Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Final Day


    The last day of the tournament had arrived. Surprisingly, Yue woke up with a peaceful and rested mind. She only got nervous when she saw her friends. They were all visibly nervous, Neena especially. Xander, thankfully, was still here, which meant the Cult wasn’t starting their plan yet. It would probably start after the final match.


    And the Vanguard needed to win, at least according to the Cult. At this point, Yue didn’t know which was worse: letting someone else win and suffering Magefell’s shame, or winning and giving the Cult what they wanted. It was a dilemma, and this time, Yue just didn’t want to think about it. WHatever happened would happen, and Yue clearly didn’t have the time to stop it. All she could do was prepare herself.


    Breakfast was light. Yue wanted to eat enough to have energy throughout the day, but eating just a little too much could be problematic. Of course, she could eat during the matches, so she’d decided to not eat too much.


    The trip to the Arena was uneventful, although Yue kept her eyes peeled the whole time. It was a long walk, but Yue didn’t see many travelers. Except for her and her friends, the few people they saw were part of the Vanguard. When they reached the turn that combined the Vanguard Grounds Road to the Magefell Road, everything changed. Suddenly, the roads were flooded, people milling around, some running, some walking towards the Arena.


    Yue desperately wanted to warn them, but what could she say? Run away, there’s this Cult that wants to kill you and make you a slave to the God of Death? Who would believe that, even coming from the Sterkona?


    She pulled her cloak up as she walked through the multitude. For now, she didn’t really want anyone recognizing her. If they did, Yue would be forced to fight a torrent of fans, and she needed to reach the arena. Now was not the time to stop.


    When the Arena came into view, the men and women formed a line. In an obvious demonstration of who she was, Yue kept walking, skipping the lines.


    “Hey!” One man yelled. “Who do you think you are?”


    Yue groaned, turned around, and pulled her hood up. The man gasped.


    “I’m sorry,” He curtsied. “I didn’t know it was you.”


    Yue gritted her teeth. Others were already starting to notice her.


    “Make way!” Alyx roared, grinning madly. “Make way for the Sterkona!”


    “Really?” Yue asked, irritated. “You had to do that?”


    Alyx led her through the line of people. Most were gazing at her, jaws open. Yue flushed. Truthfully, she didn’t deserve this kind of praise. She wasn’t even undefeated! She was just a warrior, and not even the best one. There was the Mremban—Yue didn’t remember his name—who had beat her, and he was undefeated. Yue didn’t know how she would beat him, but she would find a way.


    They passed the line and entered the foyer. It was virtually empty, the few people in it heading towards the stands already. The first match of the third day would start in just twenty minutes. Thankfully, neither Yue nor any of her friends would be a part of it.


    With just fifty fighters left in the tournament, and only a few undefeated, this day would be the fastest out of all of them. Possibly, it would only last until midday. In most of the matches, someone would be defeated. The Wolf had created a bracket specifically for this day, but he was keeping it close to his chest, which Yue thought slightly strange, but she accepted it. She would fight whoever was appointed to her.


    Moving to the practice room, Yue breathed a sigh of relief, able to unwind a bit. She could see forty or so participants here already, waiting for the start of the matches.


    To her mild surprise, Gunnar was here. Although he was one of the strongest men in the tournament, he’d lost his first game. That couldn’t be good for morale. Yue applauded him for staying this long. It was a great achievement.


    “Congratulations, Gunnar!” Yue told him, slapping him on the back.


    “Much thanks, Sterkona,” He responded. “You have been doing wonderful, as well. I am hoping to do well today. My first match is with Jabari.”


    Yue gaped. “He’s the one who defeated me!” Gunnar was doomed in Yue mind. There was no way he could beat Jabari, Jabari was just too strong.


    “I know,” Gunnar rumbled. “I will defeat him. He is not as strong as his looks. He is weak in heart, weak spirit. His body is strong, but no more.”


    “His strong body was enough,” Yue winced. “I’m still bruised from it.”


