Chapter 1: The Sound of Destiny

WORRRRR. WORRRRR.

The siren’s whirling hum cut through the morning air, jolting Takeo awake. He groaned, rubbing his eyes and staring up at the ceiling of his small countryside hut. Of all the things to wake up to, this was probably his least favourite.

"Attention all residents of Primo, attention all residents of Primo."

The voice echoed in his head, cheerful and annoyingly chipper.

"Telepathy? Or is someone really wasting that much Flow on this?" Takeo muttered to himself, already annoyed at the energy it must have taken to broadcast this far.

"We are bringing you this announcement to EVERYONE who has been designated as combat-ready."

Takeo sighed. "Oh great, here we go…"

Nav’s voice chimed in from somewhere behind him. “Did you hear that? You’re officially 'combat-ready.' Aren’t you excited?”

Takeo rolled his eyes and sat up, staring out at the rolling hills beyond his window. “Yeah, thrilled. Can’t wait to risk my life in some pointless battle. What are you even doing here...”

"You will be required to join the Selection Tournament."

There it was. The big announcement everyone had been expecting. Takeo glanced outside. Even the Flow—the magical energy that pulsed through everything—seemed to slow down, like the world was holding its breath.

"The prize of the tournament is one wish."

Takeo raised an eyebrow. "A wish? Really? What is this, a fairytale?"

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Nav snickered. "Come on, don't you have some deep, dark secret wish you’ve been hiding? Like wanting to be taller?"

Takeo glared. "I'm 172cm [5’66]," he said flatly.

"Exactly," Nav replied, voice dripping with mock sincerity. "Terribly short. Truly tragic."

Takeo groaned again, tossing the blanket off and standing up. Outside, in the distance, the magical leaderboard flickered to life, hovering just above the mountains. It only displayed the top 100 fighters at any given time—people who actually took this whole tournament seriously.

"Only the top 100, huh? That means I don’t even have to bother showing up, right?" Takeo smirked, hopeful.

"Don’t get too excited," Nav shot back. "It’s not like you can avoid it forever. Unless you plan on running into the hills and hiding until the tournament’s over."

Takeo paused, he was seriously considering it. "That doesn’t sound like a terrible idea, actually."

Worrrrrr.

The siren blared again, louder this time, like it was personally offended by Takeo’s lack of enthusiasm. He sighed, pulling on his jacket and stepping outside. The countryside was as peaceful as ever—the grass swaying gently in the wind, the distant mountains glowing under the early sunlight. If it weren’t for the siren and the hovering leaderboard, he might have believed nothing was happening at all.

Nav continued, unbothered. "You do realize you’re fighting whether you like it or not, right? The whole 'designated combat-ready' thing wasn’t exactly a suggestion."

Takeo crossed his arms. "And if I just… don’t?"

"Well, then you’d miss out on all the fun. Plus, there’s that whole 'wish' thing. You could wish for… I dunno, more naps?"

“Tempting.”

Nav sighed. "Look, you don’t have to win, you just have to survive. Unless you’re planning on taking on the big fishes."

Takeo snorted. " I’m pretty sure the big fishes won’t even bother with me. Plus, I’m probably not even going to show up. Thanks, but no thanks."

Nav's voice took on a teasing tone. "You mean like you’re trying to?"

"Exactly what I'm trying not to. Let the giants fight their pointless battles. I’ve got better things to do."

"Like what?"

"Like... not dying?"

Worrrrrr.

Takeo looked up at the leaderboard again. The names hadn’t changed. The top 100 stayed firmly in place, no doubt filled with fighters already tearing into each other. He shrugged, walking down the small path toward the fields.

"Three days," Nav said suddenly.

"Hm?"

"You’ve got three days before the real fighting starts. What’s the plan?"

Takeo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess… I’ll take a short nap. I mean since I was jolted awake by that monstrous siren, right?"

Nav laughed. "Good plan, Takeo. Solid."