Chapter 173: Sinking Island.

The Main Seven Island was practically buzzing with chaotic energy. Beyond their heavy duty of guarding the Veil, the academy was in full overdrive. Maidens were training day and night, sweating through their jumpsuits in preparation for the Union of Clans and Guild Tournament.

Inside the grand open-air auditorium, hundreds of young soul maidens stood in crisp formation, their eyes locked on the elevated platform.

Trinity stood center stage, her powerful aura naturally pressing down on the crowd, commanding absolute silence.

"Listen to me, my dearest maidens!" Trinity’s voice echoed across the courtyard like a rolling thunderclap. "This tournament is not just about who takes home the shiny gold trophy as the most skilled Soul Maiden! It is not about who wins the herbs, and special privileges that come along with it. Winning is about showing our might. It is about reminding the ordinary humans that without us, their soft, comfortable new world wouldn’t even last a single day. This competition lasts for a week. During that week, you are not just the faces of your clans and guilds, you are the faces of this academy, and I expect the best from all of you."

A few nervous maidens shifted on their feet, while others puffed out their chests with pride.

Trinity gestured toward a tall blonde-haired girl standing at rigid attention beside her. "Seraphine, as Head Prefect of this academy, stands as the prime example of what every single one of you should strive to be. Be like Seraphine. Be better than Seraphine."

Seraphine smirked. eyeing the other Soul maidens with disdain. How could any of them be better than her? In the new generation, she was the best and always would be. She would be the next Divine maiden. It was nonnegotiable.

Without another word, Trinity glided over to a luxurious, portable wooden chair that two wardens had hurriedly set up for her. She sank into it, crossed her legs, and gave a subtle nod toward Julia.

"Take your seats, girls," Julia commanded smoothly.

The maidens flooded into the tiered auditorium benches. Down in the center ring, Seraphine stepped forward, a smug smirk playing on her lips. Opposite her stood Ophelia, her expression deadpan, her boots firmly planted on the arena floor.

"Begin!" Julia announced.

Instantly, Ophelia didn’t hesitate. She slammed her palm onto the ground.

Jagged stone spears burst from the arena floor, shooting straight toward Seraphine’s chin.

Seraphine didn’t even blink. With a flick of her wrist, a swirling gust of gale-force wind swept under her feet, launching her twenty feet into the air. While airborne, she slashed her fingers through the space in front of her. A glowing silver tear opened in mid-air__a Portal! She dove headfirst into the portal and vanished completely.

"Behind you, Ophelia!" a maiden screamed from the audience.

Another portal ripped open directly above Ophelia’s head. Seraphine dropped out like a falling meteor, her right hand coated in a razor-sharp blade of dense wind energy.

Ophelia raised both arms, summoning a thick wall of compressed earth to block the strike. Sparks flew everywhere, blinding the front row of spectators. "Nice trick, Head Prefect!" Ophelia grunted, shoving back against the wind blast. "How about you try this on for size?"

Ophelia kicked the air, opening two miniature portals on either side of Seraphine’s flanks. From inside the voids, two colossal fists made of solid granite shot out, aiming to sandwich Seraphine into pancake batter.

"Oh, please. Predictable," Seraphine sneered. Instead of blocking, she pulled a dirty, ungraceful move.

She abruptly collapsed her own knee, dropping low to the ground, and whipped a handful of blinding pocket-sand mixed with tiny wind-spikes straight into Ophelia’s eyes!

"Gah! You cheap__!" Ophelia gasped, reflexively pulling back her hands to cover her face.

Taking full advantage of the low blow, Seraphine hooked her boot behind Ophelia’s ankle, threw her shoulder into her chest, and slammed Ophelia backward onto the hard stone. Before Ophelia could recover her breath, Seraphine pulled a small concealable dagger from her sleeve, pressed the cool edge right against Ophelia’s neck, and sat on her stomach like an unruly child.

"I win," Seraphine gasped out, panting heavily, her hair a tangled mess and her uniform dusty.

It was a victory, sure, but it was ugly, messy, and decidedly lacking in the grace expected of a Head Prefect.

Silence fell over the auditorium. Half the girls blinked in utter awkwardness. "Did__ did the Seraphine just throw dirt in her face?" one junior whispered behind her hand.

While the crowd looked underwhelmed, Trinity slowly began to clap from her portable chair, a sinister smile creeping up her face. Beside her, Julia gave a nod of approval. Winning was winning; morals were for dead people.

Ophelia spat out a mouthful of dust, glaring at Seraphine. "You fight like an alley cat."

"And you’re on your back," Seraphine whispered back with a victorious grin, getting up and dusting off herself.

Julia stepped forward, unrolling a paper. The playful mood vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, heavy dread. "Being a Soul maiden doesn’t mean fighting like an angel. The Somnivore will do whatever it takes to kill us, so we must do whatever it takes to survive. The following Soul Maidens have been chosen for the next shift beyond the Veil. Step forward as your names are called."

"Tania Reed, Emilia Nectar__"

Tears and sharp gasps of horror rippled through the ranks. Everyone knew what going there meant. As Julia read through the list, a tiny girl stepped forward from the back row. She couldn’t have been older than ten years old, her lips pouted, her hands trembling uncontrollably as she clutched her chest.

"Wait__ Little Mai?" a maiden cried out, her voice cracking. "She’s just a kid! Why her?!"

Panicking murmurs broke out across the benches. Sending grown maidens was tragic enough, but sending a child was practically an execution.

"Silence!" Sabrina’s sharp voice cut through the chaos like a whip. She glided over and placed a cold, stern hand on the young girl’s shaking shoulder. "Do not disrespect her fate. This was her sacred duty, decided by the Heavens at the very moment of her birth. She fulfills her destiny today."

The little girl bit her bottom lip, trying desperately not to cry, and nodded bravely.

Suddenly, a loud thud echoed across the entire island.

Julia whispered something to Trinity who dismissed the girls immediately. Then she looked at Julia in shock.

"What do you mean earthquakes, was that not because of the veil?" Trinity asked.

Julia shook her head. "We do not know how long the Island can withstand such shakes. The wardens have noticed cracks in the land__" she paused as if afraid that speaking her fears would make them come true.

"The Island could sink?" Trinity said.

Julia nodded solemnly. "Yes, divine maiden."

Trinity clenched her fists__another problem had emerged for her to solve. "And the veil?"

Julia looked far ahead at it. "It’s been quiet lately, it’s like the Somnivores have given up."

Trinity narrowed her eyes. "I highly doubt that. If this island is about to sink, it’s related to them."