The trio stepped out of the hotel, the warm evening air blowing past them. The streets of Astravelle teemed with life, far more vibrant and chaotic than anything Brightwater City had to offer.

Mana-powered carts rolled smoothly over the cobbled streets, gliding past elegantly dressed citizens and robed mages. Vendors lined the main avenues, shouting about rare herbs, enchanted accessories, and freshly brewed alchemical potions.

“Whoa…” Finn said, spinning slowly as he took in the lights, the smells, and the bustle. “Brightwater feels like a village compared to this place.”

“It’s not even close,” Leon added, scanning the high-rises in the distance. “You can feel the wealth of this city in the bearing of its citizen”

Arthur nodded slightly, though his eyes were more calculating than awestruck. Everything here had a premium edge, the quality of potions, the craftsmanship of enchanted gear, even the wares being hawked at roadside kiosks. But that comes with higher cost. Not only were the cost of products higher here, but the cost of living was much higher compared to Brightwater City.

‘The cost of living must be many times higher here.’ Arthur mused.

They strolled past a stall selling rare beast leather gloves imbued with flame resistance, another selling roasted beast meat on skewers, and one strange one where a shady-looking merchant in a suit was auctioning “romance potions” in one corner of an alley, which Finn found strangely fascinating.

“Don’t even think about it,” Leon said, dragging him away.

Eventually, they turned a corner and arrived at the restaurant Eva had mentioned. It was tucked between two tall buildings and had an elegant design, with glass windows and lights marking the entrance. The name, Azure Bloom was etched into the polished stone above the door in flowing cursive script.

As they stepped in, the scent of sizzling spices and roasted meat hit them instantly.

Inside, they found Eva, Natalya, and Sophia already seated at a corner booth with a curved table, sipping from ornate glass cups filled with something purple and slightly steaming.

Eva noticed them and waved them over.

“Took you long enough,” she said, a half-smile tugging at her lips.

“We were dazzled by the local inflation,” Leon replied dryly as they slid into the opposite seats.

Sophia grinned. “Did Finn almost buy a love potion?”

“I was this close,” Finn admitted, holding up two fingers.

Natalya chuckled softly, and even Arthur gave a low hum of amusement.

As they were talking, a waiter in sleek navy robes arrived at their table. “Welcome to Azure Bloom. Would you like recommendations from our special ‘Visitor’s Menu’?”

“Absolutely,” Finn said instantly.

“Something spicy please,” Leon added.

The waiter bowed with a practiced smile. “Of course. I’ll bring you our Stormspice Stew, fire-braised beast meat skewers, and Winter-root dumplings with gravy on the side. You’ll love it.”

As they waited, the conversation drifted from the city’s architecture to trams that connected the city and how none of them wanted to get up at five in the morning. But the warm, relaxed mood was shattered suddenly by a commotion at the entrance of the restaurant.

A group had just walked in, five individuals in regal red and silver uniforms lined with gold. Their movements were arrogant, and unapologetically loud. The one leading them stood tall, with dark red hair slicked back and a curved, confident smirk.

He didn’t wait for a host or a seat.

Instead, he strutted straight toward a nearby table occupied by a group of senior Velcrest Academy students. One of the seniors, a broad-shouldered boy with short blond hair, stood up as soon as he saw them approaching.

Arthur glanced at the commotion. His gaze locked onto the leader, who looked no older than twenty but carried himself like royalty.

“Look who we have here,” the red-haired youth said with a condescending tone. “The failures of Velcrest. What’s it been? Two years since your last brilliant performance?” He continued, “Was the defeat last time not humiliating enough that you participated again.”

The tension was immediate and thick. The leader of the group from Velcrest clenched his fists. “Damien. You!”

Arthur caught the venom in his tone. Whoever this Damien was, it wasn’t just casual dislike.

The red-haired boy, Damien tilted his head mockingly. “Whoa, whoa, Cassian. Easy. I’m just saying hi. There’s no need to get worked up, we are just on a friendly visit.”

The sarcasm was as thick as the gravy in the stew they’d ordered.

Then Damien turned his gaze toward Arthur’s table.

“And who’s this? Your juniors? Honestly… they look far more competent than you ever were.”

The entire restaurant quieted slightly. Some students shrank back, while others were silently enjoying the drama.

Arthur and his group were surprised that he was also involving them in their spat.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

He could tell instantly. This wasn’t just mockery, Damien was trying to sow discord between Velcrest’s seniors and juniors. 

‘What a vicious and manipulative person.’ Arthur thought.

Cassian stepped forward, his voice taut. “You’re going too far, Damien.”

Damien’s smile dropped, replaced by something colder, and sharper with a veiled threat. “You think this is too far? Get ready to lose again. Like last time.”

With that, he spun on his heel, his group laughing behind him as they ascended the stairs to the second floor, reserved only for nobles and officials of the Stellara Kingdom.

The Velcrest seniors, red-faced and tight-lipped, left their food unfinished and stormed out of the restaurant after a quick glance at them. The silence they left behind was deafening.

Finn leaned over. “What the heck was that?”

Eva, her expression unreadable, answered quietly. “That was Damien Raventhal. His father’s one of the Dukes of Stellara. He almost became last year’s champion, for the first-year bracket.”

Eva glanced around, then whispered. “I heard… during one of the final matches, a Velcrest student died fighting Damien.”

Arthur furrowed his brow and asked, “Is that even allowed in a competition, wasn’t he punished.”

Eva answered, “The judges ruled it as an accident, and to calm the public, he was imprisoned for six months. And his championship was revoked.”

Leon’s eyes darkened. “He killed someone… and that was it?”