    “Yes, but you’re still bruised from what I did too, hmm?” Gunnar laughed. “I wish you the best luck, Yue. Hopefully, I see you in the finals, and then I get… how do you say?”


    “Revenge.”


    “Yes, my revenge,” Gunnar smiled.


    “Good luck to you too,” Yue told him as he left for the stands.


    “WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE FINAL DAY OF THE FIRST MAGEFELL TOURNAMENT!” The Wolf said from the ring to the crowd’s applause. “I WILL SPARE THE FORMALITIES. YOU WANT TO SEE THE FIGHTS, DON’T YOU?” The crowd roared in approval.


    “ALRIGHT THEN. I CALL TO THE RING GUNNAR GUDJOHNSEN AND JABARI KOLO.”


    The big Mremban pushed past Yue and thundered down to the ring. Gunnar met him halfway, nodding to him politely. Jabari glared.


    “I feel bad for Gunnar,” Alyx told her as they sat down on the stands. Sia, Skai, Zade, Th’ul, and Xavier were all there already. “He has no way of beating him.”


    “Gunnar looks strong,” Zade shrugged.


    “He is, but Yue beat him, and then Jabari beat Yue,” Neena responded. “It’s not as much of a contest as it looks.”


    Jabari growled a few words at Gunnar, and smiling, Gunnar threw away his shield. Yue gasped. Gunnar had never fought without a shield before! How would that affect his performance?


    “THE MATCH COMMENCES IN THREE, TWO, ONE, BEGIN!”


    The clash of steel began immediately. It felt like the beginning of a thunderstorm, what with the sparks flying and the booming of the swords. Gunnar and Jabari stared daggers at each other as they swung hard. Both were relying on their strength to win this match, which usually worked in their favor. This match, though, was equally matched in terms of strength. If it came down to who had more muscle, Yue didn’t know who would win. Jabari seemed smarter, though, so Yue still expected him to dominate.


    A massive thrust from the Mremban sent the Snjornin stumbling back, recovering quickly to lunge himself. Both players swung hard, murderous intent in their lunges. Yue assumed that since they knew the other would block their thrusts to some degree, they could swing with that power. Maybe they just wanted to kill each other, though. The blows were strong enough to cleave someone’s head clean off.


    After forty-five seconds, the match still hadn’t let up. Both fighters were still giving it their everything, and none had a clear victory. Gunnar was losing ground very slowly, but it wasn’t enough for Jabari to win. A few swings scratched Gunnar, but his light armor prevented them from doing anything.


    “I’ve never seen anything like this,” Neena breathed, and Yue agreed.


    The ferocity of the match was astounding. Even the Wolf looked on raptly, and he usually saved those glances for Vanguard games.


    Eventually, someone had to give, and unfortunately, that man was Gunnar. His sword dropped slightly more than he wanted, and Jabari swung hard. Gunnar caught the blow with his chest to the flat of the blade, mostly able to stop it from doing any real damage, but he still flew back, landing at the edge of the ring. Unhesitating, the Mremban rushed at him and chopped again, intent on chopping Gunnar’s torso in half. At the last second, the Snjornin rolled out of the way, stepping up behind Jabari and elbowing him in the back. Jabari stumbled forward, dropping his sword. Gunnar came in then, swinging wild, punching Jabari’s face.


    Clearly, Gunnar had lost all patience.


    The Mremban stared daggers at Gunnar as he was pinned down and struck. Gunnar hit him time after time. A crunch erupted from the ring, and Yue gasped, unsure if it was Gunnar’s fist breaking, or Jabari’s nose. The bright red on the Snjornin’s fist told Yue everything.


    The Mremban’s nose was broken. Somehow, Gunnar had won.


    — — —


    “I told you I would win, Sterkona!” Gunnar rumbled. “He has weak mind. I probed him and he crumpled.”


    “That he did,” Yue laughed. “You did great. I didn’t expect you to win, honestly.”


