The next morning, Liam barely had time to adjust his robes before Cassandra yanked him by the wrist and led him through an unfamiliar corridor of the institute.
"We're not going to class?" he asked, glancing around.
"Nope. From now on, you come straight here," she said, opening the door to one of the Healing and Restoration department's spacious demo rooms.
Liam blinked at the sudden change in scenery. Clean marble floors, rune-lined walls, and the faint scent of antiseptic herbs. A couple of benches and spell-testing apparatuses were pushed aside, making space in the middle of the room.
"I've got lectures to catch up on. I can't afford to skip classes. How do you expect me to pass — ?"
"Don't worry," Cassandra said with a smirk, motioning to Evaline.
Evaline dropped a heavy cloth bag in front of him. The clink of glass inside was unmistakable.
Liam hesitated, then slowly opened the flap.
Inside were echovaults. Dozens of them.
He stared at them, wide-eyed. "Don't tell me these are — "
"Exactly," Evaline cut in. "Lectures. All of them. Recorded."
Liam bent down, reaching for the bag. "Why haven't you given these to me before?! You could've made my life so much easier — "
"Nuh uh uh," Elaine wagged her finger. "Not until now."
"Why not?"
"You help us, we help you," Cassandra chimed in.
"What?"
"Exactly what you heard. These premium goodies are for contributors only," Evaline said, arms crossed smugly.
Liam gave them a deadpan look. "You really are my sisters, huh."
"We've gone to great lengths to obtain these. Some kind of trade seems fair," Cassandra said with a shrug.
"Whatever," Liam grumbled. "Just tell me what I have to do."
Before they could answer, the room's tall window clattered open. Three boys, almost in sync, leaped inside and landed — somewhat dramatically — on the polished floor.
"Oh? What do we have here?" said one of the boys, voice laced with mockery. "Looks like the losers are starting to get ideas."
"What kind of idea?" the second said with a grin. "That they could win?"
"From what I know…" the third chimed in, "they've never even come close."
Liam raised a brow, unsure who was the guest. But his sisters were already moving.
"Ow — OW! I'm just playing, Cassie! Mercy!" yelped the first boy as Cassandra twisted his arm into a painful lock.
"We warned you about running your mouth," Elaine said as she conjured a sharp Ice Shard and held it inches from the second boy's ear.
"And I don't miss," Evaline added, casually aiming a Fire Arrow at the third boy's shoes, the flames licking the air.
The three troublemakers were now frozen in place — figuratively and almost literally.
Cassandra let go, finally, and stepped back with a satisfied nod.
"Allow me to introduce," she said, gesturing dramatically, "the other esteemed members of House Orlean Alliance."
The first boy rubbed his arm, still grimacing. "I'm Theo," he muttered.
"James," said the second, nodding sheepishly.
"William," the third added, giving Liam a tight, nervous smile.
Liam recognized the names. "Oh… so these are the guys."
All three suddenly stood up straighter.
"Good morning, Prince Liam," Theo said, voice a little too formal.
"Oh, please," Liam waved a hand. "Liam is fine."
"Maybe for others," James replied. "But not for us."
"Yeah, we must maintain the hierarchy in the fami— OW! OW! OW! It hurts! Hurts! Hurrrts!" William shouted as Evaline flicked his ear with another mini-fire spark.
"Let's not complicate things for the future," Cassandra said sweetly.
Liam sighed, glancing at Serena — who had entered quietly during the chaos and now stood beside him, trying hard not to laugh.
With a practiced wave of her hand, Cassandra summoned a ripple of Telekinesis — the windows slammed shut with a neat thunk, and the main door clicked as if sealed by invisible locks. Evaline and Elaine followed immediately, casting a Double Barrier around the room. The flicker of runes and a brief hum of mana confirmed that the space was now secure.
"Everyone's here," Cassandra said, pulling a curled scroll from her bag. "So let's start."
The room quieted. Even the boys straightened up.
"This," she continued, "is our arena."
