Hayase awoke from his slumber in a panicked state. He called out to his brother and Amber—and to his relief, they were in the beds beside him.
As he walked over to wake them, the door creaked open. A pale-looking man in an odd uniform stepped inside.
"You must come with me at once. You are instructed to be ready for the ceremony," the man said as he closed the door behind him.
Hayase stared in surprise.
Ceremony? he thought.
Despite the strange interaction, Hayase gently shook Amber and Yusuke awake. He asked them what had happened and where they had been taken. The three sat in silence as fragmented memories of Eldina returned. The death of their mother and father still weighed heavily on the brothers—especially Yusuke, who, despite his tough-boy demeanor, teared up.
Amber finally spoke.
"I'm sorry for everything that happened to you guys… I don't know where my parents are either. But what matters right now is that your father defended us—with his life."
Yusuke looked at her, then pulled her into a hug. Despite his hard-headed attitude, he was still only twelve. Just a boy, scared and hurting.
Hayase stood. "I had a dream," he said. "There was this woman… Her name was Kimiko. Before I woke up she told me to call out her name incase I was in danger…"
Amber's eyes widened. "Do you think… when you called out her name before you passed out—maybe that saved us?"
"T-That's impossible, though! How would that even work?!" Yusuke snapped. "Why didn't you call her name out sooner!?"
"I don't know... I wasn't thinking straight," Hayase said, tears forming. "Maybe... if Kimiko did save us… then maybe our parents would still be alive…"
Amber embraced him gently. But the moment was short-lived.
The same man from earlier returned—this time with more men in matching uniforms. Without a word, they dragged the three out of the room and into what appeared to be a main hall filled with women, men, and children.
The uniformed men tossed packages of clothing at everyone.
"Change," one of them ordered.
Once dressed, the group was led outside. More uniformed people herded other groups together.
A man stood atop a massive gorilla statue. He raised his voice:
"You must be wondering why you are here, mortals! Fortunately for you, I—the Chief of the Michian people—will grant you a better fate in the afterlife!"
Murmurs of confusion rippled through the crowd.
A man from the group stepped forward. "What the hell are you talking about? Sacrifice?! To who?"
"Who the h*ll is Michi?! What the f**k are you talking about, moron?" someone else yelled.
The Chief raised his arms. "To our lord Michi! We request his mercy, and in order to satisfy his bloodthirst, we will sacrifice you… through a game of elimination! Blair! Come forth!"
From the crowd emerged a young girl, no older than nine, with red hair and the same uniform. She unraveled a scroll and read aloud:
"Welcome, everyone, to the Enchanted Games! I, your hostess Blair, welcome you to the second official ceremony. This sacred game sacrifices life force to our divine God, Michi.
"The game will take place in the enchanted forest that binds the Kingdoms of Eldina and Amethyst. It will be held in Eldina's everlasting forest… a place of no return. How did we find it, you ask? Our god, Michi, gave us the knowledge.
"The game will continue until a single person—or group—emerges victorious. The rules are simple. Hehehe…
"Rule One: Anything goes. Murder, Seikai, anything.
"Rule Two: No mocking our God.
"Rule Three: Only one victor. And the grand prize... is life.
"So... is everyone READY?!"
The crowd panicked. People backed away, shouting.
"No way we're doing this sh*t! You can't be serious!" a man screamed.
"Yeah, what he said! Wait until the district hears about this—"
SHLUNK!
A uniformed man stabbed a woman through the skull. Blood sprayed across the grass as she dropped, lifeless.
The crowd went silent.
"So," the Chief said calmly, "any more complaints?"
The soldiers began pushing everyone toward the forest.
"From this day forward, you will live off the land—and you must kill to survive. May luck be on your side. Now... begin!"
Screams erupted as people scattered into the forest.
Hayase grabbed Yusuke and Amber, pulling them into the woods. They ran until they found a secure spot to rest.
"Can you believe that?!" Yusuke yelled. "Do you really think they're serious?!"
"Of course they are!" Amber replied. "Did you not see that woman get murdered!? The Michian people... I've read about them, but this—this is something else."
"Shut up," Hayase said sharply.
They froze.
Hayase pointed ahead. A massive wolf crouched in the brush, ready to pounce.
Without hesitation, Amber stepped forward and raised her palm.
"Fire Style: Fireball!"
A blazing orb launched from her hand, but the wolf dodged it.
Amber quickly summoned another.
"Fire Style: Fireball!"
This time, it connected—igniting the wolf's fur. It let out a furious growl and lunged.
"Fire Style: Fire Ring!"
A blazing ring shot from her fingertip, striking the wolf midair. It fell, lifeless, with a thud.
Hayase and Yusuke stared in awe as Amber casually dusted herself off.
"Enjoy the show?" she smirked.
The boys blinked.
"How did you do that?!" Yusuke asked.
"I've been practicing," she replied. "Since my parents were never around, I studied Seikai and its principles. I learned what I could on my own."
Hayase grinned. "You're incredible, Amber."
Then she said something unexpected.
"So... who's ready for dinner? I'm starving."
"You're joking, right?" the brothers said in unison.
"Nope."
They set up camp near a riverbank. Night fell. Yusuke was the first to drift off, leaving Amber and Hayase alone.
"I'll keep watch," Amber offered. "You need to rest."
"I can't let you do that. If something happens, I'll feel guilty."
"Hayase, I'm strong enough to protect myself."
"But what if someone stronger shows up? You're barely five feet tall!"
"Shut up. You're not exactly some muscle-bound hero."
"Yeah, yeah…"
They sat in silence until Amber spoke softly.
"You know… around this time, we'd probably be asleep in our beds back in Eldina."
"Why say that now?" Hayase asked.
"I don't know. It's just... hard. I never got to say goodbye to my parents. And with yours…"
"I know," he said quietly. "But I'm making you a promise. We're going to find your parents. We'll return to Eldina. No matter what."
Amber said nothing—but tears welled in her eyes.
A faint sob broke the silence. Yusuke stirred from sleep.
"You're really going to bring us home… big brother?" he asked weakly.
"Yes, he is," Amber whispered. "I trust him."
Yusuke crawled toward them, and the three embraced. Their tears blended into the night.
Seeing them cry broke something inside me. As much as I wanted to cry, I held it in.
Because now… I was the man.
And I would do anything to bring peace to those who suffered.
I am Hayase Souta.