"When Blood Spills like Wine" by Grace Sun: January 2026 1st Place

Red for Obscyra.

Blue for Aetheris.

Five soldiers from each kingdom will be brought to contest.

Inagrotten Woods at nightfall.

A test not only to determine survival, but one kingdom's fate.

One kingdom's victory will determine the freedom of the land of the other.

***

"Mom, Kyma will come back, right?" a familiar soft voice murmured in my thoughts. Kiki?

A dim mirage of my sister appeared in front of me before her lips drew back into a frown, and she disappeared like moths under candlelight.

Cold wind pulled me back into reality. It’s truly a miracle that I’ve made it this far into the game already. If Aetheris wins, there’ll be no more suffering for my kingdom and I'll see my sister again.

Against the dim gray sky, the scoreboard illuminates the Inagrotten Woods, casting two blue glows and one red glow.

I wonder who the other Aetherian is. Jade, perhaps? It had to be her, my bold friend who stood by my side after Mother's death. I stiffened.

“Once we win, I’ll avenge Mother’s death,” I promised myself, but the memory of the horned Obscyran swinging the axe over her head draws all the blood from my face.

As I round a tree, screaming breaks the silence. Jade? I sprinted into the forest, looking up to see a red figure creeping up a blue one; dagger held ready to stab.

"No!" I choked out, dashing towards my teammate. Jade's eyes flashed with terror as I collided between herself and her attacker, pushing her away.

Jade once told me that a dagger thrown with hate and fury always finds its way plunged into a heart. But I couldn’t lose her. Not after Mother.

Pain and love collided as one emotion in my heart as blood exploded across my blue suit, cold metal stabbed into my chest.

Thankfully, Jade has reacted fast enough—not fast enough to save a life, but fast enough to save a kingdom.

She ripped towards the last Obscyran, striking the last blow to victory.

When blood spills like wine, lives are lost.

When blood spills like wine, victory can only be achieved through love and sacrifice.