    “Well, you have faith next time,” He said. “I can already see the finals.” He walked away, posture full of victory.


    Yue looked at her friends. Her game was next. She had five minutes to prepare herself for it. She felt something strange when looking at Zade, though. A twinge of what she thought was pity mixed with some guilt.


    This was one of Zade’s worst days, she could tell. His battle with depression wasn’t going well today, and Yue hated seeing him like this. He had a sort of hollowness in his eyes, which was how he described Anni.


    Yue didn’t expect him to attempt suicide anymore, but depression was still depression. Zade caught her glance and smiled softly, although he didn’t let the smile touch his eyes.


    “Are you okay?” She whispered.


    “I’m fine,” He responded quickly. Too quickly.


    She didn’t have time to contemplate this, though, as she was called up.


    “WELCOME TO THE RING YUE ZHANG, THE STERKONA, AND ALYX REINHOLT.”


    Alyx gaped. “No wonder the Wolf wouldn’t tell us who we were fighting.”


    Yue grinned. “You’ll finally lose a match.”


    “Who, me?” Alyx wondered. “I’m the undefeated one.”


    Yue rolled her eyes, and, taking Alyx’s hand, they walked to the ring together. When the crowd cheered, Alyx raised her and Yue’s hand.


    “I hate to pair you together, but it had to be,” The Wolf told them. “Get to your posts.” As soon as they were ready, the Wolf nodded to them.


    “THE MATCH COMMENCES IN THREE…TWO…ONE…BEGIN.”


    Silence.


    Absolute, complete silence.


    Yue and Alyx stared at each other. Unmoving, unwilling to run at each other yet. Slowly, Alyx walked the frontier of the ring, getting closer to Yue, and Yue did the unexpected. She moved towards Alyx. Both girls raised their swords slightly, and Alyx took on an offensive stance, albeit a slightly more neutral one.


    Yue feinted an attack. Alyx stumbled back nervously. She was scared about losing, and fear led to mistaked. Yue needed to exploit that.


    She roared a battle cry and launched herself at Alyx, swinging low. Alyx, slightly caught off guard, attempted to deflect her blow, but only managed to change the direction slightly. The sword swept Alyx’s feet off the ground, sending her tumbling to the ground.


    Yue sliced down, and Alyx crawled away desperately, attempting to stand up. Yue knocked her down again and sliced down on her stomach. The sword sliced through armor and just barely grazed Alysx’s skin. The thin well of blood that appeared confirmed Yue’s victory.


    “Let that humble you,” Yue winked.


    — — —


    The next few hours passed mostly uneventfully. A dozen participants lost, in total there were just 34 fighters left. Yue, Alyx, Aster, Gunnar, Jabari, Kol, Yiro, and Skai were the only people Yue had met who were still competing. All her other friends or acquaintances had lost, including Eva and Joanne. The tournament was reaching its end. There were now no more undefeated soldiers, so every match someone would lose. In all, there were still about thirty games left.


    There were still eleven Vanguard members left. It was a good number, and the Wolf was clearly excited about the outcome. Of course, it could’ve been better, but not by much.


    Currently, two warriors Yue had never met were fighting. They were both women. One was a Mremban—there were still ten left, the most after the Vanguard—and the other was an Arcadian—there were only three of those left. There were still five Valacian warriors and four from Aleumdaun Seom. The final warrior was Gunnar.


    Zade had been mostly silent the entire day. Yue could see the war in his mind, but decided not to probe him. He didn’t want it, and he deserved his privacy.


    Alyx had gotten considerably more nervous after her loss with Yue. She’d gotten less braggadocious, and spent most of her time practicing.


    Aster kept her cool on the outside, but on the inside, yue bet she was shaking with fear.


    And Yue was scared. She was nervous for the tournament, that was true, but at this point, she was growing paranoid. In her mind, the Cult could try anything at any moment, and she needed to be prepared. Every few seconds, she would look around, expecting to find a Cultist ready to blow the Arena apart.


