Several minutes have passed since Semis described the current situation to the prince, but his colleague continues to look out of the window in silence. The moonlight shrouds him in a mysterious shimmer.

His name is Arthur Vangarda. President of the student council and crown prince of the kingdom of Vangarda - a country whose military and economic power on the continent of Sivaria is unassailable and unchallenged. At most, the Jamna Empire could be Vangarda's equal, but no one would dare to make public comparisons. The Sirenford Academy was also built on Vangarda soil, but is open to students from all the lands of Sivaria.

Nevertheless, there is no doubt that Vangarda is at the top and there is no doubt that Arthur, as prince and president, is the most powerful person at this academy. If the situation demands it, his influence can even defy the chancellor; after all, his father, the king, is Sirenford's biggest financial backer and also the highest political power.

Semis has been a member of the student council together with Arthur since the beginning of their time at university. The two have been working closely together for five years, learning from each other and overcoming many challenges. But Semis doesn't really feel that he can call Arthur his friend.

From the outside, the two princes appear to be friends. Their supposed friendship is even said to have improved the strained relations between Vangarda and Jamna. But in reality, Arthur seems so distant. Semis would never admit to himself that he feels inferior to the prince, but he's always painfully aware that he knows so little about him. Arthur seems strong, self-confident and very experienced for his age of 23.

Even at this moment, Semis falls into a deep silence as he watches Arthur sitting in front of the window with a glass of wine. He can't describe in words the feeling that this sight triggers in Semis.

Does he feel admiration?

Or is it envy?

Perhaps rivalry?

“I see...” Arthur finally responds to Semi's report. His voice is deep and calm, but at the same time it vibrates with a powerful sound. It is almost laughable that even his voice has the grandeur of a mighty monarch.

Arthur turns his gaze from the moon in the night sky and looks at Semis, who is standing rooted to the spot in the middle of the room.

“So you gave these sons ownership of the school garden and they were eventually chased out...”

The prince gently swirls the wine in his glass,

“...by a masked man.”

“At least that's what the rumors say, Arthur.”

Semis may be intimidated by Arthur's presence, but he would never show it to the prince. He addresses him on equal terms and even uses his first name - without a title.

“But we should rely on facts. The rumors at this academy only form an inscrutable, spurious set of facts,” Semis continues.

“And yet each of them has a spark of truth.”

Semis does not agree with the prince on the content, but the sentence is convincing when spoken by Arthur.

“A-Arthur, I think-”

“We declare war on them.”

“What? Who?”

“Penumbra.”

“Wait, wait! We don't even know if Penumbra really exists. I know that Professor Wagner-”

“Whether it's an organization or an individual: we show everyone at this school - no, everyone in this world - that you don't defy the student council.”

That, on the other hand, is the problem with the most powerful prince on the continent: in order to defend his superior position of power as president, he often resorts to radical measures and hasty conclusions. In most cases, everything goes well - his aggressive strategies are very effective at Sirenford - but sometimes they also cause serious damage to the student body.

Nevertheless, Arthur's plans are always crowned with success.

The prince can do anything.

The prince gets everything.

Semis raises his chin challengingly:

“And how exactly are you going to declare war on them?”

Arthur's eyes drift to a point behind Semis:

“We'll just tell them.”

He raises his wine glass and points to the shadow on the wall of the room.

“Come out. I know you're there.”

“Wha-?” Semis turns around, startled, when he suddenly hears a different voice.

A young woman emerges from the darkness. She is wearing a large, pointed witch's hat and a carnival mask covers her eyes. Her silver robe resembles the fins of a fish and its scales glisten in the moonlight. You would think she was a costumed member of the theater club, but her whole appearance seems perfectly natural. As if her guise as a witch was her true self.

“Oh my goodness. I can't imagine how many times you must have shouted that line into an empty room.” Says the witch followed by a giggle.

“Where did you come from? What are you doing here?” Semis tries to maintain his calm demeanor, but the excitement and anger makes it difficult for him. In contrast to the ladies' dorms, women are allowed to enter the men's dorms in the evening, but the prince's chambers are still taboo.

The witch seems to ignore Semis. The whole time, she does not cast a single glance at the prince of Jamna. Instead, she addresses the president directly, arms outstretched.

“They call me Zenith, the Warlady of Rivers.”

“Huh...” replies Arthurs. Anger flashes in his eyes for a brief moment.

“‘’Warlady' you say?”

For Semis, all ropes are torn. His otherwise friendly face is now contorted with anger.

“What disrespect! How dare you bastards-!”

