My life was very boring. Ilmenor was a beautiful place, but nothing ever happened. From my bedroom, ever since I was very little, all I could see were merchants coming and going, but nothing more. I was extremely hyperactive; I was always running around, not knowing what to do. My father, Thailon, the village leader, always scolded me:

—You should calmly wait for your mother to return. It’s not good for you to be running around all the time. One day, you’re going to hurt yourself. —

He always brought up my mother to try to keep me calm, but whenever I asked when she would come back or where she was, he would always respond:

—She… she’s very far away, and it will take her a long time to return. —

Later on, I found out that she had actually passed away. I don’t blame my father; it would have been very difficult for me too to tell my child that one of their parents had died. Instead, I’m grateful for everything he did to take care of me, to try to protect me.

Still, with nothing to do, I trained and trained. I had no other way to spend my time, and I became strong. Very strong.

One day, about ten years ago, a group of three arrived at the gates of our “kingdom”: a boy my age, a girl five years younger than us, and a raccoon. As always, I snuck out to see who they were. I talked to them, and they were very kind to me.

I had never had friends before; the others in the village wouldn’t let me spend time with them, as if I were the typical princess from fairy tales locked up in her castle.

I was so happy when I met them. Since then, they became my friends—my only friends. Although, little by little, as I grew up, I made more friends, they were the first to accept me. Over time, I became especially close to the boy, whose name was Zein.

I didn’t have to sneak out anymore; now I had someone to play with. We went to the institute together, and even though we both skipped classes, we managed to graduate.

Half the time, I didn’t know what Zein was up to, but when I wasn’t with him, I spent time talking to his sister or the raccoon. His sister, who was adorable and very kind, was named Lyra—a very beautiful name. The raccoon, who I discovered was actually a spirit, was named Kio—a name that, honestly, sounded quite similar to mine.

My father always seemed depressed. He barely paid attention to me and looked utterly exhausted. This worried me a lot, but for some reason, when they arrived, everything changed. The place came to life. Every day became exciting or fun. My father no longer seemed so down; he paid more attention to me, and those last ten years became the best of my life.

Zein and my father spent a lot of time together. I never knew exactly what they were doing, but I didn’t meddle. After all, thanks to them, my days were now completely busy.

Speaking of graduation, here in Ilmenor, it’s customary for children to attend classes from the age of ten until they turn twenty, which is when they’re considered adults. School starts at that age because parents are expected to teach their children the basics before enrolling them.

Zein was always teased for not having pointed ears, something I never cared about. I always protected him. I made him a promise: that I would protect him no matter what, because I didn’t want to lose my best friend. To my surprise, he made the same promise to me.

Finally, the special day arrived—the day when our entire generation would officially become adults. Zein and I had both turned twenty. To be honest, he didn’t take off his mask very often; it was like his comfort zone. That’s why, when I saw him without it, I was surprised at how much he had changed.

From a skinny, pale boy with messy white hair, he had turned into a man. His hair, now tied back and well-groomed, gave him a completely different look, and he no longer seemed so thin. He had changed so much.

In addition to the graduation, it’s a tradition here to hold a tournament to determine the strongest in the village. We were prepared with intensive training, and each person had to manage their own preparation. This training lasted six months. To be honest, I have no idea what Zein was up to during that time.

The long-awaited day finally came after our graduation and reaching adulthood. After those six months of training, which felt like an eternity, I finally returned home.

—I’m back! — I shouted as I walked in, full of energy.

—Miss Kiomi, it’s a pleasure to have you back, — Eryndra greeted me with a slight bow.

—Oh, come on, Eryndra, don’t talk to me so formally. It makes me feel weird; we’ve known each other for years. —

—Apologies. —

Without wasting time, I immediately ran to see my father.

—Dad! —

—Sweetheart! —

We shared a warm hug after reuniting.

—You’ve grown so much, — he said, looking quite happy.

