Song: Castle by Halsey
Oh, all these minutes passing, sick of feeling used
If you wanna break these walls down, you're gonna get bruised
Now my neck is open wide, begging for a fist around it
Already choking on my pride, so there's no use crying about it
I'm headed straight for the castle
They wanna make me their queen
And there's an old man sitting on the throne
That's saying that I probably shouldn't be so mean
I'm headed straight for the castle
They've got the kingdom locked up
And there's an old man sitting on the throne
That's saying I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut
Straight for the castle

They were right. News had spread like wildfire about the supposed abilities that the new girl had.

As Glacia entered the Grand Hall, everyone's eyes were on her. They were whispering to each other, staring at the new girl who was supposed to have a virtus as powerful as the future King himself. Some glared daggers at her, green with envy; others were smiling shyly with longing.

This prospect terrified Glacia, even if she tried to pretend confident about it all. Regardless of her uncertainty, she knew she had to hold herself high, in front of the hundreds of eyes trained on her. Since she had power, she ought to assert her position. Keeping her head high, she walked forward, each step with purpose and grace.

Rose had dressed her in a long white gown that hugged her body and trailed down. The blue and white colors merged and cascaded down the dress, complementing Glacia's pale skin. The dress wasn't the most extravagant -- not bearing rows and rows diamonds as I see now that many others had, but this was perfect for her.

"Don't go too over the top. The star of your outfit shouldn't be the amount of jewelry you're wearing, the star of it all should be you. Too much, and it draws attention away from you." Rose had explained when she given Glacia the dress.

Beautiful. Some of the Royalliers mouthed, but Glacia never believed it. She assumed that it must be one of the lies squeezed out from these Royalliers, who bore various intentions. She never considered herself that way.

The whispers continued as the crowd parted way for Glacia. She kept her head to her back arrow-straight, only paying attention briefly to occasionally catch a word or two that was being said. Clack, clack, went the gentle sound of her heels against the hard ground, matching every step she took.

She soldiered on until the crowd parted enough for her to see a big golden throne, that led up to the King, King Orion.

So, this was the ruler of the Realm of Royalliers.

He sat way above everyone else, on his elevated, stony position. That was the perfect position for him to analyze Glacia with an intimidating look. His eyes were transfixed on her, and now that she was standing before him, she must have looked small in comparison.

Glacia lifted her chin higher to meet his gaze. Even if he had the throne, she would be just as strong in terms of mannerisms.

The King was dressed in red robes that were a clear sign of royalty. He was flanked by some others -- officials, as Luke had introduced. These were the main higher-ups who assisted the King.

"Welcome." His booming voice resounded across the room, commanding the attention of every single being present. "Glacia Shearstone, we welcome you to realm of the Royalliers."

Glacia bowed slightly. "Your Majesty."

Next to him, stood none other than Asher, followed by a few other members of royalty. Asher's riveting eyes were trained on Glacia with a sharp look in them. Glacia drifted her attention slightly to him, giving him the smallest of smirks. We meet again.

Things worked differently here. Luke had explained that it wasn't the oldest child who would be the first heir to the throne with the title of Crown Prince. It was the Royal born with the strongest virtus who would do that. And it just happened to be the youngest, for this generation.

Asher stood beside two other brothers, both of which were older than him. Atlas, second to the throne, was a tall man of lean build. He had a fearsome aura about him, one that told me that he didn't seem to be on the best of terms with the rest of the royal family. Kai was third to the throne, who had tousled black hair and a more welcoming appearance. He was crouched atop his chair, seeming to be in his own world, thinking intently about something.

Luke had warned her that the three brothers were definitely not on the best of terms. He said it was rather blatant that they'd all want the throne.

Glacia looked to each of them in turn, observing how they all had this commanding presence about them.

"I hear from the Seekers that you're one of the most powerful Royalliers they've ever seen. A virtus that can only be matched by my heir, himself."

Glacia smiled icily, tilting her head down. "I am very blessed to have been born with such a gift."

With this, the King erupted into light laughter. "You're an Ice Regiis indeed. And I would assume that you'd be more than pleased that you're having such a great gift --"

At this, he broke out into a fit of coughs. Those reminded the Royalliers present that he didn't seem to have time left on his hands. Even though the King still had a commanding presence, he couldn't hide the slight shadows in his eyes that indicated he was sickly. The King wasn't that old yet, but he was very ill — and that was the thing, no one knew why. Royalliers die later in this Realm, and usually due to old age only. Since the King is the highest in power, only subservient to Asher, it made it impossible for anyone to kill him. No one knows why he's dying.

As Glacia replayed the words in her head, she suddenly looked to Asher. She was putting two and two together. The words that Luke didn't dare utter. Could it be that Asher, the only one stronger than the King, was the one killing his own father?

"You knew about us before you came. Or at least heard of our existence. Did you come here knowing of your gift?" The King asked smoothly, changing the attention back to him.

Glacia shook her head lightly, afraid to speak, lest her voice was shaky out of newfound wariness towards her Socius.

The King sat upright, nodding. "Alright, I must see it for myself. I need to prove that she is as powerful as they say."

Glacia furrowed her brows. ...Proof? Couldn't he already sense her virtus? But yes, perhaps that barely-tangible feeling was hard to confirm such a thing. But how would he prove it? She thought back to what I already knew. Royalliers could only die or get hurt if it was inflicted by a Royallier with a virtus more powerful than themselves.

It hit her. That must be the only way to test for a Royallier's power. She took in a sharp breath. That means...

"Asher?" The King called out to his side. "You know what to do."

The Crown Prince showed uncertainty for a moment, before letting a blank expression replace that. He nodded, descending down the steps quickly but gracefully. Now, on the same level as Glacia, he took long, firm strides until he was right in front of where she stood. Glacia was confused, and somewhat scared, yet she couldn't back away. "What are you going to do?" She mouthed softly to Asher.

