levels. It was unofficially called the "Briswold Academy Devil Box (B.A.D Box)" and officially known as the "Briswold Academy Demonstration and Multi-purpose Building". At first the name started off as a joke amongst some students from other institutions but once it reached the ears of the Briswold Academy's students, they took it as their own. After all, for those three days out of the year they were true devils in various forms.

The area surrounding the B.A.D Box was filled with soldiers working as security and guides, various vendors and decorations. They hung colourful banners all around the area and banners were also being sold with the names of some of the more popular participants. This year's tournament also had somewhat of an underdog. For the first time in years, a non-Briswold Academy student would be participating in the tournament. His name was Eulis. He attended the Prippin Academy which was a much smaller academy that only commoners attended. The difference between them and Briswold Academy was like heaven and earth but Eulis was able to participate in the tournament due to his skill and an anonymous sponsor. Due to this there were many who wanted to see him. Aside from Eulis, however, there were many participants that the people were eager to see, including the Princess. It was known throughout the kingdom that the Princess was unable to use nature magic so this got many interested. There were even bets being placed based on how far certain participants would go and how many points they could gain.

All the participants were in a spacious room awaiting further instructions. The room had many chairs and tables, even some light refreshments were available but most students chose to stand around. Some students were in their cliques, some stood alone and some moved from group to group. They all got to the location much earlier in order to check in and make sure they were properly registered, get their uniforms and familiarize themselves with the facility. Their uniforms were of a black and purple design, utilizing the Briswold Academy's school colors, and were made specially for each participant. The designs were almost identical but there were a few modifications for some students such as: extra pockets, wider/deeper pockets, a skort(the combination of a skirt and shorts) instead of pants for some girls, a built-in hoodie, and more. The uniforms were made of a flexible, breathable and sturdy fabric that could alter its temperature to ensure optimal conditions for the wearer. The Briswold Academy wasn't the type to send their students or other participants out looking shabby, after all, almost the entire kingdom would be watching. Princess Cecilia chose to go with the original design. She had her hair in a high ponytail and wore a long sleeve, form fitting top and pants with specially designed shoes to manage any terrain.

The day started just as any other for the princess but now that she was in the building, she could feel the anxiety take hold of her body. Before she left for the tournament, she was stopped by the King. Rather than words of encouragement, he advised her to give up if things got difficult rather than letting the kingdom see her struggle. His blunt words appeared to leave his mouth so easily. Princess Cecilia could do nothing but accept his advice. Afterwards she left the kingdom with a few palace guards, not stopping to see anyone else. The last thing she needed were any other words reminding her of her past weakness. Instead, she wanted to show how much she'd grown. She wanted to show her hands that were now rough, her fingers that were wrapped to hide blisters and her potential. She stared at her open hands, constantly turning them slowly.

"Ready?"

The Princess didn't realize that someone was speaking to her. She turned away from her hands to see who it was and was utterly annoyed by the faces she saw. They were the faces of her 'friends'.

"How come you're so spaced out today Princess? You can't afford to mess up today, you know!"

"Yeah, trust us, if you aren't good enough then it would be best to withdraw."

"Right! We can even cover for you and say you're sick. What do you think?"

Their voices, their attitudes, their obnoxious faces, it all pissed Princess Cecilia off. Standing before her, trying to give off an air of superiority were Jemma Hinds and Krissy Jacobs, the daughters of a Baron and Count respectively. Jemma had long reddish-orange hair, dark brown eyes, a chubby face and a petite build. Krissy had yellowish-brown hair, blue eyes and a petite build. She was also a 1 Star Mage who used fire magic. Both girls were beautiful but couldn't be compared to the Princess. They both wore modified uniforms,substituting pants for skorts and sleeveless tops.

The Princess became cold and gave off a chilling expression. "What makes you think you can speak to me?"

"W-what?! What did you say?!" Krissy had never seen such an expression from the Princess.

"Are you deaf? You should save your concerns for yourselves. I don't need to hear from you halfwits," said the Princess as she walked away.

"What? Y-you come back!"

"M-maybe we should leave it Krissy, everyone's looking," said Jemma as she tried to get Krissy to calm down.