—Come on, Dad, it hasn’t been that long. It was only about six months. —

—Six months is a long time, you know? Especially when I don’t hear anything from you. —

The village was lively. Many from my generation had finally returned.

—Dad, where are Zein, Lyra, and Kio? —

—Lyra should be resting, and Kio is probably with her. I haven’t seen Zein since this morning. —

—That’s right, Zein didn’t leave, did he? —

—No, he didn’t. —

I found it odd. Everyone else had gone on trips or hunts to hone their skills, but not Zein. I didn’t know why he stayed. Maybe he trained here, but I couldn’t imagine what he could have learned in the village, especially when everyone else had left.

I went to see Kio and Lyra with a big smile, and they greeted me the same way. I was so happy to see everyone I knew again. Afterward, I decided to talk to my father to see if I could find Zein.

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—Dad. —

—What is it, sweetheart? —

—Do you know where Zein might be? —

—I’m not sure. He might be at that old tree near the beach. If you see him, please tell him to come back; he’s been out there long enough. —

—Alright. —

I went out to look for him. The village was bustling as everyone prepared for the tournament that would take place very soon. Everyone seemed excited. The festivities would start in the evening, the night before the tournament, to celebrate first, and at dawn, the competition would begin.

And there he was, sitting at the tree, watching the sunset, right where we had always been since we were kids.

—So this is where you were. —

—Kiomi, — he said in that calm voice of his that always made me feel at home. He was wearing his helmet, as always. He never took it off, which annoyed me more than I cared to admit.

Without thinking too much, I pulled it off in one quick motion.

—At least let me see you. We haven’t seen each other in six months. —

—Come on, you know I don’t like being without it. Besides, six months isn’t that long.—

—Maybe not to you, but it is to me. —

I stared at him. His face had changed. It was as if these six months had transformed him into someone else, though maybe it was just me seeing him differently. His skin looked healthier, his hair was neater, as if he had decided to take the time to reinvent himself completely. I couldn’t help but get a bit lost, noticing details I had never paid attention to before.

—What are you staring at? — he asked, tilting his head slightly.

—Nothing, — I said quickly, feeling a slight warmth on my cheeks. —I’m just surprised you’re taking better care of yourself now. —

He gave a faint smile, so subtle it was almost imperceptible. It felt like that smile was just for me.

At that moment, a voice interrupted us.

—Hey, Zein! Would you mind helping us with something? —

He quickly snatched the helmet from my hands, as if afraid of being seen too long without it.

—Yeah, I’ll be down in a second! —

—Thanks! —

I couldn’t help but feel annoyed. Not only because we had been interrupted, but because Zein didn’t seem to show even a shred of interest in my return. It was as if it didn’t mean anything to him.

—Sorry, I have to go, — he said almost mechanically.

—Dad said you need to come back soon, that you’ve been out here too long already.—

—Apologize for me, pleeeease, — he begged, pressing his hands together in front of his face, his expression more playful than genuinely apologetic. In an instant, he put the helmet back on.

I sighed, but instead of scolding him, I hugged him. It was an impulse, one I couldn’t control.

—Well, you could have at least been a little happier to see me. —

For a moment, Zein seemed frozen, surprised by my gesture. Then, slowly, he returned the hug.

—Sorry, — he murmured, his voice softer than before.

And then he left, leaving me with a whirlwind of emotions. I watched him walk down toward the villagers, who now seemed to place so much trust in him. Maybe that was the reason he had decided to stay.

The tournament consisted of two stages: the first included trials to select the top 16 participants, who would advance to the second stage to fight and determine the champion. This event was held for every generation, so I had seen it several times before. The first stage always felt boring to me; it was just tests of strength, speed, skill, endurance, agility, and mind. Nothing special, really. The real action began in the second stage.

