Asher dan Ryaen menghabiskan waktu saling membicarakan misi, sambil melepas lelah usai sesi latihan bergilir yang tak henti-hentinya selama beberapa hari tak terputus. Mereka tak melakukan apa-apa, sekadar ngobrol dan bahkan terkadang bercanda soal hal-hal sepele, memberi diri keajaiban momen sunyi yang langka — sesuatu yang jarang mereka alokasikan untuk diri sendiri.
"Kamu aneh ya, Wargrave... Matahari Kesepuluh," bisik suara Ryaen pelan, sambil memandangnya dengan tatapan acuhnya yang tak pernah berubah. Asher tak menjawab. Tak perlu. Ia sudah bisa menebak apa yang akan ia katakan berikutnya. Jika ia bertanya kenapa, Ryaen mungkin menjawab bahwa para Wargrave lain tak pernah tersenyum atau bercanda, selalu menjaga ekspresi dingin dan jauh. Tapi ia—Asher—terlalu sering tersenyum santai dan berteriak seolah-olah kekeluargaannya sendiri.
‘Mereka memang tersenyum dan bercanda, tapi orang lain tak tahu karena tak pernah tersenyum pada mereka yang tak penting,’ gumam Asher dalam hati, tak mengucarkannya lantaran menjelaskan hal semacam itu terasa berlebihan dan merepotkan.
"Tak perlu memanggilku ‘Matahari Kesepuluh’. Panggil saja aku Asher," jawabnya sambal senyum tenang di wajahnya. Ryaen cuti sejenak seolah mengkalkulasi, lalu angguk singkat tanan tanpa protes.
Asher pun hendak melanjutkan obrolan ringan, hingga tiba-tiba ia merasakan getaran lembut dari kartu poin Akademi di cincin ruangnya. Ia menekan kening sedikit—belum pernah terjadi sekalipun sejak masuk.
Dengan sekali pikir, kartu langsung muncul di telapuk tangannya, lalu sebuah tampilan holografi transparan menampakkan teks berkilau di udara.
*Asher Wargrave, Peringkat 1, telah ditantang oleh Vaelric Lux Vanthelmor, Peringkat 3, untuk posisimu sebagai Peringkat 1.*
*Jenis Tantangan: Gaya Pertarungan.*
*Tanggal Pertarungan: Hari ini, saat kamu menerima tantangan ini.*
*Apakah kamu menerima?*
Asher memandangnya dengan ekspresi tenang, sedikit heran. Ia tak pernah tahu kartu ini punya fitur seperti ini. Tapi sekaligus masuk akal—dengan metode ini, setiap siswa bisa langsung diberi tahu saat ditantang, efisien dan mustahil dilewati.
"Sepertinya kamu ditantang oleh Putra Kelana," bisik Ryaen sambil duduk di sampingnya, tak bisa tidak melihatnya karena hologram melayang jelas di antara mereka.
"Sepertinya begitu," punya jawab Asher, mata putihnya takjinkan tetap fokus pada teks berkilau. "Kamu pernah ditantang atau menantang siapa-siapa?" tanya ia, mata merah muda mengarah ke mata peraknya dengan rasa penasaran sekaligus bermain.
Ryaen mengangguk pelan. "Belum. Tak ada gunanya menantang kecuali di dalam top tiga. Top tiga lah yang dapat poin mingguan gratis. Menantang orang cuma karena sombong atau ingin tunjuk diri itu kebodohan dan buang-buang waktu bagiku," katanya acuh seolah-olah itu sudah pasti jelas.
Asher mengangguk setuju. Jika posisinya ditukar, ia pasti lakukan hal sama tanpa ragu. "Siapa yang akan kamu tantang dari ketiga orang kita?" tanya ia sambil tersenyum kecil, setengah penasaran, setengah menggoda.
"Aku akan memutuskan setelah latihan selesai," jawab Ryaen dengan tenang memang. Fokusnya tak pernah rengsek pada kompetisi, lebih suka pada pertumbuhan dulu.
Asher mengangguk, lalu mengangguk sejenak sambil menekankan kartunya. Caranya sederhana—mengalirkan energi Astra ke dalam kartu. "Aku terima," bisiknya. Layar holografi pun menghilang seolah tak pernah ada, digantikan oleh panah holografi yang menunjuk ke arah lintasannya.
"Mari lihat apa yang si Raja punya untuk kita," bisik Asher sambil bangun lancar, melompas over rail balkonnya tanpa ragu. Ryaen tak ragu juga, meniruknya dengan serta.
