The Four Fiefdoms of the Realm

"Before any of you ask where you are, and why you're here - let me answer both questions succinctly, and in advance: if you were one of the four individuals who won the card design and cosplay competition - you've been brought here to the Primordial Elemental Elder Realm to rule in stewardship - over one of the four fiefdoms within this realm. Specifically, the fiefdom that corresponds to the original character that you've designed, with your attribute being either Sorcerer/Sorceress or Slayer, and King or Queen, because of your status. Also, the two locations that you've created therein, will decide where you'll go. As you can see, this is not a world of fantasy - but instead a world very much of reality. For everyone else, you're all here because you were among the first few thousand, to open the first booster packs of the Sorcerers and Slayers card game, so you'll all be Common Folk and you'll be divided evenly into the various fiefdoms, roughly by the sections that you're all standing in. The dragons behind me are the Primordial Elemental Elders - the supreme overlords of the four fiefdoms, whom the four winners of the competition will seek guidance from. Lastly, understand this - the cards that you created and/or saw in the other world, what each card depicts is real here - and the only to win is to survive - and only one of you will succeed in that, but you'll know your true fate if you reach that point. If you perish here, in this realm - you'll revert back to the other world, but your mind will be wiped of any and all memories of this place."

Akira announced as he looked over the crowd - with the four who had won the competition, more or less standing together, as the the rest who were dubbed Common Folk moved away from them slowly, both out of a sense of fear and uncertainty in the moment based on Akira's speech. 

Kimi looked around, gulping as she then focused on the other three who had won the competition. There was one other girl and two boys - this girl being a bit taller than Kimi, with dyed blonde hair, being clad in white and gold, thin armor with a short skirt over her full, ornate leg amor, along with a high collar on the torso armor. Kimi could see that this girl was obviously from the fiefdom with the golden wheat fields and endless shining sun. The accented designs on her armor included two outward facing, roaring golden lions forming her shoulder armor, as well as golden oak leaves and olive leaves imprinted patterns accenting all around her armor in a tasteful, symmetrical manner. The girl's eyes glowed with a warm light, with that same light emanating from her hands - showing that she'd designed her original character to be a Sorceress Queen. As Kimi finished looking this girl over, there was a profound sense of infatuation that came over her - as if this girl's powers of light reflected who she was as a person. All Kimi knew was that she wanted to get to know this girl better, even if they would eventually have to fight.

Turning her gaze, Kimi saw observed the boy standing nearest her. He was clearly from the fiefdom of the volcanic and ashen sand beachhead, as could be seen by his almost glowing blue and ash grey armor, which had the pressed designs of two identical shells on each of the shoulders, as well as a pressed and imprinted pattern of two tridents crossed across the chest area of his armor. Kimi could see that the forearm areas of his armor seemed to be inlaid with pearl and abalone, giving off a lovely sparkle. His look was completed with the tall, powerful looking, blue and ash grey trident that he held in his right hand, with the outer points being curved inwards, his weapon thus marking him out as a Slayer like Kimi, but a King in his case. He had a stern, piercing facial expression and black and blue dyed hair that partly fell over his glinting glasses. Unlike the girl, Kimi didn't get a warm feeling from him - instead, she had a feeling of unease, as if he was purely shrewd and ambitious. 

Kimi then gazed at the last figure in their group of four - a boy with sickly green and deep purple dual colored dyed hair, save for the fact that the sides and back of his head were shaved. His armor was essentially a palette swap of the girl's armor in terms of its tight fit, color scheme, and design, save for there being no skirt, and instead of vine-like leaf clusters adorning his shining black armor - there were deep purple and white bones, as well as the imprints of deep purple skulls on his shoulder armor and on the knee sections of his leg armor. His torso armor was adorned with pressed imprints of what seemed to be twisted faces screaming in agony. With a sinister look in his glowing black eyes, a twisted smile, and the dark energy radiating from his hands. Kimi almost felt a sense of nausea - as there was something truly evil about him. 

Akira then nodded, beginning to speak up once more, as everyone paid attention.

"Alas, before you're all divided into the proper fiefdoms - I shall let you know a few more things that will be to all of your benefit: Within the two structures of those that won the competition have created - there are forty card decks of Sorcerers and Slayers cards that only the King or Queen will have access to via the knowledge of where to find them, once I enchant the minds of those four of you here soon. These cards will be able to be used in the War of the Realm - a momentous war where only one of the Kings or Queens shall survive, as I mentioned before. What happens after that, the victorious survivor shall find out."

Akira stated, consciously still not revealing his name or his title. In his mind, the only one who would need to know such information would be the one to survive, and thus succeed him. 

Kimi took a breath - deducing that it was likely that each of the four fiefdoms would face off against each other, and so it may be wise to work together while one could, with another fiefdom, against the other two. Kimi also felt that this strategy would allow her at least some time to get to know the Sorceress Queen while she still could, as the pull of attraction that Kimi felt towards her was increasing dramatically!

It wasn't long before Kimi and the other three competition winners were sent off to their fiefdoms to rule in stewardship, with the two mouthed, wingless dragons flying over their respective groups as if to guide them. Many of those deemed Common Folk wore more or less tight fitting, Medieval Japanese clothes of a pauper's design and overall look. Each of these people looked frightened and seemed otherwise unsure of how to take their situation, which only made Kimi realize that even if they were doomed, she had to keep them together in order for herself to survive, which was a painful realization. 

When Kimi and her large cohort of those deemed Common Folk arrived at the frost and snow covered mountains, she couldn't help but be amazed, her mouth agape that the Mountain Fortress of the Slayer Queen was there just as she'd illustrated it, while the Mountain Armory of Frost and Flame was perfectly centered within its walls against a connected, sturdy, frost and snow covered mountain backdrop!

"IT'S REAL! IT'S REALLY REAL!"

Kimi exclaimed - while those in her cohort marveled at the size and scale of It all, once they were safely inside the walls. Akio, in his dragon form, rested on one of the ledges of the mountain behind the structures, as if overseeing what would take place within his domain. 

While those deemed Common Folk made themselves busy by getting to work in the armory, and manning the walls with simplified versions of the sword that Kimi carried - seemingly out of a sense of familiarity with these sorts of fantasy environments - due to them having been fans of such settings in the world from which they came, Kimi made her way to the middle tower to her throne, where she found a small ivory box with a ruby inlay sitting on said throne. As Kimi smiled and opened it with a great deal of curiosity, she noticed that as Akira (though she didn't know his name) had said to her and all the rest earlier - there was indeed a deck of forty Sorcerers and Slayers cards, though curiously, they all had the classification types of either Magical Ability and/or Combat Power - with the cards belonging to the former seeming to have to do with temporarily manifesting either fire and/or ice and snow spells, while the cards belonging to the latter type having to do with increased weapon production, armor being granted to the Common Folk, and even a temporary power boost for her! Curiously, the last card in the deck was holographic pink, and it was labelled as: Magical Ability/Ultimate - Sakura Spring Storm.

As Kimi put the cards away carefully back into the ivory box with rub inlay, she yawned, feeling tired from all of this, as she then looked out of the window of the throne room tower. She saw the dragon whose name she did not yet know was Akio, though he seemed to nod to Kimi, as if to say that it was fine to rest, and that he'd watch over things in her temporary stead, a few hours long reversal of roles of sorts. Taking that as a sign, Kimi placed the ornate box with the cards in it next to her throne, and sat down, falling asleep instantly. 

Though her rest would be blissful, when she awoke - all that Kimi would be greeted by was the approach of the War of the Realm.