Hey guys, just wanted to say thanks for reading my story, I know it sucks TT^TT

And I lied in my previous author's note, there will be a bit more chapters on Lys's past than I thought. Sorry!

REVIEWS! P.S. I love criticism. ^^

ENJOY!

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~Beginning of Chapter 3~

The aroma of candle wax wafted throughout the room, heavy and strong. The scent was everywhere, and it clung to Lys the moment she stepped inside Great Hall #13.

The area was huge, much bigger than the Dining Hall - and that was saying a lot. There was no lighting except for the thousands upon thousands of candles that were scattered and clustered all over the room. No windows, no closets, nowhere anyone could hide. Just the one door that allowed passage in and out. Color was limited to only brown, tan, beige, gold, and white. The entire place looked like it had been taken right out of the Roman Empire; stone columns were evenly positioned along the right and left sides of the room, 12 all together. Weapons, at least a hundred, were lined up against the front and back walls, neat and ordered by type, ready to use at any given time. In the center of all this glory was a large circle, made manifest by the bold, dark brown outlining of what looked like mud or dark red henna. There were small symbols encircling the simple circle, intricate runes that seemed to hold power in those delicate strokes. There was a 3 foot buffer between the edge and the candles. A Mages' work, Lys thought.

The taste of strawberries suddenly exploded in Lys's mouth. Lys choked, caught completely by surprise, and hacked and coughed in a most unlady-like fashion. She hadn't realized her mouth was wide open. When the obstruction in her throat was cleared, Lys squinted through her tears and saw a young man grinning, a bowl full of strawberries at his disposal.

"Man, if your dad saw you like that.…" he chuckled through just barely held back laughter.

"I forbid you from telling father." Lys retorted curtly, still trying to breathe, cheeks flaming red.

"Of course, sweetheart. But in return, a kiss from the famed seven year old princess herself?" he smoothly returned, all humor now replaced by a seductive glint in his dark amber eyes. Lys ignored that and instead asked,

"Where are the other Initiators?"

"Ah, the pain! My love, rejected, thrown to the dirt floor, trampled by the hooves of despair! But fear not, my love for you will never fade, for you are my one and only in this cold cruel world." he exclaimed theatrically, hugging himself as if hiding from a cold breeze. Lys blinked. No doubt this was the "charm", as the other ladies in court called it, of Zashin, but already it grossed her out more than it did enchant her. Seriously, hooves of despair? One and only? Lys was only 7 and knew better love lines than those. She just managed to keep a straight face as he began cooing his eternal loyalty to the bowl of strawberries. She noticed that each "fall of sorrow" brought him closer to her. Ew, pedophile.

"Zashin, restrain your disgusting fantasies. Some o us actually like 'aving some morals.", a deep voice rumbled, annoyance heavy in its words. The owner of the voice stepped out from behind a large stone column on her right and had on a face that expressed obvious disgust. It was a scary expression, actually, his scars contributing to the image of a hellish military General. His large, ripped body did nothing to lessen the outlook. He totally disregarded the candles, kicking them down with no interest as he lumbered over.

"We sincerely apologize for his rude behavior." an old looking man appeared out of nowhere, tailed by a man all in black. He bowed respectfully, which Lys nodded in acceptance automatically. The black clad man, face hidden in the swaths of midnight fabric, said nothing and stayed behind the old man. She counted four men, where was the fifth one? Her answer came as soon as she thought it. Zashin's increasingly annoying proclamations of love abruptly cut off, and Lys whipped her head toward him in alarm.

A relatively middle-aged looking man had materialized behind Zashin and had a hand resting lightly on his dark brown hair. Zashin himself had completely frozen halfway on the ground in what was probably a very uncomfortable position, eyes wide in surprise…or was it horror? All of a sudden he violently threw himself away from the offending hand, hissing in fury, twin daggers appearing as if by magic in his hands, strawberries rolling dully on the floor.

