The day finally arrived.
The tournament.
The air around the base felt different from early morning itself. There was no need for reminders, no need for preparation speeches. Everyone already knew what this meant.
This wasn't just a competition.
It was a turning point.
Yash stood near the entrance, calm as always, while the others gathered one by one. Igna adjusted the dagger at his side, his mind quieter than usual but far more focused. The training, the conversations, the realizations—everything had settled into something steady inside him.
Without wasting time, they started their journey toward the kingdom where the tournament would take place.
The road was long, stretching across lands Igna had never seen before. Mountains in the distance, forests lining the path, and a quiet sky above them. For a while, no one spoke much. It was one of those silences where everyone was thinking their own thoughts.
At some point during the journey, Hena slowly leaned closer to Yash.
Without saying anything, she rested her head on his lap as they sat during a short break.
Yash didn't react.
He simply adjusted slightly to make her comfortable.
Within moments, she fell asleep.
Peacefully.
Her breathing steady, her expression calm.
Igna noticed it and looked away quietly. There was something gentle about that moment, something that didn't need words.
Emily, however, noticed something else.
She turned toward Igna with a slow smile.
Emily: "You're staring again."
Igna frowned.
Igna: "I'm not."
Emily leaned closer.
Emily: "You are."
Before he could respond, she flicked his forehead.
Emily: "Focus on your own life."
Igna moved slightly back.
Igna: "Stop hitting me."
Emily didn't stop.
She started messing with him again, pulling his hair lightly, pushing his shoulder, completely ignoring his attempts to move away.
Emily: "You'll get distracted in the tournament like this."
Igna: "I won't."
Emily: "You already are."
Sele watched quietly from the side, her expression unchanged.
May stood a little away from them.
Silent.
Different.
Igna noticed it after a while.
She wasn't reacting to Emily.
She wasn't teasing back.
She wasn't even smiling.
She looked… tense.
He walked closer.
Igna: "May?"
She didn't respond immediately.
Then she nodded slightly.
May: "I'm fine."
But her voice didn't match.
Igna looked at her for a moment.
Then followed her gaze.
Forward.
Toward the path ahead.
Toward the unknown.
The tournament wasn't just about strength.
It was about what came with it.
The risks.
The enemies.
The things waiting for them.
Yash's voice broke the silence.
Yash: "We'll reach by night."
Everyone nodded.
Hena was still asleep, undisturbed.
Emily finally stepped back from Igna, stretching slightly.
Sele adjusted her stance, calm as always.
May remained quiet.
Igna looked ahead again.
This time—
There was no hesitation in his eyes.
Only focus.
Because whatever waited for them there—
He was ready to face it.