A storm brewed and reigned over the grand hall of the Exousia mansion like an unforgiving beast, reigning over everything and wreaking unbridled chaos.
At the eye of this storm were two people. One was a black-haired boy with inquisitive blue eyes and a bodacious young woman with soft yet sharp eyes stood at the main entrance, linked.
Lieren blinked a couple of times, disturbed and pleased by the silent stares that everybody at the party gave him.
'Is this what it's like to be a celebrity? How… off-putting.'
Swallowing, he glanced at the boisterous woman, Bless, and cast a nervous gaze on her.
She was completely unfazed, oblivious and uncaring to the odd stares everybody gave the both of them — or, rather, her. The beauty seemed to not only be a shining beacon of perfection and poise, but also of dignity and recognition.
"Woah."
Without the slightest hint of hesitance, she began walking, dragging the boy with her. She was unexpectedly strong.
Her bare thigh was out in the open, completely visible through her distracting slit. One simply couldn't recognize her without their eyes naturally drifting to it, as if it was casting an invisible field of gravity, only attracted by the envious gazes and lustful stares of men and women alike.
And yet, Lieren found himself staring not at the ravenous slit, but at the boisterous woman herself. Her face, in comparison to any he has seen — except maybe the With of Envy's illusory form — was the most beautiful there is.
As the crowd parted like the red seas, Lieren found himself tense and strangely satisfied. Confused yet enlightened.
Being at the center of attention, no matter who it was directed to, was an experience tgat he quite liked.
And at the same time feared.
Glancing to the side, he saw a couple of people, their forms strangely silhouetted, as if merely looking at it is enough of a sin to be accused of. He could feel their gazes concentrate on him and Bless's, hungry for something.
'So, it's them. The other contestants.'
They were finally here. Swallowing, he realized a cold truth.
Now they know who he is, but he doesn't know they are. Which was the worst possible situation, considering the immense failure at talking to people he had done just a couple minutes ago.
And yet, he also felt strangely relieved. Relieved that, for once, he could finally make himself sufficiently useful for once.
Tightening his hold on Bless's arm and stepping closer to her, he barely recognized at the corner of his eye the jaw-dropped form of Mysta. Her eyes were as wide as the full moon. As if she was looking at an impossible scene from a fairytale come to life.
'What a weird girl.'
Looking forward, he saw the familiar set of twin staircase reaching to the second floor, and smiler darkly.
Atop the stairs, slowly and eloquently making his way down, was a middle-aged man; the same man he saw in the intricate painting. With a sharp gaze that seemed to almost penetrate the very mana in the air, he slowly looked over to the two of them and knitted his brows by a millimeter as his hand slid on the wooden railing of the twin staircase.
"That's him, alright."
The head of Exosia, regarded as the most powerful in all of the famiglia's history and legends, had come to the party. The man who was said to be on par with only the gods themselves.
His gaze was calm and fierce, as if existing on just one plane was unbefitting of his stature. And yet, Lieren couldn't help but gleam just the tiniest hint of despair inside of those scarlet eyes, as if just looking at them made his eyes drift into the deepest recesses of them.
The man spoke with clear intent and a feeble voice, marked by his rising age:
"What a lovely evening it is, one and all. It is my absolute pleasure to see you all tonight, in the home that I built with my very hands. If not for the brave, mighty, and powerful people here, then this family — or, rather, this city — would have never come about."
He bowed curtly, then continued:
"It is with the highest honor that I thank you all, my sisters and brothers alike, for your attendance to our time-tested tradition: The competition of wills and honor!"
The mighty leader of Exousia turned to the side, then nodded meaningfully at one man in a well-fitted suit. The suited man signaled to another, and a sight so dazzling it couldn't be expressed properly filled the grand hall of the mansion.
'Wow… She's beautiful.'
Alice walked out wearing an extravagant pure white dress and a glimmering tiara, with her long hair tied-up to a neat bun behind her. Lieren couldn't help but gawk like everybody else, marveling at the view with nascent interest.
He had always known that the young heiress was several levels above normal in terms of beauty and glamor, but this was just too much. Could anyone really be so pretty, with such little changes.
It was impossible.
And yet, it was happening right before his very eyes.
"This is my daughter, the sole heiress and light of my life. Chaménos Alice Chorá Thávmathon Exousia."
Smiling at the crowd, she waved her gloved hand and smiled brightly, causing a wave of awe to come about.
And yet, Lieren had a direly grim expression.
'That smile… it's fake. Horribly so.'
It was unnatural, inorganic, and unreal; her smile. Not only was it fake, but her true emotions were clearly showing too, which made for a rather vile and poisonous sight. What's more, or rather worse, was the fact that the emotions she was trying to hide were of the worst kind.
'Cruel, vile, and deceitful… huh?'
And then, her gaze fell on him. It was for a short moment, and she pained for it to be so, but the turmoil of emotions contained in that split-second stare was, in a word, genuine.
She was happy, worried, and encouraged.
That was her true, genuine feelings.
And he pained for it be so even more than she did.
Because, it meant that… it meant that…
'She has faith in me.'
And so he cannot lose, even one time.
As the edge of his lips curved upward, Lieren returned her gaze with his own and smiled. This time, he didn't have to fake it. He just needed to be good about it.
And then, the mighty head of the Exousia spoke again. His voice sounded a little weaker than earlier.
"Each man — each contestant has been given a trinket, to mark their participation, as well as their elimination. With these as proof, and god as our divine watch, I hereby announce the games to begin!"
With that, the whole world grew suddenly grew dark.