The Scepter of Marahuyo

Applause from the crowd rings in my ears as the searing heat adds to the pain of being under the radar of everyone's attention. I check myself. I am not as nervous as I was when I was one of the participants gunning to become the next Scepter. Still, I will never really get used to this kind of attention. Thankfully this time, the public eye is focused on the other eight mages who are with us. All vying to be the next Scepter and to have a chance to become one of the four powers in our nation, which we call Quads. It is composed of the Ruler, Scepter, Sword, and the Quill who all worked together for the betterment of the nation they rule. In our country Benia, when the previous Ruler died, it was my best friend, Olivia, who replaced him as the new Ruler and the change in gender means a new round of Selection, at least, in Benia. It is in the law that the Ruler will marry one of the Quads. Since both the current Sword and the Quill already had a family, not to mention old, it’s left for the Scepter to be the Ruler’s husband. In other countries, they allow the same genders for Quads marriage, as they are not meant to sire a child. Child-rearing is left for the consorts and concubines of the Rulers. It is also only the Ruler who still had their ability to procreate intact. Being one of the finalists in the previous Selection, I am invited to facilitate the final challenge with one of the most powerful Swords in history, Axel. He is an ex-Quad, as he already stepped down from being the Sword of a neighboring, powerful country named Caltra. Now, he’s a traveling warrior who saves people from all around the world and gets invited to these types of events. “Stop that,” Ethan whispers. He’s one of the participants and the best male mage we had in Marahuyo. “Stop what?” I ask. My eyes are still on Axel as he stands on attention. He has simple clothes on, leather pants, and a cotton blue shirt. His brown shoulder-length hair is tied up to appear neat on such an occasion. He looks tall and even in the distance, he exudes a strength that I will think twice to come over and ask him for some kind of remembrance. Perhaps, a small token to remind me that I stood on the same ground that this amazing man graced. Damn, if only I have that much courage. I never had an issue coming over to him when I was a kid. “God, you’re drooling over our superstar here.” I blush and finally look at Ethan. “Shut up.” “I warned you before. When we became sixteen, I told you to lose it, to experience it. But you, my friend, are very stubborn.” “Lose what?” “Your innocence,” he leans closer and whispers, “your virginity. That guy is out of your league, you know, and you don’t exactly have the skills or the merch.” I widen my eyes at him, to warn him and to hopefully shut his mouth. But he continues, “Now that I’ll win this, you’ll never get the chance to receive my training.” “Can you please just focus?!” I fire at him. Yes, he’s the best mage, but if that’s the only requirement then I would never reach the finals. Also, I will not be here as one of the facilitators since my blessing, or rather, my magick, as most people call it, is not the explosive type that could win challenges. “A pleasant day, people of Benia!” It’s Master Suvayan, the current Quill, one of the Quads. He’s standing beside Olivia at the dais. Master Deborah, the current Sword of Benia, is absent due to a mission to exterminate monsters wreaking havoc close to our country. “After Master Orson steps down to pave the way for a new Scepter to rule together with the three of us, we are here to decide who will be that mage.” As Master Suvayan continues on his opening speech, I look at Olivia. She looks regal and different in her dress. Not long ago, I often visited her in the Marahuyo library and we talked to great lengths about our dreams. She, dreaming of a man who will sweep her off her feet, and I, dreaming of the time when I can be strong enough to become a traveling mage. Imagine my pride when after a couple of months, she reached out to me and asked me to be one of the facilitators. I thought she had forgotten about our friendship, and that we already drifted away, and it made me happy because the invitation is proof that she has not. She will get her dream now, and I will get mine once Master Orson comes back from a meeting with Caltra, probably another farewell party for him stepping down as the Scepter. Suddenly, Olivia stands up and stops Master Suvayan in his speech. “This is tiring.” She flicks her wrist and a woman sitting close to her stands up. Olivia whispers something to her and the woman starts to mouth something. A dome-like barrier appears and envelops the facilitators and the finalists on the grounds. I scrunch my brows. If this is the final challenge, I should not be inside the same dome. I look at Axel. He looks confused as well. “Et--” I never finish my words when I hear a hissing sound and ditches form on the ground. Instead of water, the liquid in it is green. I smell it and understand what it is before blisters start to appear on my arms. I press on one and it bursts. The liquid in it is slimy and has the same hue as the water on the ditch. I look around again. Like me, everyone else is getting the same symptoms, even Axel. And if my assumptions are correct, I need to move fast.  To be continued...