The evening sun cast long shadows across Elmbridge Academy's Grand Hall as four hundred fifty delegates gathered for the assembly Headmaster Sariah had announced during their afternoon orientation. The exhaustion from yesterday's examination had mostly faded, replaced by restless energy as everyone speculated about what came next.

Raze stood near the front with the other top ten performers, arranged in a loose semicircle that made their rankings visible without being overtly hierarchical. Gareth Valorian radiated confidence to his right, the Duke's son clearly comfortable with leadership expectations. To his left, Seraphine Lumis maintained serene composure that suggested either genuine calm or exceptional emotional control.

Behind them, the remaining four hundred forty delegates filled the hall in clusters based on kingdom affiliations and friendships formed during the journey here. The atmosphere carried anticipation mixed with nervousness, everyone sensing that whatever the Headmaster announced would fundamentally shape their Academy experience.

Bephe sat at Raze's feet in dog form, occasionally glancing up as if checking that his master remained unbothered by the waiting. Across the hall, Fedora stood with several other high-ranking delegates, Slith coiled elegantly around her shoulders. Their eyes met briefly, acknowledgment passing between them before attention returned to the empty platform.

Headmaster Sariah appeared without fanfare, simply materializing on the raised dais as if she'd always been there. The ambient noise died immediately, four hundred fifty people falling silent in unconscious response to her presence.

"Delegates of the fifteen kingdoms," she began, voice carrying effortlessly across the space despite no apparent amplification. "You have rested, recovered, and begun understanding the scope of what Elmbridge Academy represents. Now you learn the structure through which your training will proceed."

She gestured, and a massive display materialized behind her, showing complex diagrams that began shifting and rearranging as she spoke.

"Yesterday, you competed as individuals. Tomorrow, you begin competing as organized structures. Personal capability matters, but your success here will ultimately be measured by your ability to lead, coordinate, and execute as unified entities against your peers."

The display shifted, showing a chessboard with figures representing different roles.

"I present to you the Unified Academy System: Kings, Pieces, and the Board."

Murmurs rippled through the assembled delegates, confusion and curiosity mixing in equal measure.

Sariah continued without acknowledging the reactions. "The entrance examination identified four hundred fifty capable individuals. From those four hundred fifty, ten have been designated as Provisional Kings based on their exceptional performance."

The display highlighted the top ten names, each one glowing with golden light:

1. Gareth Valorian

2. Raze Dragonheart

3. Seraphine Lumis

4. Blossom Karnstein

5. Aurora Weiss

6. Kira Steelheart

7. Lyra Astoria

8. Fedora Westia

9. Caleb Alvarian

10. Ellen Nightingale

"These ten will construct kingdoms within this Academy, each selecting eight Pieces who will form the foundation of their governance structure and competitive capability."

She paused, ancient eyes sweeping across the assembled youth.

"Each King selects eight Pieces, mirroring a chessboard redesigned for governance and war. The King does not rule alone. He rules through Pieces. Lose Pieces, and you lose capability. Each Piece carries exclusive authority, receives exclusive training, but shares class tracks with their counterparts across all kingdoms."

The display expanded, showing eight distinct roles arranged in chess formation.

"FIRST: The QUEEN—your Prime Executor. The most dangerous piece on your board. The Queen executes your will across all domains, can temporarily override other Pieces except yourself, and acts when speed matters more than legality. If you lose your Queen, your kingdom becomes slow, bureaucratic, and reactive. The Queen's training focuses on crisis command, multi-domain coordination, and emergency governance."

A figure appeared on the display, radiating authority.

"SECOND: ROOK ONE—Internal Control. The spine of your kingdom. This Piece manages infrastructure, law enforcement, population order, and logistics inside your borders. Lose this Rook, and you face riots, shortages, and internal collapse. Training focuses on urban control, supply chain warfare, and crowd psychology."

Another figure materialized beside the first.

