Chapter 13: Princess
They arrived at the heart of the eastern district, at the arena. They hopped off the carriage, and before them was a massive stone-structured arena with instructors directing the participants to a massive hall within the arena.
"This is it, Daylan. This is where everything might change or go down the hill." Astara said, staring up at the arena.
Daylan nervously swallowed and nodded.
They were led to a vast hall on the upper floor, overlooking the lower level where the average participants gathered. The battlegrounds were projected across the massive walls, displaying each ongoing fight in vivid detail.
As Daylan took his seat, his eyes darted around, taking in every corner of the hall.
From the look of things, Daylan realized the tournament had already begun—yet Astara remained completely calm.
"Hey, Astara. The tournament seems to have started already, why so?"
Astara turned to him, her expression calm but unreadable. "Actually, the tournament started three days ago. We'll be fighting those downstairs. They believe our strength matches theirs, so they've already cleared out the weak ones... It's their way of saying they don't want us to be disappointed."
Daylan leaned back in his seat, his fingers instinctively brushing against the blade of his dagger. His heart pounded faster with each passing minute, his mind running through dozens of imagined fight scenarios—analyzing, predicting, and crafting counters for every possibility.
Before long, the tournament began. Daylan's eyes flickered toward the projection screen, his leg bouncing uncontrollably, betraying the nervousness he was trying to hide.
The announcer laid out the day's schedule clearly: forty of the average participants would face off against the forty Chivalries.