All heads turned. Liam leaned in slightly as Cassandra held the scroll in her hands.
"I'm going to open this now. But listen — if anyone has no intention of joining our venture, now's your chance to leave. Otherwise, after this…" she paused, "forever hold your silence."
Theo blinked. "Cassie — wait.
"What?" Cassandra snapped.
"Isn't that the kind of thing the Minister speaks in mortal weddings?"
That was another arm twist.
Evaline and Elaine chuckled.
Before she could unroll it, Liam spoke.
"Sister, before we get into the contents of the scrolls, can you explain how this all works?" he said calmly. "I agreed, yes, but I need to be sure if I can truly help. If I'm not useful, I'd rather step back now. Even if that means giving up those echovaults."
Everyone looked at Cassandra. For a moment, she just stared at him. Then, slowly, she rolled the scroll back and set it aside.
"Fair enough," she said, crossing her arms. "Ask away."
Liam took a breath. "Okay. So tell me… everything. From start to finish — how the House Wars play out. Not the flashy stuff. The actual structure."
The room settled into a more serious mood.
In summary:
The Houses
There are twenty-two officially recognized Houses at ARI. Each Head of Department (HoD) receives applications for alliance formation, but only one House alliance per HoD is approved. Professor Isolde Vernier, Head of Healing and Restoration, approved Cassandra's House Alliance
as she is her favorite student. Isolde knows their team is unlikely to win, but as a healer, she isn't deeply invested in violent competition.
The Battlefield
Battle arenas are randomly assigned. They can be deserts, ruined cities, swamps, underground fortresses, and more. They are recreations of historic battlegrounds where legendary wars once took place. Knowledge of the battlefield is critical — if the enemy knows it well, they can exploit it. Each House keeps its assigned battlefield secret, as any advantage can decide the outcome. After all, "no war is fair; only the winners shape history."
The Preparation
House members spend time:
Developing complex strategies.
Gathering intel on rival Houses.
Practicing specific formations or spell combos.
Testing terrain simulations, if they are brave enough to think they will keep the information hidden.
Everything is fair in war — there are few limitations in how you prepare, obtain intel, or mislead.
Each Alliance can hold a maximum of up to 40 students, however, not everyone is able to recruit such a high number and most students are mostly spectators.
The Battle Day
Fights take place in the ARI Arena, a miniature Crucible inscribed with inscriptions, runes, and enchantments that simulate any terrain or condition. The battles are knockout style, played in two rounds: One on home terrain. One on the opponent's terrain. Rules are simple: Do anything to win.
The losing team can be disqualified outright if they're utterly crushed. But if both teams survive and the match ends on strategic points, then the score decides who advances.
Each match is graded on multiple factors — tactical coordination, use of magic, creativity, team synergy, even leadership, and role assignment.
Three days of rest follow each war day before the next round.
Progression Format
22 Houses enter the tournament. After the first round: 11 teams remain. The highest scorer gets a bye. Down to 6 teams, then 3 in the final round.
The Final
Unlike earlier rounds, all three finalists receive information about the final battlefield in advance. However, they choose starting points based on the total score from their last two battles. Higher-scoring teams often get terrain that better suits their composition or tactics, offering a tactical edge.
The History
Professor Heath Carter's student teams have won the past three House Wars, each from a different department he oversees. As HoD of Elemental Studies, Mana Theory, and Summoning, his influence and mentoring give his Houses an overwhelming advantage. Some students and teachers call this unfair — but House Wars are about results, and Carter's capability is unmatched.
In his chambers, Liam sat quietly against the soft glow of the Echovaults. He had arranged them in a neat manner on his desk. Now that he had them all, it would be easier to match Serena's meticulous notes with the actual lectures recorded within.
Originally, Cassandra had intended to give Liam only a few Echovaults at a time — just enough to help him catch up. But after witnessing how quickly he absorbed information and how effortlessly he dissected her war plan earlier, she hadn't been able to hold back. She handed him everything in her possession.