The weapons were beautiful, pitch black with crimson red engravings of what seems like Japanese characters on the handles. The blades were deadly sharp, the candle light illuminating the honed edge of the blades, giving off a silver sheen. Zashin held the beauties with grace and quiet power, so natural, as if they were a part of him. In contrast, his eyes were wild and furious, breathing fast and harsh. His entire stance looked like he wanted to run away.

"I'll kill you." he spit out from his tightly clenched jaw, grip on the daggers tightening ever so slowly. Lys didn't understand this sudden change in Zashin's attitude, but then she noticed the other man's attire. He had on a blue silk robe and a white belt, with a topaz stone in the center, around his waist. The clothes of a Mage. Lys immediately recalled the story of the Great Mage Massacre; a Mage gone insane from his power and thirst for control had killed almost everyone in the kingdom, through manipulating the mind and thoughts of the King. Lys stepped back an inch, unconsciously retreating from the the Mage. As she stepped back, her eyes caught the huge broad back of the scary, ripped, General-looking man. Then noticed the weapon, a large javelin, that was strapped to his back. The weapon didn't look special or intricate like Zashin's but...Wait, a javelin…? Lys's eyes flew wide in surprise as she recognized who he was.

Liun, the Long-Range Initiator, also known as the Hand of Crimson. She had heard stories, rumors, about his brutality. Some of the servants of the palace had whispered amongst themselves, overheard by Adrienne, about one of his battles. Apparently he had killed 38 men all by himself, and even after the battle had ended he had screamed for more. More blood. He calmed down completely after two full days, but not without killing another 6 men of his own, with his bare hands. Thus, the title of the Hand of Crimson had been born. Lys would be fighting him. In less than an hour. She shook herself out of her momentary fearful stupor and watched as he calmed Zashin down, admittedly with a bit more force than necessary. The Mage, Wizard, looked on in silence, no emotion visible on his ageless face.

The old man and the man in black had watched the exchange as if it was an everyday thing. Liun was the Long-Range Initiator, Wizard was the Mage, Zashin the Short-Range, so that left the other two to be the Elementalist and the Enhancer. The Enhancer always wore either all black or all white so she guessed that the black clad man was the Enhancer Koui. That left Elheizer to be the Elementalist. Lys had never seen the Initiators before and she was nervous about meeting the Legendary Five all at once. The Five were known all over the world for being the best at what they do. It was no surprise then that Regalia was one of the most strongest kingdoms on (or rather, above) the earth. I will prove myself worthy, Lys vowed internally, I'll be the strongest. I'll be the best. I'll MAKE father look at me.

"Let us stop stalling. Get on with the Initiation.", Lys commanded, voice slow and steady, no hint of nervousness betraying her pounding heart. Her eyes were clear, a conviction shining-no-BURNING in the depths of eternal green.

"Forgive us, Princess." Elheizer bowed again. He turned to Zashin, who was still looking like he wanted to shout bloody murder, and jerked his head toward Lys after getting his attention. Zashin calmed down slightly, looking a bit chagrined. The hostility was still there, everyone could see it just literally pouring out of him in waves, but his control had returned.

"Now, we shall explain how the Initiation will take place." the Elementalist started, "You will fight each one of us, one at a time, inside the circle you see painted here on the ground in the middle. At no times should you ever step out of the circle until the fight is over -incapability to move for more than ten seconds- or we have given you the signal at the end of 7 minutes. If you do, there is a high risk of you dying right on the spot. The magic barrier Wizard will soon set up is to protect you from dying inside the sphere - while in battle. The moment you leave, the barrier will have no effect and the injuries you've sustained will affect you at full power.". The entire time he explained the battlegrounds to Lys, his face was impassive and the voice was honestly quite dreary and monotone for such a grave warning. Liun took over, before it got too unbearable,

"If you're wonderin' how ta get the weapons outside da circle, dun worry 'bout it, shortcake. The barrier draws the weapons you want ta use right from their position over there." he pointed to the weapons on the front and back walls with a calloused finger. "When you dunt need da weapon anymore just drop it and it'll disappear. You can use as many weapons as ya want, feel free. The more struggle the better.". Liun grinned savagely, hands twitching as if in anticipation. Lys didn't show her fear, face remaining neutral and calm. He added as if an afterthought, "We won't go easy, just in case you were wondering."