    Yue would have to evacuate the Arena. If the Cult really wanted to blow it up, everyone in the Arena was in danger.


    But hadn’t Yue stopped them? She had exposed them, right?


    Her leg shook. Neena noticed it and grimaced.


    “The Cult?” She asked. Yue nodded.


    “I’m scared, too,” Neena replied. “We haven’t seen anything. This can’t be good.”


    “Wouldn’t we know if they were preparing themselves, though?” Yue asked. “They can’t possibly be so secretive about it.”


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. “They’re mages.” Neena responded. “You don’t know what they can do.”


    Yue’s eyes widened. “That’s what they’re doing. They’re hiding the explosives with magic. That’s how it disappeared so fast. I have to tell the Wolf.”


    “He won’t listen to you,” Neena told him. “And you need to stay here for the tournament. I can take care of it. I’ll take Poli, Artemis, and Th’ul. Zade can stay here with you.”


    “Why Th’ul?” Yue asked suspiciously.


    “Because he’s a mage. He might be able to get past any illusion.”


    Yue nodded. That was wise.


    “Okay, you can go. We’ll be waiting for you.”


    Neena stood up and walked towards Poli and Artemis.


    — — —


    “The Cult is getting ready,” Xander told her.


    It had been an hour since Neena left to see about the explosives, and Yue was getting worried about them. If they took much longer, she would have to send Xander after them.


    There were just 21 fighters left. Both Skai and Alyx had won a game, Alyx only barely beating her opponent. Aster was going soon. Yiro had been eliminated by Jabari, who seemed only more rejuvenated.


    Xander’s eyes were wide and erratic as he talked to her. His head swung back and forth; clearly, he was as paranoid as her.


    “What do you mean?” She asked.


    “I can hear whispers,” He told her. “The Cult is preparing itself for something big. And I’m involved in a small part. I hear something calling to me softly. Yue, I don’t know if I can stay for much longer without putting you in danger.”


    She grabbed his hand and kissed him.


    “Xander, please stay,” She whispered. “Please, just for a little longer.”


    “Yue, I don’t want—”


    “I don’t care what you want,” Yue snapped. “Not right now, anyway. I know you care about me. Don’t leave me now.”


    Xander bit his lip. “I’ll stay for now. But I won’t hesitate to leave as soon as I feel more. Even you won’t be able to stop me if I want to leave.”


    Yue laid her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her.


    For a few minutes they watched the matches—Kol beating a Seonan, and Gunnar winning against an Arcadian—until Xander sucked his teeth and gasped.


    “What happened?” Yue asked.


    “Where’s Neena?” He replied.


    “I sent her to delay the Cult. Why?”


    “Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked harshly. “She’s in danger. We need to find her now.”


    “Tell the others,” Yue said. “I’m going to get more weapons.”


    — — —


    They met at the foyer. Aster stayed, as she had a match coming up. She wanted to come with, but Yue wouldn’t let her. Skai and Sia had decided to come, although Yue hadn’t wanted them too.


    Yue passed swords around to Skai, Sia, and Xavier. The others all had weapons already.


    The group of seven entered the foyer with no problem, the barmaid only giving them a strange glance before leading them inside.


    “Do you know where they are?” Yue asked. Xander shook his head.


    “Not really. But I think it’s somewhere southeast.”


    They took the left path when it forked, leading them south. They reached another fork in the path. Then another, and another. Every time, Yue asked Xander which way they should go, and each time he responded with more and more certainty. They were getting close.


    Eventually, they heard a scream.


    “That was Neena,” Xander exclaimed. “We need to move quickly.”


    They rushed forward, and soon they could hear clangs of steel clashing. There was a fight going on. Sia started to shake violently, paralyzed in fear.


    “Hey, Sia,” Yue knelt down. “Do you need to stay here?”


    “N-no,” Sia gritted her teeth. “I’m f-f-fine: Let’s keep—going.” She stopped shaking and started walking slowly in the direction of the scream.


