[Tournament Day - From Aetron's Perspective]
On the morning of the tournament, the great arena in the heart of Syrlow Forest overflowed with a crowd unseen in years. Hundreds of people from the six families of the Auryan dynasty filled the wooden stands surrounding the beaten earth floor. Colorful banners dancing in the wind proudly displayed each family's symbol—Selenae's twin moons, Luminis's shining book, Valerius's raging bear. In the air was freshly cut grass, tense anticipation, and the murmur of the crowd.
But today's excitement was different. In the most honored corner of the stands, a special section decorated with gold-embroidered fabrics had been erected. There, King Theron of the Valdorin Kingdom sat on his imposing throne carved from oak. On Prince Kaelen's face beside him was a bored expression that looked down on this rural ceremony. I could almost hear him thinking, "Why are we here to watch these exiled nobles?" "What talents could they possibly display?"
Kadros climbed onto the platform in the center of the arena, his powerful voice echoing over the crowd: "Brave children of the Auryan Dynasty! Today is not just a tournament, but an examination day for our future leaders!" Enthusiastic uproar rose. Kadros indicated the Valdorin tribune. "And on this sacred day, the honorable family of our ally the Valdorin Kingdom is among us! In their presence, let us show the power of our dynasty!"
I stood in the area where warriors gathered, looking at the stands where my family and the Valdorin guests sat. On my mother Niyara's face was worried love, in my father's eyes shone pure pride.
"Ready, partner?" I asked in my mind.
"Tactical analysis complete," Null's voice replied with its usual confident tone. "These children are no match for you. But be careful, Aetron. All eyes are on you."
When the tournament drums began to thunder, the entire arena fell silent.
"First battle!" the tournament official shouted. "Lycor from House Valerius versus Aetron from House Selenae!"
When Lycor stepped into the arena, he looked impressive with his muscular body three years older than me and his confident stance. The steel sword in his hand glowed faintly blue with Echo-level Edgium energy.
The arena official extended a sword to me too. I took the weapon in my hand, felt the cold steel, then gently extended it back. "Thank you, but no need."
This action caused surprised murmurs in the stands. Lycor's face contorted with anger. "Little one, is this your arrogance or your ignorance?" he roared. "This is not a game!"
"The real reason is you're not used to using a real sword yet, isn't it?" Null whispered in a sarcastic tone.
"Don't get caught up in details, love," I thought. "This will be more effective."
When the fight began, Lycor lunged at me with rage. His sword descended toward my head, drawing a blue arc in the air. But I, as if I knew that blow was coming beforehand, pulled aside at the last moment.
The second blow came, this time toward my chest. I leaned back, the sword whizzed past the tip of my nose. Third, fourth, fifth... Each of his attacks struck empty space where I should have been. The crowd watched in amazement. While grumbles rose from the Valerius tribe, the other clans looked at this unusual style with curiosity. I hadn't landed a single blow on my opponent but seemed tireless. This was less a show of force and more like a dance.
"Great work," Null's voice said. "But it's time to finish. He's leaving his left shoulder open."
Lycor raised his sword into the air for one last move. He'd put all his strength into this blow.
"Now!" Null whispered.
Instead of dodging, I took a step toward Lycor. I closed my eyes and released my Resonance power. I focused my mind on the sword's steel structure, felt the vibration frequency of its atoms. "Vibrate!"
The sword suddenly began to shake in Lycor's hand. The vibration speed increased so much that the steel became semi-transparent as if evaporating. The sword descended on my shoulder but instead of harming me, passed through me like a ghost.
At the same moment, I placed my other hand on the ground. Edgium energy flowed from my fingers into the soil. The hard ground beneath Lycor's feet suddenly softened like mud. Losing his balance, Lycor stumbled forward. This was the moment I'd been waiting for.
I brought down my fist glowing with Edgium energy on Lycor's unprepared chest. The force of the blow sent Lycor flying across the entire arena to the other end. The young warrior collapsed to the ground against the wall, unconscious.
A moment of absolute silence... Then the arena exploded with a storm of wild applause.
For the first time in my life, I felt such pure appreciation. I straightened with pride and looked at the stands. My father was standing, fists clenched, shouting. My mother had covered her mouth with her hands, shedding tears of joy. Thera was jumping in her little spot, shouting "MY BROTHER WON! MY BROTHER IS THE STRONGEST!"
And right then... I saw her.
In the back rows of the Valdorin tribune, among the ladies-in-waiting, sat a young girl. Her fiery red hair was gathered in an intricate braid, shining like ruby in the sunlight. The emerald green dress she wore emphasized the effortless nobility in her bearing. But what really caught attention was that calm aura she possessed despite the crowd's noise. And those emerald green eyes...
My heart stopped. Those eyes... That face... It was exactly the same as Null's avatar sitting by the fire in the shelter in my mind.
All the sounds in the arena suddenly disappeared. Applause, shouts, the joy of victory... Everything went silent. There was only that girl and the strange feeling that gripped my heart when I saw her. This... what was this pain? Why was my heart filling with a sadness I'd never felt before?
"Null... this feeling... what is this?" I thought, my voice trembling in my mind.
A long silence. Then Null's voice came, but this time it didn't have its usual confident tone. In her voice was surprise, even fear:
"I... I'm feeling it too. This sadness, this pain... it doesn't belong to you. There's nothing about this girl in Aetron's memories. Then why... why do I want to cry too?"