Final Round Winner

“Among those summoned, one will emerge as a saver. One destined to be a hero. A beacon of hope that will shine brightly. They are strong, brave and selfless, prioritizing the well-being of others above their own. The chosen one will save our kingdom from ruin.” The people cheered, finally getting salvation from the biggest clairvoyant in the world, Lady Mayuri. She has always been warning them from danger. She smiled, pleased with her own prophecy, until she started to convulse as her body shook. She suddenly spat out black blood, grabbing her chin. “... It seems a shadow will extinguish this flame. Among those summoned, a wicked presence lurks, one so cruel, it’ll consume your thoughts. Be careful! If that thing doesn't die, we face another great catastrophe!”

The words of the prophet echoed in his head. 

“Who is it?” 

“Huh?”

“Who among the humans sold us out?” 

Ruri grinned dumbly, hands behind his back. “I guess some people do figure things out!” 

“You think I'm dumb enough not to notice I'm playing board games? Why would creatures like you waste your talent coming up with these?” 

“Umm for entertainment?” he chirped, offering an excuse.. 

“Shut up.”

He went quiet, offended by her audacity. “Well you will never know the real answer now.” Ruri smiled tauntingly. She clicked her tongue as she looked back to the wall of power, walking towards it. She placed her finger under her chin, genuinely confused by the large variety. I need to pick an ability I can actually use well and keep me safe for a very long time.

“Are there any repeats?” she asked. 

“There are no repeats.” Ruri floated behind her, trying to see what abilities she may possibly get. There were some special types. “Hmmm”  

But Yuka didn't pick the one he had an eye on; instead, she picked one that made him curious on how far it would take her.

“Now what?” 

“Congratulations, you and your… scary sponsor can proceed to the next round.”  Ruri snapped his finger, and a guard entered. “Show her the dorms and give her a tour. I'm sure she would love to rest now for what comes next.” 

She glared at him, and the fox-like creature greeted her and gestured for her to walk ahead of him. She glanced at her sponsor; he smirked confidently but he said nothing ord, he left almost immediately. His presence was  heavy and calm. She has a lot to learn. She held her head from the upcoming headache. She forced herself to move forward.

“Now that she is gone… your Highness…  I wouldn't dare kill the future king of Vivara. But it's a life binding contract, and that's the human you chose. I have no findsay in this matter, Crown Prince Evan.” Ruri pouted pitifully, trying to seem like he was forced to do the unthinkable. 

The blonde, tiny fairy scoffed, flying in the air. “You needn’t tell me twice.”

Ruri grinned. “Allow me to escort you to your execution.” 

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The bright light that shone on her eyes almost blinded her, Yuka raised her hand to shade her eyes as birds chirped. Greenery… greenery everywhere. Polished concrete stretching to the Victorian castles, as they stood tall and proud. A garden filled with different coloured roses. The place looked dreamy and wonder-like. It was at that moment that Yuka immediately went to a flowerbed with freshly trimmed bushes and vomited all over it. Multiple people died because of her…

“Are you okay?” The guard came to her almost as if he didn't know what caused this reaction from her. “There is a pharmacy ahead if you-”

Yuka wiped her mouth. “I'm not here for your tour, just send me straight where I need to be.”

He slowly nodded as he led her inside the castle. Everything was blurry for her. She didn't pay attention to the staircase with rough concrete. She only snapped out of this trance when she noticed a shift in the air. 

“We are here.” 

It was a large dome, almost like a cafeteria, with multiple long tables and rows of chairs. There were people sitting down. Not just any people, humans. Her eyes widened as many people were chatting normally, drinking, eating, talking animatedly. Some of them even spared her a look. 

“She must be one of the newbies. She is drenched in blood. I can never get used to it.” A human shook his head pitifully as he walked with his fellows. Yuka looked down at her hands and noticed they were wet with blood. She hadn't even noticed it had dried on her face and soaked her hair.

“That's how it usually is with everyone in the third generation. I heard the stakes are higher for them than us. That's why fewer people are coming out, unlike last year when four did.”

“Uuugh, so she killed seven others? The rookies are much tougher for this round.” The animated gossip of people passing by took her aback but she assumed if they were here much longer… they must be used to people just… dying. 

“What happened to the previous people from one or two years ago? Did they play like me?” Yuka asked because her parents went missing first, then her brother a year later. I hope they are all alive. Although with what she had experienced, she's worried it would be harder for them to stay alive.

