Sora Brontarion
The room exploded with color as students cloaked themselves in cosmic energy, their bodies shimmering like fragments of a living rainbow before launching their strikes at the target. Some strikes generated loud shudders, while others sounded like a gentle breeze passing by.
There were great displays of control over their cosmic energy—even for embryonic-stage Starbound. But so far, no one had scored over five hundred, which, according to the teachers, was still a little above average.
During this time, I didn't feel the need to rush to get my score. I wanted to get a better idea of what my classmates were capable of. But the more I observed my surroundings, the more I noticed that I wasn't the only one with that same thought process.
I noticed Cyrus leaning against the wall on one far end of the facility, his gaze focused and calculated, analyzing everyone who came near him. I wondered what was going through his mind—what made him so serious.
Jace was also on the far perimeter of the facility, dozing off once again on his cloud. Not a single ounce of thought ran through his brain. It never ceased to amaze me how he was able to pass out in times like these.
Some students tried to bother him, but his cloud gave them a small shock, causing them to scurry along.
Another thirty minutes or so had passed, and now there were around fifteen students left. With the professors having access to my astral reflection, they became guarded with their emotions. Making it difficult to draw extra information from students' results. Despite that, two students stood out to me. Their signatures humming with excitement.
One was a student I knew fairly well. A tall boy with olive skin and short blonde hair stood at the center of the remaining students.
His cold hazel eyes locked onto mine.
His name was Stravos of Clan Vortaris, enemy to my bloodline due to wars in centuries past. The reason neither of our fathers came to see us off.
The other signature was a girl I had never seen before. She had an athletic build, bronze skin, short brown hair with red highlights, and radiant amber eyes. She stood with the confidence of an accomplished and seasoned warrior. There was no outdoing her—she wouldn't allow it. I could sense it just being in her presence.
The two stood, both releasing more of their cosmic energy every second.
"Does that girl really think she can stand up to Stravos? Does she not know who he is?" Said one of the boys standing next to Stravos.
"I don't think she has a single clue," chimed another girl in their group.
In most cases, I would agree with that girl. The Vortaris is a clan connected to the Warbrand Constellation—known for its immense influence on how battles and even wars turn out. But this girl before me... I could tell she was a powerhouse in her own right, and their cosmic energy seemed to rival each other.
"I can hear you, twerp," the menacing girl with red highlights said as she turned to face the group of agitants.
"I don't care who he is. But I do know one thing."
"And what is that exactly?"
"You'd better hope your boyfriend never has to face me," she said as the ground began to crack beneath her feet,
"Because I will bury him in the earth."
"Threats from branch clans like you mean nothing to me," Stravos responded by releasing more of his cosmic energy, causing the remaining students to stumble and fall silent. But the girl stood tall against his display. Her knuckles clenched, forcing her skin to whiten.
I felt like I was in the presence of two titans of mayhem.
"Students, settle down. Now, will someone please go next?" A teacher commanded as she took control of the room.
"I'll go next," one of Stravos's groupies said. The rest of Stravos's group followed suit.
Their results were respectable, each of them scoring in the low to mid-four hundreds.
After a few more students went and received their scores, only five were left to participate: my brother and I, Stravos, the girl with the red highlights, and Cyrus. I quickly woke up Jace and informed him of what he needed to do.
In a deep, sleepy grog, he floated over to the target and looked back at me. "Is this the thing, Sora?" he asked, wiping the crust out of his eyes.
"Yes, Jace, and please try for once."
"Why would I do that?" he said as he gently tapped the target with his knuckle.
"That should be enough," he said as the target began to calculate his score.
"Six hundred thirty-five," one of the professors called out in shock.
It was the highest reading of the day, and my brother had just achieved it without breaking a sweat. Scanning the room, all I saw were looks of disbelief.
A hint of pride crept in as my brother floated away. To others, this was something exceptional, but I had seen my twin effortlessly achieve great things time and time again.