“They said it was an accident,” Eva replied. “But who knows what really happened. With that kind of influence, even death can be buried.”

Leon sighed. “Guess we need to be more careful.”

Eva nodded. “Especially with someone like him around.”

Arthur’s gaze lingered on the staircase Damien had walked up as they talked. After that they completed their meal and left the restaurant to explore the market.

…

After leaving the restaurant, the group strolled deeper into Astravelle’s market district.

The atmosphere here was festive due to the tournament ‘The Dominion Ring’ being held at this time of the year, which had transformed the marketplace into a massive fairground.

“It’s like festival season back in Brightwater,” Natalya whispered, eyes wide as they passed a stall selling glowing cotton candy, yes, glowing.

“Except the price tags here could put a hole in your wallet,” Finn muttered, eyeing an enchanted dagger worth more than all his belongings.

“Hey you can buy it if you want, I will pay for it.” Arthur said seeing Finn eying the dagger.

“Really!!…You are the best friend ever.” Finn exclaimed, hearing Arthur and hurriedly bought the dagger and tucked it away..

Sophia looked at Arthur with glittering eyes, “Arthur…will you please become my sugar daddy!” She said as she took Arthur’s hands.

Arthur had an awkward look on his face, and didn’t know how to respond.

“Hey!…Get away from my friend, you golddigger.” Finn, seeing his friend falling into a trap, decided to be the hero and save the day.

“Humph!…you are one to talk.” Sophia snorted at Finn and looked away.

Everyone laughed at Finn and Sophia’s antics and went deeper into the market.

Arthur scanned the market carefully, not just for items but for the craftsmanship behind them. He admired the layering of enchantments in the items, and the precision of rune carvings embedded in armor on display.

‘There’s a lot to learn here,’ he thought. ‘Enchantment theory, rune structure, mana circuits… I could spend months just understanding the surface.’

Finn, meanwhile, bought two tiny plush dolls enchanted to bob their heads when touched. “Souvenirs!” he said proudly. “One for me, and one for backup.”

After nearly an hour of wandering through potion vendors, magical game booths, illusion shows, and overpriced souvenir shops, the group finally returned to the hotel, arms lightly loaded with  souvenirs.

…

The next morning came early.

The sun hadn’t yet risen above the horizon when Arthur, Leon, and Finn made their way through the halls of the hotel. They met up with Eva’s team at the lobby, all dressed in uniform and slightly bleary-eyed.

“Why does 5 am even exist?” Finn groaned.

“Because six o’clock disqualifications exist,” Sophia said dryly.

“What?!” Finn exclaimed and hurried ahead of them.

They reached the reception hall with five minutes to spare. The grand room was already half-filled with yawning, muttering students from Velcrest.

A few minutes later, the same instructor from the previous day entered through the main doors with practiced poise and clapped her hands once.

“I hope you’re all here,” she said, her voice echoing off the high ceiling. “Because if someone is still missing, they will be disqualified.”

“Told you so.” Sophia whispered to Finn.

The instructor nodded seeing all the faces present. “Good. Follow me.”

Without waiting for confirmation, she turned and strode briskly out of the hall. Students shuffled into line behind her like sleepy ducks, trying not to trip on their own shoes.

Few moments later, they were once again inside the floating airship.

The flight was shorter this time. Barely ten minutes after takeoff, they saw a dense stretch of forest approaching from the reinforced windows. The terrain shifted from cobbled streets and high towers to wild nature. The ship slowly began to descend toward what appeared to be a walled compound at the edge of the forest.

From above, Arthur could see it clearly.

The forest was vast, its canopy thick and dark with dense trees. A long defensive wall surrounded its edge. Just outside the walls were a few rectangular buildings, likely offices, control towers, and what looked like a supply depot. The airship docked gently on a platform just outside the perimeter.

The instructor led them down the ramp.

They were led through a wide stone gate and across a paved path that opened into a gigantic open field.

And there, stretching across the horizon, were thousands of students gathered. Arthur was surprised to see there were not only humans present here, beastkins and elves could also be found among them.

A sea of uniforms and banners from dozens of different academies fluttered in the morning breeze. Voices buzzed like static, echoing across the compound. Mages of all circles mingled, some laughing, some simply sizing up their competition.

Arthur’s group followed the instructor through the crowd until they reached the section designated for Velcrest Academy. A wide flag bearing the crest of the academy fluttered above their heads.

The instructor turned to face them.

“Stay here. The announcement will begin shortly, do not wander around.”

Then she walked off, probably to report to the officials organizing the event.

Arthur folded his arms and looked around. “This is… a lot.”

Leon nodded. “It’s the largest concentration of student mages we’ve ever been around.”

Eva glanced at the distant platform raised at the far end of the field. “That’s where the announcement will be made, I assume.”

Sophia yawned. “Hopefully soon.”

Minutes stretched into twenty, then thirty. Students began to shuffle in place, stretching, cracking their necks, or squatting in boredom.

“Why do I feel like we’ve been standing for hours?” Finn whispered dramatically.

Sophia rubbed her eyes. “Are they trying to bore us into surrendering?”

Just as Finn was about to launch into another dramatic entry, a ripple of silence swept across the field.

Everyone looked forward and saw a lone figure stepping up onto the raised stone platform.

He wore white robes lined with gold thread, and a long ceremonial mantle trailed behind him. His staff was embedded with a large green gem, and a sigil of the Stellara Kingdom at his chest.

The murmurs died instantly, and hush fell over the entire field.

“Looks like the show’s about to start,” Leon muttered.

Hopefully they would figure out exactly what they were walking into next.

***

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