"The sponsor will be arriving here soon, be sure to make a good impression on them kid."
All of group 28 were waiting in the main lobby of the association's headquarters. Fuze and Ibo were arguing about which of them were more self-absorbed, Knight was nervously playing with his fingers on the couch beside Eros and Sasha, while Ivan was getting a drink from the bar. Lucerio was nowhere to be seen, but Eros had a sneaking suspicion that was he was somewhere nearby.
Fuze and Ibo's constant bickering had finally got to the point where they were screaming over one another. Eros stepped in to stop the fight before it could become physical.
"That's enough! What are you two even arguing about, Fuze?"
"It's pronounced FU-ZAY, not Fuse!"
"Forgive me, Fuze."
"You're lucky I'm such a sweet angel."
"That's debatable..." Ibo snorted, typing away on his laptop.
"What'd you say geek!?" Fuze grabbed Ibo by his collar, lifting him off the ground.
"Careful princess, I'll erase you in an instant with my art!"
"Not if I seal you away first!"
"That's enough!" Eros screamed, separating the two before this turned into a battle of Astral Arts. "Are you both insane? You know you're not allowed to use your arts in this building, right?"
"Any punishment is worth it if it means it'll shut her up for once..."
"Likewise, geek!"
We're doomed... There's no way that they'll work together during the festival. It's more likely that they'll work together with other groups just to try and kill each other.
"That's enough! We have to work together, whether you like it or not. So until the festival is over, I forbid either of you to kill each other."
"And who made you group leader?" Ibo complained.
"Yeah! You have no right to command us!" Fuze agreed.
I don't have time for this...
"Fine, if you want to fight so badly, then both of you fight me. If I win, you must obey my order. If I lose, you're free to kill each other whenever..."
Eros stared at Ibo, then at Fuze, emitting a burning aura around his body. The both of them considered his words for a second, Fuze backed off but Ibo did not.
"I—"
Eros emitted more around his body, enough for its presence to make Ibo involuntarily back away. His serious violet eyes glared into Ibo's soul, begging him to take on the challenge.
"My art isn't meant for 1 on 1 fighting anyways, I'm more a tactical fighter. I'm afraid it's a bad match up, Golden Star."
"Wise decision, Mr. Obara. And what about you Ms. Forest?"
"It's not like I won't fight you, I will if I have to. I just don't have to right now. Neither of you are worth the trouble anyways."
"Well, seems like you're getting along well with the rest of them." Ivan interrupted, sipping a beer. He belched and then chuckled to himself, slightly irritating Eros at how much of a slob he actually was.
"Old man, where's Lucerio?"
"Miss him already?"
"Just answer the question."
"I dunno kid, he's somewhere I guess. Not like I can sense him."
"How insightful..."
I need Lucerio. He's the only one out of this group who I know I can trust. I can't win the festival without his help...
The doors to the main lobby opened with two fully suited bodyguards walking in first. They surveyed the area, signaling for a middle-aged woman draped in a velvet robe to follow with a younger blue haired woman in a fancy blue dress matching her pace. Both of them stared at Eros' group, looking completely annoyed by the weird bunch.
"This is the best that the artists association has to offer?"
"My name is Ivan. Charmed to meet you..." Ivan grabbed the older woman's hand, gently kissing it. She repulsed in disgust, screaming at the top of her lungs. The woman repeatedly hit Ivan with her expensive purse, kicking him in his shin.
"Stay back you savage!"
The younger woman chuckled, her amber eyes locked onto Eros'. She gently pushed Sasha out of the way, who had found herself wrapped around Eros' arm.
"Oh I don't know Mother, they're not all so bad. And who might you be?"
"Eros E-uh, just Eros..." Ivan had warned Eros beforehand about giving the sponsors his last name. He told him that since the sponsors were mostly nobles from the Holy Astrean Empire, if they had found out that Eros' last name was Eldritch, the enemy of the Volarions, they would likely bargain that information with them for a higher status. More importantly, it would mean that the empire would solely focus on finding Eros and eliminating him the first chance they get.
"Eros? What a lovely name! My maid used to read me bedtime stories about a god with the same name!"