"THIRD: ROOK TWO—External Control. Borders and projection of power. This Piece handles border defense, fortifications, military logistics, and territory holding. Lose this Rook, and your kingdom bleeds land even without losing wars. Training focuses on defensive warfare, fort design, and attrition strategy."

The pattern continued as Sariah described each role with clinical precision:

"FOURTH: BISHOP ONE—Information and Influence. Truth becomes optional under this Piece's authority. Intelligence, espionage, propaganda, and counter-subversion fall under their domain. Lose this Bishop, and your kingdom becomes blind. Training focuses on psychological warfare, information distortion, and network control."

"FIFTH: BISHOP TWO—Doctrine and Ideology. What your people believe determines what they'll accept. This Piece manages culture, religion, educational doctrine, and moral justification of policy. Lose this Bishop, and loyalty decays over time. Training focuses on mass belief shaping, radicalization and pacification, and cultural engineering."

"SIXTH: KNIGHT ONE—Rapid Response. The unpredictable blade. Elite strike forces, crisis suppression, and special operations. Lose this Knight, and you lose the ability to respond quickly to emerging threats. Training focuses on asymmetric warfare, mobile command, and chaos environments."

"SEVENTH: KNIGHT TWO—Diplomatic Weapon. Smiles before knives. Treaties, trade leverage, alliance manipulation, and soft power projection. Lose this Knight, and wars become your only option. Training focuses on negotiation under threat, economic coercion, and treaty traps."

"EIGHTH: The PAWN—Successor Seed. The most misunderstood piece. This is your apprentice, managing minor domains while learning every system shallowly. If promoted, they can replace a fallen Piece. Rarely, they can replace the King himself. Training focuses on cross-discipline governance, adaptability, and leadership under uncertainty."

Sariah let the information settle, watching comprehension dawn across hundreds of faces as the implications became clear.

"Your training will follow a three-tier structure," she continued. "TIER ONE consists of General Classes attended by all four hundred fifty delegates. Economics of Scarcity, Human Behavior Under Rule, War Theory Fundamentals, and Ethics of Power. These provide baseline competence necessary for any role."

The display shifted again.

"TIER TWO consists of King Classes, attended only by the ten Provisional Kings. You will be isolated from your Pieces during these sessions. Subjects include Decision Making with Incomplete Data, Sacrifice Mathematics, Crown Stability Theory, and Endgame Rule. Failure in these classes results in temporary removal of authority and forced reliance on your Pieces to maintain kingdom function."

Raze felt the weight of that statement. Being separated from his team during a crisis, having to trust them completely while unable to directly intervene.

"TIER THREE consists of Piece Classes, where all delegates holding the same role train together regardless of which kingdom they serve. All Queens train together. All Bishops One train together. All Knights Two train together."

Sariah's expression grew sharper.

"This is where rivalry explodes. You will compete with your direct counterparts from other kingdoms. You will share doctrine and learn enemy weaknesses firsthand. You will form cross-kingdom friendships that may become future betrayals. You will develop ideological splits that may fracture your own kingdoms from within. This is intentional. This mirrors reality."

The display showed ten identical landmasses, each representing a simulated kingdom.

"The Board itself provides a controlled environment for your competition. Each kingdom starts with identical land, identical population, and identical resources. The only variable is who the King chose as their Pieces. The Academy will inject sessional tests forcing conflict between kingdoms, individual tests measuring personal capability, and kingdom-specific challenges that stress particular aspects of your governance structure."

She paused, letting the scope sink in completely.

"You will face resource scarcity, population unrest, military threats, ideological subversion, and administrative collapse. Your kingdoms will rise or fall based on your decisions and your Pieces' execution. Success is measured not by personal advancement but by kingdom survival and relative performance against your nine competitors."

The Grand Hall was absolutely silent now, four hundred fifty delegates processing the reality of what they'd entered.

"Your bracelets contain detailed information about class schedules, kingdom mechanics, evaluation criteria, and role-specific expectations," Sariah concluded. "Study them thoroughly. And for the ten Provisional Kings, understand that you have one hour from this moment to either create your kingdom or forfeit your position to the next highest-ranked delegate."

