Baptism of Fire

"Just... One more..."

Akira thought he was talking to himself. Or to the deity who kept him awake for a little longer so he could offer his last prayers.

But instead of a prayer, a wish came out.

"Wait, that's not..."

He waited in the dark. No one. Just him. Suddenly, a familiar noise washed over.

Voices. They started low and slowly rose in intensity.

The noise became whistles. Shouts. Cheers. Thousands of them. He had never heard something this loud in his life.

"Have I entered the racer Valhalla?"

If this is it, he should be looking for the mythical Blue Devil Poseidon. Or Kaiju Cerberus.

Then, something heavy hit his chest like a punt.

Akira's eyes snapped open with a deep gasp, eyes wide against a bright, hot glare. His breath hitched into a coughing fit as his lungs ached for air, like he had been underwater for minutes.

"Hey, are you alright?" A voice called out. A hand appeared, holding something that looked like a leather pouch bag.

He tried to speak, but his throat burned with dust and heat. His instincts won. Grabbing the goatskin handed to him, he squeezed its contents quickly down his throat, offering instant relief.

"Thanks," Akira wiped his lips with an arm.

The man scanned him from head to toe with an amused expression.

"Hey, kid, don't space out. The race will begin soon.

"Race?"

The hydration started to take effect. Colors and figures rolled out from the corners of his vision like a painting being unveiled.

Bare, red earth and swirling dust, scorched in the heat of the midday sun.

The blistering wind blew against him as he glanced around. A roaring crowd enclosed in a mighty structure, packed with thousands upon thousands of spectators, bathed in blood-boiling energy. An arena filled with men, women, and even children, either witnessing the unveiling of a legend, or aching for a criminal's execution.

Handkerchiefs of different colors waved from the stands, appearing like confetti in Akira's eyes.

"What the hell is happening?" He gulped, suddenly drowned in the crushing pressure.

Strong tugs yanked him out of his nerves. He looked at his arms, wrapped in leather straps and attached to four fired-up stallions, flailing wildly. Two young assistants helped calm the beasts, holding them firmly in place.

And beneath him, an ornate chariot.

Horses. Reins. Padded armor. A glorified cart.

"No way..." he laughed nervously. "This can't be..."

The trumpets blared a marching tune, and the crowd hushed, attention turned to the platform in the middle of the arena.

A man, striding in an impeccable posture, stepped up to the podium.

"Citizens!" The man spoke in a deep, booming voice. "In the name of the Emperor Aurelius IV, I welcome you to this duel as witnesses, to the glory of the great Aurelius, and to the glory of the Empire."

The host raised his royal staff towards Akira.

"In the red chariot..."

All heads turned. The ground shook. A rumble echoed among the spectators. His breath caught, heart beating wildly in the rhythm of thundering feet.

"The Demon King: Hector Valerius Ignius!"

The crowd roared. Akira turned to stone.

Aurelian Empire. Valerius Ignius. Demon King.

Akira looked to the aide at his side, pointing at himself. The aide gestured for him to look up to the crowd and salute, which he reluctantly did. Dumbstruck, the least he wanted to happen was to be reborn somewhere and be called Demon King.

Shaking his head to the side, he caught something otherworldly.

Ethereal, piercing eyes of azure. Fair golden hair past slender shoulders, accented by two large braids. The face of someone who lived straight out of a Renaissance painting.

Their gazes met.

"And the challenger, wearing the colors of the House of the Third Flame..."

The arena held its breath.

"The Third Flame of The Sun..."

Akira's eyebrows raised.

"The Iron Veil of Aurelia. Hawk of the Northern Sea..."

The host kept going.

"Conqueror of The Black Plains. Scourge of Heretics. Empress of the Moon. Galloping Sword Saint."

Akira's jaws dropped.

"The Third Princess and Heir to the Throne of Aurelia. The Iron Maiden, Claudia Aurelius!!!"

The entire arena blew its roof. Claudia slightly bowed and raised her fist in a standard Aurelian salute.

"Holy crap..." He told himself, barely hearing the trumpets for the countdown.

A purple cloth fell.

"Begin!"

His horses went berserk as the princess's chariot thundered ahead. The beasts sprang into action as he fumbled, trying to man the chariot in the sudden burst.

The rush rumbled over the arena, mixing into the noise of the crowd. Akira's arms tensed as he pulled while the horses dashed past clouds of dust and sand.

"Dammit. This feels heavier than a truck."

Claudia stuck to a steady pace. She firmly held the reins, keeping her balance as she steered with her body, wrapped in leather straps connected to her horses.

Five hundred feet. Three hundred. Fifty.

Akira, still in disbelief, spaced out for a split second at the crucial bend, and his chariot slightly tilted to its side as the momentum swung it hard outside.

On the second lap, Claudia challenged Akira, side by side. After a quick and loaded stare, she pushed, galloping past Akira's chariot in a mad stampede.