Asher menyentuh tanah dengan ringan, tak terdengar, manakala Ryaen mendarat dengan gempak sekaligus retak mengkerikil batu di bawah kakaknya. Orang biasa mungkin patah tulang dari ketinggian itu, tapi keluarga Silvershade memang ahli manipulasi tulang, jadi patah tulang dari jatuh biasa itu malah malu. —
Tanpa kata pun, mereka meluncur cepat, tubuh menjadi lintasan, mengikuti panah holografi.
Di koloseum, Asher menemukan kerumunan besar teman-setemannanya, termasuk Finch dan William. Bagaimana semuanya tiba cepat atau bahkan tahu soal duel ini, ia tak tahu. Hanya saja baru saja menerima notifikasi dan langsung bergegas ke sini.
"Ya tak perlu tahu juga,’ gumamnya, lalu melangkah naik pangung, di mana Raja sudah menunggu dengan keyakinan tenang.
‘Aku penasaran apa yang berubah selama dua bulan terakhir yang membuatnya yakin sudah menyempitkan jarak di antara kita,’ pikir Asher. Bukan meremehkan atau menganggap enteng—ia hanya menilai secara logis dan objektif saja.
"Asher Wargrave, kamu siap?," tanya instruktur yang mengawasi pertarungan ini. Pria tinggi dan kelihatan serius ini, bukan orang yang pernah ia lihat sebelumnya. Tapi itu tak mengganggu Asher sedikit pun.
"Aku ingat kemampuan darah keluarga kerajaan," gumamnya. Mereka bisa menyerap semua bentuk energi dan melemparkannya kembali dengan kekuatan yang ditingkatkan. Salah satu kelemahan utama mereka adalah terhadap senjata tajam, dan orang biasa mungkin langsung mengandalkan keunggulan itu.
Vaelric Lux Vanthelmor berdiri tegas, tatapan stabil dan tenang pada Asher. Posturnya rapi dan kerendahan sebagai seorang putra kelana sejati. Asher membalasnya dengan sikap yang sama—tenang, tak terintimidasi atau semangat berlebihan.
‘Jika saja aku tak sibuk,’ gumam Asher dalam hatinya. Jika Raja menantangnya sepunya hari, ia pasti akan membuktikan perbedaan secara bertahap. Tapi kini ia punya banyak hal untuk dilatih dan dikembangkan. "Seharusnya kujawab dengan santai, tapi tak ada waktu untuk bermain-main," lanjutnya. "Ayo... selamat malam," panggilnya sambil mengangguk.
_____
CATATAN PENULIS: Hei, semua! Penulis kegemaranmu yang serakah ini datang lagi. Kami hanya butuh 60 tiket emas lagi untuk mencapai 1.000 tiket emas. Kami punya sekitar dua hari untuk mencapai target ini. Ayo naik peringkat bersama-sama! Juga, akhir bulan ini akan ada pengumuman, dan aku yakin kalian semua akan suka. Terima kasih atas dukungannya, aku sayang kalian semua.
Asher and Ryaen spent the time discussing their missions, the both of them unwinding and relaxing from their back-to-back training sessions that had stretched for days without pause, so they simply talked, discussed, and even joked about a few trivial things here and there, allowing themselves this rare and quiet moment of ease that neither of them usually permitted.
"You are a weird Wargrave, Tenth Sun," Ryaen intoned as she stared at him with her usual indifferent gaze. Asher didn’t reply, he didn’t need to, because he could already guess what she was going to say next. If he asked her why, she would probably reply that other Wargraves didn’t smile or joke around and always kept their expressions cold and distant, but he, Asher, smiled far too easily and spoke too casually.
’They do smile and joke around, but everyone just doesn’t know because they simply don’t smile to anyone they don’t give a damn about,’ Asher mused to himself but didn’t say those words out loud, because explaining something like that felt unnecessary and troublesome.
"No need to call me Tenth Sun, you may call me Asher," he replied with a calm and easy smile on his face. Ryaen stayed silent for a moment as though considering it, then simply nodded her head in agreement without making a fuss about it.
As Asher was about to speak again and continue their light conversation, he suddenly felt his Academy point card vibrate faintly within his space ring. Asher frowned slightly as he had never felt it vibrate before, not even once since enrolling.
With a single thought, the card appeared instantly in his palm, and the moment it did, a heads-up display like a translucent hologram popped up before him as glowing lines of text formed clearly in the air.