"I'll see you on the other side, Sora," my brother said as he let his cloud carry him out of the facility. I gave him a faint nod as I prepared to watch the last few students.
Turning my attention back to the remaining students, I noticed the girl with the red highlights standing in front of the machine.
Her posture was strong. Shoulders back, chest out, chin high. Cosmic energy pooled into her first. With an emphatic strike, the room shuddered.
"Seven hundred—to the young Mira!"
"So that's her name," I muttered to myself. But what caught my attention was the expression on Stravos's groupies' faces. Their lips curled, nostrils flared, eyebrows scrunched, disgusted that they had been bested.
Mira's show of strength was something I admired. She had the power to match her confidence. The perfect person to ally myself with.
I approached her after her display and congratulated her on earning the highest score so far. But her reception was cold and almost dismissive.
She slipped past me with nothing more than a clipped "thanks" before she found a spot in the crowd of students. A sour taste lingered in my mouth, making me wonder whether it was a sign of disrespect or of focus.
Then three were left—Stravos, Cyrus, and I. The tension was palpable as the three of us stood looking to see who would go next. Stravos looked at me like I was worthless.
Slowly embedding doubt into my mind. Cyrus, on the other hand, just gave me a silent gesture to proceed.
Stepping forward to the target, I concentrated the flow of cosmic energy into my palm and gave a decisive strike to the target.
"Six hundred twenty for Lady Sora. Congrats—that was an excellent score." Students murmured in the crowd, saying I was strong but not stronger than Mira.
I nodded to the professors, pleased with my score, and took a step aside.
Only Cyrus and Stravos remained. Chatters filled the facility as every student stood, waiting for the results of the war prince and a kid from a clan no one really knew about.
Cyrus's jaw clenched as he realized Stravos would not go before him. Walking over to the machine with his arms crossed, a deep exhale left his body. It was time to see what Cyrus was capable of.
Standing in front of the machine, he began to breathe, his chest expanding as air filled his lungs.
The crowd was silent as he pulled his right arm back with gentle grace. A movement that looked practiced thousands of times.
Suddenly, a surge of cosmic energy erupted from him, causing many students to gasp for air, shocked by the sudden contrast.
Then, as a deep exhale escaped, the sound of cannon fire bombarded our ears.
"Eight hundred fifty." One of the proctors yelled out. It was the new highest score. The chatters began to rise, all in awe of Cyrus's strength. I now understand why Grandpa wanted us to meet.
Now there was only one left.
Stravos.
With the commanding steps he took, the students' chatter deafened. Everyone except Cyrus and I took another three paces backwards.
Many were scared of what the heir of the Vortaris Clan would do. We all heard the rumors about the Vortaris growing up: their ruthless character and their desire to conquer everything.
He approached the machine with long steps and a steady gait, his hands resting behind him. He looked like a general who had already won the war.
Cosmic energy roared out from him. Then silence followed.
"Do you have a second machine?" he asked the teachers.
"Yes... Why?"
"You'll need it." In a split second, pieces of the metal exploded throughout the room.
Where a machine once stood, there were now just scraps of celestium littered across the floor.
He walked past Cyrus and stopped near me for a moment. All I heard was a whisper.
"Your clan is next." He said to me as he flicked the debris off him with a small impulse of cosmic energy.
The crowd erupted and followed the prince of war out of the facility. My chest tightened as static built up around me, making my teeth buzz and my clothes crackle.
Suddenly, I felt a rush of heat flood my body, like fire in my veins. My heartbeat pounding, drowning out the noise of every sound.
These were not my feelings; they were someone else's.
I looked throughout the crowd of students to find the source. Not until I looked back did I find what had flooded my psyche.
It was Cyrus.
Where he stood, his eyes narrow, breaths shallow and sharp. There wasn't pride or joy in his accomplishment.
The only thing that radiated from him was venom. A rage so intense I wondered who was more terrifying, Stravos or him.