Semis grabs Zenith's shoulder with an outstretched hand, but suddenly the witch is gone.

“What is it, Prince Arthur? Don't you like our titles?”

Zenith's voice comes from another direction. Suddenly she is sitting on the bed. It seems as if she hasn't noticed Semi's actions - as if he doesn't even exist.

Wordlessly, Arthur looks at the warlady, who crosses her legs with a malicious grin. All the while, the prince remains calm, even though there is an unknown potential enemy in his room.

“Now then, Zenith...” Arthur rises from his sofa, turns to the witch and stretches out his arms himself.

“I am Arthur Fiore Vangarda, the Peacemaker of Forests and the president of the Sirenford Student Council.”

Even his simple introduction seems imposing and threatening at the same time. The wind from the window blows through his jacket and the moonlight gives him a glow as if he were a saint.

“Ho, ho!” Zenith laughs delightedly, “Even towards your opponent, you behave respectfully and in an exalted manner! I expected nothing less from the great crown prince of Vangarda!”

“This will also be the last respectful gesture before you and the rest of Penumbra meet their miserable end.”

“Hm, so you already know us?” Zenith grins challengingly.

As this scene plays out in front of Semis, he has the feeling that he is somewhere else entirely. Both Arthur and Zenith seem to be in another world right now. A world in which only the two of them - two incredibly frightening people - exist. Semis feels like an outsider; he probably can't play in this league.

Is this the start of a major conflict?

Between the student council and Penumbra?

Between Peacemakers and Warlords?

“Well, anyway, I'm not here to argue.” Zenith says unexpectedly and jumps up from the bed. She calmly adjusts her cloak as if this warlike atmosphere had never existed.

“Because I'm here to warn you.”

“I would prefer it if you were more specific in your threats.” Replied Arthur.

“Well, let's put it this way. A catastrophe will strike Sirenford soon. We don't know exactly when yet. Could be tomorrow. Could be a year from now.”

“Are you trying to threaten us?”

“No, not at all.” Says Zenith cynically, “But do you really still know who is friend and who is foe?”

“Your existence is proof that we don't know.” Arthur speaks surprisingly honestly about the problems currently plaguing the student council:

“The members of Penumbra are obviously students at this school. So far, you've been walking among the students with abandon, but soon we'll expose you, hunt you down and eradicate you.”

Zenith puts her hands on her hips.

“Phew, I didn't think I'd get such a dramatic answer, but that confirms my suspicion that you're hunting the wrong people.”

“What do you mean! Who's really behind Penumbra?!” Semis shouts, but he continues to be ignored by the two of them.

Arthur briefly touches his chin. For the first time, a smile seems to appear on his otherwise stoic face.

“Huh... Interesting. Penumbra seems to know more than I initially assumed. You're playing your cards close to your chest, but I must say I like that.”

Zenith taps her lower lip with her index finger:

“That's all we're giving away. Let the game begin and let the best man win!”

Just as the warlady utters the words, she disappears instantly. It seems as if she has never been here - not a single spurt has she left behind.

“Huh?!” Semis is visibly confused again and turns around, perplexed. Suspiciously, he stomps through the prince's room to see if the witch is hiding in the shadows again.

“How pathetic...” Says Arthur.

“By all means. What was that costume for?” replies Semis, a little pleased that Arthur is finally paying attention to him again, but when he sees the prince, his blood freezes in his veins: The president's eyes look at Semis with contempt. The 'pathetic' was not directed at Zenith, but at him.

“You bear the title of Peacemaker of Meadows and yet you lost your temper so quickly.”

“I-I mean, that was justif-”

“Penumbra is a greater danger than we first thought. If you can't control your emotions in front of such an enemy, you will quickly meet your death.”

“D-death?”

“The warlords are not disgruntled club leaders or fed-up professors. We're talking about enemies who want to plunge Sirenford into war. They want to disturb the peace and spill blood.”

The Prince's ominous statement seems to be true. Zenith's 'warning' was no doubt a threat to the student council and Sirenford itself. Right now, Semis has no choice but to humbly agree.

“Y-you're right, Arthur. I'm sorry.” Semis bows in shame.

“You can go now. We've talked about everything. I'll explain to the council tomorrow how we're going to deal with Penumbra next.”

“Y-yes... G-good night.”

Hesitantly, Semis makes his way to the door of his room. Secretly, he wishes Arthur would call him back and tell his friend that he didn't mean it that way - but it doesn't happen. Because Semis knows that Arthur doesn't see him as his friend.