"I'm familiar with the fairy tale, it was my mother's favourite as a kid. I was named after that god..."
"Well, it's very befitting of you... I do hope this means that fate is on our side. After all, how can we lose now that we have a god competing for us!"
"You're far too gracious, Ms... uh. Forgive my manners, what is your name again?"
"Oh, I nearly forgot. It's Amelia Aurelion, daughter of Jordan Aurelion and Amanda Aurelion, heir to the LivePulse fortune..."
LivePulse? Her father was the one that created LivePulse? He's the 9th richest man in the world right now, right behind the 7 Heavenly Noble Clans of the Holy Astrean Empire and the Volarion family themselves! They don't even need the money from the festival, which means they're trying to gain more influence within the empire...
"Well, will you look at that. You're young, beautiful, rich, well-spoken, and about to win the Festival of War. I can't imagine fate ever abandoning someone as perfect as you. I'm sure any man would feel like a god competing for someone like you..."
Eros gently lifted her hand to his soft lips, giving her a standing bow afterwards. Amelia blushed heavily, while Sasha shot burning daggers into the both of them.
Even if Sasha grows to hate me, that's fine. I need to get in good with the Aurelions. If I do, I'll be able to use their resources to find Elise! If anyone could find Elise, it would be Jordan Aurelion, the man who created a worldwide social network that's accrued over billions of users and trillions of dollars in net worth.
"Well Eros, win this festival for me and you'll be able to live like a god for the rest of your life."
"Perhaps I'll even win myself a goddess?"
"Goddess... You're quite confident in yourself."
"Naturally, I'm a god after all..." Amelia softly laughed, her face still blush red and unable to match Eros' gaze.
"Already moved onto the next lover?" Lucerio interrupted, standing against the doorframe with his arms crossed. Eros hadn't noticed when he entered the room, neither had the rest of the group.
"And who are you?" Amelia wrinkled her nose in disgust at the sight of the masked man.
"I'm the one in your group who's going to win this festival for you. And I assure you, it sure as hell won't be because of fate or Goldilocks over here. It'll be because unlike the rest of them, I'm the only one willing to do whatever it takes to win."
"Hmm... what was your name again?"
"You'll hear it when they announce the winner."
"Well, I guess we'll see. Compete to your heart's content, little beast..."
"And he shall. With your support of course, my fair lady..." Eros interrupted Lucerio before he could say something vulgar back and get himself kicked out of the group. He couldn't afford to lose Lucerio, not when he was the most valuable member in the group.
"As for the rest of you, you'll be pretending to be slaves during this festival as I'm sure you're already aware of. So for the next month until the festival's commencement ceremony, you'll be living at and training in the Aurelion estate. You'll have access to anything you need, and should you require more, please make a list and hand it to our security team. They will be sure to get you whatever it is you desire. And remember, we've invested quite a fortune into your services so we expect you to win no matter what! Should you fail us and survive, you will be marked as an enemy of the Aurelion family."
"You need not worry about such an outcome. I promise you, I'll win this festival in your honour..." Eros kneeled, once again gently grabbing Amelia's hand and softly kissing it. The entire group stared at them awkwardly, watching as Eros' elegant violet eyes stared into Amelia's beautiful amber eyes. "And for your love, my dear goddess."
"My love..." Amelia repeated, her face was as red as a tomato and her bright smile illuminated the room. She did not move away, her eyes locked onto Eros' in a distant, dreamy gaze.
I've got her...
Eros felt a little guilty manipulating Amelia into falling in love with him, but he would do anything if it meant he could find Elise. At least this way, she would only get a broken heart at most. She could recover from that, she was a young beautiful rich woman after all. There would be an endless list of men who would want to marry her, though Eros doubted their intentions would be as noble as his.
Sasha stormed out of the room past Lucerio, who simply glared at Eros. He knew what Eros was doing but he did not mutter a word nor show him any signs of disapproval. Instead, he silently watched as the young noble woman continued to daydream about a life with Eros that would never come to pass. Once this festival was over, this woman that Eros had been flirting with would become his enemy.
This will be a long month...