The rules were simple: the matches were one-on-one. To win, you had to knock out your opponent or make them surrender. From the first round to the quarterfinals, the fights were single-round matches, making them quicker. However, starting from the semifinals up to the final, the battles were divided into three rounds, and the winner was whoever won at least two of them. In the end, the champion was declared “the strongest.”

Killing during the battles wasn’t allowed, but injuring or incapacitating your opponent was fair game. Participants could use “energy,” or as I liked to call it, Anima. I had even managed to convince Zein to call it that too. Basically, anything that gave you an advantage was permitted, though some strategies bordered on what could be considered cheating.

I loved attending the festival on the night before the event. Even though this time I would be one of the participants in the tournament, I wasn’t going to miss out on the fun.

A day before the festival, I was chatting with my friends from school.

—Hey, Kiomi. —

—What’s up? — I replied while sipping one of Ilmenor’s traditional drinks.

—Did you find someone to go to the festival with? —

—I bet she did, — one of my friends chimed in teasingly. —It’s definitely that heartthrob Zein. —

—Of course not! — I retorted, slightly flustered. Heartthrob?! That guy had no sense of decency. Although… well, now that I think about it…

—Really? I would’ve thought so. —

—Well… I did ask him, — I muttered, trying to keep my voice low.

—You’re kidding! — Apparently, whispering was pointless.

—And? What did he say? —

—Well… he said yes. —

The congratulations came pouring in. My friends squealed with excitement, laughing and throwing all sorts of comments my way.

—I knew you’d pull it off! — one said, hugging me tightly.

—But, Kiomi, make sure this is a night he’ll never forget! — added another, winking at me.

—And please, please, don’t mess it up, — joked the last one, making everyone laugh.

They bombarded me with advice: what kind of dress I should wear, how I should behave, even what to say to impress him.

When the festival arrived, the entire village seemed to glow. Lights were strung between the trees and houses, and the streets were alive with laughter, music, and the aroma of traditional dishes wafting through the air. I had decided to wear a dress one of my friends had lent me: simple but lovely, with colors that, according to them, made my eyes stand out.

Zein was already waiting for me near the festival’s main entrance. He wore a black linen shirt and dark trousers—quite unusual for him. His hair was tied back with more care than usual, and what surprised me most was that, for the first time, he wasn’t wearing his helmet.

—You… look really nice, — he murmured as I approached, his voice lower than usual, like it took effort to say it.

—Thanks. You look different too… in a good way, — I replied, feeling like I’d already ruined it.

Lyra appeared next to him, running joyfully and wearing a white dress that made her look like a little princess. She seemed thrilled to be there, bouncing around and talking quickly about all the things she wanted to do. Zein and I exchanged a glance, smiling at her excitement. While it warmed my heart to see that her illness didn’t stop her from being happy, a bitter feeling crept in as I thought about how it had stolen precious years from her life. At fifteen, she laughed and played like someone full of vitality, something I deeply admired.

The night was filled with laughter and activities. We played some games, watched traditional dances, and tried a variety of dishes. At one point, while Lyra was busy with some village children, Zein and I found ourselves alone by the beach, where the lights reflected on the water like tiny magical sparks.

—It’s nice to be here again, — I said, gazing at the lights.

—Yeah, it is. Although, to be honest, I’m not a big fan of festivals. —

—Then why did you come? — I asked, turning to face him.

Zein hesitated for a moment, as if searching for the right words. Finally, he murmured:

—Because you asked me to…—

I didn’t know what to say. My heart skipped a beat, and the silence that followed was rather awkward. We just stood there, watching the water, until Lyra came running back to us.

At the end of the night, we said our goodbyes in front of the house.

—Thanks for coming with me, — I said, looking directly into his eyes.

—Thanks for inviting me, — he replied, with a slight nod.

We stood there for another moment, until Lyra tugged on his arm, saying she was tired and wanted to go to bed. Truthfully, I needed to rest too since the tournament was starting the next day. We each headed to our rooms, which were quite far from each other. For some reason, I couldn’t stop smiling that night.