The Secrets of Arcana

Eve

All I wanted was something to drink. That's it! You know I was just jogging towards the reservoir before I needed to get Ash and myself at the starting line.

And then my idiotic self ran into someone.

He came out of nowhere! I looked back for one second, and BAM! Right into this guy's chest.

He didn't even look down at me for a moment. I brushed myself off and started to get up while telling him to watch where he's going.

"Watch where I'm going? You ran into me! You're the one who needs to pay attention, peasant," he snarls back.

I scoff and shake my head as I just push past him and walk away. Who does he think he's talking to? Calling the Princess of Lymphia peasant. I guess he doesn't know that I'm the princess. No one outside of the kingdom even truly knows I exist. I'm more of a myth or legend than anything else.

My parents have always been very protective of me. My mother had many miscarriages before me and she's never been able to carry another. This is why they never want me to leave the kingdom, they need an heir. So, I can only leave the castle with a guard or Leo with me. They don't even trust me to leave with Ruby!

But even if I was a peasant, there was no good reason to talk down to someone like that. He must've been some level of nobility.

Or maybe he just has a big ego.

Either way, I'm not going to let that fool get to me any longer. But, I may just think of his stupid face during the race...

It'll give me the motivation to destroy the poor souls who have to race against me and Ash.

After getting the drink, which was the main point of me leaving the caves, I returned and made sure Ash and myself were both ready.

Of course, we were ready.

When have we ever not been ready?

Never. Is the answer.

I heard the announcer call the five-minute warning for the next race and who all was going to be taking part in the first upcoming race.

I didn't know most of the names. The only one I did know was Leo's dragon, Draymore.

The others did sound familiar though, so it probably wasn't their first race. But then the announcer started to call out once again.

"At the last second, Hades has been added to the competitors' list."

Now that was a name I knew.

There have been rumors about Hades and his rider. No one knows who he is, of course, but he's notorious for never losing.

Just like me.

This will be a great race.

I tightened the saddle that rested right above Ash's wings and I stroked her face before she laid her head down so I could climb on and lead her to the starting positions for the race.

There are never more than five people flying in a race. One reason being it is easier to see who wins. And another is just because the dragons take up a lot of space. And this time I know there are five of us.

The organizers of the races like to keep competitors separate until the race starts. So, an assistant points me in the direction of my and Ash's starting point.

And when we get there the walls are so tall that I can't see anything.

But I stay calm.

I keep a hold of Ash and soon enough I can hear the announcer counting down.

"And our race will begin in five...four...three...two...one! Go, go, go!"

Right as the last number is called, the gate locking me and Ash away from the rest of the competitors is swung open and Ash bolts out as fast as possible.

I got a quick look at some of the racers as I flew past them. There was a red dragon, a gray dragon, and Draymore.

But where is the last one?

Where is Hades?

I've heard enough to know he's pitch black but I haven't seen him...

So I make Ash triple her speed.

I'm not going to lose my winning streak. So, I'm going to give Hades and his rider the opportunity of a lifetime- losing to me.

As we go through obstacles, I eventually have us turn through three tight spaces made from stone ruins.

And then I see him, and so does Ash.

Ash has never experienced loss before. And I know her well enough to know she doesn't want to know what it feels like to lose. So, without me doing anything at all, she speeds up.

And she reaches Hades!

"C'mon girl we can do this!" I exclaim as I take a stronger grasp onto her saddle.

I haven't looked back at all throughout this entire race, and I wasn't about to. But, I could hear slight flapping from behind me. I assumed it was the gray dragon I saw since it was the last one I passed.

"You might as well give up now!" I heard someone say.

I looked over to my left and saw a smirk on Hades' rider.

"Oh yeah? Why is that?" I called back.

"I've never lost."

I smirk and slowly push Ash to go quicker, "Oh yeah? Well neither have I!"

And with that, we blasted past them. But something felt off. I recognized the rider, I just couldn't figure it out for sure.

Wait a minute... There's no way. Well, there is but it couldn't have been.

Was that rider the same guy I ran into before the race?

As I made the realization the sounds behind me began to change. And when I looked back for just a split second, I saw Hades.

And when I turned back around I could see the finish line!

I could tell they were speeding up and I tried to get Ash to go a little faster but she couldn't. She reached her limit, but she was using all of her strength while doing so.

God, I love my girl.

The end was getting closer and closer, but so was Hades.

I completely ignored their existence and focused on finishing the race. I even closed my eyes when we were about fifty feet from the end.

And when I opened my eyes they darted to the announcer and I couldn't believe what he said.

"It's a tie! First place goes to Ash and Hades!"