    A figure ran towards them. Artemis.


    “Oh, thank god you’re here!” He exclaimed. “We need you.” He ran forward.


    Yue’s mind reeled from the chaos of what was happening. The possibilities of what her friends could be going through scared her, but she didn’t have the time for that. She followed Artemis as he ran forwards.


    Then they found her friends.


    Neena, Th’ul, and Poli were locked in combat with five people who Yue guessed were mages. Th’ul was staring strangely at another mage who stared back. Poli was swinging in the air, a puppet in the wind. Neena was fighting sword to fist with a mage, whose ferocity forced neena to fight desperately.


    One of the mages cursed as she saw them.


    “Rayse! Tye! Take care of them!” She growled, and then she disappeared.


    A fireball whizzed past Yue, who was only saved by Xander tackling her.


    “I can’t stay here,” He said. “They’ll know!”


    “You’ll be okay,” Yue told him. “They won’t punish you while they need you.”


    “You’re right,” He said smiling. Suddenly, he pitched over, his eyes glazing over. He began to froth at the mouth, and he yelled in pain.


    “Xander!” She yelled. “Come on! Stop, please!” Yue shook his already twitching form. Suddenly, he went still. Yue yelled in grief and checked his heartbeat.


    He was alive for now.


    All she could do now was stop the other mages.


    Looking up, she found one on the ground already, Zade’s blade wet with blood, Th’ul next to him wiping his brow.


    A mage rushed her, and she deflected his blows. He wasn’t using a sword, but there was still some sort of invisible weapon attacking her. Yue assumed it was a magic sword. The only reason she knew it was swinging was the whistle of the wind.


    The mage pitched over as Alyx stabbed him in the face, splitting him open like a watermelon. His blood and brains exploded on Yue’s face.


    “You look better that way,” Alyx smiled.


    “Watch out!” Yue pointed.


    The fourth rushed at Alyx, throwing Fireballs and sending whizzes of lightning.


    “I’ve got this one,” Th’ul told Yue. “I have magic. You take care of the other one.”


    Yue nodded to him and turned towards the last mage. The mage—a woman—was standing over Sia, who couldn’t move, only whimpered in fear.


    Yue screamed in rage, running forwards. The mage turned in shock and growled at her. Yue swung and connected with…


    Nothing.


    The mage had to be using a shield. She couldn’t hit her. The mage smiled, took out a dagger, and sliced down. Sia screamed as the blade bit into her hand. The mage took out another dagger and stabbed Sia’s other hand.


    Sia’s next scream bit into Yue’s soul. She kept attacking the mage, trying to reach Sia, but it was no use. The next dagger took Sia on her left foot, then her right foot. She was now crucified to the ground, tears flowing from her face, and helplessness on her face.


    The mage raised a fifth dagger to Sia’s face.


    “I am going to carve her now unless you drop your weapons.”


    Yue dropped hers immediately.


    “Xander! Zade! Drop your weapons!” She called, looking over. The fourth mage was already dead, and her friends looked confusedly at her. Seeing what was happening, though, they dropped their swords.


    “You made the right decision,” The woman told them. “Now I will take this girl as a hostage and you will not follow us anymore.”


    She ripped her daggers off of Sia, who once again yelled in pain. Yue stood still, tears in her eyes, wishing she could do something.


    The woman began to drag Sia away, and suddenly a form whizzed past her, and knocked into the woman, who flew back, hitting her head on the wall, unmoving. Yue stared at the form.


    Xavier.


    He was standing over the woman, breathing heavily, his fists out. He looked at Zade and smiled.


    “I think I just unlocked my skill,” He said, then fainted.


    As Zade ran towards Xavier, Yue turned towards Sia. She was bleeding profusely, and needed to reach the hospital now.


    “Alyx!” Yue said. “Can you take Sia to the hospital?”


