Chapter 14: Surrender.
"Well, little sister, who would've thought I'd find you like this?" the man said, his tone dripping with arrogance.
Though they were both 18 years old — the minimum age required to participate in the test — he always treated her like a younger sister. Why? Because he saw her as inferior. After all, he was far more powerful than she was.
The true prodigy, the pride and joy of their family, that was Rowan. Unlike his sister, who had inherited the lesser class of [Fire Mage], he was a [Fire Archmage]. He was the one and only rightful heir to the proud royal family of Darnell.
Because of this, he always carried an air of absolute confidence, looking down on anyone who couldn't reach his level.
And it was to compete with this extraordinarily gifted brother that Ember felt the constant need to be perfect. She needed to prove that, even with an inferior class, she was still worthy of the name she had inherited.
Even so, as she stood face-to-face with her brother, her entire body began to tremble. The confidence she usually exuded dissipated into the air. Deep down, she knew she wasn't on the same level as that man.
She was inferior. A failure.
Her chest tightened, and she struggled to draw breath. Memories of the last time she had faced her brother surged to the surface. The scar on her back throbbed, a painful reminder that she shouldn't challenge those superior to her.
That being said, she had a promise to keep with the man who had saved her life. She had to win, somehow. With trembling hands, she tried to draw her saber.
"You're still using that inadequate weapon, little sister," the man said, casting a look of disdain at the weapon so precious to Ember. "You shouldn't cling so tightly to the past. That thing is just an old relic, and our mother is long gone. To begin with, she was never fit to be part of our family."
He said this without the slightest hint of remorse or sorrow for the death of the woman who had once given him life and raised him. As a true heir of the Darnell family, he upheld their traditional coldness and contempt for others.