Akira's chariot finally rattled past the final lap, trailing the princess's chariot.

Gritting his teeth, he surged to the outer lane in a maneuver. Claudia's horses, in turn, dashed faster as they sped towards the final curve. Akira struggled, reining his horses to the inner lane to pressure the opponent's horses into a tighter space to limit their movement.

With the iron resolve she carried with her name, she rallied her seasoned steeds and pushed back Akira's horses. Without wasting time, she blitzed past Akira around the last bend with a comfortable lead.

As they turned for the final sprint of the race, Akira heard something.

CRACK.

A sound of broken gears reached him, amid the whoosh of wind in his ears.

Claudia struggled to steer her horses under control as the chariot wobbled dangerously. Her soldier instincts kicked in, reaching for her dagger to cut the reins before she got dragged to death.

Unfortunately, the chariot jammed hard, jolting the princess and knocking the dagger out of her hand, swallowed by the track's dirt. She tightened her jaw, leaving her fate to the gods.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her. She glanced to the side as a blur jumped out of the red chariot, hand reaching towards her.

Akira landed on her chariot with his dagger unsheathed, slicing off Claudia's reins. Without hesitation, he wrapped her arms around her, keeping her head secure as they threw themselves off the vehicle, split seconds before the chariot crashed into a useless heap.

Akira and Claudia bumped hard, rolled on the track several times, and finally stopped.

For the final time, the trumpets blew.

The race was over.

---

At the infirmary, Akira sat on his bed quietly. His gaze fixed on the rust-colored track outside the window, pondering his unexpected debut.

Bandages wrapped around his body, and the sting from the wounds and scrapes he sustained from the fall partially subsided.

But hours ago, he felt nothing but goosebumps. Fear. Confusion. Wild joy and exhilaration. And the danger attached to that thrill. Emotions that he experienced a very long time ago. Only this time, raw and more brutal, something he can feel drilling into his bones.

From the twitching of his arm muscles to the beat of his heart racing with galloping hooves, everything was in sync.

"That was... damn awesome...." He murmured.

From a defeated, half-limping, trying-to-get-by store manager, unable to properly step on Homura's gas pedal and brakes.

To someone who dropped in the middle of a life-and-death dogfight.

He had no words. He clenched his fists, trying his best not to scream.

Then, a firm click of the knob broke the silence, the door swinging wide as it creaked on its hinges.

Without realizing it, his eyes were glued in awe as an unexpected visitor strode in firm footsteps, greaves clattering on the floor.

"P... Princess?"

Claudia stopped by the bedside, arms crossed. She quietly scanned Akira for his injuries, sighing with a hint of concern.

"Hector..." she said. "I know that our duel didn't end the way we intended... But regardless, I will honor my end of the agreement."

Akira held his hands up.

"N... No, it's all good." he almost stammered. "Agreement?"

Claudia's eyes suddenly narrowed on Akira as if she were looking at a stranger.

"What are you saying, Hector?"

Akira stumped, brain working at lightspeed to come up with a proper response.

"W...well... We haven't really agreed on anything yet, did we?"

The princess eyed him intensely, as Akira began to collapse from within with such a lame, made-up excuse.

With a breath, Claudia dissipated the tension.

"I know, Hector. But you saved my life, and that's a more powerful bond than an Aurelian's oath."

Claudia pulled a gold scepter, sheathed on her waist like a sword. The end of the staff was ornate with what looked like a winged horse chess piece.

"With the heavens as witness and the souls of kings as judge, I, Claudia Aurelius, the Third Flame of The Sun..."

Akira couldn't help but stare at her as she spoke. A beauty so surreal, like the afternoon sun bathing in cherry blossoms tossed by the breeze.

The princess, oblivious to Akira's admiration, tapped the scepter on his shoulder and continued.

"... hereby declare you and your family free of all obligations to the House of the Third Flame. May my ancestors remember my oath, today, and beyond my final breath."

With a solemn exhale, Claudia opened her eyes to a guy watching her with gleaming eyes.

"Hey, Hector..." she blurted, cheeks flushed red but composure intact. "Be serious, would you?"

Akira snapped back with a nervous laugh.

"You hopeless fool..." she scoffed. Then, she held Akira's wrist and placed something into his hand.

A ring, adorned with a miniature horse crest embedded with tiny rubies.

"With this token, you are free," she told Akira. "Be well, Hector."

She turned towards the door quietly with a faint smile. But before the door finally closed, a question rang out.

"How about you, Princess? Are you hurt?"

Claudia's heart skipped a beat, freezing her in place. As innocent as the question sounded, it ticked something inside of her. A spark of an old flame she forced herself to forget.

"Don't worry about me," she replied. "I will be leaving tonight. Please send my regards to everyone."

And with those words, the door clicked shut, unfortunately riddling Akira with more questions than answers.

"And... who's Hector...?"