    Alyx nodded and flung Sia over her shoulder, Poli and Artemis following for safety.


    “Xavier’s alive,” Th’ul told them “He’ll wake up in a few minutes. I don’t know about Xander, though.”


    Yue’s eyes widened and she rushed at Xander. He was still breathing shallowly, his eyes closed in unconsciousness. Yue shook him, and his eyes darted open.


    “Hey, Sterkona,” He smiled. “It’s good to see you. I’m tired.”


    “What happened?”


    “The Cult turned me off,” He responded. “They didn’t want me fighting. They’re mad now. But they won’t kill me. They still need me to kill you later.”


    Yue nodded. “We need to get back to the Arena. We don’t want to miss Aster’s match.”


    — — —


    They missed Aster’s match. They found her in the stands, eyes rimmed with a couple tears.


    “I lost,” She told them. “How did it go?”


    “We’re all alive,” Yue responded. “Sia is going to the hospital, though. I’m sorry about your loss.”


    Aster shrugged, wiping her eyes. “It happens. I was nervous for you, and I lost. I was in the top twenty, though. Number eighteen in the whole world. That’s pretty good, right?”


    “It’s amazing,” Yue responded.  “Who’s fighting next?”


    “I am,” Skai responded. “I’m tired, but I can still fight.”


    “Well, you should get ready,” Aster told her. “The Wolf will call you anytime soon.”


    Skai nodded and headed towards the practice room.


    “Are you going to check on Sia?” Alyx asked her.


    “After this match,” Yue replied. “I want to watch Skai.”


    — — —


    Skai lost her match. She returned to Xavier dejected, but his hug seemed to mollify her.


    Yue headed with Zade and Aster to the hospital, where they found Sia awake but in pain.


    “Everything hurts,” Sia told them. “My hands aren’t broken, but one of my feet is. I can still feel the daggers. They hurt so much.” She began to sob. “I was weak. I’m so sorry.”


    “There’s nothing to be sorry for,” Yue responded. “You were courageous enough to face them. Anyone else would’ve suffered the same fate in your place. No one thinks you were weak. Sia, we’re sorry we couldn’t protect you.”


    “Fighting with the Sterkona,” Sia smiled softly. “And then she apologizes to me. I can’t believe my life went in this direction.”


    “We’re happy to have you,” Yue told her. “I hope you get better soon.”


    “Thank you,” Sia responded. “You don’t know how much that means to me. If you don’t mind, can you stay a bit? I don’t want to be alone.”


    “Of course I’ll stay,” Yue told her. “I’ll stay however long you need.”


    — — —


    She stayed for an hour, long after Zade and Aster left. She only came back for one reason.


    Her next match.


    It was coming up. She didn’t recognize her opponent, but he was the first of only two Arcadians left. With only a few participants left, it made sense that there would only be a couple from each country, but Arcadia had a particularly low score. They were the squad with the last members except for the magefell Guards, who had been eliminated on the second day. If the King was right, then they could’ve sent better warriors, but two in sixteen was still very good.


    Of course, there would only be one in fifteen when Yue was done with her match.


    Truthfully, she wasn’t feeling nervous at all about this match. Her worry for her friends overruled it all. She had to find a way to tell the Wolf what was happening, but she would have to wait for the break, which would come when there were only ten warriors.


    “I CALL TO THE RING YUE ZHANG AND DESTRY FAELS!” Yue walked forwards, keeping an eye on Destry as she did so. He was a lean man in his mid-twenties, blond hair framing his youthful unscarred face. He had an arrogant manner about him, and he cracked his neck when he saw her. Clearly, he assumed he would win this.


    Clearly, he was wrong.


    As soon as the Wolf announced the start of the match, Destry ran at Yue. Unconcerned, Yue stepped out of the way. Destry swung again and again, trying his hardest to strike her, but Yue dodged him every step of the way with ease. How he’d gotten to the top sixteen Yue did not know. He must have gotten easier matches.


