Chapter 40: "The Price of Victory,"───── ❝ K I L L I A N W I L D E' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 01 - 22 - 2027 ║║ Friday║ Olympia's Cup 1st Training Day║The ear-piercing sound of the siren tears through the still morning air, jolting me awake. With the realization sinking in, I figured out that today is the day — the first day of training for the Olympia's Cup.Through the morning silence it's loud noise pierced its shrill cry, signaling the start of another day at the Academy. I groaned and pulled my pillow over my head, hoping to drown out the noise. But who the fuck am I kidding? It was still no use — the siren continued its relentless wailing until every student was out of bed."Damn it," I cursed as I plucked my eyes awake, widely aware that another routine of mine would be put up this day. Every morning in here was oddly the same, awoken by that ear-splitting siren before the sun had even risen, then we will shuffle like zombies to the cafeteria for a tasteless br
───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 01 - 22 - 2027 ║║ Friday║ Olympia's Cup 1st Training Day║The courtyard fills up with students from the different houses, their chatter and laughter grating on my nerves. Each one of their words drips and seemed to be filled with both anticipation and expectation. But that's not the case for me. Buzzing with activity as students milled about, I stand alone, separate from the crowd, dreading the start of training for the Olympia's Cup. Every muscle in my body tenses at the thought of the rigorous exercises and drills that lie ahead. I have no desire to face the brutal challenges designed to weed out the weak from the competition. Damn this, but honestly... I would rather retreat to the shadows than join the throng of hopefuls vying for a chance for winning.I watch as they pair off, chattering excitedly about tactics and glory. But to me, their eagerness feels misplaced, and naïve. For me, it feels as though they don
Chapter 42: "Archer's League,"───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 01 - 22 - 2027 ║║ Friday║ Olympia's Cup 1st Training Day║The moment the blonde girl walks away, laughing cruelly after dropping the card she so threateningly made me read in the mud, I stared down at it hopelessly, hesitating to even pick it up. Great. Now it was ruined, just like my day, my week, and maybe my entire year at this school. My eyes begin to sting with the familiar prick of angry tears as embarrassment wash over me once again. Her cruel words echo inside my head, repeating over and over, mocking me. I want to scream, to throw something, to make her feel even an ounce of the humiliation and hurt she so easily inflicts on me. But I stay frozen, unable to move, unable to react.I can feel the eyes of the other students staring and hear their snickers, yet I cannot bring myself to move. I wish I could just disappear, fade into the background and become invisible to their cruel
Chapter 43: "Heaven," ───── ❝ K I L L I A N W I L D E' S P O V ❞ ──── ║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 01 - 22 - 2027 ║ ║ Friday║ Olympia's Cup 1st Training Day║ With the strange warmth of the current task dangling on my veins, the bow felt heavy on my shoulders, its ominous weight a reminder of the task ahead. The quiver swung against my back, arrows clacking together in dissonant rhythm. The sun shone brightly, casting long shadows across the cobbled path as I made my way to the starting point. Walking across the quad, I see my fellow archers gathering at our designated spot on the side of the courtyard near the stage. With the grass still wet with dew, I take a deep breath of the morning air, relishing these moments of calm before the bustle of training begins. When the darkness of the forest seemed to creep into my soul, the once bright sun now filtered dimly through the thick canopy of twisted branches and gnarled trees signaling me of venture I was about to lead on to. Nearly approa
Chapter 44: "Unforeseen Confession," ───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ──── ║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 01 - 22 - 2027 ║ ║ Friday║ Olympia's Cup 1st Training Day║ The darkness of the night sky pressed down on me much like the cold metal of the arrow nocked and taut in my bowstring. Similar to a strange fish in an abyssal lake, I could vividly envision Killian's eyes firmly positioned on me as I stayed the single archer in the quadrangle who had yet to discharge my arrow, notwithstanding having it nocked and pulled taut. While the others shot relentlessly, focused exclusively on the target, I appeared to be pausing, as if something invisible held me back, though I could not yet distinguish what barrier stayed my hand. The frigid air nipped at my skin like the fangs of unseen predators lurking just beyond the dim torchlight, yet I remained motionless, captured by the intensity of Killian's gaze which pierced through the shadows and seemed to hold me suspended between one momen
Chapter 45: Endless Pursuit of Liberty───── ❝ T H I R D P E R S O N ' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 02 - 12 - 2027 ║║ Friday║ Olympia's Cup 3rd Week of Training Day║The third week of training for the Olympia's Cup began ominously. This was Ruby's third week of training for the damn cup, a brutal competition that tested the limits of both body and mind.The predawn gloom was pierced by no cheerful birdsong, only an eerie silence that seemed to press in on all sides. Ruby woke before dawn, her body sore and aching from the previous weeks' exertions. The training masters pushed her and the other students relentlessly, testing their physical and mental limits with grueling exercises and challenges that left them exhausted at day's end.But just as the other days, Ruby had no choice but to surrender to this hellish routine every single day and night, no matter how fucking tired she maybe.With the faint glow of dawn barely illuminating the barracks, she dressed with her uniform
Chapter 46: "Troubled Hearts,"───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 02 - 21 - 2027 ║║ Sunday║ (D - 5) Before the Commencement of Olympia's Cup║It had been weeks since the training for the sinister Olympia's Cup started. And those weeks turned to days were all filled with grueling physical challenges and exhausting mental tests, pushing each of us to our limits.Every muscle in my body ached constantly from the physical exertion. My mind felt like mush from studying maps, schematics, historical texts, puzzles, and ciphers on the challenges we might face. Still, my thoughts kept drifting back to that fateful afternoon at the training grounds, when the shadows had felt so alive and secrets had spilled from my lips, revealing the hidden passage that now lay between Killian and me, uncrossable, my confession hanging heavy in the air.It had also been weeks since I had spoken or looked directly at Killian, after my unguarded slip of the tongue had revealed
Chapter 47: Drunken Apologies───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 02 - 21 - 2027 ║║ Sunday║ (D - 5) Before the Commencement of Olympia's Cup║Warning : R18+As I ascend the creaky wooden staircase, my heart pounds in my chest. I clutch the velvet rose and folded note tightly, afraid to let go for fear they will disappear. The hallway is dark and silent as I tiptoe upstairs my bedroom. Though with every damn step, I pause, straining my ears for any indication I have roused someone, but all remains silent. As I had anticipated, my roommate, Serene remained lost in her own dreamland, perhaps. Climbing the steps slowly, my footsteps muffled by the thick carpet. The old house creaks and groans around me, and the wooden stairs let out a squeak with every step. My palms feel sweaty as I grip the rose, its velvety petals soft against my skin. The note in my other hand crinkles slightly as I squeeze it, the words written there replaying in my mind.While I did,