"Wouldn't dream of it. Is that all?", Lys asked politely. Zashin blinked at her cool comment to Liun's obvious insult, and started to smile, his anger at Wizard seeming to fade from his memory.

"There is one more thing, my darling.", Zashin suddenly appeared by her shoulder, "Good luck." he breathed in her ear, lips brushing the hairline near her neck. Lys jerked her head back just an inch, goosebumps crawling on her skin. Her lips tightened and she decided then to NEVER get even within 15 meters of Zashin once this was over.

"Let's start." she muttered and stalked toward the circle. She ran through the instructions in her mind, weapons, no stepping out, injury...death. Lys stopped thinking with a grimace. She got to the very edge of the circle, candles flickering behind her like a horde of fire demons. At a nod from Wizard she stepped in and prepared herself, mentally and physically. She looked up to see her first opponent on the opposite side of the circle. It was the black clad man, Koui.

His velvety black clothes gave him a look of a death god, the only other color being his face, and even that was half covered by a large black hood. He stood slightly bowed like he had a large weight constantly on his shoulders. From far away he would only look like a black blob moving of its own accord. As an Enhancer, Lys couldn't tell what he could do to actually hurt her. She knew about his poor health due to the powers he held, he always came to drop by the palace hospital. Honestly, she felt bad for having to fight him.

The air shifted all of a sudden, static and electricity made Lys's hair stand up and the overpowering scent of candles dissipated. Lys looked around carefully keeping her stance controlled. The barrier had been set up, it seemed; there was a blue-ish clear substance that rose from the edges of the circle. The film curved over the heads of Lys and Koui, forming a dome, encasing the both of them inside like air in a bubble. She reached out her right hand and tried to touch it, but met no resistance whatsoever, her hand moving through the bubble easily. Hmm, I'll need to be careful, she thought as her heart beat faster in nervousness. She withdrew her hand and prepared her fight stance, the one she had mastered through blood and sweat. No tears, she would never show her tears, not while Father was alive.

"Then, on the count of three, Princess.", Elheizer called out. "One, two-"

"THREE!", Liun roared, slamming the butt of his javelin down into the ground. It startled Lys and she lost her concentration for a moment. Luckily, Koui hadn't made a move. In fact, he was standing at the same place he was, no closer or farther away. She was confused. Fine, then, I definitely won't hold back. She thought of a sword, and with a
clink a steel cavalier suddenly appeared by her side, jeweled handle up and ready to be used. She grinned. She had always been good with swords. This would be a piece of a burst of speed she practically flew over the slick floor, sword held loosely but firmly in her right hand, and hurtled toward the apparently defenseless looking Koui.

Koui made no move. He stood completely still, it didn't even look like he was breathing. Closer, closer, only a couple meters away now. Lys got her weapon in fighting stance and charged, face a mask of ice. A meter away, she raised her sword to stab it into Koui's shoulder, she didn't want to hurt him fatally. Then, a foot away from piercing his skin, the world popped and suddenly turned gray. She was so weak, so weak and tired. The thin sword felt too heavy. She dropped it and it disappeared. She also dropped to her knees with a sigh. Her strength was ebbing, even her concentration was breaking. So, this is what an Enhancer's power can do, huh, she thought dreamily. The entire fall took less than five seconds. She couldn't move, she was so tired...

One...

Two...

Three...

Ahh, I'm so tired. Maybe I should just sleep here now. I'm sure they won't mind just a short nap...

Four...

Five...

Wait what am I doing here? Wow, such pretty candles. I wonder if father will think they're pretty.

Six...

Seven...

Hold on, aren't I in a fight? Shouldn't I be fighting right now? That's right, a fight...what for? Isn't it better to sleep, I'm too tired. I'm just a kid.

Eight...

Ah, right, there's a time limit too, huh. Ten seconds. How long has it been? No, wake up! Get up! What was all that training for?!

