From the tunnel, Aldrich began to step out into the stadium. His footsteps echoed against the stone floor. Each step brought him closer to the light. Closer to the arena. Closer to his fight.
On the other side, Sylvester also emerged from his tunnel. His movements were smooth.The next second, both of them were in the arena. And the crowd roared. The noise was overwhelming. It crashed over Aldrich like a physical wave. Thousands of voices all screaming at once. All waiting for blood. All waiting for a show.
Aldrich walked down the center path. His hand rested on the hilt of his IceKing Breaker Sword. His heart was pounding, not from fear but from complete excitement. This was it. His first real fight in the Tournament Realm.
Sylvester walked from the opposite direction. His pale blue eyes were locked on Aldrich. That cold smile still on his face.They were getting closer to the center platform now. Closer to where the battle would begin.And then someone in the crowd noticed something.
A man in the stands stood up. His eyes went wide. He pointed down at Aldrich with a trembling finger. "Wait! Look! Look Look at that Isn't that… the dead Prince Solomon?!"
His voice was loud enough to carry. People around him turned to look. First one person. Then five. Then twenty. Then hundreds.
The crowd immediately went wild. People were gasping, shouting, pointing, the noise level doubled in seconds.
"It is him! It's Prince Solomon!"
"But he's been dead for years!"
"What is he doing here?!, what is going on here? Did the king lie to us?"
"How is this possible?!"
The entire arena was buzzing with confusion and excitement. This was bigger than just another fight. This was the return of royalty. The return of someone who should have been gone forever.
Up in the royal stand, Lucian heard the commotion. He tilted his head slightly. A small smile played at the corner of his lips. "Hmm. What a strange feeling."
He leaned forward in his seat. His eyes locked onto Aldrich down below. He studied and analyzed him. And then his smile grew wider.
"Oh, no wonder."
He turned to his right. King Augustus sat on his throne, his attention still on the arena but not yet focused on Aldrich specifically.
"My King," Lucian said calmly. "I suggest you take a look at this new combatant. It seems your brother has risen from the dead."
King Augustus's eyes immediately widened. His entire body tensed. "What?"
He rose from his throne. His royal cape fell behind him. He stepped forward to the edge of the royal stand and stared down into the arena below.And there he was. Prince Solomon Aurelius. In the flesh. Walking across the arena like he had never died. Like he had never been gone.
But unbeknownst to King Augustus, that was no longer his brother. Not really. The soul inside that body was someone else entirely.
"What?!" King Augustus's voice was louder now. Filled with disbelief and with confusion.
Liam, who sat to the left of the throne, chuckled softly. "Now this just got interesting. What do we do, my King?"
Before King Augustus could respond, Lucian interrupted. His voice was calm. "We do nothing but allow the Tournament Realm to continue. We begin observation. And we wait. If he truly is your brother, or whatever is inside that body, he will make it to the Royal Realm eventually. And then we will have our answers."
Liora, who sat on the other side, took a long drag from her cigarette. The smoke curled upward into the air. "He has been gone for years upon years. And all of a sudden, a royal is mingling himself with souls from the Realm of Souls." She chuckled. "What a prince."
She leaned back in her chair. "I would say we unveil the Protective Barrier. You know, the one that doesn't let them see us? As they fight, they don't see us. They only hear and know people are observing them. If we unveil the barrier, they can see us clearly. And we can quickly bring your brother up here and investigate him properly."
King Augustus was silent for a moment. His jaw was tight. His golden earrings caught the light as he turned his head slightly.Then he chuckled. It was a low, humorless sound. "Solomon. Still hunting me, are you? In spirit. And now in flesh."
He walked back to his throne. His movements were slow and deliberate,He sat down. His hand rested on the armrest where his silver sword leaned. His eyes never left Aldrich below.
When King Augustus spoke again, his voice carried absolute authority. The kind of voice that demanded obedience. That crushed dissent before it could form. "I shall go with what Lucian has suggested. The Tournament Realm shall continue as planned. No interruptions. No interference. We observe. We wait. And we learn the truth. This is not a request. It is a command."
Silas, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. His hand rested on the red wrapped handle of his katana. "Very well then. Though it seems you are troubled by this revelation, my King." He paused. "The rightful heir to the throne has returned. But this shouldn't worry you much, should it?"
The air grew colder between them and King Augustus turned his head slowly toward Silas. His eyes were sharp.When he spoke, his voice was ice. "Silas. Your words are limited. And you should know this. I am King. Not by chance. Not by mercy. By right. By power. Watch your tongue carefully. Or you will find that even a royal head can lose his place at this table."
Silas said nothing. He simply nodded once and looked away.The message was clear. King Augustus was still the King. And no one, not even the royal heads of the great families, would challenge that.
Lucian chuckled softly. "What a twist, huh?"
And then, without warning, he vanished. One second he was sitting in his chair. The next, he was gone. Completely no sound no trace.He reappeared instantly inside the commentator's box. The room was small. Cramped. Two commentators sat at a desk with microphones in front of them. They both jumped when Lucian suddenly appeared behind them.
"Don't stop the event," Lucian said calmly. His voice was gentle. Almost friendly. "Keep it going, shall we?"
The commentators nodded frantically. They were too terrified to do anything else.
Lucian smiled. "Good."
And then he vanished again. Reappearing back in the royal stand in his seat like he had never left.Meanwhile, down in the crowd, the noise continued. People were still talking. Still pointing. Still trying to process what they were seeing.
"The dead prince has risen!"
"He's returning with the souls!"
"This changes everything!"
"What does this mean for the kingdom?!"
The energy in the arena was electric. This was no longer just a tournament. This was history unfolding in real time.Down on the battlefield, Aldrich and Sylvester were now standing in the center platform. They were about fifteen feet apart from each other.
Aldrich could hear the crowd. He could hear them shouting about Prince Solomon. About the dead prince. About royalty.
But he had no idea what they were talking about. He didn't know who Prince Solomon was. He didn't know that the body he was inhabiting used to belong to someone else. Someone important.All he knew was that he was about to fight. And he was ready.
Sylvester stood across from him. His pale blue eyes were calm. Focused. He didn't seem to care about the crowd at all. He didn't seem to care about anything except the fight ahead.
The commentator's voice boomed through the arena. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THIS IS A HISTORIC MOMENT! THE RETURN OF PRINCE SOLOMON! OR IS IT?! WE DON'T KNOW! BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT THIS FIGHT IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"
The crowd roared in response. The noise was deafening.
"ALDRICH VERSUS SYLVESTER! THE MYSTERY FIGHTER! WHO WILL EMERGE VICTORIOUS?!"
The commentator raised his hand high into the air.
"FIGHTERS! ARE YOU READY?!"
Aldrich reached down and gripped the hilt of his IceKing Breaker Sword. He drew it slowly. The blade shinned in the light and cold energy radiated from it. Ice began forming along the edge.
Sylvester raised both of his hands. They began to glow with a pale white light. And then something appeared on his face.A mask. It materialized out of thin air it was whit It covered his entire face. No eyes. No mouth. No nose. Just blank white surface.
Sylvester muttered quietly, "Library of The Mad Mask."
The moment he said those words, the mask began to change. Cracks appeared on its surface. Red light leaked through the cracks. The air around Sylvester grew heavier.
The commentator's hand dropped.
"BEGIN!"