    Once again, Yue stepped out of the way as he swung. This time, he tripped, slamming onto the ground unnaturally.


    Yue wondered what had happened. His footing was fine, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with him.


    Destry’s face twisted to face her. His body stayed where it was, but his head turned in a 180 degree angle. She retched as foam erupted from his head, mixed with blood.


    “We gave you a little help,” Destry whispered, a thousand voices coming from him, but only Yue could hear them. “We know what happened. You are too late. Win the tournament. Then you shall be eradicated.”


    The crowd gasped as the man’s face shattered in two, and Yue vomited on the ground.


    “What did you do?” The Wolf asked.


    “I didn’t do anything!” She exclaimed. “I was too far away to have done that.”


    “I know,” The Wolf admitted. “You clearly didn’t cheat, but something happened. Either way, the boy is dead. You have passed.”


    Yue grimaced. Destry’s unnaturally angled head stares sightlessly at her.


    “WE WILL TAKE A BREAK NOW TO ASSESS WHAT HAPPENED!” The Wolf roared at the crowd. “WE WILL RETURN IN FIFTEEN MINUTES!”


    — — —


    Yue finished recounting her story to the Wolf.


    “Is Sia okay, then?”


    “Yes,” Yue nodded. “She’s fine. What do we do about this?”


    “Nothing. We don’t have the power, strength, or surprise,” He responded. “Keep an eye out, though. Things are coming to a head. We need to be prepared.”


    “What are you going to say happened to Destry?”


    “He slipped, hit his head on a rock, and died.”


    “But his head twisted…”


    “Just an effect of the rock,” The Wolf said. “We need to assuage the spectators, Yue. If what you say is right, and the Cultists did this, we don’t want the crowd to know about it. Ignorance is bliss for them.”


    “If you say so.”


    “I do. Now, if you don’t mind, I have to go finish the last matches. I expect you to win, Yue. You are my favorite.” He winked, leaving towards the ring.”


    Dejectedly, Yue walked back to the stands. She felt horrible about what had happened to Destry, but she needed to keep a level head. Once she got back, though, she noticed someone was missing.


    “Where’s Zade?”


    “He went for a walk,” Neena replied. “Told us he might be a while.”


    “Okay, that’s it!” Yue exclaimed. “We need to find him. Everyone, come with me.”


    “What for?” Aster asked. “You’ll still have a game!”


    “Not for a while yet!” She responded. “Zade isn’t feeling well, and we need to confront him, especially me and Xavier. But you need to come with, for support and safety.”


    “Fine,” Xavier said. “Let’s go.”


    Zade wasn’t hard to locate. He was sobbing right outside the Arena, his body shaking from the sadness.


    “Zade,” Yue poked him on the shoulder. He looked up, eyes rimmed with tears.


    “Hey, Yue. Why are you here?” He sounded tired, spent.


    “Because I know how bad you feel. And you can’t keep this private. It’ll tear you apart!”


    “But I haven''t kept it private,” He responded. “You already know everything.”


    “Do we?” Yue wondered. “Tell me honestly, Zade. Have you told us everything?”


    “No,” He shook his head. “I haven’t told you about my parents.”


    “We already know that story,” Xavier told him. “Don’t we?”


    “You don’t know about Eren, Or Sh’Hani, do you? No, you don’t know everything. You’re right, Yue. But what does this change?”


    “You can’t hide anything,” Yue said. “It’ll only make you worse if you don’t tell us.”


    Zade sighed. “You don’t understand. The only person who could’ve possibly understood this was Astil. And he’s gone. IT WAS MY FAULT! JUST LIKE EREN!” He sobbed again.


    “Try us,” Yue said. “Tell us. If we don’t understand, at least you tried. If we do, we can help you. I guarantee you’ll feel better either way.”


    Zade nodded. “Fine. I’ll tell you everything. Just please keep it a secret.”


    Yue nodded, “Of course.”


    “All right,” Zade began. “I guess the story starts when I was young…”