The light from the stone exploded with such absurd intensity that my eyes stung instantly. I covered my face on reflex, but the brightness had already left that weird afterimage—like the world had gone completely white for a moment. And then… silence. No sound, no heat. When I opened my eyes again, the stone had stopped glowing.
— "Okay… that was freakin' weird."
Without thinking too much about it, I shoved the stone into the pocket of my tunic. I had no idea what it was, but… something inside me said it wasn't just a random rock.
I kept walking down the forest trail, hoping I wouldn't run into another ambush, until I finally spotted a small rooftop in the distance.
— "Finally… I was starting to think today would never end."
The house, isolated in the middle of the woods—my "new home," or rather, the place Mili dumped me in without so much as asking. When I pushed the door open, I was greeted by… nothing. The space was empty. Furniture covered in dust, no signs of life whatsoever. The only thing that stood out was a lone note on the table.
I walked over and read it:
"John, if you're reading this, it means I have better things to do than deal with your tantrums. If you want to improve your skills, go to the arena. Then become an adventurer. If you don't want to do any of that… suit yourself. When you're strong enough, I'll come for you. And don't worry, I'll know when you're ready. — Mili"
My blood boiled. I stared at the note with so much rage that, if I had heat vision, it would've burst into flames.
— "THAT... THAT BITCH..."
I shouted, crumpling the note with my trembling hand.
— "First she drags me into this whole story, then just ditches me like it's my job to figure everything out?! If I'd known, I would've gone to the city with Pynon and Mine... AH, BUT THIS ISN'T OVER! NEXT TIME I SEE MILI, I SWEAR I'M WIPING THAT KNOW-IT-ALL LOOK OFF HER FACE!"
I slammed the door shut, shoved my feet into the dirt path, and stormed off toward the city, my thoughts screaming.
— "No money. Don't even know the name of the damn city. I'm screwed. The arena's my only shot, since becoming an adventurer apparently costs money…"
I sighed.
— "In the end… she got exactly what she wanted. And didn't even care what I wanted. Damn you, Mili…"
Something rustled in the nearby bushes. The subtle crunch of dried leaves under paws—or feet.
— "Oh, not again..."
I approached, prepping a light spell just in case.
I pushed the branches aside with my fingertips...
— "...A rabbit?"
The little creature glanced at me, unimpressed, then went back to sniffing the ground.
— "Great... now I'm paranoid."
I continued walking until I reached the city gates. Stone towers flanked the entrance, with two guards in basic but polished armor standing with spears in hand. One of them raised his hand.
— "Halt! Where are you coming from?"
— "From the forest."
— "What's your purpose in the city?"
— "...To participate in the Arena."
Why the hell did I say that out loud...?
The guard gave me a skeptical look.
— "Arena participants either need an invitation or must pass the preliminaries. Which are you?"
— Damn it, Mili. You didn't say anything about this.
— "Preliminaries."
— "Alright. Follow me."
He signaled to the other guard to watch the gate and began leading me through the city streets. The smell of food, the noise of people—it all felt so… distant. Like I was watching from behind a glass wall.
After a few minutes, I couldn't take it anymore and asked:
— "Hey… where exactly are we going?"
— "You signed up without knowing? People who enter the preliminaries fight against criminals of the kingdom. That way, we test if you're worthy… and it saves us some resources on prisoners."
— "YOU'RE TELLING ME I'M FIGHTING ASSASSINS AND THIEVES?!"
— "First: don't yell at the royal guard. Second: yes. Now shut up. I'm taking you to your room… which looks more like a cell. Oh, and you've got a roommate."
— "...Great."
We headed into the filthier parts of the city, where the streets stank of sewage and rot, buildings falling apart around us. Eventually, he opened a rusty iron door that led to a small stone room.
— "Well, this is your new room."
The "room"—yeah, it was a cell—had cracked walls, a mattress that looked more like a sponge with holes, and spiderwebs in every corner.
— "Thanks... but didn't you say I'd have a roommate?"
— "Who knows if they're still alive. A lot of murders happen before the matches even begin. If I were you, kid, I'd sleep with one eye open."
He laughed like he'd just told the funniest joke in the world and walked off, locking the door behind him.
— "...Things just keep getting better."
I sat on the cold floor and let out a long breath.
— "At least I've got four walls..."
That's when I felt it.
A presence. Behind me.
A cold blade touched my neck, and a soft, feminine voice whispered in my ear:
— "You should be more careful when entering unknown territory."
I swallowed hard.
— "...I'm so screwed."