The sun was shining brightly, and everyone was getting ready for the competition that day. Even though not many people were participating, they were still excited to see it.

  Arix woke up at his usual time, got out of bed, and went downstairs. His mother was doing her normal chores. Arix looked at his mother and smiled slightly. He went straight to her and hugged her from behind. She was surprised.

  Arix had never hugged his mother like this before. Usually, he woke up, went straight for his breakfast, and went outside for training or something else. This was the first time. His mother said, "What happened, Arix? Do you need something?"

  Arix's eyes were closed. He said while smiling, "Why, can't I hug my mother whenever I want to?"

  "Well, you certainly can, but this is the first time you hugged me like this," his mother replied. She started smiling too and held Arix's hand with her hand.

  Arix said, "I am going to win today's competition, Mother, and then I will find my father and the best land to call home." His mother turned around and held Arix tightly in her arms. She shed some tears, but she was smiling.

  She said, "I know my son is the best on this Island. Now go and show everyone that even a peasant's son can defeat anyone."

  Arix didn't say a word, but he felt calm in his mother's arms. He then left her arms and said, "Okay, Mother, I'll be late if I don't leave now. Bye."

  "What about your breakfast?" his mother asked.

  "I don't feel hungry right now," Arix said while running toward the door. On his way out, he grabbed his sword, which his father gifted him when he was ten. It was a shining steel sword. There was not a spot of any kind on that sword.

  Arix liked that sword so much. He kept it rust-free, and he practiced with it all this time. He hurt himself many times with that sword when he was just a kid, but still, he didn't stop using it for training. He joined sword training school when he was fifteen and learned many techniques with this sword. He was one of the top students in his class.

  Arix reached the colosseum just in time. He was not late, nor was he early. He saw a big square colosseum. Arix reached the participant area where everyone had already arrived. Elena was sitting next to Tarin, and Arix noticed one empty seat next to her, which she saved for Arix. When Arix entered the room, Elena turned her head around and looked at him, and let out a sigh of relief.

  Arix sat on that empty seat next to Elena when she instantly said, "You are late."

  Arix replied, "Yes, I know. I am sorry."

  Elena nodded her head, and they both looked at the colosseum. It was huge, they thought.

  In the center, Arix saw a field of dirt. He asked Elena, "So, how many rounds are going to be this year?"

  Tarin heard him but was silent for a while. Elena said, "I don't know." Upon hearing this, Tarin broke his silence. "Only one round, and it's going to be a one-on-one fight."

  "What, why only one round?" Arix asked Tarin, slightly leaning toward him so he could hear him clearly. Elena backed her head and body a little to give Arix some space.

  "There are only ten participants this year, so a one-on-one fight is enough to decide the five people who will go to the mainland," Tarin replied while both arms crossed, and he was sitting in a straight posture.

  "Hmph, you peasants will never win," Rowan said from behind. He heard everything. He was sitting with his arms crossed and eyes closed. Both his legs were on the front chair.

  Arix and Tarin both ignored him and looked straight in front of them to the colosseum. In front of Arix, he saw the chief's throne.

  The Chief was sitting there, his legs crossed and his chin resting on his left arm, while his right arm was on the throne. He was looking down on the dirt field and was silent.

  Beside him stood the announcer. His job was to commentate the whole competition through a mic so everyone could hear it and know what's happening.

  Audience seating was arranged on the other two sides. All the audience members were taking their seats and their beverages, which were being sold just outside of the colosseum.

  In one of the corner seats, Arix saw Vaelor. Everyone was avoiding sitting next to him. Arix soon realized no one was cheering for anyone this time except for a few groups who were chanting Rowan's name constantly.

  Elena said to Arix, "A few people will never stop licking the nobles' shoes. They just want a position or money if Rowan becomes a chief."

  Arix said, "But if he wins this competition and leaves the Island, then they will get nothing."

  "Exactly," Elena said. "But if he loses, he will definitely become the next chief."

  Arix didn't say a word and continued to wait for the announcer to start the competition.

  After a while, the announcer stepped forward and shouted into the mic, "People of the Island, we are gathered here to celebrate the seventh competition, which is organized under the rule of Tiber Crowe, the Fifty-fifth chief of the Island."