His eyes drifted to the scroll resting beside the vaults — the one Cassandra had dramatically unsealed during their earlier meeting. His mind wandered to the conversation they had shared just hours before.
Back in the strategy room, when Cassandra had first unveiled the scroll, her tone had been confident — bordering on theatrical.
"So… what do you think of my plan?" she had asked, her gaze sweeping across the room. "If anyone has suggestions, now's the time."
Liam had studied the scroll only briefly, yet his answer had been immediate — and disappointing to her.
"Sister," he had said, "I don't think it'll work out."
The room had quieted instantly. Cassandra had stared at him, her brow raised. "What do you mean? You saw the terrain. You know the setup. I've planned this based on the Battle of Silverstreak."
"And you've done your homework. That much is obvious," Liam admitted. "But that doesn't mean the plan will succeed."
He had gestured to the scroll. The battlefield depicted on it was a detailed recreation of a historical skirmish — one that he remembered all too well. The Battle of Silverstreak had taken place between the marine forces of Ironhelm and the pirate flotilla of Valtoria, which had been secretly backed by the Valtorian crown. Though officially recorded as a draw, it had been a strategic failure for Ironhelm. Despite their superior firepower and naval technology, they were ambushed in narrow river passages they hadn't scouted properly. Their advantage became their weakness.
"We don't have the manpower to man a fully equipped Ironhelm warship," Liam had explained. "If we try, we'll be stretched thin. Cannons, navigation, defenses — they all require coordination. We simply don't have the numbers."
He had suggested they take the role of the pirates instead. Not out of sentiment, but out of strategy.
"The pirates operated smaller vessels," he said. "Their goal wasn't domination — it was disruption. They hit fast, struck weak points, and forced a stalemate. That's our best shot. To replicate their style, not the brute force of Ironhelm."
Serena had immediately pushed back. In her eyes, the fortified Ironhelm ship gave them better odds. She argued that with proper positioning, they could hold out and score enough defensive points.
"But how do we use cannons," Liam had countered, "if half of us are busy just keeping the ship afloat? Meanwhile, the other house sends boats to flank us?"
"And how do we use boats with a tiny crew?" Serena had fired back. "You said it yourself — we're outnumbered."
Liam had smiled. "We don't sail boats like a fleet. We launch a surgical strike. The pirates have this option with fewer numbers. It will turn the tide."
Even Cassandra had seemed skeptical — at least until Liam delivered his final argument.
"You never showed me the scroll until today," he told her, "and yet I countered your strategy almost immediately."
Cassandra had folded her arms. "So?"
"Because this is a significant historical event. It happened during the reign of the 13th King. I just casually read it in our syllabus. I still remember the details." His gaze grew sharp. "Are you sure the other house won't know this battlefield just as well? Are you sure they won't be able to counter?"
That question had changed the mood. The others began to murmur among themselves, realizing the risks of Cassandra's initial plan. She had fallen quiet then, thoughtful. Later, when the meeting broke into smaller discussions, she pulled Liam aside privately.
Liam had changed her mind.
The alliance member, curious, had asked what had swayed her.
Cassandra smiled and said, "I made a bet with Liam. If his plan fails… you and Serena are to be engaged."
It had taken Serena a moment to process those words. When she did, she turned sharply, panic in her eyes — but Liam remained calm, almost amused.
"You're not opposed to this?" Serena had whispered to him in private.
Liam had met her gaze evenly. "Only if we lose."
Cassandra, watching their exchange, chuckled. "We've lost enough House Wars already. And besides, the mother wishes this sorted out. All my brothers are engaged — only you remain, Liam. I'm not wasting this opportunity."
She spoke excitedly. "I've always wanted that necklace which mother has. Looks like it'll be mine soon."
"Hey, not fair." Elaine and Evaline shouted.
Liam had only smiled and replied, "I doubt it. We'll make the draw."
Back in his chair, the faint light of the Echovaults danced across his eyes. Whatever happened in the arena, he looked as if he had already turned the tide.
Now all that remained was to win the war.