His eyes locked with hers, wordlessly. With a smash, he struck the vase sitting on a table next to the throne. Everyone jolted a little from the sudden action.

"I hate to have to tell you this, but trust me." He whispered ever so slightly as he moved close to Glacia. She backed away out of instinct, but he put a hand on her back to stop her.

Trust you? He would be the person Glacia least trusted, she thought with alarm.

In a flash, Asher grabbed a shard from the ground. He moved so quickly that she could barely anticipate his next move. "You won't feel anything." He said, lips close to Glacia's ear. He closed the distance between them and drove the shard into her shoulder.

What... the... hell? Glacia's eyes widened with alarm into two blue halos as she shoved him away. He looked wary of the force she gave off, Glacia knew that she was rather strong. However, it was the confusion that held her back.

"Hold still. It's for your own good." He gruffed.

Asher's eyes were still watching her, as was everyone else in the room. Despite her efforts, he didn't even move an inch, holding the shard there.

Glacia's heartbeat quickened, a cold rush surging through her veins as she fought a scream. She should be feeling pain. Every fibre of Glacia's being was telling her that, but... she didn't feel anything.

To Glacia, it just felt as though he merely touched her shoulder. No sign of pain. It must be true then. Despite this, she was used to having a normal life knowing that you would definitely have gotten hurt in instances like this. She shuddered, turning to snarl at the boy.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Get used to it, Glacia. She chided herself. You can't be hurt easily here. So stop showing signs of weakness. She willed herself to calm down and stand up straighter.

A smile played faintly on his lips. "No, but someone has to do it, and I'm already showing you mercy."

Asher pulled the shard out swiftly. He stepped away slowly, still facing her. "If it were you, I don't think you'd hesitate."

The way he spoke nearly sent shivers up Glacia's spine. Out of the corner, she could detect a similar smug look on King Orion's face. Like father, like son. She seethed at them both, she saw the brief contentment at her pain.

"Well?" The King asked in anticipation, sitting on the edge of his golden seat. He beckoned her to come closer.

"What are you waiting for?" Asher said, his even more irritable manner returning. He tilted his head slightly, arching his jawline towards the throne where the King sat.

Glacia moved out of the proximity of the prince with a scathing look. She strode forward for the King to see better, tilting her shoulder a little to showcase the spot that Asher hit. Everyone seemed to be trying to get a view as well. Everyone wanted to witness for themselves the newest Ice Regiis being completely unharmed by Asher. The first person that couldn't be significantly harmed by the Crown Prince.

On her shoulder, the skin did not even break when Asher drove the shard through. It was spotless, which signalled that her virtus was as strong as Asher's.

The King nodded with approval. He bellowed to the rest his evaluation.

"Alright. It is true. The Ice Regiis has a virtus as great as the Crown Prince's. She is his socius."

Behind her, the crowd applauded, albeit forcibly. Glacia regained her composure, feeding it to her pride and strength.

When the applause died down, she stepped away. Asher fell into stride next to her, his fiery aura radiating off him. She felt a little repelled by him, yet compelled at the same time. It was a feeling that didn't sit well in her.

"That's not all that I gathered you for. There's something else that we need to discuss. 'Climate change', as mortals call it, is getting worse by the day. And everything else in the mortal world is a mess -- wars erupting, hatred brewing... it has come to the point where I believe that the Royalliers are shirking our responsibilities."

The crowd spoke up. An official stepped away from his spot, bowing forward as he challenged this statement. "We work day and night. How is this possible?"

"Perhaps, someone could be wreaking havoc. A Royallier who is destroying the elements."

The crowd reacted at this, beginning to point fingers. Then, the official twisted the King's words. "Your Majesty, it would require someone very strong indeed to do that. Are you suggesting anyone in particular?" The official seemed to be looking at Asher out of the corner of his eye. Asher snarled in return, which made the official back away slightly. He was fearsome when he wanted to be.

The King slammed his hand down on the armrest of his chair. "We shall not speculate. What we will do now is do more for to govern our elements well. And with that, I am going to send Royalliers out of this realm to the mortal world."

The mortal world? Many do not look pleased at this. In fact, the crowd behind retreated a little, probably praying that they didn't have to leave the comfort of their beautiful palace home.

The King continued, with certainty and intensity in his voice. "I have decided that staying in the palace to 'observe' is no longer enough. We need people on the ground. I will be specially choosing a select team for this mission, alongside the Crown Prince."

Asher tilted his head up to meet his father's gaze, prepared for his designation. "I have chosen Asher to lead this team. He has shown tremendous abilities in virtus, battling skills, and definitely leadership. He is the best fit for this select team. I will be choosing the other recruits and letting them know myself. However, I have a special assignment now. Now that I've seen what Glacia can do, I would like her to join Asher to lead this team."

At this, Luke pushed forward, wanting to say something. Glacia exchanged looks with him, seeing fear in his eyes. He had said that she could get hurt outside the Realm, even if she was protected on the inside.

"Father, I —" Asher protested, but was cut off.

"You two are the greatest and most powerful socius that history has ever seen. I believe that you two will be able to help each other. Your powers would complement each other's perfectly, and I look forward to see what you both can do." He directed his next words specifically at Glacia. "For you, it's a test. I hope you will be able to rise up to the challenge."

Glacia couldn't resist a challenge. She never thought to believe that she would be hurt by anyone in the mortal world, anyway. If anything, she was more familiar with that place than here, having just coming from it. She looked at everyone's anticipation, she couldn't just let them down like that. And the rebellious side appealed to her now.

The side of lip curled up as she harnessed her determination.
Challenge accepted.