She let that hang in the air.

"Should any of the top ten choose not to create a kingdom, the next in rank becomes eligible for provisional status. This ensures that all ten kingdoms have Kings willing to bear the responsibility rather than those simply trapped by ranking."

Sariah's ancient eyes focused on the top ten specifically.

"You have one hour to decide. If you choose to proceed, your bracelet will provide access to the selection interface. Study the system, understand the roles, and make your decision with full awareness of what you're accepting."

Then she was gone, disappearing in a shimmer of light that suggested teleportation rather than a simple exit.

Chaos erupted immediately. Four hundred forty delegates began talking at once, speculation and anxiety mixing as they processed what being selected as a Piece or remaining in the general population might mean. The top ten stood in relative islands of space, others unconsciously giving them room as if proximity might influence future decisions.

Raze felt his bracelet pulse, warm against his wrist. He glanced down to see it glowing with soft golden light, a notification indicating new information was available.

Around him, the other top ten were checking their own bracelets, faces showing varying degrees of contemplation, excitement, or concern as they accessed whatever the Academy had provided.

The evening sun continued its descent, casting the Grand Hall in deepening shadows as four hundred fifty delegates faced the reality that their Academy experience would be nothing like traditional education.

Raze tapped his bracelet, pulling up the notification.

PROVISIONAL KING DESIGNATION CONFIRMED

RANK: 2nd of 10

You have been identified as qualified to create and lead a kingdom within the Unified Academy System. This designation carries authority, responsibility, and consequences that will define your experience at Elmbridge Academy.

KINGDOM CREATION AVAILABLE

Do you wish to create your kingdom and begin the selection process for your eight Pieces?

WARNING: This decision is binding. Once confirmed, you assume full responsibility for kingdom governance, Piece coordination, and competitive performance. Your success or failure will be measured not just by personal capability but by organizational effectiveness.

TIME REMAINING TO DECIDE: 59:43

[YES] [NO]

Raze stared at the display for a long moment, mind working through implications and possibilities. Around him, the Grand Hall buzzed with conversation and speculation, but he filtered it out, focusing on the choice before him.

This was an opportunity and a trap combined. Chance to build something powerful, but also responsibility for eight other people's Academy experiences. Authority to shape strategy and direction, but accountability when things went wrong.

He thought about the plot he'd come here to swallow, the opportunities that would emerge through Academy storylines that he could intercept before Alex Dawnsblade arrived. Having organizational structure would make that easier, resources and coordination that individual action couldn't match.

But it would also make him visible, a target for both competition and whatever threats the Academy itself would throw at provisional kingdoms.

His bracelet pulsed again, countdown continuing regardless of his contemplation.

Bephe pressed against his leg, the prehistoric predator clearly sensing his focus even if the specific cause remained unclear.

Raze took a breath, centering himself. He hadn't come to Elmbridge Academy to play it safe. He'd come to get strong enough to face cosmic threats while swallowing every plot point he could identify.

Having a kingdom would serve both purposes.

He tapped [YES].

The response was immediate. His bracelet flared with golden light that spread across his body in waves of energy, acknowledgment and binding combined. The sensation lasted only seconds before fading, leaving behind a new interface on his display:

KINGDOM CREATION CONFIRMED

STATUS: Awaiting Initialization

KING: Raze Dragonheart

You have accepted the mantle of Provisional King. Your kingdom will be formally established once you select your eight Pieces. Further instructions and selection interface will be provided at the appropriate time.

Welcome to the Board.

Raze's expression remained neutral, poker face revealing nothing about the decision he'd just made or the thoughts running through his mind.

Around him, other members of the top ten were making their own choices, bracelets flaring with similar golden light as they committed to leadership or remaining silent as they declined.

The hour had begun.

The kingdoms were forming.

And Raze Dragonheart had just claimed his throne.

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