  His voice echoed through the colosseum. All the people gathered there turned their attention to the announcer. Suddenly, there was silence in the colosseum.

  "There will be a one-on-one duel between ten participants, and the winners will venture to the mainland in search of new land to call our home," the announcer shouted into the mic.

  Arix started clapping, and so did everyone else. He noticed his mother in the audience section. She was looking for him through her eyes and found him too in the participant section. She waved hello while her face lit up after seeing Arix. Arix smiled and waved back to her. With his voice, their attention again shifted to the announcer.

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  He said, "Without wasting any more of our hours, we are starting the first duel, which will be held between Rowan Crowe, Son of our beloved Chief, and Arix Valmor, Son of Eldric Valmor. Now I invite both of them to the ring."

  Arix's eyes widened. His heart started beating fast. He stood up at his place and turned around.

  "Hmph, this will be easy," Rowan said loudly so that every participant could hear him, and walked out of the room.

  Arix was still standing at his place. His breathing was fast, and his fist tightened.

  Elena said, "Don't worry. You will be okay," to Arix.

  He replied, "Thanks," and started walking out of the room.

  Tarin looked at Arix with his side eye but didn't say anything. Elena turned toward the colosseum when Arix grabbed his sword and left the room.

  After reaching the ring below, Arix saw Rowan waving at the crowd and laughing silently. Many people were chanting Rowan's name. Everyone knew he was the son of Chief, but not many people knew Arix.

  Arix looked at his mother, whose eyes were closed and both hands together. She was praying for him. Arix took a deep breath and stood before Rowan.

  Rowan was using a longsword. His sword's hilt was made of gold, and its blade was made of high carbon steel—the finest metal you can use for a sword on the Island.

  Arix was holding his sword with his hand, and his other hand was free. His eyes were fixated on Rowan, but not a single word left his mouth.

  Rowan, after a while, unsheathed his longsword and held it with both hands. He bent forward a little in posture to strike at Arix at any moment now.

  Rowan let out a laugh at Arix and said, "Time to die, Peasant."

  Arix unsheathed his sword too, and the scabbard fell to the ground. He was fixated on Rowan but gave nothing away. He stood there in the same place and same straight posture.

  Rowan struck toward Arix with his full speed and prepared his longsword to swing.

  Arix held his sword with both hands, one leg behind, and got into position to strike when Rowan got in his range.

  When Rowan got close enough for his sword to reach him, he swung it with all he got. Standing in the same position, Arix moved his sword above his head and swung it when he was close, while moving left to dodge the longsword.

  Rowan got past Arix, but there was no blood on his longsword. He turned around to see Arix standing there with his back facing him in a straight posture. He felt a sharp pain on his shoulder and looked down to see blood. Arix struck his shoulder, which made Rowan faint at that spot.

  There was silence for a while. Everyone's eyes widened while Arix was standing in the middle of the field and Rowan was laying on the ground behind him.

  Arix turned left and then right, where he saw his mother crying with both hands folded into each other. After a while, someone from the crowd clapped, and everyone followed.

  After a while, the announcer said with a loud voice, "And for the first duel, Arix is the winner." Everyone started shouting and cheering him on. Arix picked his scabbard, sheathed his sword, and walked straight to the participants room, while 2 people came on the field and picked Rowan up and took him to the infirmary.

  Upon reaching the participant's room, he saw Elena smiling while standing, looking at him. Arix gave a little smile and walked to her. She said, "That was amazing," and Arix replied a simple, "Thanks." They both sat beside each other and proceeded to watch the rest of the competition.

  After a while, the announcer said again, "For the 3rd duel, I invite Elena Graves, Daughter of Arthur Graves, and Ryn Falcrest, son of Lucan Falcrest, to the ring."

  Elena didn't give much expression and stood up at her place. Arix said, "Try not to kill him." Elena gave a smile to Arix and said, "I'll try." She picked her dagger up and went straight ahead to the ring.

  Elena and Ryn were standing against each other in the field. Elena was using a dagger—a normal dagger which she bought from the market. On the other hand, Ryn was using a big warhammer, which was resting on his shoulder.