The foxy guard smiled amusedly, happy she wanted to learn more. “For the first generation, well, we learned a lot from them. There were no rules or games…” his face dropped. “But that's probably why they are the most useless generation of all time.” 

While she wanted to feel relieved that her parents hadn't gone through what she did she was more worried about Jun. 

“As for the second generation, we introduced the games and we passed four in the first round…  But we learned from them too.” Foxy grinned.

“Learned what?” 

“Learned how to get the perfect hero.” 

Yuka glared at him and wanted to punch him but she didn't try her luck anymore, the power difference was clear. Yuka pleaded and prayed in her head that everyone she knew was alive. I need to find all information about them. I hope they are all safe… please.

“To help you understand better, you can connect with all the players from the first and second generation. We allow networking to show off your talent and join guilds. The benefits of joining a strong guild and impressing their members will keep you around much longer…. But it's much tougher to join because they don't accept deadweights.” The animalistic guard happily pointed out. “Now, allow me to show you your room. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm happy to help.”

Yuka looked down at her state again. She will ask her questions another day. “I'm good.”

“Very well.” 

As they passed everyone, her attention was caught by a group of people. Messy white hair, purple eyes caught her attention. A man walked by, his face was very familiar, as he was a popular idol in the industry. He was followed by a dark haired, blue eyes, handsome man who she recognised as the most popular student in their college. Both of them went missing last year. 

“Oh those two ? They’re among the top ten highest-ranked members and belong to one of the highest-ranked guilds. They currently have six members and are the toughest guild to join.” Yuka nodded at the explanation, continuing to follow him. She knew then she needed to be in that guild, no matter what. “Now the third floor below is for third generation survivors-” 

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“W-wait a minute.” 

Ruri’s smile dropped immediately when he heard an unexpected voice. Evan and he looked over their shoulders to see a figure standing tall and wobbly, blood dripping from between the cracks of his hands as he clutched his face. Ruri's eyes widened. “How are you still alive?” 

“I'm still not done yet.” Hayato held the wound near his eyes, dizzy but the adrenaline was keeping him alive.

 “I can still fight that traitor!” he hissed.

For the first time in history, someone survived a game when they should have lost. Ruri immediately went for the kill; nobody under his jurisdiction should be alive. But as his nails were an inch away, he couldn't move. Vines strapped around his body and pulled him back. “Don't touch my life.”

“He shouldn't be alive.”

“There are no rules about his circumstances and I won't let my own life be wasted because of your shortcomings.” Evan closed his fingers, pulling the rabbit back forcibly. Ruri frowned. The power of royalty was truly different.

Evan looked at Hayato who was bleeding profusely. “Even though I stopped him, I genuinely don't see how you can remain alive even if you survived now.” 

Hayato gritted his teeth, bloodshot eyes stared him down. There were veins popping from his arms but instead of saying anything, he pointed at the wall of power and Evan’s gaze followed the direction..

“Echo of the Soul: A blood sacrifice needs to be offered to transfer the consciousness to a nearby corpse, taking control of it. You gain the ability of those you possess.” Evan watched as Hayato selected the ability. A small glowing sphere floated in the air and went into him. Evan raised a brow. Ruri looked a little surprised and apprehensive that this ability was here among the many. “Which corpse are you going into? These?”

Ruri mocked, gesturing towards the dead bodies of the members they played with. “They are basically useless. I killed them in a way that makes them unusable…” If he had killed Hayato too, this mistake wouldn't have happened.

Blood leaked from underneath Hayato’s eyeballs but he didn't give up. “I heard you are royalty… shouldn't you have dead people that I can transfer into? I'm sure you haven’t forgotten that your life is tied to mine. If you want to stay alive, you have to save me,” he threatened. Ruri seemed slightly alarmed by the prospect and change in attitude. 

“You are right, we do have many dead bodies.” Evan seemed to think before smirking. “I knew you were not a bad choice… forcing me to save you. Very bold but I like it.” 

Evan grew bigger, outside of his tiny fairy form to a full-fledged form, a height of two meters. He grabbed Hayato's shirt, clutching it, his wings flapping as his body hovered. The  slight movement caused him to groan in pain. “Let’s hope you will stay alive by the time you reach Vivara, Ayate Hayato.”