Krissy pushed Jemma away from her. "Hmph! Let's see how long she can be arrogant. I'll show that bitch who the real princess is. Let's go!"

Krissy walked off and Jemma followed closely behind.

The Princess had found herself at the other end of the room. While there were many that took notice of the situation, no one dared to speak openly about it.

"You're quite different from what I've heard, Your Highness," said a young man to the princess.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"You can interpret it as you'd like I suppose."

"I see."

The young man looked at the Princess and smiled. "Please forgive my rudeness, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Eulis. It's a pleasure to meet you."

After hearing his name, the Princess quickly turned to take a look at the young man. He had bowed slightly to greet her and once she saw his face she couldn't look away. He had short cut black hair which he pushed back, thick eyebrows, enchanting light brown eyes, slightly tanned skin and a muscular build. He was about 5'8. Calling him handsome was an understatement.

"Uh, yes. I'm Princess Cecilia. It's a pleasure to meet you too." The Princess barely managed to hide her interest.

Eulis smiled as he looked at her. Before they could continue their conversation, however, a transmission could be heard throughout the building. It was time for them to assemble in the main area for the tournament.

Meanwhile, Viola and the Second Prince were outside talking with some of the men from Training Ground 20. The men were in different uniforms provided by the Briswold Academy due to their involvement in the tournament's activities and Viola and the Second Prince were in formal outfits befitting the royal family. The men proudly spoke of the various things they did to assist with the preparation for the tournament. Captain Brigg, who would have loved to brag, was held up with some other activities. Upon hearing the transmission that the participants were to assemble, Viola and the Second Prince left to go inside and the men went back to their duties such as crowd management, ticket collection, organizing vendors etc. As Viola and Alexander walked together, the atmosphere was a bit awkward. They entered through a path not open to the general public so they were alone. Alexander didn't know how to face Viola. Of course he knew that she did nothing wrong but it still hurt him seeing the two together that day. If he could get rid of his feelings he would try to but he couldn't lie to himself, he didn't want to. He soon felt warmth. Viola had taken hold of his hand.

"What's wrong?" asked Viola.

"Uh- um hand, you-"

"Oh, this? Delia said hand holding is something you do when you're walking closely with someone plus I thought it would help your mood. I could sense that your condition wasn't the best. Does this make it better?" Viola drew closer to Alexander.

"Uh, y-yes, I feel much better, but… Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, of course."

"Do you have someone you really like, like love?"

"No," responded Viola plainly.

"Oh, I see. Well, in that case, can… Can you promise me something?"

"A promise?"

"Yes, it's like a vow that you make. It should never be broken."

"Ah, I see. Please tell me what this promise is."

"If… if you ever feel love… if you ever fall in love with someone. Please… Please tell me!"

"Love? Hm… Okay, I promise."

"Thank you." Alexander held Viola's hand firmly and they continued their walk.

Once they got to the information desk of the first floor, they were directed by a palace guard to the area where the King and other important figures would be located. The room was almost as large as Training Ground 20. There was a balcony which had a clear view of the participants below as well as multiple monitors from different angles and locations for viewing. There was also a moving list of the participants' photos, name, age, school, their type of nature magic if any, and a section for points gained. The room also had servers and various refreshments available. Aside from the King, Queen and Crown Prince, there were also the Queens' ladies-in-waiting, members from both the Duke families of the kingdom and some high ranking generals. Viola and the Second Prince went closer to the front of the room to sit with the members of the royal family. The entire time they were still holding hands and everyone noticed including the Crown Prince. While he hated it, he didn't want to make a scene. The Queen and King also appeared annoyed but didn't pursue the matter.

"What are you guys waiting for? Take your seats!" said the Crown Prince with a cheerful tone, not that he meant it.

"Sure!" replied the Second Prince as he smiled brightly.

Initially the Crown Prince had reserved the seat next to him for Viola but the Second Prince seemed to deliberately take that seat, making himself a wall between the Crown Prince and Viola. The Crown Prince's right eye twitched as he looked at the Second Prince but as the King was about to address the participants and attendees of the event, he shifted his focus.