Asher Wargrave, Rank 1, you’ve been challenged by Vaelric Lux Vanthelmor, Rank 3, for your position as Rank 1.
Challenge Type is Battle Style.
Battle date: today, the very instant you accept.
Do you accept?
Asher stared at the holographic display with a calm but slightly puzzled expression, as he hadn’t even known this function existed in the card. But at the same time, it made perfect sense, because through this method, every student would be instantly notified whenever they were being challenged to a battle, making the process efficient and impossible to ignore.
"It seems you’ve been challenged by the Royal Prince," Ryaen’s voice came from the side as she read the text too while sitting right beside Asher, it was simply impossible for her not to see it since the hologram floated openly in the air between them.
"It seems so," he replied, his eyes still fixed on the glowing text, "have you been challenged or challenged anyone yet?" he asked her, his purple eyes turning to meet her silver ones with mild curiosity.
Ryaen shook her head as she replied, "I haven’t. If I’m not challenging anyone within the top three, then I don’t see the use. The top three are the only ones that get free points weekly. Challenging others for a rank that comes with no benefits simply because of pride and ego is stupid and a waste of time and effort to me," she replied with a calm and unbothered tone, as though the matter was obvious.
Asher nodded at her words, because if he were in her shoes, he would probably do the exact same thing without hesitation, "so who do you plan to challenge out of the three of us?" he asked with a small smile on his face, half curious and half teasing.
"I will decide after my training," Ryaen replied with a calm tone as she truly hadn’t made her decision yet, her focus always placed on growth first before competition.
Asher nodded, then thought for a moment about how to accept the challenge, by tapping the holographic display? That seemed somewhat dumb and primitive, but since the card had always functioned by channeling Astra energy into it, he simply channeled Astra energy into the card and made his intention known through it.
The moment he accepted, the screen vanished as though it had never existed in the first place, then another holographic arrow appeared on the surface of the card, glowing faintly as though pointing and guiding him toward the battle location like a silent navigator.
"Let’s see what the prince has in store for us," Asher spoke as he rose from his seat in one smooth motion, then casually jumped over the rail of Ryaen’s balcony without hesitation. Ryaen didn’t hesitate either, she also jumped over, mirroring Asher’s seemingly reckless action without the slightest concern.
Asher landed with a light and deft touch, barely making a sound as his feet met the ground, while Ryaen landed with a booming force that cracked the stone slightly beneath her. Any other person might have gotten their bones shattered or broken from such a height, but the Silvershade Ducal Family were bone manipulators by blood, so her breaking a bone from such a trivial fall would be an insult in itself.
Without exchanging any more words, they blurred forward at high speed, their figures turning into streaks as they followed the arrow that guided them.
Arriving at the colosseum, Asher found that it was already filled with quite a number of students from his class, even Finch and William were present among the crowd. How everyone had gathered so fast or even known about the duel was unknown to him, after all, he had just gotten the challenge notification himself and had rushed over immediately.
He shook his head lightly as he decided to forget about it, because it didn’t matter either way. Without a word, he climbed onto the stage where the Prince was already waiting for him with quiet confidence.
’I wonder what kind of progress he made within the past two months that made him think he has closed the gap between us,’ Asher thought to himself. He wasn’t looking down on the Prince or underestimating him, he was simply considering the facts logically and objectively, that was all.
"Asher Wargrave, are you ready?" the Instructor overseeing the battle asked, he was a man Asher had never seen before prior to this moment, tall and stern-looking, but none of that bothered him in the slightest.
He remembered the Royal family’s bloodline ability clearly. They could absorb all forms of energy into their bodies and even launch it back at the attacker with amplified force. One of their few weaknesses was bladed weapons, and a normal person might have begun the battle relying heavily on that advantage.
Vaelric Lux Vanthelmor stood with a calm expression as he stared at Asher with a steady composure, his posture straight and regal like a true Prince. Asher simply stared back at him just as calmly, neither intimidated nor excited.
’Sigh, only if I wasn’t busy,’ Asher mused to himself, because if the Prince had challenged him any other day, he would have taken his sweet time to properly show the Prince the difference between them step by step, but at the moment, Asher had far too many things to train and refine, and he couldn’t waste precious time here just to entertain the young Royal Prince.
"Begin."
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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hey, everyone, your favourite greedy author here. We are only 60 golden tickets away from touching 1,000 golden tickets. We have about two days to reach this goal. Let’s climb the ranks together. Also, at the end of this month, I will make an announcement, and I’m sure you’ll all love it. Thanks for the support, love you all.
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