Nine...

NO! I won't lose here! Father!

Lys snapped her eyes open, flashing furiously like a storm, and with a moan forced herself up. She met Koui's eyes, surprisingly visible, with an almost crazed glow to them.

"I won't lose here." She hissed under her breath. She summoned a long dagger and jerked herself forward. She caught his arm with the tip of her dagger and heard the black fabric tear. Koui's eyes, a peculiar amber, widened in utter surprise but managed to dodge her next frantic strike. Lys was so tired, she could barely move her arms, actually barely even hold her dagger. But she vowed to be the best, the strongest, to get father's approval. She HAD to win. The dangerous dance went on for a while, Lys didn't know. She didn't know anything anymore. Time didn't make sense. The only thought she could make in her muddled mind was Win. Her arm moved mechanically, Koui doing nothing but dodging. But he seemed to be tiring and Lys was gaining strength. She tripped Koui with an immense effort, dropping down to the ground, thrusting out her leg to catch him from behind the knees. He fell backward and Lys fell on top of him. So tired. Lys gasped and panted, trying to breathe. The air around her seemed to thicken. Even breathing hurt. Koui's eyes were frightened, pinned underneath Lys. He wasn't much, for a grown man. Bony and thin, frail. Lys felt nothing. She tried to raise her arm, shaking with the effort as her body became even heavier. Her other hand was attempting to clutch at the black clothes, but to no avail. She was too weak. Her last chance, the dagger hovering above Koui's heart. She didn't want to kill him, but there was no choice. Can't think straight. She would win, no matter the cost. She released her tension and allowed the weight of her arm to plunge the dagger down into Koui's flesh.

The dagger never met its mark.

"EEEEEEND!" Liun hollered and the weapon abruptly vanished from view. The barrier dissolved and all that was left was Lys and Koui in a heap, very near the edge of the circle, both struggling for breath. Lys's strength surged back in a sudden rush of power. She felt dizzy as she tried to take it all in. Koui didn't so good though. He was ashen and trembling, clothes rumpled and teared. A strong hand reached under Lys's arm and hauled her off Koui with ease.

"You're surprisingly light, aren't you." a voice murmured into her ear. A familiar tickle on her neck told her it was Zashin.

"Ugh, leave me alone." she replied, still dizzy and disoriented. She shook off his supporting hand and walked unsteadily out of the circle. She sat down with a thud as soon as she was clear, and put her head in her arms. She felt tingly, like hot and cold needles were prickling her all over. Her strength was returning more gradually now, to her relief. She vaguely heard the other Initiators murmuring with each other.

"Tha' was da first time anyone lasted da full seven minutes against 'im."

"Hey, is he okay? He's shaking..."

"He hasn't been touched by a girl since that time. It's no wonder he's in shock. And no one's ever managed to get past his defense before. A girl, no less!"

"Hmm...she gets more and more interesting..."

Lys stayed down until she could open her eyes without being overwhelmed by the colors and lights. She slowly uncurled herself first and stood up. The Initiators looked over at her with curious expressions and broke apart. Lys, fine now, brushed off Zashin's too eager help. Her hair was a mess.

"Well, Princess, the seven minute time limit was over so we stopped the test. Congratulations." Elheizer bowed.

"Tha' was a pret'y good fight, for a shortcake." Liun nodded with grudging admiration.

"Heh, heh. I think I fell in love with you all over again." Zashin grinned. Koui didn't say anything, wrapped in a black blanket and huddled as far away from her as possible, which was pretty far. She should apologize.

"I apologize for my lack of control, earlier. Good fight." she called out to him, receiving no reply in return. Hmph, his fault for only being able to use his powers and not his actual body, she thought.

"Ah, I apologize but we must get on with the next battle. If you're not hurt severely anywhere, that is." Elheizer murmured.

"Of course, I'm fine. Let's get on with it." Lys immediately responded. Yes, let's get on with it. 4 more Initiators to go. Lys walked toward the circle again with an inner sigh.

~End of Chapter 3~