  Ryn was big, twice the height and twice the weight of Elena. Ryn gave a smirk to Elena and shouted, "Look, a woman is trying to get to the mainland now." He turned around, looking at both sides of the colosseum, and then added, "What are women going to do on the mainland? Clean our dirty clothes?"

  Everyone laughed a little in the audience. Elena's eyes hardened. Her jaw tightened. She held her dagger tighter than before. She moved one leg behind the other and one hand forward, which was holding a dagger, and said, "I will show you what a woman can do."

  Ryn gave a loud laugh and then looked at Elena to say something, but she was not there. Ryn looked at both sides and turned around in a hurry, and found Elena standing there in a slightly bent posture, holding a dagger with one hand, one leg behind the other, body slightly forward then the legs, with a menacing look in her eyes.

  Ryn quickly tried to grab his warhammer with both hands, but she was already onto his shoulder. His warhammer fell to the ground. She tried to twist his shoulder with her legs but failed. Ryn grabbed her by the waist and threw her to the ground.

  Ryn picked his warhammer with both hands and bent his body forward, ready to run toward her. He gave her a smirk and said, "Now you are really dead."

  Elena got up from the ground and ran to the other side of the ground. She looked behind her and found Ryn was already close to her. She kept running, and when she felt that Ryn was close behind her, she jumped. Ryn, unable to predict what her next move would be, kept running and found that Elena landed on his shoulder.

  Before Ryn could grab her again, Elena tightened her hold on the dagger and stabbed Ryn in the chest. She got down from him, and Ryn screamed in pain.

  "This is what a woman can do to you losers," Elena said while standing and still holding the dagger. Ryn looked behind. His eyes hardened, gritting his teeth. He grabbed his warhammer and rushed toward Elena with everything he got.

  Ryn reached her range and raised his warhammer to strike, but she was gone again. Elena was standing straight behind him with a dagger in her hand. Ryn turned around, and Elena stabbed him again in the stomach. Both her hands were on the dagger, and she was holding it tightly. She pushed the dagger inside him. Ryn's warhammer fell to the ground, and soon he fell to the ground too.

  Elena took her dagger out of him and moved toward the participant room. Everyone's eyes were widened in the audience section. They couldn't speak a word. After a while, a single person started clapping, and soon others followed. They were chanting Elena's name at the top of their lungs.

  Elena, before entering the participant room, looked at the crowd chanting her name and gave a smile and raised one hand in the sky while holding a dagger with it.

  She soon reached her seat and sat down, where Arix said, "Damn, that was quite the show." She smiled, closing her eyes, and said, "Thank you," in a very low voice. Arix looked at her, and his eyes widened. His cheeks turned red, and he thought to himself, "She's so beautiful. Oh god."

  They continued to watch the rest of the tournament. At sunset, the announcer finally said, "And with this last battle, this year's tournament is over, and we have our winners, whom I would like to invite on the field to congratulate them."

  Five winners gathered on the field, standing beside one another, when the announcer shouted loudly into the mic, "First, we have Arix Valmor."

  Arix looked at the crowd but didn't say anything.

  "Next, we have Jace Vale," shouted the announcer. "This competition is a waste of time," Jace said in a low voice that only five people standing there could hear. His eyes were closed, and both hands were on his waist. He gave a smirk to the crowd.

  "Next is Elena Graves," the announcer shouted again. Elena waved both her hands in the air and smiled at the crowd. The whole crowd was chanting her name in a loud voice.

  "Next, we have Tarin Oakfall," the announcer said into the mic. Tarin didn't say a word and kept standing there quietly. Arix looked at Tarin and said to Elena, who was standing beside him, "I think he is hiding something." Elena looked at Tarin, who had no expression on his face, not even a smile. She replied to Arix, "Maybe. I think so too."

  "And at last, we have another girl, Lyra Goldwyn," shouted the announcer. "Oh, please don't look at me," Lyra whispered to herself while hiding her face with both hands.

  The whole crowd stood up and shouted everyone's name one by one. "And with this, today's competition is over," said the announcer, putting the mic on the table and walking away with the chief.

  Everyone started leaving their seats one by one except for Vaelor. He was still sitting there, staring at Arix and his group while they walked outside of the colosseum.